Vector Security VP of Central Station Services Anita C. Ostrowski presented with TMA's Mel Mahler Award for Outstanding Service

Award recognizes Ostrowski's work in developing industry standards.

PITTSBURGH, November 2, 2022 - Vector Security®, Inc., the fourth largest security company in the United States and the leading provider of intelligent mobile security and automation solutions to homes and businesses, is proud to announce that Anita C. Ostrowski, Vice President of Central Station Services, is the 2022 recipient of the Mel Mahler Award from The Monitoring Association (TMA).

Ostrowski was specifically recognized for her leadership in helping to develop alarm monitoring industry standards. As the chair for TMA's UL Standards Committee, she works with Underwriters Laboratories (UL) to update and adapt the standards to meet changing technologies. She also led the development of work-from-home requirements for central station operators during the Covid-19 pandemic to ensure the integrity of
professional monitoring. In addition, she has been a participant in the Alarm Validation Scoring (AVS-01) standard.

Read the full press release here


2023 ISCPO Conference Announcement

April 11-13, 2023 @ 7-Eleven Store Support Center in Irving, Texas.

Dallas, Texas Nov 1, 2022 - The International Supply Chain Protection Organization would like to announce the date of its 2023 Conference "Global Supply Chain Security Conference" on April 11th - 13th, 2023 at the 7-Eleven Store Support Center in Irving, Texas.

There will be a wide range of topics related to global supply chain security, Ecommerce, industry trends, and investigations. As in year's past, the conference provides a great venue to network with global industry peers, transportation/logistics professionals, law enforcement, and select vendor partners.

We encourage Solution Providers to participate in this event. Those interested should submit requests to Rhett Asher at Rhett.Asher@iscpo.org or Byron Smith at Byron.Smith@iscpo.org.

We are looking forward to seeing everyone next year, so mark your calendars. Event registration information will follow soon. For more information, visit our website - www.iscpo.org
 

'Operation Boiling Point' & How HSI and Retailers are Fighting ORC

HSI Deputy Assistant Director Raul Aguilar on Fighting Back Against ORC

Deputy Assistant Director of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Raul Aguilar joins TalkLP host Amber Bradley to talk Operation Boiling Point, recent successes, what retailers can do to help, and gets a little personal with what makes him tick. Raul goes into detail about the four pillars of Operation Boiling Point and how HSI and retailers are fighting back against organized retail crime (ORC). Of course, Amber goes 'unscripted' asking Raul about current battles, recent successes, and the backbone of his career. Take a listen for a more in-depth look at HSI in this perfectly timed episode!

Per our discussion in the podcast, if you haven't read this whitepaper from HSI, ACAMS, CLEAR, RILA, and LPM - check it out here! Definitely worth your time to read as it covers multiple key definitions and explanations needed in the fight against ORC.

This TalkLP episode brought to you by Gatekeeper Systems. Whether you need innovative technology to keep your shopping carts on your property or technology that keeps your employees and customers safe by apprehending your merchandise without ANY conflict, check out Gatekeeper Systems (a true quality company from the top leadership down) - here!

Walmart's Aggressive Approach to Fighting Theft
There's so many Walmart shoplifting charges you may not realize what you're doing is 'theft'

A LAWYER has explained all the shoplifting charges at Walmart that they claim you may not even realize are considered theft.

You may think shoplifting is just putting an item in your bag and walking out of the store without paying. However, it isn't quite that straightforward. At Walmart, shoppers can get hit with charges for a variety of illicit activities, including having intent to shoplift.

The law firm explained that just walking into the store with the intent to steal could lead to a separate charge, but this is admittedly difficult to prove in court. You can also face shoplifting charges for something called transferring. This is when people will put a more expensive item in a less-expensive box so they don't have to pay the full price.

Another way that shoppers can get in huge trouble is by moving items. "If you are utilizing an item such as soda and you drink it and put it back on the shelf somewhere else, you are shoplifting," Barkemeyer Law Firm said.

Finally, a method that could lead to charges is altering a price tag. This is when a shopper takes the tag from a cheaper item and uses it to pay for something more expensive. "This is also considered shoplifting."

This comes as another lawyer has revealed what happens if you're found stealing at the big box retailer. If a person is caught stealing merchandise from Walmart, "a loss prevention officer may reasonably detain you at the store until the police arrive," according to emergency law firm Attorney 911.

