ALL-TAG Delivers New, Meaningful “Eco-Friendly” Innovation in AM (Acousto-Magnetic) Security Labels

BOCA RATON, FLA. -- ALL-TAG, an American manufacturer of RF Labels, and a leading supplier of AM Anti-theft Security Tags, Security Labels, and other loss prevention products, announces the development of the industry’s first eco-friendly, AM (acousto-magnetic) anti-theft label. AM technology is a critical and core loss-prevention technology utilized widely across leading retailers and their consumer good manufacturing partners.

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Violence, Crime & Protests

New Shopping Center Technology Helps Police Bust Thieves
High-tech cameras helped Grafton police solve retail crimes - now the police chief wants them installed in neighborhoods
After using five high-tech cameras for one month, Grafton police have recovered two stolen vehicles, captured two retail theft suspects and worked with sheriff's deputies to arrest someone for reckless homicide.

Grafton Police Chief Jeff Caponera said without the technology, police wouldn’t have been able to identify those involved.

The five Flock Safety cameras were installed near shopping areas to streamline criminal investigations and deter drivers of stolen vehicles from travelling through the area. According to a news release, nationwide, Flock Safety’s services have reduced crime up to 70%, solving thousands of crimes. Operating costs are $2,500 per year for each camera.

Grafton police used the technology to apprehend a known retail thief in Milwaukee. The technology alerted officers when the vehicle entered Grafton. Officers found the car in a Kohl’s parking lot and intercepted the suspect as they fled the store with stolen Merchandise.

It was also used to respond to a report of indecent exposure in a retailer’s parking lot and to track and identify a retail theft suspect at a parking lot which had poor surveillance-quality cameras. Grafton police matched the vehicle to other vehicles used in known retail thefts, verified the car with the door handle that was being held together with wire hanger and made an arrest.

Caponera said the technology can locate suspected vehicles faster than officers. When officers respond to a retail theft, they often navigate through rows of vehicles in parking lots with only a vehicle description for guidance.

The cameras capture visual evidence using vehicle fingerprint technology to record car details such as full, partial or missing license plates and vehicle make and model.

“These people would be typically coming in here undetected,” said Caponera. “Now we have the ability to know that we have a known fraud suspect or a known theft suspect in our city, and we can focus our patrols in the areas of those retail developments.”

Caponera said the neighborhood services liaison is gathering a list of homeowners associations to host a presentation about the technology in hopes of possibly expanding the program to residential neighborhoods. (Registration required) jsonline.com

Washington State Law Driving Up Retail Crime?
Retailers, grocers fear increased thefts with new police law
With business advocates emphasizing the link between public safety and the local economy, retailers and grocers are warning that a new statewide police reform law enacted during this year’s legislative session will have the unintended consequence of increased thefts and shoplifting.

One of the provisions in HB 1310 is that police officers are prohibited from arresting suspects unless they have “probable cause” that a crime has been committed. Washington Retail Association Senior Vice President of Policy and Government Affairs Mark Johnson told Lens that the law will encourage more criminal activity because “criminals realize that they can steal, and if they’re not physically witnessed by a police officer in the act, it’s just the word of an employee or customer against theirs. They’re going to continue to get more and more brazen and steal more.”

Even though the new law took effect only a few weeks ago, Johnson said that association members have already suffered increasing thefts, particularly in King County, that have also become more severe. “Not only is the number of times there’s theft occurring increasing, but the violent nature of it is increasing as well. People are becoming more brazen and violent.”

In addition to the businesses and workers having to deal with greater risk of violent crime, he added that customers suffer as well. “The more product that goes out the door, it leads to an increase in prices. The company has to make up for the loss somewhere.”

For neighborhoods, the cost of local or state public safety policies can manifest in empty storefronts as businesses close. Two years ago Bartell’s announced it was closing its downtown store due to regulations and crime. In 2014 California approved Proposition 47, which classified nonviolent thefts of items worth under $950 as misdemeanors. Since then, Walgreens has closed 17 stores due to organized theft in San Francisco, where prosecution for theft have plummeted since District Attorney Chesa Boudin took office in 2020.

Grocers are particularly vulnerable to increased thefts due to their low profit margins –typically around one percent. Washington Food Industry Association (WFIA) CEO and President Tammie Hetrick told Lens that for many members, paying for loss prevention can cost as much as a store makes in profits.

