Ian Hartman promoted to Director, Field Loss Prevention for Eddie Bauer
Ian previously held the position of Regional Loss Prevention Manager for the retailer for over three years before earning this promotion. He has held a variety of loss prevention positions such as District Loss Prevention Manager for Gap Inc., Flagship Loss Prevention Manager for Banana Republic, Senior Loss Prevention Agent for Old Navy, Asset Protection Officer for Mervyns and Loss Prevention Officer for Kroger. Congratulations Ian!

In Case You Missed It

February's Moving Ups

27 New Senior LP's - 20 Appointments - 7 Promotions

AC Moore named Greg Adams Director Loss Prevention
ALTO U.S. named Maurizio Scrofani named Vice President
ASAP Secured Inc. named Rui Rodrigues Senior Director of Operations
Barnes & Noble, Inc. named Michelle Cabrita, CFI Senior Corporate Investigator
CVS Health promoted Christopher Crossman to Senior Director Loss Prevention Operations
Hallmark Cards named Jason Smith CFI, CPP named Corporate Retail Operations Manager - Loss Prevention, Risk Management, and Store Operations
GM Financial promoted Kelly Moye, CFI to Assistant Vice President of Operations and Investigations
Levi Strauss named Carolyn Korchik, CFI Global Security & Retail Loss Prevention Ops Manager
Luxottica named Eric Ives Director of Special Investigations
Macy's promoted Steve Boarman to the Director of Central Investigations & ORC
Macy's promoted Chris DeSantis to Vice President of Asset Protection for the Herald Square district
Macy's promoted Antonio Harris to Regional Director of Investigations for the Southwest region
Macy's named Nicole Thorne the AP Business Intelligence Analyst
Macy's named Janet Rodriguez Organized Retail Crime Analyst
Macy's named Tim Huff Director of National Events
Macy's named Brian Goddard the Manager of AP Innovation and Implementation
Maison Birks named Ian Amato named National Loss Prevention Manager - Canada
McDonald's named Jonathan "Jay" Morales Regional Security Manager
Meijer named Paul Jaeckle Vice President Asset Protection
PetSmart named Meredith Plaxco Director of Loss Prevention and Safety - Strategy, Operations and Field
RILA Asset Protection Leaders Council named Brian Kirby, CFI a member
Rite Aid named Art Barraza Asset Protection Director
Sapphire Risk Advisory Group named Matthew Jones Business Development Manager
Tiffany & Co. promoted Hank Siemers promoted to Vice President - Retail Security
ULTA Beauty named Adam Stokes, CFI Lead Supply Chain Loss Prevention Manager
URBN Inc. promoted Jeff Teator (LPC , CFI) to Senior Regional Loss Prevention Manager
Weis Markets named Will England Vice President of Asset Protection

Two-Month Update
The Retail landscape as we enter March

Quarterly Comps and Sales Numbers reported in Jan. and Feb.
Average quarterly comps: Down 1.3%
Average quarterly sales: Up 1.7%

Best quarterly comps numbers:
Canadian Tire up 8.1%
Walmart Walmex up 8%

Worst quarterly comps numbers:
hhgregg down 22.2%
Rent-A-Center down 14.2% 

43 Senior LP/AP roles filled in the first two months of '17
27 Seniors Named in February Alone Ranks #2 Busiest Month Since Last March's 29
We just had the second busiest month in naming senior LP positions since last March and with filling 43 senior LP/AP roles in the first two months of the year, in this market, is amazing. As it shows a sense of urgency and focus on security and shrink.

We may be closing historical numbers of stores and going through a difficult time in retail but one thing is clear, senior management is focused on security and current events has made LP/AP an absolute priority. Seems like everything is just speeding up.

More than a dozen Sr. LP jobs posted in Jan. and Feb.
In the first two months of 2017, there were a total of 15 Senior LP job postings reported in the Daily. This may not be as drastic of a number as jobs filled but it's high none the less and it shows we are off to a running start.
 

