GSX 2022 Kicks Off

GSX 2022 Opens in Atlanta

The conference brings together leading experts in the security industry

Atlanta, GA (13 September, 2022)—ASIS International, the world's largest association for security management professionals, opened their annual conference today—Global Security Exchange (GSX) 2022 in Atlanta. The event will continue through September 14 and feature more than 200 education sessions and over 400 exhibitors.

Monday featured more than 90 education sessions covering topics from across the security profession, including sessions on securing houses of worship and schools, the latest insights and on deep fakes, the use of artificial intelligence in video, and drone detection technology, as well as dozens more covering the gamut of security from national security and terrorism to cyber security, crisis management, and risk assessment.

Tuesday will kick off at 8:30 a.m. with Jake Williams as keynote speaker in the General Session. asisonline.org


GSX 2022 is Live! A Preview of Some Products & Services on the Floor

Here's one small sample of what ADT Commercial is putting on display at GSX

ADT Commercial will have their leading indoor drone and humanoid robotic platforms on display at GSX this year as it gets closer to the commercialization of those AI driven autonomous guarding solutions.

“Our approach to innovation is completely centered on customer needs and in keeping with the to-the-minute pulse of the industry. Especially given the costly turnover and labor shortages that have been mounting in the guarding market over the last several years,” ADT’s Vice President of their Enterprise Security Risk Group, Ed Bacco, said.

Both their humanoid robot and autonomous indoor drone will be on display at their booth, #2143 between Sept. 12-14

Read more here


GSX 2022 Show Floor Spotlight: Prosegur

How managing risk has emerged as a prime driver for enterprise security operations

Robert Dodd, CEO, Global Risk Services, Prosegur Security USA, chats with SecurityInfoWatch on the show floor at GSX 2022 about the value of calculating and mitigating your organization’s risk posture to ensure security operations.

Click here to learn more
 

Robberies Up 13% Across the U.S.
Violent crime up across US, new study reveals
Overall violent crime across the US has jumped this year compared to 2021, even as the number of murders has dropped, a new study revealed Monday.

Major crimes such as robberies and aggravated assaults rose in the first six months of 2022 compared to the same period last year, with 236,962 incidents reported versus 226,967, according to a report by the Major Cities Chiefs Association based on a survey of 70 major police agencies.

“While MCCA member agencies continue to develop new and innovative strategies to address rising violent crime, there is a distinct need to have a robust conversation regarding the driving factors and systematic failures that have contributed to the current state of affairs,” the association said in a press release.

Meanwhile, homicides were slightly down, with 4,624 reported for the same time frame this year compared to 4,511 in the first six months of 2021, the study found.

The biggest leaps in violent crime in the 70 agencies — which include the NYPD — were in robberies, which rose to 60,175 in the first six months of this year compared to 53,212 in 2021, an increase of 13%, and in aggravated assaults, with 156,735 reports versus 152,760.

Among the other police agencies included in the survey were cops in Nassau County on Long Island, as well as the Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami, New Orleans and Philadelphia police departments.

A separate review of nine law-enforcement agencies in Canada found that homicide, sexual assault, robbery and aggravated assault had all risen over the past year. nypost.com

NYC Turns to Armed Guards to Patrol 'Lawless' Neighborhoods
NYC block hires armed security guards to patrol crime-ridden neighborhood
Residents of a block in Manhattan's Greenwich Village got so fed up with the loitering, drugs, panhandling, and crime that they teamed up to pay for their own private security. They say things have gotten worse since the pandemic started in the city.

It's taking place on W 4th St. between McDougall and Sixth Ave. Residents and businesses put up $18,000 to pay for two officers for the month of August. Among the complaints are a rash of muggings and other violence in the area. The data support their concerns. NYPD statistics show overall crime in the area is up by 80% in 2022.

Among the businesses that contributed to pay for private security was Washington Square Diner. "The worst it's been in 21 years when it comes to crime," owner Elias Tsikis said to FOX 5 News in a statement.

