Property Crime Down 9% Nationwide in 2024
Real-Time Crime Index Shows Nationwide Trends

The Real-Time Crime Index launched yesterday with data from more than 300 agencies nationwide. It's designed to show national crime trends as they develop from as many agencies as possible with as little lag as possible.

The RTCI is a sample of reported crime data from hundreds of law enforcement agencies nationwide which mimics national crime trends with as little lag and the most accuracy possible. Crime statistics are inexact, but sampling agencies in this way is a proven method for accurately measuring trends while waiting for national crime estimates published each year. Standardizing the offenses collected and time periods measured from hundreds of agencies makes it possible to evaluate trends up or down as they develop.

Not all crimes are reported to police, and the RTCI can only measure those offenses that are reported to police. Crime data is inherently imprecise with frequent (usually small) variations between different data sources. This methodology is designed to ensure that crime trends are being captured accurately even if the exact figures reported either publicly by an agency or by the FBI may differ depending on the available data source.

These figures represent reported crimes published by agencies, which may not represent the entirety of crimes in a city, if served by multiple agencies or when accounting for offenses that do not get reported to police. Agencies also can report crimes months after they occur, so figures for each agency are subject to change. The data collection methodology differs between cities, not every city is included in the RTCI sample, not every agency reports every offense type, and not every agency has complete data through the most recent reporting period. As such, ranking between cities is imprecise and inadvisable, and users should be cautious when comparing crime counts for one city against another city’s counts.   realtimecrimeindex.com


Store ATM Thieves Find 'Glaring Security Gap'
Why federal authorities don't respond to ATM thefts from corner stores

If thieves steal an ATM out of a bank, it would be an FBI matter with federal charges

There has been a rash of automatic teller machine (ATM) thefts and attempted heists across Chicago and the nation, and the ABC 7 I-Team found a startling reason behind it: There are no federal laws against stealing independently-owned ATMs.

More than half, 60% of all of ATMs nationwide are independently-owned, and those are the ones being targeted by crafty thieves who have struck at least 20 times in the past two weeks, according to Chicago police.

If the two suspects had been carrying the ATM out of a bank, it would be an FBI matter and they could face federal bank robbery charges, including lengthy prison terms. But lately, Chicago burglary crews seem to have learned when they steal an independently-owned ATM, there is no federal jurisdiction.

Federal regulations against bank robbery charges carry up to a 20-year sentence, while state theft laws carry a five-year maximum sentence. It's a glaring security gap that lawmakers in Washington have recognized.

"The bad guys have become aware that if you rob an independently-owned ATM, one of these that's in a convenient store, or maybe a sporting event or some other venue, that's not going to bring the wrath of the FBI and federal authorities down on top of you," said U.S. Representative John Rose, a Republican from Tennessee.

Rose has introduced legislation that would change that. If passed, the "Safe Access to Cash Act of 2023" would fold all ATMs, both independently and bank-owned, into the federal Bank Robbery Act that was passed in 1934, long before ATMs were ever created.   abc7chicago.com


Tough-on-Crime Ballot Measure Leading in California
OPINION: Progressives’ Public Safety Flip-Flop
Despite the outcry from Californians who are fed up with smash-and-grabs, brazen drug use on the streets, and the overall decline in public safety, the state’s leadership continues to push an agenda that has enabled all of those things.

There’s a strong argument that 2014’s Proposition 47 played a major role in the rise of crime and homelessness. By reclassifying certain theft and drug offenses from felonies to misdemeanors, the measure led to consequences that are now impossible to ignore.

Unfortunately, the governor and progressives have no desire to touch the policy. From their perspective, Prop. 47 has been a success, but everyday Californians know there are real problems that need to be addressed. Crime rates have surged, and many communities are suffering from the consequences of prioritizing ideology over reality.

This year, in a rare show of bipartisanship, both sides of the aisle came together to pass public safety bills aimed at addressing organized retail theft. But just when it seemed that progress was being made, chaos ensued. Progressive leadership in Sacramento attempted to force amendments that would have effectively nullified the measures if voters approve Proposition 36 this November, which aims to make significant reforms to Prop. 47.

The truth is, there is a demand for action. A recent Berkeley IGS Poll shows Prop. 36 is leading among Californians, 56% to 23%. Even many Democratic members and mayors in major liberal cities like San Francisco are openly endorsing the measure. Their endorsements speak volumes. signalscv.com
 

Retailers Continue to Partner with Police to Fight ORC
Lake Worth, TX: Police helping businesses combat organized retail theft rings
Burglaries and robberies of businesses have changed. Instead of just one person, police are now seeing groups of people committing organized retail theft. Now, the Lake Worth police chief is organizing the city's retailers against organized crime rings.

