ISCPO Announces Pinkerton as a Preferred Vendor Partner

ISCPO Welcomes Global Security Leader To Further Boost Supply Chain Security

Dallas (July 17, 2024) – Today, the International Supply Chain Protection Organization (ISCPO) proudly announces the exciting addition of Pinkerton as a preferred vendor partner. With the increasing risk of cargo theft, ISCPO members rely on various vendors to provide layers of security. Driven by its commitment to continuous improvement, ISCPO is dedicated to expanding its array of vendor solutions, harnessing proven products and staying at the forefront of industry best practices. This international partnership with Pinkerton as a preferred vendor helps its members reduce cargo theft and pilferage, protect brand reputation and limit supply chain interruptions.

For ISCPO members, partnering with Pinkerton can better safeguard facilities, yards, cargo and assets. A global provider of comprehensive risk management services since 1850, Pinkerton specializes in best-in-class investigations, deterring and reducing threats through high-level security strategies.

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California's New 'Safeguarding our Supply Chains Act'
The legislation is intended to address cargo theft and supply chain security

Bill’s sponsor says lawmakers will ‘want to make sure that they’re part of the solution’

A new piece of legislation intended to address cargo theft and supply chain security will focus on cracking down on organized crime, according to the bill’s sponsor.

On June 25, Rep. David G. Valadao, R-Calif., introduced the Safeguarding our Supply Chains Act. The bipartisan bill “aims to improve coordination between the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI” with the hope of slowing the growing rate of cargo theft.

During a recent interview with Land Line Now, Valadao discussed some of the specifics of the bill, noting that the legislation will target organized crime operations that can cost the industry millions each year.

Data from CargoNet – a New Jersey-based data- and information-sharing company that collaborates with carriers and law enforcement to combat cargo theft – backs up that claim. In its recently released 2024 Second Quarter Supply Chain Risk Trends Analysis, the company noted a rise in the number of strategic cargo theft incidents perpetrated by organized crews.

To address that growing concern, the bill aims to establish a connection between federal agencies and local law enforcement to tackle cargo theft trough a two-pronged approach.

First, the legislation would establish the Supply Chain Crime Coordination Center in the Department of Homeland Security’s Homeland Security Investigations to “collect and analyze data related to supply chain fraud and theft and to analyze regions and modes of transportation in the United States that are experiencing high volumes of organized crime.” Additionally, the bill would establish a Supply Chain and Theft Task Force led by HSI and the FBI.

Currently, representatives from both Illinois and Texas, as well as Florida and Minnesota, are co-sponsoring the bill.

“This is a very non-controversial piece of legislation. It’s very bipartisan,” Valadao said. “And the more they hear about it, obviously they sign on because it is a very simple bill. It’s something that most people are seeing in their districts, and they want to make sure that they’re part of the solution on this one.” landline.media


One Retailer Facing 41% Surge in Shoplifting
‘Unprecedented’ theft prompts new security measures in local Giant Food stores

Reports of shoplifting in all county stores up by 41% between 2022 and 2023, police say

An increase in shoplifting at Giant Food stores in Montgomery County has prompted the regional grocer to enhance security protocols in some of its stores.

“Giant Food has initiated new policies at select stores that are experiencing high shrink to mitigate the unprecedented levels of product theft that have become unsustainable for our business,” Giant Food spokesperson Jon Arons said in an email to MoCo360. “The retail theft we are experiencing across our market area is a problem that affects everyone. It limits product availability, creates a less convenient shopping experience, and, most critically, puts our associates and customers in harm’s way.”

Shoplifting in county retail stores has been on the rise over the past few years, county police spokesperson Casandra Tressler said. “Any reported thefts are investigated,” she said.

Between 2021 and 2022, shoplifting in retail stores, which includes grocery stores, increased by nearly 28%, from 2,425 to 3,100 reported cases, according to the county police department’s 2022 Annual Report on Crime and Safety.

From 2022-2023, all shoplifting incidents increased by nearly 41%, Tressler said. Police did not provide the overall number of reported cases for 2023.

The number of reported grocery store thefts between 2022 and 2023 grew by about 48%, according to data provided by police. There were 427 reported thefts in 2022 and 630 in 2023. Reported cases for 2024 are on pace to exceed the number reported in 2023, according to police.

Giant Food, Safeway and Whole Foods Market are among the grocers with stores throughout the county. When contacted by MoCo360, Safeway officials declined to provide information about theft in their stores and security measures they may have taken.  moco360.media


Law Enforcement Agencies Battle Theft
San Bernardino County Tackles Retail Theft with Operation Smash & Grab
Between June 28 and July 11, 2024, law enforcement agencies in San Bernardino County worked together to address the issue of retail theft across various shopping districts.

The coordinated effort, dubbed Operation SMASH & Grab, involved multiple agencies including the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, Rancho Cucamonga Station, San Bernardino County Probation Department, Homeland Security Investigations, California Highway Patrol, and the San Bernardino Police Department.

During this two-week period, the investigators succeeded in making 12 felony arrests and 24 misdemeanor arrests. Additionally, they recovered a total of $7,826.00 in stolen property.

Retail theft in San Bernardino County has been on the rise, often involving organized crews that carry out robberies, burglaries, and other crimes. These incidents not only result in property loss but also create an uneasy shopping environment for local residents.