A resident started a group for concerned residents. In the end, they decided to test a pilot test with armed guards. The pilot program ended at the start of September.

"When our security guards were present, it did seem much safer and there was a sense of calm when they were walking the street. But the moment they went off duty, the deluge of lawlessness returned, instantly," Brian Maloney said in a statement to FOX 5 News.

The residents are now evaluating their next steps.

"Armed guards are nothing new in the city," former NYPD Lieutenant Darrin Porcher says. "This begs the question as to what are we going to do based on the sentiment of public safety." fox5ny.com

Retail Violence Surge is a Global Problem
Theft, abuse and violence still widespread in retail, says SGF report

100% of respondents reported some level of theft, abuse or violence in the previous year.

Shoplifting offences reached staggering levels in 2021, with almost all operators experiencing theft on a daily basis. The biggest trigger for aggression and abuse continues to be the enforcement of age restrictions and challenging customers for proof of age.

While 95% of retailers also reported experiencing some form of hate crime, monthly. SGF figures, produced in the report, show that the annual cost of store crime for survey participants totalled £2.3m.

Figures collated by Police Scotland reveal the level of recorded retail crime for the year since launch of the Protection of Workers Act 2021, with the total number of reported crimes reaching 3,099, to date.

Detection rates remain high at 61.3%, while threatening abuse and assault make up the majority of reported cases, at 1,750 and 1,333 respectively.

SGF chief executive, Pete Cheema OBE said: “Retailers and staff provide an essential community service, and it is completely unacceptable that they are forced to turn up to work and face threating abuse or violence.

“We have taken great strides with the introduction of the Protection of Workers Act, which came in to force last August. Our report shows, however, that 100% of retailers are regularly affected by crime, seriously impacting the wellbeing of both workers and their families. Every incident is one too many.

“The evidence is clear that in-store crime remains shockingly high and until there is significant improvement to the figures we are seeing, the SGF will be calling for a zero-tolerance approach.” talkingretail.com

The UK Retail Theft Surge
Shoplifting Putting Further Strains On Retailers, Including Tesco
Rising inflation and strains on budgets have furthered the wave of shoplifting in retail shops across the UK in the past few months, including Tesco, which has taken additional steps to try to protect food items from being stolen.

The retailer has gone so far as to wrap some higher-priced products in netting with security tags to deter would-be criminals from and increased the number of personnel dedicated to stopping the practise.

Tesco Chairman John Allan told Times Radio: “I think shoplifting is a concern and getting the police to take action and respond to cases where we and other retailers – and this is a concern right across the retail trade – is an issue. I don’t sympathise with people who shoplift, but I can understand desperate people taking desperate measures sometimes when they’ve literally got no money left.”

Inflation numbers have soared to 9.4% and could surpass 13% in the next month, putting many struggling individuals in position to steal to survive. Back in July, the Daily Mail reported that some markets were willing to work with thieves to get them further assistance rather than try to confront them and force a scene.

But frustrated with the amount of losses being incurred as well as potentially dangerous situations for workers in store trying to prevent shoplifting, more than 100 leaders at retailers penned a letter to Crime Commissioners in England and Wales. They noted the fact that during the first year of the pandemic, in-store crimes had tripled from 455 to 1,300.

The cost of protection colleagues from harm and on the efforts to mitigate stealing in stores totaled £715 million in 2020-21 alone, as they were forced to increase trainings for de-escalation, increase personnel and spend on new technologies such as CCTV and body cameras.  producebusinessuk.com

Gun law advocates hail new credit card code as a way to cut down on suspicious sales
The National Rifle Association is criticizing the move and says the code is “a capitulation to anti-gun politicians and activists.”

Livestreamed violence compounds U.S. horror and inspires copycats, experts say

US: 97.1M Cases - 1M Dead - 93.3M Recovered
Worldwide: 614.4M Cases - 6.5M Dead - 593.4M Recovered

Private Industry Security Guard Deaths: 362  
Law Enforcement Officer Deaths: 796

Retailers Helping With New Booster Push
Albertsons boosts access to immunizations

Technology, inventory investments support flu vaccinations, COVID boosters

Albertsons Cos. is shoring up operations at its 1,700-plus pharmacy locations just in time for the flu season — and for the new COVID-19 boosters.

