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 1/17/20

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Jeremy Grahn, CFI promoted to Corporate Manager of Loss Prevention for Oregon Beverage Recycling Cooperative

Jeremy has been with Oregon Beverage Recycling Cooperative for a year and a half. Before his promotion to Corporate Manager of Loss Prevention, he was a Corporate Investigator for the company. Prior to that, he spent more than five years at Bi-Mart, starting there as a Loss Prevention District Manager before becoming Corporate Loss Prevention Manager. Earlier in his career, he spent six years at Fred Meyer as a Loss Prevention Specialist and Loss Prevention Manager. Congratulations, Jeremy!


See All the Executives 'Moving Up' Here   |   Submit Your New Corporate Hires/Promotions or New Position


 




Checkpoint Unveils New Fully Integrated UNO RF/RFID Label

New fully integrated UNO RF/RFID label offers improved performance and sustainability

The new label simultaneously offers retailers the benefits of EAS protection at the store exit and RFID inventory management, when paired with the appropriate hardware and software.

Checkpoint Systems, a global leader in source-to-shopper solutions, has launched a new version of its unique
UNO RF/RFID label that will enhance supply chain visibility and loss prevention.

Launching at NRF 2020, the patented and fully-integrated UNO RF/RFID label features all-new RFID chip options, including the recently launched Impinj M750 chip.

The new label simultaneously offers retailers the benefits of EAS protection at the store exit and RFID inventory management, when paired with the appropriate hardware and software. This provides apparel retailers with dual-purpose technology, meaning only one label is required, helping to further decrease labor costs and process time.

By combining RF and RFID technologies, Checkpoint is also helping to mitigate body shielding and shadowing, which can affect the individual technologies. checkpointsystems.com
 



Retail Violence & ORC Increasing Globally? Here's The Proof

UK - Increased Retail Violence Level Gets Prime Minister's Call
"Focus On Tackling Crime"
PM Says to UK Cabinet - "Every Department is a Criminal Justice Department"


UK: Retail sector pushes government to act to protect colleagues

UK: 21,000 Retail Workers Attacked in Workplace in 2019


The retail industry is continuing to push the government to take steps to protect retail colleagues, following a consultation that closed over six months ago. During that time, an
estimated 21,000 shop workers were attacked in their workplace, the British Retail Consortium said.

In June 2019 the BRC submitted evidence, supported by Usdaw and the Association of Convenience Stores (ACS), which showed the scale of retail violence in the UK. The industry is still waiting on a response from the policing minister Kit Malthouse.

In response, Labour MP Kate Green is working closely with the BRC on this critical issue and is
pushing for more effective sentences for violent offenders convicted of attacking retail workers and more police officer resources to be dedicated to halting the rise in retail violence. Green has tabled written Parliamentary Questions, including asking the justice secretary what plans the government has to strengthen sentences for violent offenders who attack retail workers. talkingretail.com

UK: ACS repeats calls for government to tackle abuse of shopworkers
The
Association of Convenience Stores has repeated calls to the government to take urgent action to tackle violence against shopworkers, highlighting the human impact that these incidents have.

The call follows a
Cabinet meeting yesterday (14 January), which saw prime minister Boris Johnson call for the government to focus on tackling crime, stating that "every department should consider itself a criminal justice department" as part of the focus to tackle the "complex causes of crime".

ACS chief executive, James Lowman, said: "We welcome the government's renewed focus on crime and violence and would like to see a swift and decisive response from the Home Office on violence and abuse toward shopworkers.

We need to see more effective penalties for attacks on shopworkers and action from Police Crime and Commissioners which recognises the impact that crimes committed against local shops have on the local community." talkingretail.com
 

Increasingly Violent & Erratic Theft Activity in Canada
Retail Council of Canada (RCC) Hosting Special Theft & Safety Roundtable Jan. 31

RCC Sends Detailed Recommendations & Actionable Opportunities Letter
To Minister of Justice & Attorney General of Manitoba


Retail Council of Canada Meeting Follow-up

On behalf of the Retail Council of Canada, our Manitoba members and the 67,000 Manitobans working in our stores, I would like to express our sincere appreciation for the productive discussion on the crime challenges facing the retail sector across the province.

As our members expressed,
retail employees are facing increasingly violent and erratic theft activity in their stores, in part due to the rise of Organized Retail Crime, meth issues and helped along by stories highlighting "observe only" security policies designed to safeguard retail workers.

