Axis Communications announces new 5-year warranty for its devices

New Axis warranty promises customers world-class quality, reliability and support at no extra cost.

Founded with quality as a hallmark of its brand, Axis Communications makes a significant commitment to its customers by announcing a new 5-year warranty. This increase from the previous 3-year warranty is a result of the company’s continued dedication to providing high-quality products and cost-efficient, trouble-free ownership. Read More Here


Axis' new headquarters: A house where employees can thrive

When designing the new Axis head office in Lund, Sweden, sustainability and esthetics were vital. But most importantly, the primary focus was on employee health and well-being. And as the employees now are moving into their new workplace, the response is positive. See More Here

Protests & Violence

The U.S. is Arming Up
U.S. gun sales soar amid pandemic, social unrest, election fears
Surges in U.S. firearm sales have in recent decades been predictably driven by events sparking fears of impending gun-control legislation or a spate of mass shootings. Such surges came largely among the gun-industry’s core base of white, male and politically conservative customers who often already owned one or multiple guns. That market is widening this year to include a new rush of first-time buyers, including many women, minorities and politically liberal buyers who once would not have considered gun ownership.

The number of first-time buyers has skyrocketed this year. Firearms neophytes accounted for about 40% of sales this year and “double the national average” in past years. 5 million people purchased firearms for the first time across the industry in the first seven months of the year.

‘MORE GUNS IS MORE DEATH’ said Harvard University professor David Hemenway.

The FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) - shows a 41% increase in activity during the first nine months of this year, compared to the same period in 2019, which was a record year. With 28.8 million background checks through the end of September, this year’s surge has already surpassed last year’s all-time high of 28.4 million.

Eight of the top 10 all-time weeks for background checks have happened this year, according to NICS data that goes back to 1998. The top week came in March, when the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus crisis a pandemic. The top month this year came in June, following the late-May killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police.  reuters.com

Pinkerton security guard to face 2nd-degree murder charges in Denver protest shooting: DA
The private security guard suspected of fatally shooting a man at the scene of tense protests in Denver last weekend will be charged with second-degree murder, the local district attorney announced Thursday.

Matthew Dolloff, 30 — who did not have a license to work as a guard in Denver, authorities say — faces a mandatory prison sentence of 16 to 48 years if convicted, according to the Denver district attorney’s office. He is accused of shooting 49-year-old Lee Keltner, who went to a rally downtown to show support for law enforcement, according to Keltner’s family.

The violence played out Saturday during a clash among demonstrators: Right-wing “patriots” and left-wing counterprotesters affiliating themselves with Black Lives Matter and antifa. But most people were dispersing when a shot rang out, authorities said, and police quickly sought to tamp down rumors about those involved, saying Sunday that investigators were “unaware of whether the suspect is personally affiliated with any political organization.”

Local outlet 9News says it contracted Dolloff through the firm Pinkerton to accompany a staffer at Saturday’s protests. 9News says it told Pinkerton that the security guards protecting its employees should not be armed, adding to questions about Dolloff’s qualifications and the contract that brought him to Denver’s civic center. washingtonpost.com

Manhattan, NYC: Bicycle delivery workers rally for safety after string of robberies
Delivery workers protested at the intersection of 72nd Street and Broadway on Thursday, asking that more attention be paid to a series of e-bike thefts that have made it impossible to do their jobs. They rang bells and rode their bikes down to City Hall to continue the protest. “We are asking for safety. A lot of guys are being robbed,” Melinda Gallpa, of the Worker’s Justice project, told the Daily News. “Their bicycles are stolen, and some of them are almost $2,000. That’s why they’re here, why we organize.” westsiderag.com

NYC's indie bookstores are 'boxing out' to protest shopping on Amazon
New York City bookstores have transformed their storefronts to look like cardboard boxes that you'd get in the mail from Amazon for Prime Day. Their papered windows serve as the backdrop to bold statements: "Don't let indie bookstores become a work of fiction," "Buy books from people who want to sell books, not colonize the moon," and "Books curated by real people, not a creepy algorithm." timeout.com

Oakland, Portland sue over use of federal agents at protests

ACLU, Protester File Complaint Against D.C. National Guard For Helicopter Tactic
 

ORC's Center Stage & Primary Push in CA's Prop 20
'Prop. 20 sparks debate over effects of criminal justice reform in California'
As much of the country weighs changes to the criminal justice system, California has had a head start, adopting a series of laws in the last decade that helped reduce the state’s prison population by more than one-third, or 50,000 people.

Now a group of prosecutors and law enforcement leaders has placed Proposition 20 on the November statewide ballot, which would expand the list of felonies for which the convicted are ineligible for early parole; increase penalties for repeat shoplifters; and collect DNA samples from adults convicted of some misdemeanors.

Opponents of the measure, who include civil rights leaders, Gov. Gavin Newsom and former Gov. Jerry Brown, say it wrongly rolls back necessary criminal justice reforms as *crime has declined in recent years.

“California is ahead of the game — we’ve done so many great reforms,” said Assemblyman Jim Cooper (D-Elk Grove), a retired sheriff’s captain and proponent of Proposition 20. “But there have been unintended consequences with these reforms.”

Supporters of the initiative include the California Police Chiefs Assn., Orange County Dist. Atty. Todd Spitzer, Sacramento County Dist. Atty. Anne Marie Schubert and the union representing state prison guards.

Proposition 20 is also supported by retail chains including Albertsons and Kroger, who say shoplifting and stealing by organized theft rings have been increasing. Safeway and other stores said in 2016 that shoplifting had increased at least 15%.

