Allied Universal CEO Steve Jones Raises More Than $1.9 Million for Human Trafficking Victims

All funds raised go directly to country’s only shelter of its kind

IRVINE, Calif. — August 7, 2023 — Allied Universal®, the world’s leading security and facility services provider, today announced that, at their annual fundraising event held over the weekend, Steve Jones and wife Stacy Jones raised more than $1.9 million for the nation’s only shelter that serves the world’s more than 40 million human trafficking victims. Jason Derulo, triple platinum and award winning singer-songwriter, performed at the event.

“In the U.S., there are 16,066 substance abuse treatment facilities. 11,379 homeless shelters. 1,642 domestic violence shelters. There’s only one licensed residential drug treatment shelter dedicated to victims of human trafficking, and it’s in Orange County just miles from our global headquarters,” said Allied Universal CEO Steve Jones. “That’s why, every year, Stacy and I underwrite and host a charity event to bring much needed attention to the serious issue of human trafficking. All funds raised at this year’s Hot August Nights event go directly to Vera’s Sanctuary.”

Read more here


ADT announces sale of commercial business for $1.6 billion

BOCA RATON, Fla., Aug. 8, 2023 – ADT Inc., the most trusted brand in smart home and small business security, today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to sell its commercial security, fire and life safety business unit to GTCR, a leading private equity firm, for a purchase price of $1.6 billion, subject to customary purchase price adjustments.

Jim DeVries, ADT President and CEO, said, “This transaction is mutually beneficial for ADT and ADT Commercial, which will benefit from GTCR’s support and expertise, positioning the business to continue providing best-in-class solutions and services to its customers. We thank the entire ADT Commercial team for their hard work and look forward to seeing them grow.”

Read more in the Vendor Spotlight column below
 

Security Industry Needed More Than Ever Amid Retail Crime Surge
As police departments struggle, private security firms pick up the slack

As police forces struggle, can private security industry seize the moment?

Private security forces may be more needed than ever as public police departments struggle with recruitment, retirements, high costs for wages and equipment and anti-police sentiment.

Despite all the industry buzz about artificial intelligence and robots replacing traditional security guards, the threat environment and uptick in violence in many U.S. cities suggests otherwise. Statistics, studies, and interviews conducted by SecurityInfoWatch, suggest private security forces will be more needed than ever as public police departments struggle with recruitment, retirements, high costs for wages and equipment and anti-police sentiment.

Private market growing faster

With an estimated 830,000 outsourced security guards in the U.S., that puts the ratio at 1.2 outsourced guards to every public police officer. The report also shows a compound growth rate in the public police force at only 0.24% from the years 2004 to 2019, which is much lower than the growth rate for outsourced security guards.

Challenges Endure for Guards

Private security companies are facing their own ‘perfect storm,’ Amitay says, as the labor market is tight. One of the major obstacles, he says, is licensing requirements of various states. Retention is also incredibly important in such a high-turnover industry. Liability is another big elephant in the room.

Amitay says businesses, hospitals and other entities are beefing up private security with a human presence. Private security officers are often instructed to not engage with attempted theft for fear the situation could escalate – unless the suspect is endangering life or threatening to harm someone.

Market ‘Majors’ Say They’re Ready 

Four world leaders – Allied Universal, GardaWorld, Securitas and Prosegur - have over $1 billion in worldwide revenue and have operations globally. This includes two historic acquisitions: Allied Universal bought G4S in 2021, creating the largest security company in the world with revenues of approximately $20 billion. Securitas made it largest acquisition in history in 2022 when it paid $3.2 billion for the $1.8 billion revenue systems integration division of Stanley Black & Decker.

Major security companies interviewed believe they are ready to accept the challenge of augmenting security in various verticals.

Critical Relationships

Over the last decade, law enforcement “has warmed to these critical relationships as they understand that in many cases the technology and management knowledge offered from the private sector is beneficial to fighting crime and better managing their resources.

Growing Verticals

Studies bear out the presence of security officers deters crime, especially crimes of opportunity like catalytic converter thefts or shoplifting, Amitay says. “The retailers are very attuned to this. They need customers in their stores to make money, and if they don’t feel safe being there, they must do something to make them feel safe,” he says. “There’s no more effective way than to have a security officer present.” securityinfowatch.com


San Francisco is Home to the Most Shoplifted Walgreens Stores
Hundreds of thefts at SF Walgreens store, but just a single arrest

Hanging Out at San Francisco’s Most Shoplifted Walgreens Stores
The Walgreens with the most reported thefts in the first five months of this year was at 2690 Mission St., followed by the store at 3398 Mission St., according to an analysis of police dispatch data to 41 of the company’s San Francisco stores.

Police dispatch recorded 152 petty theft reports and three grand theft reports at the 2690 Mission St. store during that period. Petty theft is defined in San Francisco as when someone steals items worth less than $950, while grand theft is stealing items worth more than $950.

There were 81 petty theft reports logged at the 3398 Mission St. store and no grand thefts. Meanwhile, at the 5280 Geary Blvd. location, dispatch data shows 15 petty theft incidents and a lone grand theft.