Last year an estimated $200 million was shoplifted from Manitoba stores, a cost borne by Manitoba brick and mortar retailers and shoppers, and all of Manitobans through lost taxes. However, it's the human cost that is of paramount concern to our members, as our
workforce rightfully expresses anxiety as they witness or hear about violent retail crime featuring guns, machetes, clubs, bear spray and a range of other dangerous weapons. Read Full Letter

RCC hosting theft and safety roundtable in January
Retail owners and their employees in Winnipeg have been facing increasingly violent and erratic theft activity in their stores. Last year, an estimated $200 million was shoplifted from Manitoba stores, which increases costs for both retailers and shoppers, and ultimately all Manitobans through lost taxes.

Retail Council of Canada continues to work very diligently to address the theft and safety issues our Retailers are facing in Winnipeg today. With that goal, RCC is collaborating with key stakeholders in the province to find solutions to the rising theft, including leading a coalition of business associations hosting a Manitoba Retail Crime Round Table on January 31, 2020. retailcouncil.org
 



Check Fraud Almost Doubles in 2 Years - 47% Of Industry Fraud Losses
Rise in Check Fraud Could Motivate Treasurers to Switch to Other Payment Tools


"The fastest-growing fraud at our bank"

A recent rise in check fraud could motivate corporate treasurers to ditch paper checks and replace them with faster, safer and cheaper electronic payments.

Attempted
check fraud increased to $15.1 billion in 2018 - up from $8.5 billion in 2016 - and accounted for 60% of attempted fraud against deposit accounts at U.S. banks, according to a survey released Wednesday by the American Bankers Association. Successful check fraud made up 47%, or $1.3 billion, of banks' fraud losses - a rise from $789 million in 2016 - closely followed by debit card fraud losses at 44%, or $1.2 billion.

Checks are more vulnerable to fraud because they contain a lot of critical information, can be forged or stolen.

Checks are
still the most popular payment method for transactions between U.S. businesses. But check usage has declined, from 81% of business-to-business payments in 2004 to 42% last year, the AFP found.

A lack of financial resources for new information technology systems needed to process electronic payments, as well as difficulties convincing business partners to accept electronic payments, are among the reasons many companies stick with check payments, the AFP said.

The transition away from checks will take time, according to Mr. Helms, the Hansel Auto CFO. "I see a lot of smaller companies out there that are not willing to become more technologically savvy," he said. wsj.com

Editor's Note: As EMV wiped out credit card counterfeiting, electronic real-time payments will wipe out the old paper check a little sooner then we probably thought. As the criminals have migrated over there the last few years. Partially driven by EMV.
 



Congressional Hearing on Facial Recognition Technology (Part III)
Ensuring Commercial Transparency & Accuracy - Jan 15, 2020

The purpose of the hearing is to examine the various ways that private sector entities use facial recognition technology; the potential transparency, privacy, accuracy, ownership, and security implications involved in its use and the partnerships these companies develop with government entities; and the possible legislative solutions that can be implemented to avoid these risks. house.gov

SIA Testimony on 'Facial Recognition Technology:
Ensuring Commercial Transparency and Accuracy'


Security Industry Association Testifies in Congress

On Jan. 15, 2020,
the Security Industry Association (SIA) joined the Future of Privacy Forum, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the AI Now Institute at New York University and the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation to testify before the House Committee on Oversight and Reform at the hearing Facial Recognition Technology (Part III): Ensuring Commercial Transparency & Accuracy. This hearing examined the various ways that private sector entities use facial recognition technology; the potential transparency, privacy, accuracy, ownership, and security implications involved in its use and the partnerships these companies develop with government entities; and the possible legislative solutions that can be implemented to avoid these risks.

Jake Parker, senior director of government relations at SIA, represented the association before the committee, discussing the importance of using facial recognition responsibly, beneficial applications of facial recognition in commercial and private-sector environments, the importance of transparency when applying facial recognition, how the industry is creating use principles, the takeaways of
NIST's recent report on the technology and the accuracy of facial recognition. securityindustry.org
 



Cargo theft surges across the Greater Toronto Area - Police struggling to stop it

Cargo Theft Up 247% in 3 Years - Higher Than Entire U.S.

Monday's deadly incident - in which a stolen tractor trailer, filled with boxes of meat, hit two vehicles before ramming into an Esso gas station in Mississauga - was just one of potentially hundreds of cargo theft incidents the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) could see in the new year, according to police.

"I can't really specify why it's going up as drastic as it is," said Det. Paul Allen with Peel Regional Police's cargo theft unit.

New numbers provided to Global News by Peel police show a
sharp rise in reported tractor-trailer thefts in the past five years.