The Boise, Idaho-based food and drug retailer said Monday that investments in technology, vaccine inventory and patient services will bolster immunization access and personalized care across its roster of retail banners, which are administering flu vaccines as well as the recently authorized Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna bivalent COVID-19 boosters.

And as an incentive, for every immunization received at an Albertsons Cos. pharmacy, recipients will receive a coupon eligible for 10% off their next grocery purchase up to $200 and access to a free digital vaccine record. supermarketnews.com

COVID Still Driving the Labor Shortage?
Getting Covid knocked 500K workers out of the labor force, study says

A new paper finds that Covid-related illnesses made the labor force shrink by 500,000 people.

After over a year of employers complaining that they just can't find any workers, a new paper offers one reason why it's so hard to staff up: Getting sick with Covid has knocked a whole lot of workers out of the labor force.

In fact, according to a National Bureau of Economic Research working paper, illness from Covid made the US labor force shrink by around 500,000 people.

They find that, after calling out sick from work, workers are much less likely to participate in the labor force — which means they're not actively working or looking for work. In fact workers who were out sick due to likely Covid were 7% less likely to be in the labor force a year later compared to peers who didn't call out sick. businessinsider.com

NY's COVID State of Emergency is Officially Ending
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul will end COVID emergency
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said Monday she will let a COVID-19 state of emergency expire as cases continue to decline and criticism from her Republican opponents increase amid an intense election race.

Hochul, a Democrat who took office last year after then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo stepped down, has extended two executive orders each month which allows her to bypass state contracting rules and the easing licensing rules for health care workers. The orders are set to expire at midnight.

"I will not be renewing them this time," Hochul said Monday. "We’re in a different place now. We’ve been making announcements about taking masks off on public transportation. We have a new booster shot as of a few days ago." foxnews.com

These 10 states still have COVID emergency orders in place

New York COVID cases plummet 16% as new bivalent omicron booster arrives

The Retail Biometrics Boom is Only Just Beginning
Biometric Authentication in Retail: What the Future Holds
In both the online and offline space, more companies — including multi-location retailers — have begun using biometric authentication in payments as a way to cut down on credit card fraud and chargebacks.

Facial biometrics map the human face using mathematical algorithms, and images are transformed into sequences of numbers that become each individual’s “facial identity.” Not every biometric authentication solution involves the human face. Some solutions map the palm of the hand or the retina.

While facial recognition technology has been available for years — Apple has supported biometric logins to authenticate with Face ID since at least 2017 — consumers’ willingness to use this new technology changed during the Covid-19 pandemic. Interest in contactless payment options from QR codes to mobile wallets has been surging since 2020. Now, the introduction of biometric authentication in payments is giving some consumers an added level of convenience and security in online and offline transactions.

In 2020, Amazon introduced a biometric device known as Amazon One, which allowed customers to pay at Amazon Go stores using their palms. Major financial services companies like Mastercard are also rolling out technology to allow retailers to accept payment from shoppers who show their face or the palm of their hand, instead of swiping their cards.

While the biggest use case for biometric authentication in retail currently focuses on stores using shopper thumbprints or facial IDs to open digital wallets on smartphones, Sondhi sees a future in which this technology is expanded much more broadly.

The future of biometric authentication could involve consumers’ personal biometric information being stored with retailers themselves. For example, a shopper might enroll in a loyalty program at their local grocery store that then connects their fingerprint to their account, allowing them to scan their thumb at the credit card reader to complete a transaction.