Walmart prosecutes shoplifters, the site warned. the-sun.com
 
Another C-Store Chain Closing During Overnight Hours Due to Crime
QuickTrip implements 'augmented store hours' for multiple stores location in Wichita

QuickTrip has adjusted hours at multiple Wichita locations to address retail crime.

KAKE News noticed a number of locations are closed periodically at night over the weekends. QuickTrip stores are usually open 24/7.

QuickTrip's corporate office wrote in a statement to KAKE News that it is taking "appropriate measures to ensure the safety and well-being of our employees and customers, including augmented store hours for a number of our locations throughout Wichita."

The convenience store is now closed from 1-3 a.m. on the weekends. QuickTrip told KAKE News it made the decision, in consultation with the Wichita Police Department, in an effort to address retail crime.

"We are looking at trying to become more methodical in how we're addressing crime, the spots that we see crime happening, and just come up with new ways, aside from just over policing, to actually address crime," Hoheisel said.

You can read the full statement from QuikTrip below:

"QuikTrip prides itself on offering our customers the highest quality products and services 24 hours a day at our 955 stores across 16 states. However, when necessary, we take appropriate measures to ensure the safety and well-being of our employees and customers, including augmented store hours for a number of our locations throughout Wichita. This strategic operational decision was made in consultation with the Wichita Police department in an effort to address retail crime and minimize strain on police resources. We will continue to take necessary steps to ensure the safety of our employees and customers."  kake.com

Progressive DAs Fueling Crime & Theft Surge?
'No justice at all': Texas DA candidate slams progressive prosecutors
Amid surging concern about crime nationwide, many district attorney races, once considered down-ballot afterthoughts, have become hotly contested, high-interest political dogfights.

Recently, much of the disagreement between candidates revolves around so-called "progressive" prosecution policies, which are often praised by Democratic lawmakers as a way to advance social justice.

Republican lawmakers, on the other hand, have latched on to progressive prosecution as a political weak point, adopting a tough-on-crime approach rooted in strict enforcement of the law.

I happen to have a very firm belief that the D.A. in a county sets the tone for that county," Hays County, Texas GOP district attorney candidate David Puryear told The National Desk (TND). "First of all, you're the most powerful individual in the county - which is why the selection of D.A. should be very carefully made."

Earlier this year, San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin was recalled over what critics argued was a failure to control the city's violent crime. Boudin originally took office in January 2020.

Under Boudin, prosecutions for theft tanked, from 70% under his predecessor to 44% under Boudin in 2020, according to data from The San Francisco Examiner. The number rose slightly by mid-June 2021.

According to Puryear, progressive prosecutors like Boudin have "hijacked" the term "prosecutorial discretion," and used it as grounds to fail to prosecute certain categories of crimes.

A TND analysis from last year found that the mayors, district attorneys, sheriffs and city council members from the nation's 15 cities with the highest murder rates were predominantly Democrats, based on data from World Population Review. cbsaustin.com

Crime Becomes Hot Button Political Issue
Can a Republican Become California's Top Cop?
Rachel, a Democrat, says she will vote for Nathan Hochman, the GOP candidate for attorney general. Even though she and California Attorney General Rob Bonta share other political beliefs, she said the Democratic attorney general isn't doing enough to stop the surge in violent crime across the state. She's particularly angry that Bonta has declined to take over her case from embattled Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón.

Too many Democratic officials have pushed liberal policies that emboldened criminals, critics argue. Top policy targets include cashless bail, early release for tens of thousands of prisoners, and reduced punishment for many convicted of theft and other nonviolent offenses.

Over the last three months, worries about rising crime have helped power New York Rep. Lee Zeldin to within striking distance of incumbent Gov. Kathy Hochul. And growing anxiety over public safety ranks among the top three to five issues in many urban areas across the country.

In California, rising violent crime has been a flash-point all year, before and after San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin, who was accused of coddling criminals and neglecting rampant drug use on city streets, was recalled in early June. In Los Angeles, critics of Gascón, who is known as the "godfather of progressive prosecutors" and preceded Boudin as San Francisco DA, claimed to have collected 715,000 signatures to launch a recall of him.

A Harvard/Harris poll released Oct. 14 found that 68% of respondents considered crime to be "very important" and are more likely to vote Republican than Democratic in the upcoming midterm election because of that concern. realclearpolitics.com

Chicago Mayor Calls for Statewide 'Weapons of War' Ban
Lightfoot calls for statewide ban on 'weapons of war' following mass shooting
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot is calling on the Illinois legislature to ban "weapons of war" following a mass shooting in Garfield Park Monday night that left 14 people shot, including three children. Lightfoot posted a statement Tuesday on Twitter demanding lawmakers institute a "statewide ban" on the firearms.