In 2015, Peel police fielded calls for a total of
98 reported cargo thefts. It also received a total of 175 reports of stolen tractors and 59 stolen trailers without any cargo.

By 2018, that number had soared to
341 reported cargo thefts (Up 247% from 2015), 261 stolen tractors and 86 empty stolen trailers.

"The GTA is the hotbed of cargo crime in Canada," said Marco Beghetto with the Ontario Trucking Association.

"There were more goods stolen in Canada than all of the U.S. in 2018," he said, referring to the trucking advocacy group's numbers. "Peel Region comes only behind California as the highest jurisdiction for cargo crime."

"The thing about cargo crime that people have to realize is that we're not talking about amateurs here, we're talking about a
very sophisticated network of organized crime," said Beghetto.

"Often what happens is that the cargo crime is used to support and fund a far more nefarious criminal activity, so they have a very sophisticated network of buyers ready to go," he added. globalnews.ca

Shocking study of 26,828 women finds that sexual harassment gets even worse with career advancement
This is the finding of a surprising workplace study across Japan, Sweden, and the U.S., showing that
women in supervisory positions experience much more sexual harassment than other female employees. "When you think about it, a supervisor is exposed to new groups of potential perpetrators. She can be harassed both from her subordinates and from higher-level management within the company," says coauthor Johanna Rickne, a professor of economics at the Swedish Institute for Social Research (SOFI) at Stockholm University. In other words, women have it coming at them from all sides.

Researchers at SOFI surveyed 26,828 women to find that female supervisors experience 30-100% more harassment, and that low-level leaders receive the brunt of it, though women in top roles still receive more than rank-and-file employees. This was surprising to the researchers, who expected to see endemic harassment of low-ranking employees. Instead, they found that harassment levels increase when subordinates are mostly male.

Women's perches in upper management are perilous: When reporting the behavior, "supervisors face more professional and social retaliation. We conclude that sexual harassment is a workplace hazard that raises the costs for women to pursue leadership ambitions and, in turn, reinforces gender gaps in income, status and voice," write the researchers.

Why is this happening? Though sexual harassment can be fueled by lust, it can also be about equalizing status. Much, note the researchers, appears to stem from jealousy. fastcompany.com

U.S. Government Skeptical of Chinese-Made Drones
According to reports, the U.S. Department of the Interior will ground its entire drone fleet out of concern that the Chinese-made devices could be used for spying. This follows an announcement at the end of October that the department would stop using the drones temporarily to review the situation.

The department uses drones for mapping, tracking natural resources, and to monitor emergency situations, such as wildfires. The Interior will revert to using manned aircraft for essential aerial surveillance, which will cost more money and cover less ground.

A December Security Management article gives tips on vetting technology vendors that could pose security risks. asisonline.org

NRF: Holiday retail sales up 4.1%
Sales during November and December in 2019 grew 4.1% to $730.2 billion, according to the NRF, whose numbers exclude automobile dealers, gasoline stations and restaurants. Online and other non-store sales, which are included in the total, rose 14.6%. 

The online channel registered the biggest growth during the November-December season, with sales up 14%, followed by grocery and beverage stores, with a 2.9% increase. But some sectors, including electronics stores where sales fell 2%, registered declines. 

Here are specifics from key retail sectors during the November-December holiday season include: chainstoreage.com

● Furniture and home furnishings stores were up 2.6% year-over-year.
● Health and personal care stores were up 1.6% year-over-year.
● Building materials and garden supply stores were up 1% year-over-year.
● General merchandise stores were up 0.4% year-over-year.
● Sporting goods stores were down 0.4% year-over-year.
● Clothing and clothing accessory stores were down 1.6% year-over-year.
● Electronics and appliance stores were down 2% year-over-year.

NJ law would require guaranteed severance pay for mass layoffs - 1st in nation
Employers of 100 or more full-time employees to award severance pay to laid-off workers -
one week for every year of service - when at least 50 workers are getting the ax. The measure also states these employers will have to give workers 90 days' notice, rather than 60, of a business closure or mass-layoff situation. Sitting on Governor's desk now awaiting signature. nj1015.com

Walmart Neighborhood Market Opens Cashierless Store in Miami, FL

Gap Inc. No Longer Pursuing Separation of Old Navy

OSHA Adjusts 2020 Maximum Penalties for Inflation

Love's to Open 40 Stores in 2020

Kirkland's to close 27 stores
 


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LP Industry Leader Garth Gasse, CFI Passes Away

Director of Loss Prevention for SSP America

The loss prevention community lost a great industry leader this week, as Garth Gasse passed away following a long battle with pancreatic cancer. A veteran of the LP/AP industry who was well-liked and highly respected by those who knew him, Garth is survived by his wife Beverly, and daughters Maddie and Julia.

