Crime - Public Safety Fears - Decreasing Tax Base
Urban America's Hurdles - Defying Easy Solutions

More Crime & Public Safety Concerns Driving Store Closings in San Francisco's Union Square, South Market & "Around the Country"
Two San Francisco businesses closed this month for two different reasons, highlighting two persistent challenges facing the city.

Leica Store San Francisco, which showcases the German camera company's equipment and hosts exhibits and talks, is closed until Dec. 5 after thieves broke in and took $178,000 in equipment. The robbery near Union Square happened less than two weeks after city leaders touted safety improvements in the area, a year after Louis Vuitton and other shops were ransaked around Thanksgiving.

A mile south, Zero Zero, a pizza shop in South of Market near Moscone Center, shuttered permanently earlier this month. A sustainable future wasn't possible as office workers haven't returned in sufficient numbers.

Retail crime and a drop in people in San Francisco's urban core, and in cities around the country, are enduring hurdles that seem to defy easy solutions. The pandemic has receded (though a winter surge remains possible), but uncertainties around work policies remain. And fewer people on the streets can fuel public safety concerns and sap the vitality that's needed to sustain local businesses.

City leaders and stakeholders have called for more police and more public aid, but those measures also depend on a tax base that's threatened by emptier buildings. Nearly three years since the pandemic started, a real recovery still remains elusive. sfchronicle.com

Manhattan's Progressive DA Continues to Drive Crime Surge
Op-Ed: Numbers show the grim consequences of Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg’s pro-crime principles
As Melissa Klein reported in Sunday’s Post, “Bragg’s office wins a conviction just 51% of the time” when it prosecutes serious felony charges — “down from 68% in 2019 [under DA Cy Vance], the last year before the pandemic disrupted the court system.” The office’s conviction rate for misdemeanors is down as well, from 53% to 28%.

To be fair, a lot has changed in those three years, as not just the no-bail law took effect but also the state’s deranged new rules for pre-trial discovery, which force prosecutors to do insanely more paperwork and empower the defense to get cases tossed on technicalities in all of it.

Plus, the court system is still recovering from the lockdowns. And juries may be less willing to convict in the wake of the George Floyd murder and rise in anti-police sentiment.

But Bragg’s own decisions clearly drive much of the troubling data: His office has downgraded 52% of felony cases to misdemeanors, vs. 39% in 2019. The office under Vance from 2013 onward never downgraded more than 40% of felony cases.

The new DA’s infamous “Day One” memo plainly explains much of this, as it ordered prosecutors to downgrade felony charges in cases including armed robberies and drug dealing, as well as to stop seeking prison sentences in many crimes. And while Bragg later backed off on a couple of fronts, most of the memo still stands.

Manhattan crime rates are up through Nov. 20 over the same period last year by 38% in Manhattan South and 17% in Manhattan North. We can’t say how much of that is on Bragg, but a DA who’s eager to get tough on the victims and show mercy to the real bad guys is plainly a huge part of the problem. nypost.com

Another Example of Manhattan DA's 'Soft on Retail Crime' Policies
Prosecuting serial NYC shoplifter with 23 Thefts/16 Arrests, "Would've Been a Waste of Resources": Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg
The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office admitted Tuesday that it pursued just two of nearly two dozen separate cases against a serial shoplifter, because it would have been “a waste of resources” to hit him with all the charges.

Ex-con Wilfredo Ocasio, who remains free despite his Nov. 16 arrest on 23 separate thefts, would only have to serve a maximum of two years behind bars under state law, even if he was charged with and convicted of all the raps, a spokesman for DA Alvin Bragg noted.

But while Bragg’s office contended that limiting the charges spared staff what they deemed to be unnecessary legal grunt work, legal experts told The Post that charging Ocasio, 44, with all 23 of the alleged thefts could have had ramifications beyond jail time for the repeat offender.

Ocasio’s name surfaced this week when NYPD Chief of Department Kenneth Corey cited his case as an example of the state’s failed criminal justice and bail reforms on NY1.

But Coe, as well as a spokesman for the state Office of Court Administration, said that prosecutors could have asked a judge to hold Ocasio on bail — even though the petit larceny charges against him don’t qualify for bail individually under the state’s controversial 2019 criminal justice reforms.

Mayor Eric Adams said Tuesday that he wants to continue to push state lawmakers to increase funding for prosecutors and tweak the controversial criminal justice reforms to hold recidivists more accountable. nypost.com

Drones & Facial Recognition Can Help Curb Violent Crime
New Las Vegas Sheriff Plans to Use 400 Drones for First Response
When a gunshot rings out in parts of the Las Vegas Valley next year, a drone will fly overhead and begin recording the scene within a minute, Sheriff-elect Kevin McMahill said.