The area where the shooting occurred already receives added resources - like stepped-up police presence and help with jobs, housing and programming - under initiatives aimed at tamping down crime in some of the most violent neighborhoods.

While the city logged 580 murders and more than 3,000 shooting victims through October, Lightfoot and Brown have frequently touted declining numbers in those targeted communities. fox32chicago.com

Sacramento business owners grow concerned over crime

Data from Tacoma police's Crime Reduction Plan shows promising results

US: 99.4M Cases - 1M Dead - 96.9M Recovered
Worldwide: 636.1M Cases - 6.5M Dead - 615.5M Recovered

Private Industry Security Guard Deaths: 362  
Law Enforcement Officer Deaths: 812

Lockdown at Largest iPhone Factory Will Hit Apple Hard Ahead of Holidays
Chinese workers flee COVID lockdown at huge iPhone factory, potentially putting Apple in a bind as the holiday season draws near
Workers at the Foxconn manufacturing facility in China, a key facility for Apple's iPhone, have been seen fleeing the plant after a COVID outbreak triggered a lockdown.

It's unclear how many cases of COVID have been identified at the facility, but with China's strict zero-COVID policy, the workplace ordered a lockdown. Video shared online showed roughly 10 people jumping a fence outside the plant. Officials, on Sunday, said the company would not stop workers from leaving.

Foxconn is Apple's largest assembly factory for the iPhone-and the lockdown comes as the holiday season, typically one of the hottest selling periods of the year, approaches. Officials, though, say they expect the overall impact to be limited, as the company is shifting production to other sites.

Last week, Apple said demand for the new iPhone 14 Pro models was particularly strong, but supplies were constrained. The lockdown means hundreds of thousands of workers in the Zhengzhou facility have been subject to "closed loop operations," meaning they're only able to travel from their dormitories and the production lines. That has led some workers to depart the site or refuse to return to work.

Apple has been working to shift more of its production outside of China as a result of the country's policies. Earlier this year, a two-month lockdown in Shanghai resulted in supply-chain disruptions for the company. fortune.com

'The Pandemic is Not Over'
Health experts warn of winter COVID surge amid fewer safety precautions
New subvariants of omicron are seeping into the United States and across the globe and may not be as effective against existing COVID vaccines, according to global and federal health authorities. And in the coming months, health experts are warning of a surge in cases.

Dr. Syra Madad, senior director of the systemwide special pathogens program at NYC Health + Hospital, said in a phone conversation with the Phoenix that COVID infections will likely climb during winter because of the highly transmissible omicron variant and other emerging subvariants.

And to fight the outbreak, it's important to stay "up to date with your vaccination because that is one of the best defenses we have against COVID-19," Madad argued. floridaphoenix.com

WA and Seattle ended their COVID states of emergency. What's next?
Oct. 31, 2022 marked the end of those states of emergency at the state level and in the city of Seattle. Most restrictions had already been phased out, both because of improvements in pandemic conditions and political pressure to do so.

Hospitalizations on the rise in NYC as new COVID strains spread rapidly

CDC director tests positive for COVID again

Lawmakers Unveil 'The Facial Recognition Act'
Sets up broad limits on law enforcement use of facial recognition surveillance

The Facial Recognition Act: A Promising Path to Put Guardrails on a Dangerously Unregulated Surveillance Technology
On Sept. 28, Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.)-along with Reps. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas), Yvette Clarke (D-Mass.), and Jimmy Gomez (D-Calif.)-introduced the Facial Recognition Act, a bill that sets broad limits on law enforcement use of facial recognition surveillance. The legislation would enact a set of policies that effectively address both the risks that come about when facial recognition technology doesn't work well-including wrongful arrests and algorithmic bias-and those that arise when its success opens the door to pervasive surveillance and abuse.

Despite concerns about the technology, Congress has failed to enact any measures to put guardrails on the technology, leaving it largely unregulated. Such inaction is ominous given how rapidly facial recognition surveillance is being adopted by police departments across the country (for example, Clearview AI's facial recognition systems are now used by over 3,000 police departments, roughly one in every six across the country).

While several other bills on facial recognition have been introduced, the Facial Recognition Act is the first thoughtful and detailed articulation of what a regulatory regime for state and federal law enforcement use of facial recognition technology could look like, if codified. The bill should jump-start a much-needed discussion in Congress about how to address and regulate the use of the technology, in the hopes that it will prompt the passage of much-needed limits into law.