A Walgreens spokesperson said retail crime is one of the top challenges facing the industry today.

“We continue to take preventative measures to safely deter theft and aim to deliver the best patient and customer experience, and we are working closely with law enforcement, elected officials and community leaders to draw greater attention to and improve our response to retail crime,” the spokesperson said.

Police dispatch logged nearly 750 petty or grand theft incidents at all San Francisco Walgreens stores in the first five months of 2023. The most common result saw officers note that they "handled" the situation—which happened in 207 of the incidents, according to the dispatch data. In 180 incidents, the suspect was gone by the time police arrived, and officers wrote reports in 146 incidents.

Just one dispatch resulted in an arrest, according to the data, though that doesn't count any arrests officers later made after they were first dispatched to the scene. sfstandard.com


Cargo Theft: The Latest Type of Crime to Plague Retail
Organized Cargo Theft Surges in the US as Smash-and-Grab Robberies Decrease
A new type of organized crime is wreaking havoc in the retail sector. Organized cargo theft is when thieves target cargo shipments. And usually execute elaborate schemes to misdirect massive deliveries away from their intended recipients.

This surge in stealing shipments of high-value brands is having a significant impact. And it is matched by the decline in traditional smash-and-grab robberies.

According to recent statistics by CargoNet, the United States and Canada have experienced a staggering 57% increase in cargo theft during this quarter, compared to the previous year’s data.

The perpetrators have managed to get away with stolen shipments worth over $44 million in the second quarter of 2023 alone.

These audacious thefts occur on a daily basis in various locations, particularly in Los Angeles, where dozens of freight cars fall prey to thieves exploiting their stops to loot packages.

The aftermath leaves thousands of abandoned packages and internet-bought goods scattered on the tracks, never to reach their intended destinations. usaherald.com


Out of Control Teens Fueled By Social Media Continue to Impact Retailers

Dozens of Teens Loot Chicago Convenience Store
The Chicago Mayor Downplayed the Incident & Criticized Reporter Who Called the Looters a 'Mob'

Chicago mayor somehow links mob of candy bar thieves to Capone

After 40 teenagers ransacked and looted a convenience store, Chicago’s police-hating liberal mayor is lecturing about using mean words.

After using social media to plan their attack, the wild mob converged Sunday night at a 7-Eleven store, and remained there for hours, even after police officers arrived and pleaded for the crowd to disperse. After the teenagers ignored the warnings, police eventually arrested 40 people who ranged in age from 12 to 20, according to a report by CBS News Chicago.

At a press conference afterward, Mayor Brandon Johnson was visibly unhappy when a reporter asked about the “mob” that descended on the convenience store. Pushing back on the question, he bizarrely compared the unruly crowd to Chicago’s famous mafia turf wars.

“There’s history in this city,” the mayor told reporters. “I mean, to refer to children as baby Al Capones is not appropriate.” Al Capone, the notorious gangster, famously ruled Chicago and its underworld during the 1930s.

According to Webster’s Dictionary, “the Mob” refers to an organized group of criminals, such as Capone’s criminal empire. The word “mob” means a “large and disorderly crowd of people,” such as the teens arrested Sunday night who stole merchandise, fought each other, and smashed the windows of the convenience store.

Reacting to Mayor Johnson’s lecture, Chicago-area church pastor Calvin Lindstrom tells AFN the lecture about using mean words is not doing teenagers any favors.

“A house is on fire and you're not bringing water,” Lindstrom says of Mayor Johnson, “but you're bringing more lighter fluid to the scene, as it were.” afn.net


Escalating Assaults by Teens - Hitting Malls, Stores & Restaurants
'Something has to be done': Boston officials raise alarm over escalating assaults on officers

"This violence against police and first responders is unacceptable, and needs to be condemned,” City Council President Ed Flynn said

Two incidents at South Bay mall occurred in two days, according to police reports. On Monday, police responded to a call of a group of 30 or 40 teenaged people harassing shoppers, including allegedly throwing a soda bottle from the top of the parking garage and nearly striking the reporting victim before exploding on the pavement.

When she went up to demand an apology, she was allegedly surrounded, pelted with ice and doused in Naked Mighty Mango juice — and a source says it was a similar story for the officers who responded. A BPD wagon window was allegedly broken by a thrown item.

Two days later, another huge group of teens — estimated in the report as perhaps 50 or 60 strong — congregated until they bright District Avenue to a complete standstill, before running into a chain restaurant after three victims while allegedly yelling “Beat these (expletive) up.

In the same incident, which apparently continued for some time that night, some teens ran into Target, started causing mayhem, and allegedly told a responding police officer “I’m going into the store and your fat (expletive) can’t catch me.”  police1.com


Thousands Riot in NYC Over Social Media Influencer Giveaway
Social media influencer faces charges of inciting riot after thousands cause mayhem in NYC

“We have encountered things like this before but never to this level of dangerousness,” Chief Jeffrey Maddrey said

Social media influencer Kai Cenat is facing charges of inciting a riot and promoting an unlawful gathering in New York City, after the online streamer drew thousands of his followers, many of them teenagers, with promises of giving away electronics, including a new PlayStation.

