Advice from Loss Prevention Experts - A Grocery Analytics Roundtable Wednesday, September 21, 2022 - 1:00 p.m. EST When it comes to improving loss prevention or asset protection strategies, there’s no more valuable resource than an experienced peer. That’s why we’re bringing together some of the brightest minds in the Grocery industry to discuss their best practices and detection methods. Loss Prevention Foundation’s Mat Schriner will be joined by LP experts from Sprouts and Raley’s to discuss: ● The impact of a digitally driven world and the future of LP ● The future of grocery as impacted by the labor market ● Their most-impactful investigations and use cases At the end of the session, Agilence will also give away 5 free LP Certification Course Scholarships to random webinar attendees! Winners will be notified the day following the Webinar via email. This webinar is presented by the Loss Prevention Foundation in partnership with Agilence, Inc. and qualifies for 1 continuing education unit (CEU) towards your LPC recertification or CFI recertification.

$37 Billion in Police & Crime Prevention Funding - Including ORC
Biden lays out $37B policing, crime prevention proposal Tuesday
President Joe Biden on Tuesday laid out a $37 billion budget proposal for Congress to fund policing and crime prevention efforts across the country, a plan that would focus on hiring and retaining officers, intervention strategies, improving the criminal justice system and a call for further efforts to keep guns out of dangerous hands.

The announcement comes as violent crime remains high above pre-pandemic levels, with homicide rates still up nearly 40% in major cities, according to the Council on Criminal Justice (CCJ). Robberies also increased by 19% in 2022 from the same period last year, and car theft is up 15 percent.

The policing part of Biden's “Safer America Plan” includes nearly $13 billion to hire 100,000 officers over the next five years through the federal COPS Hiring Program. The money would come in the form of grants “to recruit, train, support, and manage” the officers in “effective, accountable community policing," the proposal says.

Community policing has also long been a policy priority for Biden, which involves assigning police officers to particular areas so they become connected to the local population. Better relationships with officers can lead to greater cooperation with police in a community.

Biden's Safer America plan would also include $1.7 billion for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) to enforce gun laws, including by hiring more agents and investigators. All of this comes as post-pandemic crime rates remain higher than in the years before COVID-19 largely shut down the country. Homicides are up 39% midyear compared to 2019, according to the CCJ.

Crack down on organized retail theft

The plan does include a single effort to crack down on organized retail theft and resale of stolen items online, Rosenfeld noted.

“To tackle organized retail theft, the plan calls on Congress to pass legislation to require online marketplaces, such as Amazon, to verify third-party sellers’ information, and to impose liability on online marketplaces for the sale of stolen goods on their platforms.”  ny1.com

Highest Incidence of Workplace Homicides - Retail Sales, Protective Services (police, firefighters and security) & Convenience Stores
Retail Sales, Law Enforcement & Security, and C-Stores Targeted in Workplace Violence Incidents

Police Officers & Security Guards Account for 19% of Workplace Homicides

Workplace violence accounted for nearly 18,000 worker deaths and over 500,000 non-fatal incidents from 1992 to 2019, according to research from the DOJ's Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS)

Workplace Violence & Homicides by Occupation

This number comes from a recent study conducted by NIOSH, the Bureau of Justice Statistics, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics provides a broad view of workplace violence in the United States during the 27 years from 1992 to 2019. they define workplace homicide defines workplace homicide as fatal violence against persons at work or on duty or fatal violence that was work-related.

● During 2015–2019, the occupations with the highest incidence of workplace homicides were retail sales, protective service (police and firefighters), and transportation

● 40% took place in public buildings - Convenience stores (ranks #1) and office buildings

● Law enforcement and security professionals had the highest average annual victimization rate at 77.5 per 1,000 worker

● 2015-2019 police officers and security guards, accounted for 19% of workplace homicides.

● Mental health professionals (45.2 per 1,000) and medical professionals (15.1 per 1,000) - Editor's Note: City reformers including mental health workers in field response operations.

● Workers in corrections professions, a subcategory of law enforcement and security, the victimization rate was 149.1 per 1,000.

