Axis Communications Signed Video Wins New Product of the Year Award

Security Today Recognizes Axis Video Authentication as Top Video Surveillance-Advanced Imaging Technology for 2022

Axis Communications was recently awarded the Security Today 2022 New Product of the Year Award in the Video Surveillance Advanced Imaging Technology category for its Signed Video—an open-source video authentication and verification framework that ensures integrity of surveillance video from the point of capture. The 2022 New Product of the Year Award recognized Axis for its outstanding product development and dedication to improving security.

Read more in the Vendor Spotlight column below


Leading Nationwide Juice and Plant-Based Snacks Store, Pressed, Teams up with Interface to Accelerate Digital Transformation and Growth

Interface deploys suite of managed services at 100+ Pressed stores to revamp IT infrastructure, improve security, and gain operational insights, while reducing store operations costs by 50%

St. Louis, MO (October 5, 2022) — Interface Systems, a leading managed service provider delivering business security, managed network, UCaaS, and business intelligence solutions to distributed enterprises, today announced that Pressed, a leading cold-pressed juice and plant-based treats brand, has deployed Interface’s managed services in over 100 stores nationwide, resulting in a 50% reduction in fixed costs in all stores after consolidating multiple services.

Pressed chose to implement Interface’s suite of managed IT services to improve network reliability, increase security, and build a system to gather multi-dimensional store performance data to enhance customer experience.  Read more here
 

Snapshots from LPRC IMPACT in Gainesville, FL More than 450 attendees turned out at LPRC IMPACT 2022
LPRC podcast crew Tony D'Onofrio, Read Hayes & Tom Meehan, recorded an episode at IMPACT	LP/AP leaders pose for a photo at LPRC IMPACT
LPRC saw record attendance of 450+ at this year's event	Getting ready for LPRC IMPACT's Swamp Event!
Click here to learn more about LPRC IMPACT

Model for the Nation to Battle ORC?
Manteca has seen a 50% drop in retail crime losses in two years

CA's Only City with Detective Dedicated to ORC
Manteca Reduces Odds for Retail Theft Rings

Only California city with police detective dedicated to organized retail crime creating reputation for Manteca

Manteca is sending a message to organized retail crime rings. You run a greater risk of getting caught, prosecuted, and sent to prison than in most other jurisdictions in California if you ply your trade in Manteca.

And it has all to do with rank-and-file officers looking for more effective ways to fight crime then Manteca Police Chief Mike Aguilar dedicating a full-time detective to organized retail crime (ORC).

And while there are regional task forces in Los Angeles, the Bay Area, San Diego and soon in Sacramento to combat the growing rise of organized retail crime, no other city in California besides Manteca has a full-time dedicated detective to such criminal activity.

According to Manteca Police ORC Detective Dave Brown, Ulta representatives said their Manteca store was on their list of locations they were considering closing due to the store theft rate until Manteca was able to step up and effectively target organized retail crime.

Brown shared with the Manteca Rotary during their weekly meeting Thursday at Mt. Mike’s Pizza that the department’s organized retail crime effort was one of the reasons Boot Barn cited for opening a store in Manteca.

Brown said the department is planning to add a second detective if funding is available next year. “There is enough work easily for two to three officers,” Brown said.

By having a dedicated detective that can be contacted directly by store loss prevention officers and who also networks with nearby departments, Manteca has been able to position itself to be at the locations of retail theft crimes either in advance or within minutes.

Brown noted Manteca has been able to secure a 50 percent reduction in retail crime losses in the last two years. They also were able to arrest or identify 202 suspects in 2020 and 187 suspects in 2021. mantecabulletin.com

Major Societal Changes Fueling the Shoplifting Surge
Should We Tolerate Shoplifting?

Implications of adolescent rationalizations regarding stealing.

It seems to me that recent changes in our society may be contributing to an increase in shoplifting. The influence of parents on their teens may have decreased as more parents are working outside of the home or as there are more single parent households. As a result, parents do not have as much time to teach moral behavior to their children.

As our society has chosen to devote its law enforcement resources to more serious crimes, the disincentive for shoplifting has become minimal.

If we continue our current course, will shoplifting continue to increase until it reaches a level at which even more brick-and-mortar retailers will be unable to survive? Are we moving towards an even greater reliance on internet retailers? Will our relationships as members of this society become even more frayed because of theft?