At this point, Hetrick said it’s too early to know what the full effects of HB 1310 will be on grocery store thefts. At the same time, businesses suffering from increased thefts are handicapped in their ability to raise awareness about the situation. Both Johnson and Hetrick said members are reluctant to speak out about increased thefts over fear that their locations will develop a reputation for being unsafe, which will only compound their financial losses. thelens.news

Murders Up 16% in Major Cities This Year - But Other Crimes Fell
Homicides Continue to Rise in the U.S., While Other Violent Crime Rates Decline
A new report from the Council on Criminal Justice (CCJ) presents data showing that murders have risen 16% in many major American cities over the first 6 months of 2021, as part of what is being widely viewed as a new wave of crime and violence across the U.S. But according to the report, when compared to the same time period last year, the pace of the increase in murders has slowed down from the first quarter of 2021 through the second: In the first quarter of 2021, homicides rose by 23% compared to last year. In the second quarter, they rose by just 10%.

By the numbers, these Q1/Q2 percentile rises represent 47 murders reported in Portland, Ore. in the first half of 2021 (versus 11 in the equivalent period of 2020), Houston with 228 murders (versus 173 in 2020) and Buffalo, N.Y. with 46 (versus 31 in 2020). But cities like St. Louis saw drops from 156 murders in the first half of 2020 to 108 so far this year, and Boston with an equivalent drop from 35 murders last year to 21 this year.

The rates for other major criminal offenses—includes robberies, residential burglaries, larceny, non-residential burglaries and drug offenses—have also declined compared to 2020. While the national conversation around gun violence and prevention strategies continues, this data shows that while some aspects of the problem remain endemic, others could potentially be trending in a more hopeful direction. And experts are now working to examine what the root causes of these new trends could be.

“We’re seeing this new divergence between forms of crime that generally tend to rise and fall together, especially violent crime,” Thomas Abt, a Senior Fellow with the CCJ says. “We’re not seeing a crime wave across all forms of crime.”

More details from the study, conducted by criminologist Richard Rosenfeld and CCJ research specialist Ernesto Lopez, showed that in most cities, the increase in violence rose significantly after George Floyd’s murder and during the months of protests that followed. Factors like the strain of the pandemic, reduction in police activity and a lack of trust of the police have been cited as reasons for the increase in violence.

Pandemic-related restrictions, on the other hand, led to some of the declines, like the ones seen in property-related crimes. time.com

LAPD Officer Charged in Store Killing
Manslaughter charges filed against LAPD officer who killed disabled man at Costco
The California attorney general’s office announced Monday it had filed manslaughter and assault charges against a former Los Angeles police officer who fatally shot a mentally disabled man during an off-duty confrontation at a Costco store.

Salvador Sanchez, 32, was arrested in Riverside County on suspicion of voluntary manslaughter and two counts of assault with a firearm, according to a criminal complaint made public Monday. Sanchez killed 32-year-old Kenneth French and wounded his elderly parents during a brief confrontation inside a Costco in Corona in June 2019. French, who lived with his parents, had the mental capabilities of a teenager, according to relatives.

Bail for Sanchez was set at $155,000, according to Riverside County jail records. It was unclear whether he would be freed Monday. He is scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday.

Calling the arrest “a political stunt” by Bonta, Sanchez’s attorney, David Winslow, Monday reiterated claims he has made since the shooting: that French assaulted Sanchez in an unprovoked attack as the off-duty officer was holding his young son and waiting in line for free food samples.

“Sal Sanchez was holding his baby when he was violently attacked and knocked to the ground along with his baby. He was also knocked unconscious momentarily. At the time of the incident, he believed he was protecting himself and his baby from being killed. The Riverside grand jury heard all the evidence in this matter and concluded there was no basis for any criminal issues,” Winslow said. latimes.com

Police Reform Clashes with Nationwide Violence Spike
Advocates who want to overhaul policing face hurdles after violence spike
In the District and other places nationwide, the push to overhaul public safety — seeking more accountability for police and alternatives to policing and jail to stop crime — is hitting new pushback from those who argue robust policing is needed to combat spikes in gun violence.

In D.C., that tension became even more acute after a weekend in which residents confronted both street violence and possible police misconduct. More than a dozen people were shot, three fatally. And on Sunday an officer, captured on video, repeatedly punched a man being arrested. D.C. Police Chief Robert J. Contee III said the incident left him ashamed, and he suspended three officers pending an investigation.

Naïké Savain, a member of the council-appointed Police Reform Commission, which in April recommended sweeping changes to reduce and realign the force to decrease aggressive tactics, said she was disappointed in the council’s decision to add funding for some new officers but does not think it is a blow to the momentum behind the push for change sparked by outrage over the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

Many items in the latest city budget align with the commission’s recommendations, including investing in alternatives to police; however, adding more officers does not. To Savain and many others, putting more police onto the streets is a regression to broken policies of the past.