● 529,000 Non-fatal incidents of workplace violence, during 2015–2019 the average annual rate was 8 per 1,000 workers

● 2019 - 454 homicides - 58% decrease from 1080 in 1994 - Up 11% from 2014

● Most other workplace homicides took place on streets, in private residences, and on industrial premises.

Rates of Nonfatal Workplace Violence among Government and Private-Sector Workers

Among private-sector workers, those in law enforcement and security occupations had the highest rate of nonfatal workplace violence (70.9 per 1,000) of all occupation groups measured, including mental health occupations (31.4 per 1,000). Editor's Note: This number may increase significantly over time if they're increasingly included in field response (911 calls) operations.

In the law enforcement and security, retail sales, and transportation occupations, there was no statistically significant difference in the rates of nonfatal workplace violence between government and private-sector workers.

The 9% of government workers in law enforcement and security occupations experienced 35% of the nonfatal workplace violence against all government workers.

Law enforcement and security workers made up 1% of all private-sector workers and experienced 7% of the nonfatal workplace violence against private-sector workers. Among government workers, retail sales comprised less than 1% of the workforce and experienced less than 1% of the nonfatal workplace violence.

Retail workers experienced 17% of the nonfatal workplace violence in the private sector, nearly double that of the private-sector workforce in that occupation group (9%). 

To help understand the issue the report provides data structured around 13 key “indicators” such as the characteristics of victims of workplace violence, characteristics of offenders, the use of weapons, the treatment of nonfatal injuries in emergency departments, and socio-economic problems that result from workplace violence.

Available on the website of the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the study "Indicators of Workplace Violence, 2019" draws on five nationally representative data sources, including the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, the Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, the National Crime Victimization Survey, the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System, and the National Vital Statistics System.   ehstoday.com  ojp.gov  securitymagazine.com

Click here to read the D&D Daily's initial reporting on the DOJ-BJS report

Retailers Boosting Security & Surveillance Budgets Amid Crime Surge
Illinois businesses battle retail theft with surveillance & security investments

Small businesses are on the front lines of combating retail theft in Illinois.

National Federation of Independent Business Illinois State Director Chris Davis said Illinois sees the threat of retail crime and is taking steps to battle the uptick.

"Thirty-six percent of small business owners are reporting spending on new technology and new equipment, and a significant portion of that including surveillance and security equipment," Davis told The Center Square.

Retail crime is a vital issue small businesses face and Davis said businesses are paying attention.

“I think small business owners in particular are just being more mindful and more watchful," Davis said. "They're finding themselves spending more time in their businesses and watching their storefront more closely. They're monitoring their stores. They're looking to invest in technology."

Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed a new bill into law in May that creates harsher punishments for individuals participating in retail theft across the state. House Bill 1091, or The INFORM Act, provides enhanced penalties for people who engage in organized retail theft. The legislation goes into effect beginning Jan. 1, 2023.

The National Retail Federation conducted a 2020 survey of businesses, revealing that organized retail crime accounts for approximately $720,000 in losses for every $1 billion in sales. This amounts to a 0.071% loss rate which is an increase from a 0.045% increase in 2015.

According to the NRF Retail Security Survey from 2021, the total inventory shrinkage was approximately 1.6%. thecentersquare.com

Businesses Ditching Chicago Over Crime Surge
Crime has some women business owners rethinking their futures in Chicago
Crime, safety, and lack of police patrols have all been held up as reasons some small business owners in Chicago say they have had enough and are getting ready to move out.

As CBS 2 Political Investigator Dana Kozlov reported, one of those owners has a long history downtown. She owns Sugar Bliss, at 122 S. Wabash Ave. in the Palmer House Hilton building, which has been in business for more than a decade.

But after someone vandalized her store and tried to steal a purse while she was in the shop, last week, she is rethinking her future in Chicago – and she is not alone.

"We're basically sitting ducks," said Sugar Bliss owner Teresa Ging.