Until an effective regulatory regime is in place, the government could implement a moratorium on law enforcement use of facial recognition. Pausing law enforcement use of facial recognition while policymakers assess reasonable rules would be far better than the status quo, where debate over limits occurs as the technology is deployed in unrestricted and unsafe manners.

These circumstances are certainly not ideal, but that is no reason to avoid the discussion of what regulations and limits are needed. The Facial Recognition Act will hopefully be the first step in fostering meaningful engagement by Congress and pressing it to pass meaningful limits into law. lawfareblog.com

$10 Billion Opioid Settlement
CVS, Walgreens to Pay More Than $10 Billion to Settle Opioid Lawsuits

Drugstore chains agree to make payments to states, cities and tribes that sued over opioid abuse

CVS Health Corp. and Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. have agreed to pay more than $10 billion in a landmark settlement to resolve opioid-crisis lawsuits brought by states, cities and other governments.

The two largest U.S. drugstore chains said they reached a framework to settle the collection of lawsuits brought by governments and Native American tribes blaming pharmacies for helping fuel the nation's opioid epidemic.

Under the proposed deal, CVS would pay $4.9 billion to states and municipalities and $130 million to tribes over the next 10 years starting in 2023. The company said the agreement isn't an admission of guilt and that it would continue to defend against any litigation that the settlement doesn't resolve.

Walgreens said it has offered to pay up to $4.79 billion to states over 15 years and about $155 million to tribes. It also expects to pay up to $753.5 million in attorneys fees over six years. The company said the settlement wasn't an admission of wrongdoing.

Each state, local government and tribe still must decide whether to participate in the settlement. Plaintiffs' attorneys appointed to lead the negotiations said they encouraged governments and tribes to join the settlement, which they said holds the pharmacies accountable.

CVS Chief Executive Karen Lynch, on a call with analysts, said the settlement is in the "best interests of all parties and helps put a decades-old issue behind us." She said she was optimistic that states would join the deal since attorneys general were part of the negotiations. wsj.com

Kroger-Albertsons Merger Faces Lawsuit
WA sues to block $4 billion Albertsons dividend ahead of Kroger merger
Washington's top lawyer has asked a court to stop Albertsons from paying investors a $4 billion dividend set to be paid out ahead of the grocery retailer's proposed merger with rival Kroger.

The lawsuit, filed Tuesday by state Attorney General Bob Ferguson, is among the first targeting the proposed merger, which would combine the two of the largest grocers operating in Washington into a single corporation. But at least one legal expert is skeptical the state has the authority to block the payment.

In the suit, which was filed in King County Superior Court, Ferguson argues that a $4 billion dividend would sap Albertsons' ability to keep its stores open during the years it likely would take to complete the $20 billion-plus merger. The Attorney General's Office also requested a temporary restraining order to block the dividend payment, which Albertsons expects to complete Monday, until the lawsuit is resolved.

"Paying out $4 billion before regulators can do their job and review the proposed merger will weaken Albertsons' ability to continue business operations and compete," Ferguson said in a statement Tuesday.

Concerns over potential store closures are particularly acute in Seattle and across Washington, where Albertsons, which owns Safeway, and Kroger, which owns QFC and Fred Meyer, are two of the biggest players in local grocery markets. seattletimes.com

100 New Small-Format Kohl's Stores Coming
Kohl's opens concept store with self-checkout, other new elements

Kohl's has unveiled a one-of-a-kind "concept" store designed to provide a more localized and modern shopping experience.

Located in Tacoma, Wash., the 35,000-sq.-ft. store is much smaller than a traditional Kohl's, which averages about 80,000 sq. ft. and is "too large" for many small markets, the retailer said. Kohl's said the new Tacoma outpost is intended to give the retailer the opportunity to test (and learn from) new ideas and store experiences which may be used in new or existing locations in the future.

In May, Kohl's revealed plans to open about 100 small-format locations during the next five years or so in markets untapped by existing Kohl's stores. The expansion of the small-format stores follows a successful pilot of more than 20 smaller stores, the company said. Three additional small-format stores are set to open this fall, in San Angelo, Texas; Morgantown W.Va.; and Lenox, Mass. chainstoreage.com

A resale 'revolution': Affluent shoppers embrace secondhand shopping

More Than a Third of US Small Businesses Couldn't Pay All Their Rent in October