Q&A with Dara Riordan, President of FaceFirst

In a recent RetailWire poll, 77 percent of respondents said facial recognition is very likely to be used as an in-store anti-theft tool in the next three to five years. Your take?

Retailers are looking for tools to make stores safer for employees and customers. Every retailer already uses facial recognition. The question is: Are they doing facial recognition manually, which is slow and error-prone, or using AI-assisted face matching, which is faster and more accurate? The latest LPRC research shows that humans using face matching software are nearly eight times more accurate. During LPRC’s tests, 76.7 percent of loss prevention participants without face matching assistance misidentified fictional subjects in a photo lineup of just 20 faces. There’s a significant risk for retailers not using face matching technology.

Is loss prevention the primary use case for facial recognition in retail?

FaceFirst’s rapid adoption has been driven by retailers making store safety their top priority. Having an active threat management solution that alerts stores when violent offenders enter is critical in today’s retail environment. Our stores are facing a safety crisis. Last year, 582 employees, customers, and security professionals were killed in stores, according to D&D Daily. Add that death toll to the everyday abuse, assaults, and threats the employees endure. FaceFirst’s face matching technology alerts instantly when known threats enter. Our real-time notifications help you keep your valued employees and customers safer.

Loss prevention is undoubtedly a factor. Face matching software lets our clients know who their biggest recidivists are. They can quickly identify ORC rings and build cases to shut them down. Our technology can do in minutes what would take humans days or weeks—if at all—using standard CCTV. FaceFirst lets retailers narrow their scope for efficient threat management.

Based in Austin, Texas, FaceFirst is a global leader in fast, accurate, and scalable face matching systems with high levels of security, privacy, and accountability. Learn more at facefirst.com.

Retail Industry Continues to Sound the Alarm Over ORC
NRF CEO Discusses Consumer Spending, Alarming Rise in Organized Retail Crime on CNBC’s “Squawk Box”
WASHINGTON, August 23, 2023 – This morning, NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay joined hosts Becky Quick and Andrew Ross Sorkin on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” for an in-depth interview on the state of the consumer and why retailers continue to sound the alarm on the dramatic rise in organized retail crime (ORC).

NRF’s latest research on retail crime shows shrink is a nearly $100 billion problem and growing. Another study cited from NRF and global risk advisory firm K2 Integrity found that ORC groups are growing in both their scope and complexity, making them harder to stop.

An Industry-wide Challenge:

Shay: “We ought to call this what it is: stealing. It's hard to track. There's no question about that. But the one thing that's been pretty consistent with conversations with CEOs and earnings calls, shrink, theft, shoplifting and organized retail crime have become a theme across many brands and segments.”

Federal Solutions for ORC:

Shay: “With the INFORM Act, they [marketplaces] made a commitment to step up and ensure this gets handled the right way. Another piece of this is passing the Combating Organized Retail Crime Act, which is pending in Congress now with bipartisan support. That will make sure that federal authorities coordinate with local and state law enforcement, municipalities, cities and towns to really provide the resources they need.”

As the leading authority and voice for the retail industry, NRF has spearheaded industry efforts to address ORC, including a national grassroots campaign in support of the Combating Organized Retail Crime Act. NRF is declaring October 26 Fight Retail Crime Day and is convening retailers in Washington, D.C. to advocate for passage of the legislation.  cnbc.com


Businesses Speak Out Against California Shoplifting Bill
SB 553 aims to prohibit employers from requiring workers to confront active suspected shoplifters

Stop retail theft? This bill would promote it
While California has a long, sad history of poorly thought-out laws often passed for reasons of ideology, there is no way state legislators can pretend after passage that they weren’t warned about the current SB 553, the brainchild of Silicon Valley state Sen. Dave Cortese, a Democrat.

His measure, which had a committee hearing just three days after a flash mob of 30 or more men and women pulled a snatch-and-grab robbery of a Nordstrom store in the Westfield Topanga Mall in the Canoga Park section of Los Angeles, passed the Senate on a 29-8 vote as a worker safety measure.

It aims to prohibit employers from requiring workers, even security personnel, to confront active suspected shoplifters. This, of course, raised the question of why any store would hire security folks if they can’t be expected to confront thieves they’ve caught in the act. Why also have security cameras making videos in stores? Why not just give everything away?

The very minimal consequence of this proposed new law would be that retailers of all types will keep almost all goods of significant value behind locked glass panels, thus preventing shoppers from examining possible purchases except under supervision and preventing many customers in grocery and drug stores from scrutinizing ingredient lists. It promises to make shopping a stark, inauspicious experience.