The event produced chaos, with dozens of people arrested — some jumping atop vehicles, hurling bottles and throwing punches.

Cenat was released early Saturday from police custody after being issued a desk appearance ticket, which police issue to require a suspect to appear in court to answer charges. A police spokesperson said he is to appear in court on Aug. 18.

The mayhem in New York City's Union Square Friday afternoon put further focus on the hold social media influencers have on the people who follow and fawn over them.

“Our children cannot be raised by social media," Mayor Eric Adams said Saturday during a press briefing on an unrelated crime. police1.com nypost.com


Chicago philanthropist launches jobs program to deter crime, ‘teen trends'

Stores are trying to protect ice creams from getting stolen off their shelves

Facial Recognition Bans Would Only Benefit Threat Actors
With guardrails, the technology can be an effective crime deterrent

Facial recognition technology should be regulated, but not banned

A blanket ban on FRT in law enforcement will only benefit the criminals, Tony Porter and Dr Nicole Benjamin Fink write.

The EU’s AI Act passed a major hurdle in mid-June when the bloc’s lawmakers greenlit rules on artificial intelligence. But one proposal stands apart: a total ban on facial recognition technology, or FRT.

If left to stand, this rule will blindfold the law enforcers who do vital work to protect the most vulnerable in society. It will embolden criminal groups such as those who traffic human victims, thereby putting lives at risk.

All surveillance capabilities intrude on human rights to some extent. The question is whether we can regulate the use of FRT effectively to mitigate any impact on these rights.

Protecting privacy versus protecting people is a balance EU lawmakers can and must strike. A blanket ban is the easy, but not the responsible option. Privacy campaigners have long argued that the potential benefits of using such tech are not worth the negative impact on human rights. But many of those arguments don’t stand up to scrutiny. In fact, they’re based on conclusively debunked myths.

Given what’s at stake here, European lawmakers should be thinking about ways to leverage a technology proven to help reduce societal harm — but in a way that mitigates risks to human rights.

The good news is that it can be done with the right regulatory guardrails. In fact, the EU’s AI Act already provides a great foundation for this, by proposing a standard of excellence for AI technologies which FRT could be held to.

Building on this, FRT should be retained as an operation tool wherever there’s a “substantial” risk to the public and a legitimate basis for protecting citizens from harm. euronews.com


AP Team Uses FaceFirst Face Matching to Bring Down ORC Booster
Retailer secures ORC suspect arrest, return of missing minor

AP pros use proactive face matching to stop notorious booster

Here's a FaceFirst client ORC win that dovetails with recent news coverage about missing and exploited children and teens.

When a known ORC booster walked into a retailer's store, FaceFirst instantly notified the designated ORC investigator. The investigator and the ORC AP team acted immediately. Within 90 minutes, their actions led to the suspect's arrest, the recovery of goods worth thousands of dollars, and the eventual safe return of a missing minor.

The case started when investigators identified a man as a prolific ORC booster in May 2022. The man was involved in numerous larcenies at various client locations and other retailers, but he had not been apprehended during any of those incidents. Investigators enrolled him as a known offender in the retailer's custom database.

When the man returned to one of the retailer's stores, the FaceFirst system matched his enrolled face and sent a notification email to the designated investigator. The investigator immediately notified the ORC AP team of the known offender's presence. The man left that store, but within half an hour he entered another of the retailer's locations. There, the AP team observed the man and an unknown young woman concealing large amounts of health and beauty products.

The AP team confirmed the FaceFirst match-combining powerful artificial intelligence with human oversight-and called the police. When the two individuals left the store with concealed products valued at $1,428.91, officers detained them. They found thousands of dollars worth of stolen goods from other retailers.

Read the full article here


Massive Fire Triggered by Explosion at Sherwin-Williams Plant
Investigation underway after massive fire, explosions at Sherwin-Williams plant
Officials are investigating an explosion at a Sherwin-Williams plant that resulted in a fire. It happened around 1:15 a.m. at Sherwin Williams at 701 South Shiloh Road in Garland. The fire was extinguished within a few hours. It is unclear what caused the explosion.

A spokesperson from Sherwin-Williams said production at the site has been suspended. Once cleared by the fire department, they will assess the impact of the explosion and fire before resuming production. One worker at the plant was injured and taken to a local hospital as a precaution. They have since been released.

In one video purportedly of the fire on social media, several explosions could be heard. Garland fire asks the public to stay clear of the plant as the investigation continues. cbsnews.com
 

The Container Store expanding its small-format concept
The home storage and organization products retailer plans to open six new small format stores in fiscal 2023 and three new stores in fiscal 2024.

Funko lays off 12% of workforce

Seizing momentum, L.L. Bean expands store fleet, wholesale

The Loss of Buy Buy Baby Suggests Gains for Indie Retailers and Majors