Closures, cuts and jobs added in January & February

What the numbers say
Is it 2009? Or is it Worse?
It's the first time we've seen comp store sales average that far down since Jan.- Feb. 2009. However for an entirely different reason.

Online vs. the great recession. It's hard to say which is worse. At least we all knew the great recession was going to be over sooner or later and the storm would pass. But with online continuing to take market share this brick and mortar tornado is far from blowing over and in some regards it's just getting started.

The store closures and job cuts goes along with what we've all been seeing and hearing about for months. So there's no use talking that horse to death. Other than to say that more are coming and we could easily reach 10,000 store closures this year. Which is rather drastic.

As it relates to the Jobs Added - while it looks like we gained more than we lost. That's really not the case as it relates to disposable income and long term employment.

Lowe's 46,700 jobs are mostly if not all the seasonal jobs they add each year for their upcoming busy season.

The Pizza Hut, Walmart, Kroger, and Dollar General's jobs, 44,000, are all about that customer facing hourly push to increase customer service and conversions.

These 44,000 jobs, while certainly not to be discounted, are hourly positions that will ultimately be labeled jobs you can't make a living on for the most part.

While the 29,000 we lost included middle and upper management jobs - good paying jobs. So in essence did we gain financially?

Getting back to these 44,000 new jobs, the whole trick with all of these new customer facing hourly jobs will end up being how well connected and trained they'll be. Do the retailers really have the technology to arm them with and can they master the skills required to use the devices to drive sales?

At the end of the day and regardless of the technology piece can 44,000 hourly associates drive enough value to the consumer that we'll see the impact on sales with decreasing store traffic. As it appears that everyone is rather understanding and almost accepting of the decreasing store traffic so it's all about conversion.

So four companies are throwing people at the problem and that seems to always be the answer. Now it's a matter of filling the jobs and getting them trained.

With such a large influx happening so rapidly Loss Prevention may have their arms filled. Let's hope the shortcuts to hiring don't come back to haunt us.

As it relates to the 15 senior LP/AP jobs posted - That's a good indicator and shows retailers are concerned and investing in LP. Especially with it being the first two months of year - normally the slowest time of year.

Couple that with 43 senior LP/AP roles being filled and we have the busiest first two months that this writer has ever seen. Which is another good indicator that LP/AP is not only surviving but we're thriving in a market that is literally on fire - in a negative sense. Just take a look below at today's fourth quarter results.

So at the end of the day we have 58 senior LP roles changing in the first two months of 2017. Now that is a busy market.
 
Just some thoughts - Gus Downing

Time to Emphasize and Audit I-9's in Stores
Groups Prepare Members for Increased Immigration Enforcement
With heightened immigration enforcement policies coming into effect, agricultural industries may feel the strongest effects. These organizations are making sure their members are ready to navigate the increased oversight.

With memos released by Homeland Security last week, the Trump administration is seeking to ramp up the number of audits and raids performed to identify and deport undocumented immigrants-a change that could heavily affect the agricultural sector.

"Members should begin preparing for increased worksite enforcement and renewed emphasis on Form I-9 audits," the post read. "This means that employers should be proactive to recognize and correct Form I-9 problems before ICE comes knocking on the door. Now is the time to audit all Form I-9s to ensure they are completed fully and accurately."

Editor's Note: Having mentioned this last week, it is time to renew your emphasis and increase your audits of store's I-9 forms. Certainly mainstream retail may not be as impacted but certain markets may be suceptable to fake documents and or lacks enforcement of the process. Which as Abercrombe & Fitch found out in Detroit a few years ago they were fined $1 million because they weren't following the correct procedures. associationsnow.com

NYC Expects 300,000 Fewer Foreign Tourists
Costing NY Businesses $600M, Saying Trump Is to Blame
This will impact retailers big time
For the first time in seven years, New York City officials expect the number of foreign visitors to decrease, a drop they attribute to the protectionist policies and rhetoric of President Trump - saying that those moves are scaring off many of the visitors who have helped fuel the city's robust growth since the last recession.