He started his loss prevention career in 1987 with People's Drug Stores/CVS Pharmacy, and became an investigator with Victoria Secret in 1994. He then moved on to Toys R Us/Babies R Us, where he spent more than 14 years before being named director of retail operations - asset protection for the Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) in 2013. He later moved on to serve as conference chair for the Secure Stores Forum, and then on to his most recent role with SSP America, where he most recently held the position of Director, Loss Prevention - US & Canada.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to Johns Hopkins Pancreatic Cancer Research. Near the bottom of the form, click on "in memory of" and put in Garth's name.

The D&D Daily team offers our condolences to the Gasse family, along with his many friends and colleagues throughout the LP community.


 

 



 




 

Inventory is coming and the numbers will tell the whole story
 


 

Loss affects this year's profitability and next year's budget. How do we reduce retail loss without using expensive solutions, programs, and robots?

Sometimes you just need a little alarm to let you know bad people are doing bad things right on your sales floor.
 



Why the CIS Tick-R-Tape Tags are the Better Choice


 

The CIS Tick-R-Tape Tag can be used alone as a 4-alarm tag that will alarm if the tag is removed from the box, passes through EAS pedestals, if a rogue detacher is used, and will continue to alarm out the door into the parking lot. Add the Corner Label or the Conductive Tape to prevent any of the items from being removed from the packaging, and to add additional alarming functions if the tape is cut or removed, or if the Corner label is cut or lifted from the product.

 

 

   

The Mini Tick-R-Tape Tag can be used alone as a 2 alarm tag that will alarm if removed from the packaging or passes through the EAS pedestals. Add the Corner Label or the Conductive Tape to prevent any of the items from being removed from the packaging, and to add additional alarming functions if the tape is cut or removed, and if the Corner label is cut or lifted from the product.

 



 

 


 


 

NRF launches Center for Consumer Privacy and Innovation

The National Retail Federation today announced the launch of a new Center for Consumer Privacy and Innovation, a retailer-led initiative intended to promote and protect innovation in the retail customer experience. The launch took place during NRF 2020 Vision: Retail's Big Show, NRF's annual convention.

"The Center for Consumer Privacy and Innovation will provide insight and policy expertise to educate lawmakers as they strive to properly balance consumer protections with retail innovation."

The retail industry is increasingly driven by consumer data, harnessing new technologies and personalized solutions to deliver a seamless experience. Digital and mobile solutions, in particular, have enabled retailers to innovate at a greater speed to meet the demands of consumers.

As officials at the state and federal levels seek to regulate how personal information is protected and consumers are given control over data, the center will produce research, track privacy legislation, and educate the public and policymakers about the benefits, convenience and value they derive from the technology retailers develop. The effort is intended to ensure that government regulation does not harm innovative aspects of the retail economy. nrf.com

5G Race Could Leave Personal Privacy in the Dust

Security's Wish-List is Right Around the Corner - We Better Be Careful

New networks will collect more data on the physical world. Experts warn public policy hasn't caught up.

Wireless companies racing to build new 5G networks are expected to bring billions of cameras, sensors and other "smart" devices along for the ride, a trend that could spell trouble for personal privacy.

Telecom companies have spent the past year blanketing parts of China, South Korea and the U.S. with fifth-generation cellular service, a technology that supercharges downloads to smartphones, laptops and tablets. But engineers say 5G's true potential comes from the ability to cheaply link thousands of smaller devices-like security cameras, traffic sensors and other surveillance gadgets - to a single cell tower at a time, up from a few hundred today.

At the same time, other new standards are making cellular devices cheaper, more plentiful and easier to maintain, allowing sensors to be put in places where previously it was too costly to do so. These machines also are getting better at sipping power so that a connected device can now spend years in the field without a battery replacement.

Police in China, for example, have piloted camera-equipped glasses that use 5G's extremely quick response times to power facial-recognition software, allowing authorities to spot targets before they leave an area. Companies based in North America and Europe, meanwhile, are highlighting the opportunities 5G technology offers merchants and marketers, such as the ability to pinpoint how long a customer lingers in front of a certain store shelf or display.

Without a set of standard privacy rules in the U.S., Chinese companies rolling out 5G networks and services could gain an edge, he suggests.