The San Francisco-based Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice, which advocates for reducing incarceration, estimates that, under Proposition 20, up to 9,900 arrests for theft-related offenses could be charged as felonies rather than misdemeanors each year.

A June 2018 study by the nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of California found no evidence that violent crime increased because of Proposition 47, but some evidence that it affected property crime.

Editor's Note: The 'declining crime stats', referred to across the nation, almost universally, are based on inaccurate data collection and reporting, significantly reduced initial apprehensions, forced reduced charges, expedited plea bargains, rising felony thresholds, and an overall police apathy due to prosecutors public stance on not prosecuting shoplifting cases at all. As in the documented cases of San Francisco, Dallas, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Philadelphia. Just some thoughts -Gus Downing

Study Showed Prop 47 Affected Property Crime

December 20, 2018: An analysis by the Marshall Project and the Los Angeles Times found that California’s crime rates remain near historic lows, but overall crime spiked in both 2012 and 2015, the years that immediately followed two major statewide measures aimed at decreasing the number of people in prison. Those jumps were mainly driven by increases in property crimes, particularly thefts from motor vehicles.

California’s property crime rate fell slightly in the last two years, but remains 2% higher than it was in 2014. By contrast, the rate of property crimes in the rest of the nation has dropped by 10% over the same period.

Two studies published this summer — one by a UC Irvine criminologist and another by the Public Policy Institute of California —found no link between Proposition 47 and increases in violent crime. Both noted a possible link between the initiative and increases in larceny, particularly thefts from motor vehicles, although the Irvine study found those links too tenuous to conclude Proposition 47 was to blame.

California’s robbery rate jumped 14% from 2014 to 2017; the rest of the country saw a 7% drop. latimes.com


Every CEO in America Will Be Watching You & Your Teams Actions & Reactions
It's time to be viewed as a leader in DEI

Doug McMillon - Opinion contributor
Walmart CEO: Business Roundtable members have new plans to fight
historic racial injustice
The 208 members of the Business Roundtable have new proposals about what more we can do to move the weight of racism that presses on people of color.

The weight that killed George Floyd also was the weight of history — 400 years of discrimination against Blacks in this country. Together, these forces conspired to crush him. That weight needs to be lifted.

For our part, 208 of the largest companies in America, members of Business Roundtable, have come together to join their efforts. As part of that work, in June, the Roundtable established a special committee to develop policy proposals and corporate initiatives designed to advance racial equity and justice.

Since June, the Roundtable has endorsed several policy recommendations for policing reform related to data collection and transparency, accountability, standards, training and community engagement.

Improve pandemic response - Lower barriers to employment

Business Roundtable members are now releasing a report on racial equity and justice that takes stock of what more business — in cooperation with government — can do to bring about greater change. usatoday.com


How Security Operations Center leaders can create a culture of growth

Julian Waits, General Manager of Cybersecurity at Business Unit at Devo, spoke with Security Magazine about how SOC leaders can create a culture of growth among their teams.

Why do SOC leaders need to create a culture of growth among their teams? How can this help mitigate analyst/security team’s burnout?

Waits: Creating a culture of growth in the SOC helps leaders address two issues; one being that security talent is very scarce to find and hire, and two being that the analysts you do have in the SOC are getting burnt out. By creating a culture of growth – one where you’re investing time, funds and energy into bettering the skills and career trajectory of analysts – you’re both creating a more enticing environment for hiring candidates and establishing a culture for current employees that acknowledges their work, value and caring for an individual’s growth.

How can they advocate on behalf of their team to the CEO and board to ensure the SOC is equipped with the right/best technologies to alleviate analyst pain?

Waits: Among SOC leaders, the CISO is the bridge between the SOC and the C-suite. While most CEOs and boards are becoming increasingly security conscience, it’s up to the CISO to effectively communicate that security touches every part of the business and a SOC filled with burned-out analysts will compromise security and, in the long run, hurt the bottom line. Equipping your SOC with technology that automates and streamlines the repetitive aspects of analysts’ workflow will benefit the entire organization. The board will also need clear understanding of security priorities, so be prepared to answer questions like, “what trends is the SOC teaching us?” “what are we learning? “what are the types of attacks we see most often in our environment?” “what have we done to mitigate those attacks?” and “are there things that we could do with the SOC to be more proactive about trying to catch this stuff sooner?” Read the full Q&A here

Only 45% Will Go To Malls - Down 30% From LY
Fewer U.S. shoppers say they’re going to the mall this holiday season
Even with the changing behaviors, a majority of American holiday shoppers -- about eight in 10 -- said they will still spend in a physical store during the coming months.

Just 45% of U.S. consumers plan to go to a shopping mall this season, down from 64% who visited last November and December, according to an International Council of Shopping Centers survey released Friday.

The forecast is a fresh blow to American malls already reeling from the coronavirus pandemic - shifted spending habits and made people wary of crowded places.  dallasnews.com

September Retail Sales Graph
How key retail sales fared year over year
Retail sales in September as provided by the U.S. Department of Commerce and tracked by Retail Dive, rose 11.7% from last year, a result called “astonishing” by GlobalData Retail Managing Director Neil Saunders.

September 2020: Total monthly sales: $177.50B
“September was the month when retail sales seemingly defied gravity,” Saunders said in emailed comments. But in a year when the COVID-19 pandemic has stifled demand and forced many retailers to close in the spring, September’s rebound isn’t entirely surprising.

e-commerce up 27.7%  retaildive.com