The city now expects to draw 300,000 fewer foreigners this year than in 2016, when 12.7 million international visitors came, a decline that will cost businesses in the city that cater to tourists at least $600 million in sales, the agency estimates.

The rest of the country is expected to see an even larger decline in foreign tourism over the next two years, said Adam Sacks, president of Tourism Economics, an international firm that forecasts travel trends for several cities in the United States, including New York.

"The data are all showing a pretty dramatic shift in behavior and interest," he said. "That certainly accelerated since the executive order."

On average, foreigners spend about $2,000 in the city, compared with about $500 for Americans. "Travel is a very precious commodity and people have choices. Once the vacation of 2017 is gone, you don't get that back." nytimes.com

Australia: Robots to roam shopping aisles taking 'shelfies' to fight shoplifting
Carts scanning items and robots checking shelves will be among the latest weapons in the fight to tackle shoplifting at supermarkets. Crime Statistics Agency data obtained by Leader Community News show shoplifting is on the rise in Victoria with 21,043 offences in the 12 months to September 2016.

Stealing from a retail store crimes are up 392 on the previous year's data. Australian Retailers Association executive director Russell Zimmerman said cost of living pressures was leading more people to crime. Mr Zimmerman said "smart trolleys" that would allow shoppers to scan prices and make card payments were up to two years away. "Anything you put into the trolley will be self-scanned automatically," he said. "Your card details will be connected to it so essentially you can walk out without having to talk to a checkout operator." The "shelfie" robot, which would navigate through the supermarket aisles and scan items on every shelf, was currently in the prototype phase, he said. heraldsun.com.au

Task force formed to solve rash of cellphone store robberies in Lehigh Valley
After a recent rash of cellphone store robberies across the Lehigh Valley, authorities announced Tuesday a task force would be formed to help nab the culprits.

The team made up of law enforcement officials from the Lehigh Valley officers and spearheaded by Northampton County Assistant District Attorney Patricia Mulqueen will meet daily, according to a news release from District Attorney John Morganelli.

In the past five months, several Lehigh Valley cellphone stores have been targeted by robbers who often tie up employees or lock them in rooms in order to steal dozens of phones.

Many of the locations have been Verizon stores and all of the robberies remain unsolved, Morganelli said.  mcall.com

Canadian retailer YM in bid for bankrupt U.S. peer Wet Seal
 
Microsoft will pay $1.2M to settle class-action suit over misprinted retail store receipts

Crocs to Close 160 Stores, Names New CEO Amid Sales Rout

Gap Inc. Plans to Trim Workforce With 216 Cuts


Quarterly Same Store Sales Results

Domino's Q4 domestic comp's up 12.2%, Inter. comp's up 4.3%, sales up 10.6%
Domino's Full Year domestic comp's up 10.5%, Inter comp's up 6.3%, sales up 9.8%
Lowe's Q4 comp's up 5.1%, sales up 19.2%
Lowe's Full year comp's up 4.2%, net sales up 10.1%
Ross Stores Q4 comp's up 4%, sales up 8%
Ross Stores Full Year comp's up 4%, sales up 8%
Dollar Tree Q4 comp's up 1.2%, net sales up 5%
Dollar Tree Full Year comp's up 1.8%, net sales up 33.7% (Family Dollar stores added)
Steve Madden Q4 retail segment comp's up 1.1%, total net sales down 2.3%
Steve Madden Full Year net sales down 0.4%
American Eagle Q4 comp's up 0.4%, sales up 1%
American Eagle Full Year comp's up 3%, net revenue up 2%
Best Buy Q4 U.S. comp's down 0.9%, enterprise comp's down 0.7%, online sales up 17.5%, sales down 1%
Best Buy Full Year enterprise comp's up 0.3%, sales down .04%
Urban Outfitters Q4 comp's down 3%, net sales up 13%
Urban Outfitters Full Year comp's down 7%, net sales up 6%
Office Depot Q4 NA retail comp's down 4%, sales down 2%
Office Depot Full Year NA comp's down 2%, sales down 6%
Barnes & Noble Education Q3 comp's down 4.9%, sales up 0.6%

Who should be on an insider risk team?
Catching an insider taking confidential information doesn't happen by chance
Left to chance, unless you happen to bump into someone leaving the building with a box full of documents, you might never catch an insider red-handed. That is where an insider risk team comes in - group of employees from various departments who have created policies that create a system to notice if those confidential items have left the building.