Some telecom industry experts warn that aggressive privacy protections could undercut the economic benefits 5G technology promises. "Europeans shot themselves in the foot with the GDPR," saysJohn Strand,a Denmark-based telecom consultant. "Read literally, it prohibits AI and machine learning." wsj.com

Phishing Today, Deepfakes Tomorrow:
Training Employees to Spot This Emerging Threat


Bosses Voice Successfully Used in $267k U.S. Scheme

Deepfake fraud is a new, potentially devastating issue for businesses. In fact, last year a top executive at an unidentified energy company was revealed to have been conned into paying $267,000 by scammers using artificial intelligence to replicate his boss's voice - simply because he answered a telephone call, which he believed was from his German parent company. The request was for him to transfer the funds, which he dutifully sent to what he presumed was his parent company. In the end, the funds were stolen by sophisticated criminals at the forefront of what I believe is a frightening new age of deepfake fraud. Although this was the first reported case of this kind of fraud in the UK, it certainly won't be the last.

Cyber criminals understand the large potential gains from gathering intelligence from corporations using deepfake technology - a mixture of video, audio, and email messaging- to extract confidential employee information under the guise of the CEO or CFO.

As more businesses educate their employees to detect and thwart traditional phishing and spearphishing attacks, it's not difficult to see how the fraudsters may instead turn their efforts to fruitful deepfake technology to execute their schemes.  

How Deepfakes Will Thrive in the Modern Workplace

It's not difficult to see why corporate deepfake detection in particular is so crucial: Employees by nature are often eager to satisfy the requests of their seniors, and do so with as little friction as possible.

The stakes are raised even further when considering how large teams, remote workers, and complex hierarchies make it even more difficult for employees to distinguish between a colleague's "status quo" and an unusual request or attitude. Add into that equation the fast-tempo demands to deliver through agile working methodologies, and it is easy to see how a convincingly realistic video request from a known boss to transfer funds could attract less scrutiny from an employee than a video from someone they know less well.

A New Era of Employee Security Training

Companies must empower employees to question and challenge requests that are deemed to be unusual, either because of the atypical action demanded or the out-of-character manner or style of the person making the request. This can be particularly challenging for organizations with very hierarchical and autocratic leadership that does not encourage or respect what it perceives as challenges to its authority. Fortunately, some business owners and academics are already looking into ways to solve the issue of detecting deepfakes. darkreading.com

Cyber attackers turn to business disruption as primary attack objective
Over the course of 2019, 36% of the incidents that CrowdStrike investigated were most often caused by ransomware, destructive malware or denial of service attacks, revealing that business disruption was often the main attack objective of cybercriminals.

Another notable finding in the new CrowdStrike Services Report shows a large increase in dwell time to an average of 95 days in 2019 - up from 85 days in 2018 - meaning that adversaries were able to hide their activities from defenders for longer, and that organizations still lack the technology necessary to harden network defenses, prevent exploitation and mitigate cyber risk.

Third-party compromises serve as a force multiplier for attacks. Threat actors are increasingly targeting third-party service providers to compromise their customers and scale attacks.

Attackers are targeting cloud infrastructure as a service (IaaS). Threat activity around API keys for public cloud-based infrastructure has become more targeted as attackers increase their ability to rapidly and systematically harvest information assets.

1-10-60 benchmark

The report found that organizations that meet the 1-10-60 benchmark - detect an incident in one minute, investigate in 10 minutes and remediate within an hour - are improving their chances of stopping cyber adversaries. However, the found that the vast majority of organizations struggle to meet the 1-10-60 standard. helpnetsecurity.com

AI in Retail - Big investments can deliver new business and happy customers

Maryland proposed Bill HBO215 would make possession of ransomware guilty of a misdemeanor



 




Nedap Retail Team at the NRF Big Show


RFID in 2020: How to Unlock Omnichannel and Increase Sales

Nedap ended NRF 2020 with a bang! Pictured below is their standing room only session on the state of RFID in retail. Speakers included Sophie Ecobichon (VP, Finance, Celio), Kathleen Joyce (Lead, Global Inventory Control, Under Armour), Nate Peterson (VP, Supply Chain, Outdoor Voices), and Jeroen Struycken (VP, Business Development, Nedap). The panel discussed how how their various retail brands are using RFID to raise on-shelf item availability and enable omnichannel services.

 


 


 



U.S.-China Trade Deal Calls For Both Sides to:
"Combat the Prevalence of Counterfeit or Pirated Goods"


Navarro Puts Amazon & eBay on Notice

"I've told Amazon, I've told eBay, I've told all these platforms we had here at the White House, it's like, look, this is harming your consumers," Navarro said of selling counterfeit goods.