In a speech at The Orleans, McMahill told a crowd of about 200 that the Metropolitan Police Department plans to deploy hundreds of drones to shootings, but he did not provide a date for the program to begin.

The new police tactic would be implemented after he takes office in January, he said, in an effort to address a rise in violent crime.

“For the first time in our agency history, we’re going to be able to keep more officers safe, reduce officer-involved shootings and find more suspects than we ever have, quite frankly,” he said at a breakfast hosted by the Commercial Real Estate Development Association, also known as the National Association for Industrial and Office Parks of Southern Nevada.

McMahill said the department has identified 11 “chronic hotspots” that account for about three-fourths of the crimes reported in the Las Vegas valley. He offered drones as a quicker way to respond to calls from ShotSpotter, a gunshot detection technology that relies on audio sensors and computer-analyzed data to send reports to Metro.

“We’re taking 400 drones that are pre-positioned out in these neighborhoods, on top of businesses,” McMahill said. “When the gunshot detection technology goes off, it’ll triangulate, it’ll give the GPS coordinates to the local drone. The drone will be overhead within 30 seconds.”

McMahill also hopes to use other technologies, including license plate readers and facial recognition software to cover a shortage of patrol officers. privateofficerbreakingnews.blogspot.com

Using AI to Battle Retail Theft
Three Ways AI-Powered Video Reduces Retail Theft

Inventory loss can cost stores as much as 3 percent of revenue, but new technology can help solve it.

Retailers report inventory shrinkage as high as 3 percent of revenue. Technology that meaningfully reduces fraud and theft can quickly pay for itself.

1. Checkout Errors

Advancements in artificial intelligence and video allow loss prevention teams to compare the number of items visible in a video to the number of items in the point-of-sale transaction and automatically flag transactions that raise concerns.

2. Scan Avoidance at Self-Checkout

I recently saw an eye-popping statistic: 20 percent of shoppers admit they have not paid for all their items at self-checkout at least once. The ability to instantly identify transactions of concern can help stores make informed decisions that reduce shrinkage.

3. Transactions Without Customers

When a transaction occurs and a customer is not present, that’s a red flag. Transaction voids followed by the cashier taking money out of the till, product returns with no customer present and fraudulent gift card activations are all examples of potential areas of shrinkage. These issues are difficult to catch, but now that cameras can understand the world they see and tie video to a transaction to be easily reviewed, the game is changing. biztechmagazine.com

SF's Crime Crackdown Continues with Deadly Police Robots
San Francisco officials vote on police bid to use deadly robots

Tuesday’s closely watched decision comes as oversight groups warn of further militarization of officers

Police in San Francisco could get the ability to deploy potentially lethal, remote-controlled robots in emergency situations if supervisors of the politically Democratic city grant permission on Tuesday in a highly watched board vote.

The San Francisco police department said it did not have pre-armed robots and had no plans to arm robots with guns. But the department could deploy robots equipped with explosive charges “to contact, incapacitate, or disorient violent, armed, or dangerous suspect” when lives are at stake, the SFPD spokesperson Allison Maxie said in a prepared statement.

“Robots equipped in this manner would only be used in extreme circumstances to save or prevent further loss of innocent lives,” she said.

The proposed policy does not lay out specifics for how the weapons can and cannot be equipped, leaving open the option to arm them. “Robots will only be used as a deadly force option when risk of loss of life to members of the public or officers is imminent and outweighs any other force option available to SFPD,” it says. theguardian.com

Duty-of-Care: Documented Complaint Filed Against Walmart Shooter Months Ago

Associate sues Walmart for "ignoring gunman’s ‘threatening’ behavior"
Walmart Sued for $50M by Employee Survivor Who Says She Complained About Gunman
A lawsuit claims the retailer was warned months ago about “threatening” behavior by the worker who the police say opened fire in the store last week.

A woman who survived the shooting that killed six employees at a Walmart store in Chesapeake, Va., last week has sued the retailer, saying she warned it months ago of “bullying, threatening and harassing” behavior by the person identified by police as the gunman.

Donya Prioleau, an employee in the Chesapeake Walmart, said in her lawsuit filed on Tuesday that she had lodged a formal complaint against the man, who was a supervisor in the store, after he repeatedly made bizarre and inappropriate comments to her.

Ms. Prioleau’s mother even visited the store in September to warn managers about the employee’s behavior because she was “very concerned for her daughter’s safety,” according to the lawsuit. But she was told that nothing could be done because he was “liked by management,” the lawsuit said.

“We are reviewing the complaint and will be responding as appropriate with the court,” a Walmart spokesman, Randy Hargrove, said in a statement.

Ms. Prioleau witnessed the killing of her colleagues and was injured trying to escape.