Changing Course

Thus, I think that if we want to change the course of shoplifting, we might consider reinstituting a significant penalty for petty theft, or have stores employ more staff who will be on the lookout for shoplifters, which may help curb the behavior of the some of the shoplifters.

Of course, there would be a significant amount of social and monetary costs to adoption of either of these approaches. Some retailers may decide against significant shoplifting mitigation because the costs associated with such an effort would exceed the anticipated monetary loss from on-going shoplifting.

Takeaway

Dealing more deliberately with petty theft does not address many of the societal issues that have led to its increased prevalence. I believe that difficult fundamental changes in society are required to address these underlying issues. For example, perhaps we need to expand our social safety nets so that people do not shoplift because they have insufficient food at home. psychologytoday.com

ORC Surge Becomes Hot Button Political Issue
Democratic Senator at Risk of Losing Seat Targets Flash-Mob Crime
A Democratic senator at risk of losing her seat recently signed new legislation targeting flash-mob and other organized retail theft crimes.

Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada said in a press release over the weekend that she was working with Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Chuck Grassley, an Iowa Republican, on legislation to target "the rise in flash mob robberies and intricate retail theft schemes sweeping the nation."

"The Combatting Organized Retail Crime Act establishes a coordinated multi-agency response and creates new tools to tackle evolving trends in organized retail theft," the two senators said in a joint release.

The announcement comes just a few weeks ahead of the midterm elections in which Cortez Masto will face Adam Laxalt, who previously served as the Nevada attorney general and was endorsed by former President Donald Trump.

Over the past several months, organized retail theft and flash-mob looting have been on the rise, with elected officials in California and other states calling for more action to be taken. In New Jersey, state senators previously introduced legislation that would require flash-mob looters and retail thieves to face jail time. newsweek.com

Theft Surge Adding Fuel to the Inflation Fire
Another reason for rising costs? Retailers blame organized theft

Organized retail theft has grown to a nearly $100 billion problem in the U.S. — and retailers say consumers are paying the price.

Why organized retail crime has seen sharp national increases is unclear, but market watchers speculate the COVID-19 pandemic brought on changes that made stores easier targets and made identification more difficult with widespread mask use. While resales to pawn shops can be risky, the accelerated push to e-commerce has also made reselling goods directly to consumers easier.

What is certain, retailers report, is that the losses translate to higher prices for consumers in the long run. Increased security and digital technology measures aimed at theft prevention are on the rise, with more than half of retailers reporting redoubled investments in security and 60% increasing technology budgets in response to losses, according to the NRF survey.

Combined with revenue losses from organized theft, security costs are prompting retailers in a low-profit-margin industry to make tough choices during an inflationary period.

“We have been very good about not raising our prices as a result of our shrink equation but if it gets to a point where we cannot continue to do business this way, ultimately we will have to pass it along,” Scott Glenn, vice president of Home Depot asset protection, told CNBC.  dentonrc.com

California's New Bill to Fight ORC Continues to Make Headlines
Prosecutors Alliance of California Measures Signed Into Law Target Organized Retail Crime, DNA Privacy, Transparency and Minor Traffic Offenses

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed into law four landmark criminal justice bills – sponsored by the Prosecutors Alliance of California.

Founder and Executive Director of the Prosecutors Alliance of California, Cristine Soto DeBerry, said, “These are important bills that will enhance safety, justice, victim privacy and prosecutorial transparency across California.”

The governor also signed SB 301, which helps combat the sale of stolen goods on online marketplaces by establishing higher conditions of accountability and verification for third-party sellers on online platforms. Doing so ensures marketplaces to identify and take action against sellers of stolen goods, said sponsors.

“From smash and grabs to auto burglaries, package theft and more, a massive amount of property crime in California is driven by organized crime,” commented DeBerry.

She added, “By going after the demand side of the major driver of property crime, SB 301 is a practical solution backed by facts and data. Requiring online retailers to collect and disclose information about high-volume third party sellers will undermine a major marketplace for stolen goods.”  davisvanguard.org

Officials, neighbors slam New York crime policies following Marriott shooting
New York bail reform blasted after man killed at Marriott shooting near Marist College

Colorado Springs police warn shoppers and businesses not to engage with shoplifters

Majority of mass shootings connected to domestic violence, experts say

US: 98.3M Cases - 1M Dead - 95.3M Recovered
Worldwide: 624.4M Cases - 6.5M Dead - 604.4M Recovered

Private Industry Security Guard Deaths: 362  
Law Enforcement Officer Deaths: 802

COVID Bonus Checks Going Out to Retail Workers
Minnesota Will Pay $487 Bonuses to 1M Frontline Workers
More than 1 million Minnesotans have qualified for bonus checks to frontline workers to recognize their work during the COVID-19 pandemic, but the payments will be for less than $500, the governor's office announced Monday.