Chief Manoushagian holds a retail roundtable twice a year, meeting with businesses to talk about ways to cut organized crime rings of burglars and robbers.

"No longer do we see shoplifting. That's very rare," he said. "What we're starting to see now are groups of criminals acting in an organized fashion to strategically target certain retailers or areas, and then those products are sold on the black market. And those funds go into criminal organizations. So we see the bigger picture, and we're trying to work with our private sector partners to put a stop to that."

"They have stash houses, and they just take all of it," said Lake Worth Police Commander Joe Connolly. "They don’t have to sell it on the corner. They take it to a stash house, and they sell all of it in one block for hundreds of dollars."

Organized rings are rolling across the country, says one retail loss prevention agent. Chief Manoushagian wants retailers to call when they know or suspect that a theft is taking place — not after it's over and the thieves are gone — to give police a chance to catch them.  fox4news.com


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Walmart Fueling Dollar Store Downturn?
Dollar stores are struggling. Blame Walmart

After years of prolific growth, US dollar stores have hit a downturn.

Dollar Tree shares plunged 20% Wednesday after the company cut its outlook for the rest of the year, citing “immense pressures” on its low- and middle-income customer base. Dollar Tree also owns the long-struggling Family Dollar chain.

Dollar General and Dollar Tree have been the fastest-growing retailers by new store openings in recent years, capitalizing on factors such as entrenched poverty in many areas of the country, a shrinking middle class and rival retailers’ store closures. Investors drove the companies’ stock up, assuming that dollar stores were protected from broader economic challenges because customers flock there to save money when times are tough.

But that theory is buckling. While dollar stores once expanded to reach a growing number of financially strapped Americans, they underestimated just how financially strapped many Americans would become.

The companies have hit trouble as low-income customers struggle to afford basic necessities and dial back their spending, strategic mistakes haunt their business and competition from Walmart and other chains increases.

“The dollar store sector seems to be facing existential uncertainties,” UBS analyst Michael Lasser said in a note to clients last week. cnn.com


Are You Keeping Up with EHS Requirements?
Understanding How Changes to Your Business Impact Environmental, Health, and Safety Obligations

Do you know which EHS requirements apply to your industry and operations? Do you have a plan to meet them and avoid the risks of non-compliance?

An EHS applicability assessment is the first step in building a solid foundation for EHS compliance. It can help you identify the gaps and opportunities in your current EHS practices and provide you with a roadmap for improvement. It can also help you avoid the costly and damaging consequences of non-compliance and enhance your business performance and reputation.

EHS compliance is not a one-time event, but a continuous process that requires ongoing care, review, refinement, and improvement. You may need to use different methods and tools, such as recurring inspections, internal or external audits, legal registers, management systems, or software programs, to maintain and monitor your EHS performance. However, it all starts with knowing which EHS regulations apply to your business, which is what an EHS applicability assessment can help you achieve. morningstar.com


The Remote Work Impact?
Should Workers Have the ‘Right to Disconnect’?
Australia became the latest country to give employees the “right to disconnect” outside their standard working hours to support work-life balance in an “always on” digital world.

The law doesn’t strictly prohibit employers from calling or messaging their workers after hours. But it does protect employees who “refuse to monitor, read or respond to contact or attempted contact outside their working hours, unless their refusal is unreasonable,” according to the Fair Work Commission, Australia’s workplace relations tribunal.

Exceptions could be made depending on the seniority of the employee, their personal circumstances (including caregiving responsibilities), the reason for the contact, and how much disruption it causes them.

The law, which passed in February, took effect on Aug. 26 for most workers and will apply to small businesses of fewer than 15 people starting in August 2025. Such laws attempt to restore boundaries between personal and professional lives, which many professionals have found to be increasingly blurred amid the rise of the smartphone and remote work. retailwire.com


Should More Retailers Be Opening Pop-Up Shops?
Pop-up shops are temporary retail spaces that have been invaluable to e-commerce and mobile brands that do not have permanent physical store locations. However, more established brands are also using pop-up shops to their advantage.

Pop-ups allow brands without a permanent retail residence to bring their products to the public in person, while established retailers can use them to create experimental store designs, special events, and experiential models, as well as to test new markets. These temporary retail locations can also create brand awareness and push sales backed by fear of missing out (FOMO).  retailwire.com


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