“It goes against the central theme of our report,” said Savain, policy counsel for the DC Justice Lab, a criminal justice advocacy group. “It’s an easy request to make in response to what’s been going on. But that doesn’t mean it’s a good idea. It doesn’t mean it’s good policy. It doesn’t mean that it will be effective. The call for more police essentially just creates this never-ending cycle.” washingtonpost.com

18 Law Enforcement Deaths in July - 181 Total Year-to-Date
7 COVID-Related - 6 Gunfire - 3 Auto - 1 Heart Attack - 1 Drowning
This month, 18 law enforcement officers died in the line of duty. The cause breakdown (for July 2021 only) is: 7 COVID-related, 6 gunfire, 3 auto-related, 1 heart attack, and 1 drowning. This means that the year-to-date total for line of duty deaths is at 181, a 12% decrease from the same time last year.

The Officer Down Memorial Page extends our deepest condolences to the families, friends, and agencies who lost a loved one to a line of duty death this past month. We encourage our supporters to read the memorials of each of the officers who died in the line of duty.  odmp.org

Cannabis Effect on Crime - Most Read Article in Justice Quarterly
The Cannabis Effect on Crime: Time-Series Analysis of Crime in Colorado and Washington State

Previous studies based on relatively weak analytical designs lacking contextualization and appropriate comparisons have reported that the legalization of marijuana has either increased or decreased crime.

Recognizing the importance for public policy making of more robust research designs in this area during a period of continuing reform of state marijuana laws, this study uses a quasi-experimental, multi-group interrupted time-series design to determine if, and how, UCR crime rates in Colorado and Washington, the first two states to legalize marijuana, were influenced by it.

Our results suggest that marijuana legalization and sales have had minimal to no effect on major crimes in Colorado or Washington. We observed no statistically significant long-term effects of recreational cannabis laws or the initiation of retail sales on violent or property crime rates in these states. tandfonline.com

Guns, desperate migrants & drugs from the U.S. are fueling Mexican crime wave
 

COVID Update

351.9M Vaccinations Given

Glendale, CA: L.A. man arrested after allegedly stealing, reselling $85,000 worth of merchandise
A man was arrested after $85,000 worth of stolen merchandise was found being resold in Los Angeles, Glendale police announced Monday. Angel Pedro, 44 of Los Angeles, was arrested on suspicion of felony theft and receiving known stolen property, the Glendale Police Department said in a news release. On June 23, grand theft occurred from a retail store on the 200 block of N. Glendale Ave. in the city of Glendale, according to police. The store’s loss prevention personnel provided officers with surveillance footage of the theft. On June 30, detectives launched an investigation regarding an organized retail crime group and learned that multiple stores in Los Angeles County were burglarized by the same people. Throughout the investigation, detectives learned that the stolen merchandise was being resold on the 2000 block of W. 7th St. in Los Angeles. Detectives determined that over 5,000 pieces of merchandise were stolen, worth approximately $85,000. After conducting surveillance at various locations, Pedro was arrested. ktla.com

Lewisburg, PA: Felony charges for woman who allegedly stole more than $2,400 from Walmart
A woman accused of stealing more than $2,400 of merchandise from Walmart in Kelly Township will have a preliminary hearing scheduled next month. Rhoda M. Sensenig, 22, of Beaver Springs, was charged with a third-degree felony of retail theft for allegedly under-ringing merchandise at a self-checkout on several occasions. The charges were filed last month by Pennsylvania State Police at Milton following an investigation. Trooper Chad Kramer said on March 5, the store’s loss prevention staff caught Sensenig under-ringing household items. When they approached her, Sensenig acknowledged she did not ring up several household items, according to the affidavit. Total amount lost was $268.31. Walmart’s loss prevention told Kramer that they were familiar with Sensenig from observing her under-ringing items on several prior occasions, but was not able to stop her before she left the store. Upon investigating, police found that Sensenig had also under-rung items on several other occasions dating back to Dec. 18, 2020. Total amount of loss between December and March was $2,462.29, Kramer wrote in the affidavit. northcentralpa.com

Brunswick, OH: 3 Men wanted for Dollar General attempted theft
Three men were seen trying to steal merchandise including hygiene products from a Dollar General store at 1:04 p.m. July 21. A store employee said the three men entered the store and filled two large plastic storage totes with the items. The employee said she had previously seen one of the men exiting a restricted back storage area and security footage shows the three suspects removing items from shelves and the plastic totes. The suspects, however, left the totes in the aisle and exited through the rear emergency exit, activating the alarm alerting another employee. At the time of the report it did not appear as though any merchandise was taken from the store. cleveland.com

Eau Claire, WI: Pair tried to steal $2,000 in merchandise from Walmart
A man and woman tried to walk away with more than $2,000 in unpaid merchandise Saturday from the Eau Claire Walmart store, police said. The merchandise included crossbow arrows and broadheads, a baby stroller and a television, police said. Justin L. Tolle, 20, of Lyndon Station, and Jade A. Weber-Marshak, 23, 3130 Eldorado Blvd., were each charged Monday in Eau Claire County Court with felony counts of retail theft and bail jumping. news.yahoo.com