The state will start sending out the payments on Wednesday. The Legislature approved a total of $500 million for eligible applicants, and Gov. Tim Walz signed it into law in April.

Many frontline workers faced long shifts, uncertain procedures and constant threats of infection that kept them worried throughout the day and sleepless at night during the first year of COVID-19, he added.

Eligible workers include those in the long-term care and home care industries, health care, the courts, child care, public schools, retail, food service, public transit and manufacturing. usnews.com

Will We Ever Revert Back to Pre-COVID Work Behavior?
Have Managers Underestimated the Need for Face-to-Face Contact?
Remote work, already common, was first required by the pandemic, then encouraged by the growing power of talent over organizations. That power was fueled by both a talent shortage and the ability of tech-aided talent to become more effective working remotely.

Technology will continue to enhance remote work. But will the talent shortage continue? Will inflation pull more people back into the workforce, changing the supply-demand ratio for talent? Will the need for recognition and advancement on the job lure people back to the office? Or have the attractions of working at home changed the job satisfaction equation permanently?

Just as important is how organizations will answer the question of whether great organizations can be built on remote work and remote workers, even those working in a hybrid manner with some time spent in the office. Greg Carmichael, CEO and chairman of Fifth Third Bancorp, quoted in a previous column, put it most succinctly when he said, “We can’t be a great company working remotely… We can get the job done, but it’s tough to flourish.” hbswk.hbs.edu

Winter Wave Could be Coming
Will there be a COVID winter wave? What scientists say

Emerging variants and waning immunity are likely to push infections higher in the northern hemisphere as influenza also makes a comeback.

With surges caused by the BA.5 Omicron variant in the rear-view mirror — resulting in high population immunity — the United States could be in for a relatively quiet COVID-19 season, the models suggested, so long as vaccine booster campaigns began quickly and new variants didn’t emerge. Even with a new variant, a big surge in cases wasn’t certain.

More than a month on, hospitalizations are declining in line with projections. But other factors on the horizon could spell trouble. The rollout of new, ‘bivalent’ boosters “has been a little bit slow,” says Lessler. And there are now subtle signs that Omicron is evolving and spawning a new cast of immunity-dodging variants. “It could lead to some upswings as we go into the fall and winter months,” Lessler adds.

Some US states are already beginning to see an uptick in cases. The United Kingdom’s weekly population survey of SARS-CoV-2 infections, a gold-standard in COVID data, has also documented an increase in COVID prevalence in its past two reports. In the backdrop, a slew of immunity-dodging variants are emerging globally, and researchers think these variants will fuel an autumn–winter wave. nature.com

Remote work wipes $453 billion off office real estate

L.A. to end COVID eviction protections by February

Business Continuity/Crisis Management
Proactive - Reactive

Hurricane Ian Response & Recovery

(section sponsored by Genetec)

Knowing the Difference is Key
Business Continuity Vs Crisis Management

Business Continuity and Crisis Management are often confused as the same thing

One group sees crisis management as part of an emergency management structure. They believe that business continuity only focuses on helping business operations to recover from an outage. Others, like the Disaster Recovery Institute International (DRI), see crisis management as part of an overall business continuity management program. Both sides believe they are right.

Let's start with Crisis Management

Crisis management is the process of responding to, planning for, and mitigating emergency events. As a discipline, it has a planning process, distinct teams, and response structure. Depending on your exposure, you may be familiar with four or five aspects of disaster management. I prefer five stages, which addresses: prevention, mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery.

The Importance of Business Continuity

Business continuity, on the other hand, is the distinct practice of planning for and helping a company’s essential functions recover from an interruption or outage. Continuity focuses on critical aspects of business operations. It lays out what business units need post-interruption. It focuses on strategies for resumption after impacts on the workplace, personnel, network, or loss of a critical third-party supplier.

