Retailers Utilize Facial Recognition, Other Tech To Battle ORC
Retail Technology’s Rapid Evolution

A dramatic rise in organized retail crime and shoplifting has led to increased demand for solutions from retailers of all sizes

This rise in organized retail crime obviously poses some unique opportunities for integrators willing to think outside the box when it comes to retail security. Lowe’s has launched Project Unlock, which “uses low-cost RFID chips and scanners, and a novel use of blockchain, to tackle the theft of powered products in a way that is virtually invisible to our customers,” according to a video posted by the company in 2023.

Technology is also expanding into the parking areas in some locales. Dick’s Sporting Goods has taken advantage of a growing trend in the security industry by deploying mobile surveillance units – in this case, from surveillance provider LiveView Technologies – in parking lots of some stores to discourage retail crime and work more closely with local law enforcement.

Of course, artificial intelligence technology is also being brought to bear on the loss prevention problem. During the NRF Protect show – the country’s largest gathering of loss prevention pros – in Long Beach, Calif., this June, NRF’s Nkongho Beteck wrote about AI technology featured at the show.

“FaceFirst’s ‘ethical face matching platform’ tool combines human decision-making and assisted AI that could identify a previous shoplifter who is known to have violent tendencies,” FaceFirst President and COO Dara Riordan said during a session at the show.

On the other hand, a rash of theft at self-serve checkout lanes has led to a paring back of the technology in favor of human cashiers. According to media reports, Walmart has removed the lanes from several stores, and Dollar General announced it was removing self-checkouts entirely from 300 stores while converting thousands to manned checkouts or limiting customers to five items. Target and Costco have also taken steps to limit the amount of items or increase human staff in self-checkout lanes.

In California, a new bill still being discussed and amended by lawmakers prohibits grocery and drug stores from operating self-checkout stations if they have inadequate staffing.

Read full article here: securityinfowatch.com


CA's Retail Theft Crackdown in the News
California Takes Strong Stance Against Retail Theft

New laws target organized crime and repeat offenders to curb rising theft rates

California is ramping up its efforts to combat retail theft through new legislation aimed at deterring organized crime and targeting repeat offenders. On August 18, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed ten bills backed by both Democrats and Republicans to strengthen measures against property crime.

The laws come as California grapples with the rising problem of smash-and-grab robberies where groups openly loot stores. These brazen acts are often shared on social media, drawing public attention to the state’s retail theft crisis.

According to Newsom, this legislative package marks the most significant reform against retail theft in years, aimed particularly at bolstering legal actions against repeat shoplifters and organized theft rings. The new laws will help law enforcement use video evidence and witness testimonials to make arrests more effectively.

“This goes to the heart of the issue, and it does it in a thoughtful and judicious way,” Newsom stated. The initiatives aim to be comprehensive enough to address concerns about organized crime without reverting to overly punitive measures.  evrimagaci.org
 
RELATED: The 10 bills that Newsom signed to crack down on retail theft


Will Migrant Crime Surge Trigger NYC Exodus?
NYC migrant crime, general riots ‘getting out hand,’ could drive residents from the city: ex-Gov. Paterson
Crime committed by migrants — including last week’s alleged subway mugging involving an 11-year-old Venezuelan boy — and general riots in New York City are “really getting out of hand,” ex-Gov. David Paterson said Sunday.

“You just hear these situations you’ve never heard of before,” the Democratic former gov said on 770 WABC’s “The Cats Roundtable” radio program. “Last Tuesday, there was an 11-year-old kid who mugged a woman on the 7 train.”

The small-fry suspect has been linked to a string of robberies in Central Park as well, police said. “The first thing that [people] notice is that this is a migrant. … It’s the product of a bunch of people being sent here without the city having any time to adjust to it,” Paterson told host John Catsimatidis.

“It’s just not going to work. It’s too many people. Not every migrant is a criminal,” the ex-governor said. “But a sizable number of people are acting in this kind of anti-cultural fashion, and all it’s doing is alienating the [immigrant] citizens who live in the city who try to make the city as great as it is.”

The city has spent about $5.5 billion to shelter and care for the flood of migrants who have arrived here since 2022, The Post reported last week.

Overall, crime may be down, with Paterson crediting Mayor Eric Adams and Police Commissioner Edward Caban with putting a dent in violent incidents. But Paterson said episodic crimes involving migrants, out-of-control protests and incidents in typically safe spots such as Central Park “frighten everybody” — and law enforcement has to get on top of it. nypost.com
 

Disconnect Between Crime & Perception
Crime Keeps Falling. When Will Voters Believe It?

Americans tend to think crime is on the increase, even when it’s not.