The Trump trade advisor talked about the intellectual property protection and enforcement provisions in the "phase one" U.S.-China trade deal.

"The Amazons and the Alibabas, Shopify, they have been facilitators of the Chinese counterfeiting. So, if we're going to enforce this deal, it's going to be a big part of that is scrutinizing this," the White House trade advisor warned.

U.S. and Chinese officials on Wednesday signed their first-step trade agreement, which includes calls for both sides to work to "combat the prevalence of counterfeit or pirated goods" by taking "effective action" when online platforms fail to prevent intellectual property infringement.

China agreed to consider revoking operating licenses if e-commerce platforms repeatedly sell counterfeit goods. The U.S. agreed to discuss further measures to combat online sales of counterfeit goods.

"Amazon, Alibaba, Shopify, JD.com, Walmart.com, all of these companies have a responsibility to police the problem," Navarro added. cnbc.com

Fraud's Migration: Criminals Target Online Shoppers
CNP Fraud Most Prevalent Type in Australia

CNP fraud [where a shopper is not physically present at the time of a transaction] is established as the most prevalent type of fraud on Australian cards, representing approximately 85 per cent of fraudulent transactions, according to Australian Payments Network (AusPayNet), the self-regulatory body for the local payments industry.

Retailers now have the task of improving payment security measures, while mitigating friction in the online shopping journey of customers.

The issue

The rise of CNP fraud in Australia reflects a global trend of growing cybercrime in general, according to AusPayNet. Fraudsters have now migrated to online fraud, after facing stronger protection using chip technology on in-store transactions. Large scale data breaches and identity theft - where fraudsters assume the identity of another individual and perform transactions under a false identity - are a recurrent issue. As a result, retailers are increasingly cautious about dealing with online crime.

"Strong customer authentication in Australia might soon affect retailers that breach their fraud threshold. The payment landscape and environment need to be prepared and need to be able to cater to the needs of the merchant as well."

Balancing act

Van Aalten says while compliance towards the framework is essential, payment providers also want to ensure that the process must ensure balance between security and frictionless customer experience.

"It's not something that can be done overnight. Each retailer entering the e-commerce market must remember to define their fraud strategy and make sure they have proper defences in place. We usually recommend merchants apply SCA within their fraud strategy." insideretail.com.au

Two more companies added to lawsuit filed against NFL Players Association and Dallas Cowboys Merchandising for filing False Counterfeit Complaints against a small business selling products on Amazon



 




10 Yrs Fed Jail Time For Ringleader Of South Jersey Theft Ring: FBI
Louis Mathis, 49, of Philadelphia, previously pleaded guilty to federal charges arising from a series of robberies, burglaries, and thefts of department stores in Philadelphia and its surrounding counties in Pennsylvania and New Jersey in 2016, according to U.S. Attorney William McSwain.

Hasan Knight also pleaded guilty to the same charges and awaits sentencing, according to authorities.

The men and their accomplices stole high-end clothing and jewelry from stores in South Jersey and used stolen cars to take the merchandise to Philadelphia. Mathis, the leader of this crew of thieves, then fenced the stolen items to shops on Jewelers' Row and South Street in Philadelphia and to designer clothing sellers.

In one incident, they
stole more than $5,000 in clothing from Ralph Lauren Polo in the Moorestown Mall, according to the Courier Post.

Among other incidents, the men were accused of taking about
$120,000 in diamond rings and other valuables in a March 2106 smash-and-grab robbery at a Sears store in the Deptford Mall.

Mathis fenced the stolen goods to shops on Jewelers' Row and South Street in Philadelphia and to designer clothing sellers, the statement said.

The men allegedly
rode to their robberies in stolen cars that were later torched in Philadelphia, according to a criminal complaint.

"This
smash-and-grab crew got bolder as it went along - from overnight break-ins to brazen robberies during business hours that terrified employees and patrons,"

Mathis is also subject to three years of supervised release and must pay $398,960 in restitution. patch.com

Visalia, CA: 1 of 3 Arrested in Ulta Beauty Robbery involving Stun Gun
Visalia police arrested 18-year-old Bryanna Vallejo, accused of robbing an Ulta Beauty in Visalia. Police say, three women entered the business on S Mooney Blvd. on Jan. 11th and grabbed over $1,800 in merchandise and started to leave without paying. Employees tried to stop them when police say Vallejo pulled out a stun gun, turned it on, and threatened the employees. The employees stepped back and let the women leave.
The Visalia Police Dept. Property Crimes Unit learned during the investigation that the city of Hanford had a similar robbery involving an Ulta store and a stun gun two days earlier. Video from that burglary confirmed Vallejo was involved there too. Visalia police detectives located Vallejo at a McDonald's parking lot in the City of Fresno on Thursday, Jan. 16th and took her into custody without incident. Some of the Ulta property was recovered. The other suspects are still outstanding. kmph.com