The lawsuit accuses Walmart of negligent “hiring and retention” practices because of its employee’s “known propensities for violence” and “strange behavior” before the shooting. Ms. Prioleau is seeking $50 million in compensatory damages.

The lawsuit stated that Mr. Bing had made troubling statements, including asking colleagues repeatedly whether they had received active-shooter training. When they told him that they had, he “just smiled and walked away without saying anything,” the lawsuit said.

The lawsuit alleges the shooter had a "personal vendetta" against Walmart employees

The lawsuit alleges that Bing "had a personal vendetta against several Walmart employees and kept a 'kill list' of potential targets prior to the shooting." The lawsuit also states that Prioleau had submitted a formal complaint on a Walmart Global Ethics Statement Form indicating that Bing had "bizarrely and inappropriately commented on Ms. Prioleau's age."

Walmart, according to the lawsuit, had demoted Mr. Bing for “improper and disturbing interactions with others,” but then reinstated him as a “team leader.” At the time of the shooting, he was supervising a group of employees who stocked shelves overnight.

Mr. Furner, head of Walmart U.S. operations, added that the Chesapeake store would stay closed for the foreseeable future and that all employees would continue to be paid. nytimes.com npr.org

RELATED: Walmart to pay funeral expenses for 6 workers killed by store employee

Police Flood Shopping Centers to Fight Holiday Theft
Liberty, MO: Police increasing patrols to combat ‘organized retail theft’
The Liberty Police Department says they will be increasing patrols in an attempt to combat “shoplifting and organized retail theft.” The police department said they have seen an increase in both at stores along the Kansas Street corridor, as well as other stores in town.

Due to it being the season for holiday shopping, the department will be increasing patrol staffing every day and targeting the areas where these thefts are happening. The police department said that shoppers might notice more officers around, as they’ve been assigned to “proactively patrol large shopping districts.”

“If you plan to shoplift in Liberty, then you should plan on going to jail,” Police Chief Martin said. kctv5.com

Cobb police unveiling new technology that helps them track crime in real time

Canton, MI considers license plate reader to curb retail fraud

Ride-share crimes in Baltimore have sparked new concerns

US: 100.5M Cases - 1.1M Dead - 98M Recovered
Worldwide: 647.5M Cases - 6.6M Dead - 625.7M Recovered

Private Industry Security Guard Deaths: 362  
Law Enforcement Officer Deaths: 815

China Cracks Down on Lockdown Protesters with Surveillance
With Intimidation and Surveillance, China Tries to Snuff Out Protests

Communist Party officials are using decades-old tactics, along with some new ones, to quash the most widespread protests in decades. But Xi Jinping is silent.

Reacting to China’s boldest and most widespread protests in decades, the security apparatus built by Communist Party leader Xi Jinping is mobilizing on multiple fronts to quash dissent, drawing on its decades-old tool kit of repression and surveillance.

In a meeting of the party’s top security leaders, reported in state media on Tuesday, officials were ordered to “resolutely crack down on illegal and criminal acts that disrupt social order.” And by evening, the demonstrations already appeared to be smaller and more scattered, with new videos emerging on social media — the main channel for news of the protests to reach a wider audience — showing only groups of residents in several different locked-down developments demanding to be freed.

Public security personnel and vehicles have blanketed potential protest sites. Police officers are searching some residents’ phones for prohibited apps. Officials are going to the homes of would-be protesters to warn them against illegal activities and are taking some away for questioning. Censors are scrubbing protest symbols and slogans from social media. nytimes.com

Lockdowns in China are Weakening Global Economy
China should end its anti-COVID lockdowns, the head of the IMF says
It is time for China to move away from massive lockdowns and toward a more targeted approach to COVID-19, the head of the International Monetary Fund said days after widespread protests broke out, a change that would ease the impact to a world economy already struggling with high inflation, an energy crisis and disrupted food supply.

IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva urged a "recalibration" of China's tough "zero-COVID" approach aimed at isolating every case "exactly because of the impact it has on both people and on the economy."

"We see the importance of moving away from massive lockdowns, being very targeted in restrictions," Georgieva said Tuesday in Berlin. "So that targeting allows to contain the spread of COVID without significant economic costs." npr.org

COVID Era Remote Work Has Transformed Cities
Remote work is changing the way you spend money and it could reshape your city to look more like a doughnut
The advent of remote work marked the beginning of a profound transformation in cities’ economies—changes that are likely to continue to play out long after the worst of the pandemic that sparked the work-from-home revolution is over. fortune.com

Nearly 9 out of 10 covid deaths are people over 65

Is Working From Home Here To Stay?

Twitter stops enforcing Covid-19 misinformation policy