"We can't live like this. The city has become – I won't even say, Gotham City is a little bit better, because you have Batman," Sharif said. "Here, you don't have Batman – you know what I mean?"

Both Ging and Sharif feel city leaders are not concerned enough about small business safety. Add a police shortage and a year-to-year rise in most crimes to that list, and they feel they have no other choice.

"Unless I hire a 24/7 security guard to stand in front of my door, that's my only option."

Kozlov looked at the stats – and while some crimes like murder are down citywide, robbery, burglary, thefts, and carjackings are up. Both Ging and Sharriff say those numbers are even more critical when you consider the majority of small business owners are women. cbsnews.com

Crime & Homelessness Plague SF
Fed-up San Francisco businesses vow to stop paying taxes over homeless problem
Businesses in one of the trendiest sections of San Francisco are threatening to withhold tax payments unless the city takes action in removing homeless people from the area, claiming that their presence has hurt their bottom line.

The Castro Merchants Association, an umbrella group representing some local 125 businesses in the Castro District, wrote a letter to city officials earlier this month outlining their demands, according to SFGATE.

The group wants the city to allocate 35 shelter beds for “mentally ill and substance-abusing individuals who have taken up residence in the Castro.” The city is also being asked to provide monthly data on the services that are offered or provided to the homeless population that has set up shop in the area.

“We’re just seeing constant vandalism, constant drug use in public, people passed out on the sidewalk, people having psychotic breakdowns, and it’s just not something a small-business owner should have to deal with,” Karraker said. nypost.com

Streamlines routine financial activities - Unique, user-specific PIN codes: atmmarketplace.com

New patrol blitz in St. Cloud targets violent crime
ST. CLOUD - A steep increase in shootings over the past two years is prompting St. Cloud police to implement a targeted campaign to crack down on violent crime.

In early August, the city launched a new program — dubbed the Safe Streets Initiative — that's increasing patrols in neighborhoods prone to gun violence and other crimes.

But it's not just an increase in St. Cloud squad cars people are seeing. It's an influx of officers from several partnering agencies, including area counties — Benton, Morrison, Sherburne and Stearns — the Central Minnesota Violent Offenders Task Force and Minnesota State Patrol, which provides additional police dogs and helicopter surveillance. startribune.com

NYC officials demand credit card giants start tracing gun purchases

Biden renews call for updated assault weapons ban: ‘We have to act’

US: 96.1M Cases - 1M Dead - 91.8M Recovered
Worldwide: 607.4M Cases - 6.4M Dead - 583.5M Recovered

Private Industry Security Guard Deaths: 362  
Law Enforcement Officer Deaths: 794
*Red indicates change in total deaths

COVID's Lasting Impact on Hiring & Retaining Workers
Remote Work, Quiet Quitting May Make Holiday Hiring Difficult For Retailers
Retailers are challenged with already higher employee turnover rates compared to many industries. Worker shortages and higher demands from existing workers will stress the retail industry as it braces for a challenging holiday hiring season. While job applications remain high, retail jobs in physical stores will be tough to fill since many job seekers are looking for remote work, higher salaries and more benefits. The rise of quiet quitting will impact the engagement levels of existing staff.

U.S. adults seeking new jobs

According to Career Builders’ 2022 Survey data, seven in ten employed adults in the U.S. are currently engaged in a job search, with 62% expressing interest in moving to an entirely new industry/field. Many of these employed job seekers are passively conducting searches by casually looking for jobs or accepting invitations to speak to recruiters about open positions. Workers’ attitudes about their jobs have changed; their commitment to their employers has waned since the pandemic, making it tough for retailers to hire and retain workers in store locations.

Remote work is not an option for retail workers in stores

Adding to the retail worker dilemma is the fact that, coming off the pandemic, many employees want to work remotely, which is not conducive to a retail environment for physical stores where 85% of retail sales are transacted. Employment in the retail trade increased by 22,000 in July and is expected to increase this year's fourth quarter (October through December) significantly. Most retailers put holiday hiring plans together and begin the process as early as September.