Lacey, NJ: Man with outstanding warrants arrested for $2,500 theft at The Home Depot
A man stole $2,500 in merchandise Tuesday from Home Depot in Lacey, police said. Mark Wixler, 42, also had an outstanding warrant and was listed as a wanted person by the Ocean County Sheriff's Department. Police went to Home Depot at 5 p.m. Tuesday after loss prevention reported a suspicious man. Police took Wixler to the Ocean County Jail. patch.com

Orange County, FL: Florida mom caught stealing $2,000 of items from Gucci store, leaves child behind to run from security

Suffolk County, NY: Man Wanted For Stealing $475 Worth Of Merchandise From Long Island CVS


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Shootings & Deaths


Roswell, NM: Suspect of Assault at Roswell Mall killed himself after shooting at Police
A crime suspect who allegedly fired at Rowsell police later fatally shot himself while he was the subject of a search, the Police Department said. The man fired at least once at one or more officers who responded to a report of an aggravated assault Wednesday night at or near Roswell Mall, the department said in a statement. The initial gunfire occurred as the man ran away from the mall and a search was then launched, the department said. According to police, the man shot himself about a half-hour later in a residential neighborhood elsewhere in northern Roswell. The man's identity wasn't released but police said he appeared to be in his 20s. washingtontimes.com

Forest Hill, TX: Police Officer shot and wounded during incident outside 7-Eleven; suspect killed in crash
Police have identified the officer who was shot overnight during an incident at a 7-11. Officer Naquirra Williams was shot in the forearm and taken to a local hospital by another officer, according to Forest Hill Police Chief Dan Dennis said. Dennis said she will need surgery, "but she is stable and in good spirits." An altercation was reported just before 3AM, resulted in the officer shot and her police cruiser stolen.
After a chase, the suspect crashed out on the 287 NB / I-30 ramp in Fort Worth. According to the Tarrant County Medical Examiners office, the suspect was identified as 32 year old Jose Chapa of San Anotnio. Police say Chapa stole a patrol car shortly after the shooting, led police on a chase and crashed on US 287 south of Downtown Fort Worth. Police say he was pronounced dead on scene but his cause of death is pending. wbap.com
 



Robberies, Incidents & Thefts

Indianapolis, IN: Armed robbers confront armed security guard at Family Dollar
Guns were drawn at a Family Dollar store on Indy's east side as two armed robbers came face-to-face with an armed security guard. It happened at the Family Dollar on E 25th Street on December 27 just after 9 p.m. No one was hurt, but robberies at these stores continue to happen. That same store has seen 13 robberies in the last five years. On Wednesday night alone, armed robbers targeted four other dollar stores in Indianapolis, according to IMPD reports.

"As soon as I turned, I saw the gun and two kids with their hoodies drawn completely over their face," said security guard Kenneth Benge. Benge is a security guard with Lonestar Security. He was hired to patrol the Family Dollar on E 25th Street just weeks after a clerk was shot at the store back in October. As one robber pointed the gun at the clerk and demanded money, the other pointed his gun at Benge. Benge says the two suspects seemed to be about 16 years old. While Benge was not hired as an armed guard, he was carrying his own personal gun. He pulled it when the two suspects entered the store.

"I told him alright, I'm going to lower my weapon, just don't hurt the cashier," Benge said. "I took a high risk of him obviously shooting me when I lowered my weapon, but it was the risk I had to take to make sure the cashier didn't get hurt." "He did lower his weapon, they got what they wanted, and away they went." It's the third time in three months this store was robbed. According to IMPD reports, the store was robbed on October 8 and October 15. During the robbery on the 15th, the cashier was shot, and Lonestar was brought in for a short-term contract starting in November.