“For retailers, this drives brand loyalty and connectivity, but from a security perspective, consumers might be more hesitant,” Sondhi says. “What we’ll see over time is retailers and merchants partnering with providers that can guarantee consumer data is stored in a highly secure and reliable way.” streetfightmag.com

Ex-Uber Security Chief's Trial Continues
Hacker details plot to breach Uber’s data servers
Vasile Mereacre, one of the hackers who stole personal information from 57 million Uber riders and drivers in a 2016 data breach, took the stand Monday in the criminal trial of its former head of security Joseph Sullivan, accused of hiding the breach from the authorities. Uber’s lax security quickly made the ride-hail giant the pair’s top target.

Testifying Monday in former Uber security chief Joe Sullivan’s criminal obstruction and concealment trial, Mereacre said he and Glover modeled their hack off others they’d read about in online forums, where stolen email addresses and passwords were used to access Github, a website where software developers store and share software code.

Once they gained access to Github, Mereacre and Glover searched the public site for access keys to Uber company servers, which were hosted by Amazon Web Services. After a while, they hit the motherlode— an AWS key that unlocked a “simple storage service,” or S3 folder, containing more than 200 files of private user data.

“I guess they would have better security, but Uber did not,” Mereacre said. He and Glover then downloaded the data, consisting of the names, email address and phone numbers of 57 million app users, along with 600,000 driver’s license numbers.

They then decided to contact Uber and demand a ransom. "We thought to reach out to Uber to see if we could get some money out of it," Mereacre said. Mereacre used the pseudonym “John Doughs” in his email to security chief Joe Sullivan. “We didn't want our identities to be public because of the way we'd gotten the data and downloaded it,” Mereacre said. “The process was illegal.”

Sullivan did not handle the breach on his own, though he alone stands accused of concealing the breach from authorities and obstructing an investigation by the Federal Trade Commission into Uber’s security practices.

Sullivan was fired in 2017 for mishandling the incident, was charged in 2020 with one count of obstruction and one count of hiding a felony from authorities in what’s said to the the first example of a security chief being prosecuted over a data breach.

Click here to read the full article & the D&D Daily's previous coverage of this case

The Faces Behind the Retail Union Push
Meet the union leaders powering a wave of organizing at Amazon, Starbucks, Target, and more
Their efforts were rewarded in April this year when JFK8, which has more than 8,000 workers, became the first and only Amazon warehouse in the US to unionize following a vote — the process to formally establish a union by showing enough workers support it.

This year has seen a wave of union activism after decades of declining membership. A flurry of workers have won elections to form unions in industries that have never had them, including at more than 200 Starbucks stores and at Apple, Trader Joe's, and the outdoor store REI.

Union-representation petitions filed with the National Labor Relations Board jumped almost 60% in the nine months that ended in June. A Gallup poll last year found support for unions to be at its highest since the '60s. But the ordinary people leading this workers-rights revival have their work cut out.

American corporations often fiercely resist union efforts. A 2019 report by the Economic Policy Institute estimated that US companies spend nearly $340 million a year on "union avoidance" consultants, and illegal firings are alleged to happen in up to 30% of union-election campaigns.

Insider spoke with people organizing workers at Amazon, Trader Joe's, Target, Wells Fargo, and Starbucks, in conversations spread over several weeks, about what drives them to try to unionise in America today. Some have had their unions recognised, others are still campaigning. businessinsider.com

Cutting 24% of Corporate Workforce
Rent the Runway to Reduce Workforce as More Customers Pause Their Subscriptions
Rent the Runway Inc. said it would reduce its corporate workforce by 24%, primarily through layoffs, as the fashion-rental service adjusts to a slowdown in consumer spending and shifts from shopping habits adopted earlier in the pandemic.

The New York company on Monday didn’t specify the total number of jobs affected. It had 958 full-time employees and 138 part-time employees as of Jan. 31, according to securities filings. wsj.com

Tuesday Morning gets a lifeline from Pier 1 owners
Tuesday Morning is getting a $35 million injection of capital from an investor group led by Retail Ecommerce Ventures, owner of Pier 1, RadioShack, Dressbarn and other retail brands.

Good for Retailers: Traffic in U.S. downtowns ticks back up in August

Target expands toy presence with FAO Schwarz partnership

US annual inflation eased last month but remains stubbornly high