Quiet quitting gains momentum

The latest form of disengagement among workers is a phenomenon known as quiet quitting. While this has nothing to do with actually quitting, it can lead to employees actually quitting if gone unchecked by employers. Some describe quiet quitting as putting in the least amount of work to achieve work objectives without going above and beyond. For workers in retail stores, this may mean sticking to job specifications, including only working scheduled hours. forbes.com

The Beginning of the End of Workplace COVID Requirements?
Goldman Sachs to lift vaccination, Covid requirements in most offices next month

The bank will no longer require its workers to be vaccinated to enter its offices or to test and wear face coverings

Goldman Sachs said Tuesday it will lift all its Covid-19 requirements in most offices beginning Sept. 6, in response to new guidance from federal health officials.

According to a memo sent Tuesday and obtained by CNBC, the bank said will no longer require its workers to be vaccinated to enter its offices or to test and wear face coverings. The policy applies to most offices with the exception of those in Lima and New York City.

Unvaccinated employees in New York City will still need an approved religious or medical exemption to enter the bank’s office spaces, according to the memo. cnbc.com

U.S. Sheds the Masks, But Risk Still Remains for Millions
As Americans ditch Covid measures, pandemic worsens for the vulnerable
While much of US society has breathed a collective sigh of relief at no longer having to wear a mask in public, that freedom has placed people who are immunocompromised at risk, such as Smith’s patients. Nor are they the only ones. Older adults, the very young and those with long Covid are at greater risk too. So while for many Americans the pandemic increasingly feels over, for others – often the most vulnerable – it rages on.

About 7 million people in the United States are immunocompromised. While there are now vaccines and better treatments for Covid and variants that appear to cause less severe disease than earlier ones, people like Smith’s patients still face a significant risk of becoming very sick or dying from Covid in part because they take medications that suppress their immune systems, she said. theguardian.com

F.D.A. Authorizes Updated Covid Booster Shots, Targeting Omicron Subvariants
The FDA cleared doses targeting Omicron subvariants, hoping to curtail a fall or winter surge.

How to Develop an Ergonomics Program for Remote Workers

Can You Trust That At-Home Covid Test Result?

Belgium's Organized Crime Hub
Europe's Industrialized Tobacco Black Market is HUGE for Organized Crime

Belgian authorities seized enormous amounts of tobacco products this year - 193 tons of product + 274M cigarettes - $139M in loss taxes

This weeks raids seized more than 57 million cigarettes and 48 tons of cut tobacco with a combined tax value of over U.S. 32.087M

This year alone, five illegal tobacco production sites and 15 storage warehouses. With more than 274M cigarettes, 88 tons of cut tobacco, 65 tons of water pipe tobacco and 40 tons of raw tobacco confiscated.

The total payables on these seized illicit tobacco products - consisting of the excise duty, special excise duty and value added tax - totals more than U.S. 139.334 million. Factors such as its proximity to the French and British borders, rising excise duty rates in neighbouring countries, and short distances to certain black markets, have together led to Belgium becoming a major hub for illegal tobacco production and trade. europa.eu

"Fight for $15" & The Union Efforts Get a Big Push in Calif's Fast Food Bill
"One of the most significant pieces of employment legislation passed in a generation"

California Approves Nation-Leading 'Fast Recovery Act' - Groundbreaking Legislation Giving Half-Million Fast Food Workers Increased Power & Protections.

AB Bill 257: The Fast Food Accountability and Standards Recovery Act or FAST Recovery
Covering fast food restaurants with at least 100 establishments nationally.

The bill will create a new 10-member Fast Food Council with equal numbers of workers’ delegates and employers’ representatives, along with two state officials, empowered to set minimum standards for wages, hours and working conditions related to the health, safety, and welfare of, and supplying the necessary cost of proper living to fast food restaurant workers.

The bill would also authorize a county, or a city with a population greater than 200,000, to establish a Local Fast Food Council, and would prescribe its powers and requirements for its composition. The bill would authorize a Local Fast Food Council to provide recommendations to the council.