The BC vs CM Balancing Act

If the differences are not made clear, there can be a lack of understanding about why these activities are separate. The strategy of mixing business continuity and crisis management can lead to challenges in the workplace. It can also lessen the effectiveness of your response and recovery activities. Misunderstanding often happens when people you are engaging do not understand what disaster work is in the first place. With the overuse of words like disaster, crisis, and emergencies, it is no wonder that people get lost in our jargon. So, there needs to be a real effort on our part to help others recognize the difference. disasterempire.com

Stealing from Disaster Relief Vehicles
Tampa man accused of stealing from disaster relief vehicles
A Tampa man faces burglary charges for stealing power tools being used for Hurricane Ian relief, police said.

Police say security personnel located and detailed Bryan Ortiz, 35, who was seen trying to get into some of the relief vehicles. At one point, Ortiz allegedly broke into a bucket truck and a Ford F-250 Super Duty Truck and swiped some power tools. The tools were eventually recovered. Oritz was arrested without incident and charged, police said. wtsp.com

Hurricane Ian’s death toll rises to 109 as crews in Florida go door to door

4 Walmart & Sam's Club Stores Still Closed After Hurricane Ian


Retail & Government Operations Centers

● National Business Emergency Operations Center
● Florida State Emergency Operations Center
● Lee County - SW Florida Operations Center
● Walmart Emergency Operations Center
● Amazon's Disaster Relief Hub
● Target Emergency Operations Center
● Home Depot's Natural Disaster Command Center
● Lowe's Emergency Command Center
● Microsoft Teams Emergency Operations Center
 

To Hard Tag or Not?
Video Recap: Hard Tag Vs RFID Working Group Meeting

Featuring Colin Peacock and Adrian Beck

Removing hard tags in retail stores, especially fashion retailers, would seem crazy based on the proven increase in losses when retailers have previously made the switch from hard tags to soft EAS tags.

Retailers such as River Island are exploring whether RFID can help reduces losses more productively and enable stores to move to self-checkout. Click here to learn more

The Retail Revival Is Underway
Retail Real Estate Is Enjoying Its Biggest Revival in Years

U.S. retail real-estate vacancies are down, rents are up and more stores are opening than closing

Bricks-and-mortar store owners are emerging from the pandemic with surprising strength, posting some of their best numbers in years and plotting expansions as more Americans venture out to buy things again.

U.S. retail vacancy fell to 6.1% in the second quarter, the lowest level in at least 15 years, while asking rents for U.S. shopping centers in the quarter were 16% higher than five years ago, according to real-estate services firm Cushman & Wakefield.

More stores opened than closed in the U.S. last year for the first time since 1995, according to an analysis by Morgan Stanley, and some analysts say they expect that trend to continue this year even with recession fears rising.

And after being forced to buy more things online at the start of the pandemic, many people have decided they like shopping in stores for items ranging from clothing to groceries, in a reassuring sign for the staying power of bricks-and-mortar retail. wsj.com

$1B McDonald's Racial Bias Lawsuit Dismissed
McDonald's defeats Black franchisees' $1 billion bias lawsuit, for now
McDonald's Corp has temporarily beaten back a lawsuit by 52 Black former franchise owners who claim the fast-food chain set them up for failure by steering them toward crime-ridden, low-income neighborhoods.

A federal judge in Chicago dismissed the 2020 lawsuit in a written order last week, but gave the plaintiffs until Oct. 21 to file an amended complaint. The judge did not explain why he dismissed the case.

The plaintiffs claim McDonald's has not offered profitable restaurant locations and growth opportunities to Black franchisees that were on the same terms as white franchisees, despite its public commitment to diversity and Black entrepreneurship. They are seeking up to $1 billion in damages.

McDonald's has denied wrongdoing and has said that while it may recommend store locations, franchisees make the final decisions. finance.yahoo.com

The Solution to the Supply Chain Crisis?
Apple Suppliers Add Manufacturing Sites in U.S., With Focus on California
Apple Inc. suppliers added manufacturing operations close to the Cupertino, Calif.-based tech company in fiscal 2021, a sign of how the pandemic and geopolitics are beginning to reshape supply chains.

Of Apple’s more than 180 suppliers, 48 had manufacturing sites in the U.S. as of September 2021, up from 25 a year earlier, according to a supplier list released by Apple. More than 30 sites were in California, compared with fewer than 10 a year earlier. wsj.com

Workers won't be able to say "I quit" much longer as job openings fall

Chick-fil-A has the fastest and most accurate drive-thrus