Cortese says his bill aims to protect retail employees from violence by relieving them of any responsibility to confront thieves, even if that’s the job they were hired for.

But retailers say the real life consequence will amount to an open invitation for thieves to take whatever they like, just like the latest large flash mob, which stole more than $100,000 worth of jewelry and designer goods from the Topanga Mall Nordstrom and then fled in a fleet of cars reportedly including multiple luxury BMW and Lexus vehicles.

For about 500 small business owners traveled to Sacramento from points like Fresno, Modesto and the North San Francisco Bay area to protest SB 553 and urge legislators to protect small businesses, not their predators.

Said one demonstration organizer, “SB553 will create a field day for criminals to sue small business owners, giving criminals the double jackpot to steal from the business … and again by suing them in a shakedown lawsuit. All Californians will pay the price for billions of dollars lost to growing retail theft.” chicoer.com  abc10.com


NAACP Urges Oakland to Declare State of Emergency Over Crime
Oakland Mayor Thao defends efforts to combat crime amid rising criticism
Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao said Tuesday the city is “working day and night” to address rising crime by investing in violence prevention programs and expanding collaboration with the governor and Alameda County Sheriff’s Office.

Thao said her administration is trying to improve Ceasefire, the Police Department’s anti-violence program, working with the California Highway Patrol to enforce traffic laws, installing more license plate readers throughout the city and working with the sheriff’s office to set up checkpoints for drivers under the influence.

Her comments on public safety come nearly a month after the Oakland NAACP urged city officials to declare a state of emergency over crime and lambasted them for “being quiet” about the violence.

As of this week, violent crime in Oakland is up by 18% compared with the same time last year, robberies are up by 27%, burglaries are up by 44% and vehicle theft is up by 47%, according to city data.

Homicides are down by 5%, but over the past few days, two people have been shot and killed in the city. One was killed in East Oakland on Sunday, and another was fatally wounded at a Shell gas station on Monday. sfchronicle.com


Highest Property Crime Rates Of California's 10 Largest Cities - Higher Than SF
Oakland’s crime rates are surging. Here’s how they compare with S.F. and other Bay Area cities
As of early July, Oakland’s homicide count was up by 37% compared with 2019 and reported robberies were up by about 30%. Property crime jumped too, particularly car-related crimes: Car break-ins were up by over 40%, while vehicle thefts had more than doubled.

In an open letter published July 27, leaders of the NAACP’s Oakland branch called on local officials to declare a state of emergency over what they called an “intolerable public safety crisis” that disproportionately impacted Black residents in East Oakland, the city’s violent crime epicenter.

“Murders, shootings, violent armed robberies, home invasions, car break-ins, sideshows, and highway shoot-outs have become a pervasive fixture of life in Oakland,”

And Wednesday, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced his office would send Oakland a handful of California Highway Patrol officers and a loan to install license plate readers after Mayor Sheng Thao and the police force requested help.

The city also has abnormally high property crime. Oakland has the highest rate of property crime of California’s 10 largest cities, eclipsing even San Francisco. sfchronicle.com

Gun Runners Burglary Crew Arrested
DOJ: Four from Peoria Charged with Conspiring to Steal Firearms from Licensed Dealers/Stores in Spring Valley, Taylorville, Le Roy, Lincoln, Decatur, and Bloomington
PEORIA, Ill. – A federal criminal complaint filed August 21, 2023, charges four people from Peoria, Illinois, with conspiring to steal firearms from six different locations in central Illinois between August 14, 2023, and August 18, 2023. Terrence Daniels, 23; Dezmond Hardy, 22; Erika Garner, 21; and Shaleik Ward, 19, are each charged with one count of conspiring to steal guns from a federal firearms licensee. All four were arrested on Friday, August 18, 2023, and the complaint and affidavit were unsealed at their court appearances on Monday, August 21, 2023,

As alleged in the complaint affidavit, on August 14, 2023, police officers were dispatched to an attempt burglary at Mean Metal, a gun dealer in Spring Valley, Illinois, and discovered that a glass window of the business had been shattered. On August 15, 2023, officers responded to an attempt burglary at Powder Keg Outfitters, a gun dealer in Taylorville, Illinois. As with the first attempt burglary, officers discovered that a glass window on the business had been shattered.

Additional attempt burglaries were reported at Guns and Glory in Le Roy, Ill., Tactical Bunker in Lincoln, Ill., Archers Alley in Decatur, Ill., and Smiley’s Sport Shop in Bloomington, Ill.