Editor's Note: Does Gov Newsom sign or veto it? Read the national impact & hopes - and what they're saying - this could be their watershed moment. But does Gov Newsom sign or veto? Half a million votes on one side and his presidential campaign contributors on both sides.

Continue Reading

The Pressure's on CA Gov Newsom- Half a Million Workers/Voters VS. The Franchise Business Owners
"One of the most significant pieces of employment legislation passed in a generation"

Gov. Newsom Can Save CA Families & Small Businesses From 20% Food Tax With AB 257 Veto

CA Legislature Passes Reckless Bill that Will Increase Costs 20% For CA’s Restaurant Goers to Pay for Unelected Union Bureaucracy on the Backs of Taxpayers

The campaign to Stop AB 257 issued the following statement today urging Governor Newsom to veto Assembly Bill 257, the so-called Fast Food Accountability Act, after the Senate’s passage today.

This week, the International Franchise Association and the California Restaurant Association launched ads across California to highlight the negative economic impact of AB 257 on California families and restaurants, while encouraging Governor Newsom to veto AB 257.

“AB 257 is a discriminatory measure designed to target the franchise business model,” said Matthew Haller, President and CEO of the International Franchise Association. “The bill creates an arbitrary standard for one sector of workers while punishing small business owners and their customers.

Just today, the U.S. Black Chambers, Inc. (USBC), the National Asian/Pacific Islander American Chamber of Commerce and Entrepreneurship (National ACE), and the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC), in partnership with the California Black Chamber of Commerce and the CalAsian Chamber of Commerce, sent a letter to members of the senate to express their concerns regarding the bill and to urge legislators to vote no on AB 257. businesswire.com

Retail Closures Low Across the Pond - Just Like the U.S.
UK: Store closures at lowest level for seven years

There has been a big fall in the number of chain stores shutting across Britain, new figures show.

Closures in the first six months of 2022 dropped by a third compared with the first half of last year, accountancy firm PwC said. Shop openings are still below pre-Covid levels, but closures are now at their lowest level for seven years.

PwC said the shock of the pandemic had "eased" but warned that high inflation will hit the retail sector. "The good news is that we're back on High Streets, there are more people out shopping and eating," said Kien Tan, director of retail strategy at PwC.

"But the bad news is inflation hangs over us. It will affect shoppers in their pocket. But it will also affect businesses in terms of higher bills to pay. So there could be more closures to come," said Mr Tan.

For now though, the figures are heading in the right direction. More than 6,000 stores closed in the first half of this year, but the numbers are sharply down on the previous 12 months.

Store openings are still lackluster and below pre-pandemic levels, resulting in an overall loss of more than 2,200 outlets. That is an average closure rate of 12 stores a day, although it is the smallest number of net closures in five years. bbc.com

Danielle is Headed Our Way? Before Labor Day?
Forecasters watch 4 areas for tropical development in Atlantic ahead of Labor Day
The National Hurricane Center is monitoring four disturbances in the Atlantic that can develop into tropical storms — and even hurricanes — ahead of Labor Day weekend.

The center is actively watching the formations that could impact the US following the least active start of the Atlantic hurricane season in 30 years.

One system has the greatest probability to become the next named storm --- Danielle.

“Although environmental conditions are only marginally conducive, some gradual development of this system is expected over the next several days and a tropical depression is likely to form later this week,”

The center gave the system a 50% chance of advancing into a tropical system within the next 48 hours and an 80% chance of formation within the next five days.  nypost.com

Five Day Graphical Tropical weather outlook

Bed Bath & Beyond to close stores, lay off staff as part of turnaround plan
Bed Bath & Beyond on Wednesday said it would lay off about 20% of its corporate and supply chain staff and close more than 150 stores.

Job vacancies rose in July - 11.2 million open positions

Nationwide SNAP, EBT outage left millions unable to make payments at stores

UPS disclosed peak-season (Oct 30-Jan 14) surcharge schedule for high-volume shippers


Quarterly Results

Best Buy Q2 comp's Domestic down 12.7%, online down 14.7%, Inter down 4.2%, Enterprise down 12.1%