The Major Cities Chiefs Association reported recently that, in the 69 large US cities and counties from which it received data, violent crime was down 6.1% in the first half of 2024 compared with the same period a year earlier, and homicides were down 17.4%. A Council on Criminal Justice analysis of data from 39 cities that have been consistently reporting monthly crime statistics for the past six years found that homicides, robberies and aggravated assaults were all down in the first half of this year relative not just to last year but to the first half of 2019. In the 277 cities from which AH Datalytics collects high-frequency data, murders were down 17.6% as of mid-August relative to the same period last year — a decline that if it (1) holds up for the full year and (2) turns out to be representative of murders nationwide would mean the national murder rate would have retraced all of its rise in 2020 and 2021 and then some.1

Next month, we’ll likely get similar or perhaps even better news from the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s quarterly crime report — recent editions of which have shown steeper crime declines than the Major Cities reports — and the new Real-Time Crime Index to be unveiled by AH Datalytics with data from hundreds of local police departments. Also due out this fall are the FBI’s final 2023 crime statistics from more than 15,000 police and sheriff’s departments nationwide. The 2022 edition showed violent crime down 1.7% and property crime up 7.1% from the previous year, while preliminary 2023 data showed both declining, 5.7% and 4.3% respectively. bloomberg.com


Ranking Cities By Crime Costs Per Capita
Most Dangerous Cities in the U.S. by Cost of Crime per Capita
Despite ongoing efforts to improve safety, many cities in the United States continue to face high crime rates, posing significant challenges for the residents and city officials. But which are the most dangerous cities in the U.S.?

To answer that question, we turned to MoneyGeek, which weighed crime data from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) against research into how much various crimes end up costing society. The results were a ranking of the most dangerous cities by the cost of crime per capita.

Studies like this are important to understanding the impact of crime on communities. Only when they're armed with this information can cities begin to develop effective strategies around combating violence and improving public safety. In that spirit of information sharing, here are the 10 most dangerous cities. money.howstuffworks.com

 
Community members searching for solutions on kids and crime in Minneapolis

Montgomery’s new crime task force making swift impact, AG Marshall reports
 

 
Is the Retail Pharmacy Model Broken?
Here's why Walgreens and CVS retail pharmacies are struggling — and what they're doing to fix it

Retail pharmacy chains such as Walgreens and CVS have pivoted from years of endless store expansions to shuttering hundreds of locations across the U.S. to shore up profits.

The abundance of Walgreens and CVS Health stores makes them convenient, but customers often have to wait for employees to unlock cabinets or stand in lengthy lines to pick up prescriptions as pharmacists juggle tasks.

Those are just some of the ways Walgreens and CVS are falling out of favor with consumers, in a trend that has hit their profits and stock prices and forced them to reconsider their strategies. They are symptoms of deeper issues plaguing retail pharmacy chains, which pivoted from years of store expansions to shuttering hundreds of locations across the U.S. to shore up profits.

Among the biggest problems for the chains, reimbursement rates for prescription drugs have fallen. Inflation, softer consumer spending, theft, and competition from Amazon and grocery stores are also making it difficult for drugstores to turn a profit at the front of the store, where they sell everything from pantry staples to makeup and cleaning supplies.

There’s also widespread burnout among pharmacy staff, many of whom complain about understaffing and increasing workloads.

Many of those issues aren’t new. While CVS and Walgreens got a temporary boost from Covid vaccinations and test sales during the peak of the pandemic, they now face a harsh reality: the retail pharmacy model may be broken.   cnbc.com

 
The Debate Over Store Price Gouging Heats Up
Harris to propose ban on grocery price gouging. Would it cool inflation?
A highly-anticipated economic agenda unveiled by Vice President Kamala Harris on Friday included a federal ban on price gouging for food and groceries, the Harris campaign announced.

The proposal was presented to voters alongside other plans to address elevated inflation, such as bolstered antitrust enforcement in the grocery sector and greater latitude to investigate corporate practices, the campaign said in a press release.

A ban on price gouging would in theory disallow food and grocery companies from hiking prices an excessive amount over a set period of time, economists told ABC News. They disagreed, however, on whether the measure could control the rise of food prices or if such an outcome is desirable.

Inflation remains a top issue for voters and a potential vulnerability for Harris, since rapid price increases emerged during the Biden administration. While inflation has fallen dramatically from its peak, consumers still face prices roughly 20% higher than where they stood before Biden took office. abcnews.go.com


Pulling Out All The Stops To Push Merger Past Finish Line
Kroger promises to cut prices if pending merger with Albertsons is approved
While awaiting a September trial to consider whether grocery giants Kroger and Albertsons Companies should be allowed to merge, Kroger has issued a new promise to slash prices if the proposed merger is completed.

Kroger, which owns King Soopers, and Albertson’s, which owns Safeway, temporarily halted the merger that was announced in October 2022. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission and the state of Colorado each sued in February to block the $24.6 billion merger, with both entities alleging the measure would harm shoppers and workers by eliminating competition in the industry.

Kroger is promising to invest $1 billion to “further” reduce prices, in addition to investing $1 billion in wages and benefits and $1.3 billion into Albertsons stores “to enhance customer experience.” kdvr.com


Slashing Prices for 7,200 Items
Walmart makes major pricing change
Walmart continues to slash prices on thousands of items as inflation-weary customers continue to cut back on spending. In an earnings class last week, Walmart CEO Doug McMillon said the nation’s largest retailer has cut prices on 7,200 items across various categories.

“As it relates to value, we’re lowering prices,” McMillon said. “It is great to see prices come down. We are wired to help bring prices down, and we’ll continue working to get more rollbacks to help customers and help members save money.”

McMillon maintained the company is saving money through improving business efficiency and not just passing extra costs to the consumer. al.com


Couche-Tard strikes deal with Giant Eagle; makes takeover offer to 7-Eleven parent

Ted Baker to shutter remaining stores, 500 jobs at risk