"Most of the time these companies hire us just temporarily for 90 days just to ease the employees and then we're out the door," said Lonestar Security CEO Taylor Wurr. "Then it happens again, and we're right back."
Wurr says he also worked at a Dollar General store shortly after a clerk was killed. He says the contracts usually ask for unarmed guards, but they sometimes end up carrying their own concealed weapon like Benge did last month. fox59.com

Las Vegas, NV: Clerk charged with Attempted Murder following shooting at North Las Vegas 7-Eleven
Detectives have arrested the store clerk in connection to an attempted homicide case in North Las Vegas. According to authorities, officers were dispatched to the 7-Eleven convenience store on Lake Mead Boulevard early Wednesday morning. Officer Eric Leavitt said a fight involving an employee, now identified as 27-year-old Anthony Wright and a "transient" male, lead to a shooting. Arriving officers found the victim suffering from an apparent gunshot wound. news3lv.com

Winter Haven, FL: Florida Man Wearing Hover Skates Rolled Into Walmart, Stole $551 of Merchandise and Glided Out
An unidentified Florida man is on the loose after allegedly using Space Shoes-a type of e-mobility self-balancing hover roller skate-to help him make off with more than $500 worth of merchandise from a Winter Haven Walmart. The incident took place on January 8. Among the items reported missing from the store, according to a police report, are a vehicle battery, paint, a bouquet of flowers, a trash can, a Roku TV and a Motokicks hoverboard. newsweek.com

UK: Wolverhampton retailer jailed as truck load of illegal cigarettes seized from store

Lakewood, WA: City to begin fining stores; Stolen, abandoned shopping carts a 'blight' in Lakewood

Monroe, WA: Attempt to buy $12K worth of items with stolen check leads police to suspicious items in truck
 



Sentencing

Georgia: Last Minute Clemency Granted for Convicted Robber Murderer of C-Store Store Clerk
A Georgia death row inmate was granted clemency hours before his scheduled execution, in part because jurors wanted him to be sentenced to life without the possibility of parole. The State Board of Pardons and Paroles on Thursday commuted the death sentence to life without parole for Jimmy Fletcher Meders, a news release signed by Chairman Terry Barnard said.

The board, which took up the matter Wednesday, cited the fact that the jury wanted that sentence, a punishment not available in 1989. It also referenced Meders' lack of a criminal record before he committed the killing and other crimes and his good behavior while on death row for almost 30 years. Meders, now 59, was convicted of the 1987 Glynn County murder of Don Anderson during a convenience story robbery. He was sentenced to death. cnn.com

Lufkin, TX: Man who shot out windows at Big Lots found guilty
The sentencing phase in the trial of the man who shot the glass out of the Lufkin Big Lots store will start Friday. On Thursday, an Angelina County jury found Reagan Todd Horton guilty of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, burglary of a building, deadly conduct-discharge firearm, and stalking. On May 24, 2019, police say Horton harassed his former girlfriend and other employees as they arrived for work at Big Lots. He was issued a criminal trespass warning, but returned to the store later that morning, shot out the glass of the side entrance, and entered the store with a shotgun. ktre.com

Costa Mesa, CA: Newport woman pleads not guilty in $2-million jewelry store robbery at South Coast Plaza

Irondequoit, NY: 7-11 Shooter Gets 11 Yrs

Boulder, CO: Skimming Gang Member Gets 3 Yrs Prison



 

 

Boost - Racine, WI - Robbery
C-Store - Surry County, VA - Armed Robbery
C-Store - Gainesville, FL - Armed Robbery
C-Store - Salem, NH - Armed Robbery
C-Store - LaFollette , TN - Armed Robbery
C-Store- Spalding County, GA - Armed Robbery
C- Store - Sparks, NV - Armed Robbery
C-Store- Marietta, OH - Robbery
Cash Advance - Comstock Township, MI - Armed Robbery
Dollar General - Indianapolis, IN - Armed Robbery
Family Dollar - Berks County, PA - Armed Robbery
Family Dollar - Indianapolis, IN - Armed Robbery
Family Dollar - Indianapolis, IN -Armed Robbery
Gas Station - Terre Haute, IN - Armed Robbery
Jewelry - Leominster, MA - Burglary
Jewelry - North Attleboro, MA - Robbery
Jewelry - Bayshore, NY - Robbery
Liquor - Lafayette, IN - Armed Robbery
Pawn - Amarillo, TX - Armed Robbery
Restaurant - Buffalo, NY - Burglary
Restaurant - Saint Johnsbury, VT - Burglary (Subway)
Speedway - Reading, PA - Armed Robbery
Sprint - Kettering, OH - Robbery
Ulta - Visalia, CA - Robbery / Assault
7-Eleven - Sea Tac, WA - Armed Robbery
 

 

Daily Totals:
• 22 robberies
• 3 burglaries
• 0 shootings
• 0 killed


 

Weekly Totals:
• 80 robberies
• 43 burglaries
• 1 shootings
• 1 killed


Click to enlarge map



 



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