Operation SMASH & Grab specifically targeted the Rancho Cucamonga, Apple Valley, Hesperia, Victorville, and Chino Hills shopping areas.

By employing both conventional and non-conventional investigative methods, the authorities aim to dismantle the networks behind these thefts and improve the overall quality of life for the community. vvng.com


Bay Area Publication Tries to Downplay Theft, Sides With Shoplifters
Opinion: Sacramento Target says shoplifting is a violent issue. Actually, it’s not
that bad.
The shoplifting issue in California posits corporations such as Target as the injured parties, while ignoring people who must steal water and diapers to survive, punishing them in the same way as violent offenders.

Penalizing the petty crime of shoplifting in the same category as robbery or organized retail crime is a flimsy excuse to grow the police state — and Sacramento’s police budget has already ballooned to over $225 million, a record high.

I’m not saying shoplifting isn’t a crime, nor that it isn’t a problem. It’s simply not as bad as some people would like you to believe. Retailers contribute $3.9 trillion to the nation’s annual gross domestic product and are the country’s largest private-sector industry, what they say has a lot of sway with politicians, whether or not it’s true. They throw around huge numbers about the rates of shoplifting, with questionable data to back it up.

Shoplifting has long been a rallying cry for both political parties, and images of people behaving badly seem more prominent than ever as a popular topic of viral videos online. But this ire and focus on shoplifting may simply be a reactionary swing back to aggressive law enforcement after the city’s — and in fact, the nation’s — turn toward more progressive policing policies in recent years. sacbee.com
 

The Political Debate Over Crime in America
GOP says America is awash in immigrant-driven crime. What do the data say?
The crime picture in the United States is much more nuanced than suggested, according to federal and state data, which vary across the country and from city to city. For example, Los Angeles officials in January touted a large drop in violent crime in 2023, compared with the year prior — with killings down 17% and shootings down 10%, according to Los Angeles police data.

But just last month, Gov. Gavin Newsom said he would quadruple the number of California Highway Patrol shifts in Oakland, where city data last year showed violent crime had increased 21%, robbery by 38% and vehicle theft 43%.

The clearest recent trend in national crime data — which Democrats have cited to rebut the Republican claims and which Republicans dismiss as misleading — is that violent crime is down.

Violent crime — including homicides — did increase, and substantially, in those earlier years amid the social upheaval associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. However, Asher said there has been a clear decline in the two most recent years, according to available federal data and state-by-state figures he has gathered. yahoo.com


Weapons detection systems being deployed in NYC subways

Spotlight on crime and border issues embraced at RNC
 

What Would the Security Implications Be?
Should Walmart Return to 24/7 Operations?
Social media posts in recent months indicated Walmart would resume 24-hour operations across the U.S., but Joe Pennington, Walmart Press Office director, told Reuters, “There are no current plans to return our stores to 24 hours of operations.” He added that the posts were false.

On March 14, 2020, the company reduced hours at Walmart stores and Neighborhood Markets to be open 7 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. On June 5, 2021, those hours expanded to 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. as the number of vaccinated Americans grew.

However, despite global and U.S. agencies declaring an end to the COVID-19 emergency in May 2023, Walmart hours haven’t returned to 24/7.

Among its closest competitors, Target doesn’t have any 24-hour stores, with most locations closing at 10 or 11 p.m. Costco opens at 10 a.m. and closes at 8:30 p.m. at most locations. Many other stores have reduced round-the-clock operations in recent years.

A kcentv.com article indicated that labor shortage was another factor making it difficult to fill night shifts in recent years.

Walgreens and CVS have also reportedly reduced their 24-hour stores amid financial struggles, although many urban locations remain open continuously. QuickChek, Wawa, 7-Eleven, and several other C-stores never moved away from 24-hour coverage.  retailwire.com


Shipping Crisis Continues in the Red Sea
Red Sea crisis making for extended shipping times
The Red Sea crisis and global port congestions will impact peak season shipping for retailers.

Extended shipping times, increased costs, and port delays will be felt globally, with China and Europe feeling the brunt of the impacts. Extended shipping times are tying up cargo ships and containers moving from China to Europe as 66% of freight is avoiding the Red Sea and opting for the longer route around Cape Hope. Port congestion in Singapore is building up as shipping routes are being diverted, creating a backlog of containers and mismanagement of port operations.

The domino effect of implications on ocean freight is flowing both directions. Increased transits, delays at ports, and last-minute changes are all adding costs to international shipping. Peak season shipping has started in some regions but is still ramping up, furthering the costs increases as demand begins to spike. chainstoreage.com


9 Total Sears Left in the U.S.
One of few remaining Sears stores in California is closing.
Sears appears to be closing its Stockton outlet, one of its few remaining California stores. At its height, Sears had more than 30 stores in California. The Stockton Record reports signs announcing "store closing" and "everything must go!" at Sears' Weberstown Mall location.

With the Stockton Sears closing, California has only three remaining locations: Whitter, Concord and Burbank. Nationwide, the once-retail giant has nine locations left in the mainland US and one in Puerto Rico. At its peak, Sears had more than 3,000 stores nationwide. desertsun.com


One likely reason Costco is hiking its membership fee
Retailers' profits from sales are seeing a pinch as inflation dials down, but Costco can bump fees up to balance out its overall financial picture.

Smoothie King opens 18 stores, gets 34 commitments in Q2

VF sells Supreme for $1.5 billion to parent company of LensCrafters, Sunglass Hut