If convicted of conspiring to steal firearms, each defendant faces up to five years’ imprisonment. The charges also carry up to three years of supervised release and a possible fine of up to $250,000. justice.gov


Suspects in organized thefts at Best Buy stores in Twin Cities arrested in Oklahoma
Four adults from California accused of carrying out organized retail thefts from Best Buy stores in the Twin Cities and beyond are facing new criminal charges. The suspects were arrested during an alleged theft at a Best Buy store in Moore, Oklahoma on July 20, according to the criminal complaints filed in Dakota County District Court this month. Investigators allegedly matched the suspects' photos to those of the suspects sought in connection with the string of thefts in Minnesota. The suspects now facing charges in connection with the Twin Cities thefts are: Yessenia Polanco, 42, of Torrance, CA; Jacqueline Pavon, 38, of Torrance, CA ; Davis Antonio Rugama, 33, of Inglewood, CA;. Layorny Feliz Flores, 39, of Torrance CA. Each face one felony count of theft, with a maximum sentence of ten years in prison if convicted. Charges allege the suspects carried out organized thefts at the Best Buy stores in Eagan, Apple Valley and Eden Prairie the afternoon of June 9, stealing over $13,500 worth of merchandise. An organized crime manager with Best Buy estimates the foursome is responsible for at least 23 thefts, totaling approximately $56,000 in losses, according to the criminal complaint.  bringmethenews.com


Leesburg, FL: Members of Leesburg crime family caught stealing from Rural King
A Leesburg man arrested along with his brother by a SWAT team in June is back in the Lake County Jail after he and another relative were caught stealing almost $3,000 worth of merchandise from Rural King. Aaron Michael Byrne, 42, of 1309 Maugans Ave., was charged with two counts of retail theft (greater than $750) and resisting (obstructing without violence) after the Aug. 13 incident at the farm and home supply store located at 1715 U.S. Hwy. 27. Shawn Timothy Byrne, 49, of the same address, was charged with one count of retail theft (greater than $750). The familial relationship between the two was not mentioned in the arrest report from the Leesburg Police Department. Both men have been in trouble with the law numerous times. In June, Aaron Byrne and his 53-year-old brother Jeffery Wayne Byrne were arrested when a SWAT team showed up with a search warrant at the Maugans Ave. residence. Jail records show Aaron Byrne with a half-dozen other arrests, including one in 2015 for cocaine possession. Shawn Byrne’s prior arrests include one in March 2021 for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon when he swung a baseball bat at a woman he was chasing. He was also arrested in June 2020 when he was found at a known drug house with methamphetamine and paraphernalia.  leesburg-news.com


Thieves ransack Beverly Hills wig shop that serves Cancer patients
Surveillance video shows a group of thieves smashing their way into a Beverly Hills boutique that makes wigs for cancer patients. The incident happened Monday night at The Wig Fairy on La Cienega Boulevard. The footage captured the moment at least three people broke in and ransacked the store. The thieves got away with thousands of dollars worth of merchandise, but the owner says they took more than just inventory - they took time away from women who are fighting through tough times. "We had to make such heartfelt phone calls today. Calling clients and letting them know that 'I'm so sorry that you've waited but I can no longer ship you the wig and I need you to wait again'...which is not normally the answer," said Mona Zargar, the store's owner. "Because if someone is going through treatment, they're expecting their hair to fall out pretty much on the second treatment. So they don't have time to wait." The Wig Fairy is now working around the clock to get back on track and help their customers regroup.  abc7.com


Livingston, NJ: Arrests Made in Shoplifting Incidents at Three Businesses
Over the span of four days, Livingston police responded to Ulta Beauty, Nordstrom Rack and Macy’s on separate reports of shoplifting. Six individuals were arrested, including four New York men in connection to the Ulta Beauty incident, a Morristown man in connection to the Nordstrom Rack incident and a Massachusetts man in connection to the Macy’s incident, according to Livingston police. At approximately 4:30 p.m. on Sunday, Livingston officers were called to Ulta Beauty at 530 W Mt Pleasant Avenue, where the actors involved in a shoplifting incident had already fled the scene. Store employees informed responding officers that the suspects entered the store, shoplifted numerous bottles of perfume/cologne valued at more than $2,000 and fled the store in a Jeep. A Livingston officer was able to stop the suspect vehicle near the Livingston traffic circle, and the four suspects were taken into custody.  tapinto.net


Port St. Lucie, FL: Women's shoplifting binge of $2,300 of perfume and liquor lands them behind bars

Woodland, CA: Shoplifting suspect with $600 worth of merchandise in cart arrested

Suffolk County, NY: Hunt for Thieves Who Snatched $500 Worth of Merchandise from Medford Target