"Insider risk is a real cybersecurity challenge. When a security professional or executive gets that call that there's suspicious activity - and it looks like it's someone on the inside who turned rogue - the organization needs to have the right policies and playbooks, technologies, and right team ready to go."

"Fellow employees and managers need to be trained to spot the signs of disgruntled employees and given channels to report concerns in a manner that does not judge the potentially disgruntled employee, but instead put the right people in their path to help them resolve whatever grievance they have before it escalates."

But not all companies are that advanced in spotting what an angry employee might do in retaliation. Policies would cover those obvious situations of an employee making an inordinate amount of photocopies or an alert that notices a USB drive is being plugged into a computer, but it gets tricky dealing with those scenarios that are not out in the open for all to see. It is the insider risk team that must come up with every hypothetical scenario in order to stay ahead of that disgruntled employee who only wants to fulfill a vendetta.

Having the right insider risk team with risk management expertise is a must to assess the situation, pinpoint the culprit and execute your counterattack plan," Sethi said

Who should be on this team?

In terms of the team's makeup, it should be representative of the entire company. The team should include the technical IT and Security teams, as well as non-technical stakeholders such as members of the C-suite, the legal counsel and human resources, said Veriato's CSO David Green.

C-Suite: A member of the executive team should be present because you'll need buy-in from the executive team to ensure the other departments represented on the insider risk team have the authority to establish a risk-based monitoring program and sign off on an Acceptable Use Policy (if one isn't already established); set boundaries of what's acceptable behavior and what's not; and tie the plan to the company's strategic objectives and help outline a security policy.

Legal: The legal team should be present to ensure all employee/user monitoring activities meet any local, state and federal laws. They should also help define what is permissible to monitor, such as email and instant messages, the web sites employees visit, online apps they use or any content they download or print.

Human Resources: HR can help create the processes necessary to ensure there is a warranted and documented need for any monitoring, and that the security team is made aware of these issues without breaking any privacy laws.

IT / Security: IT - or whomever will be involved in both evaluating possible technology solutions and implementing the selected solution, will provide the other non-technical team members with context around which users have access to what sensitive data, as well as what's possible when it comes to monitoring activity - all of which will be invaluable when putting the planning and preparation output of this team into practice. csoonline.com
 
What should an insider risk policy cover?
Use your policies and playbooks and be sure to make detailed notes including date and time stamps of the findings, Sethi said. "This information will be useful to paint a complete picture of the events and will allow you to continuously improve your risk posture and insider risk program."

Most importantly, an insider risk policy should be clear about who has access to networks and resources. It should also establish controls over how access to information is reviewed, by whom, and how often. "This step is often missed by organizations, resulting in growing privilege-creep that allows long-time employees to garner far more access to data than they really need. Regular and active review of entitlements and access will help reduce the risk of overly-broad access while actually helping the business meet its compliance and governance requirements.

Insider risk policies should be clear on who owns the risks for insiders, "It's far too easy for line of business managers to assume that the risk is owned by the IT department, or the security team. Managing the risk from insiders is everyone's job, and it needs to be clearly spelled out as such."

The policy should define the rules of the road, what employees and contractors should and should not be doing. It should also define ramifications if people violate policies, and include an exception process for those users who operate outside the parameters of the policy.

Adjudication rules should be clearly spelled out. This should include how matters of emerging concern will be escalated. The policy should include obligations for employees to report suspicious activity, for managers to monitor employee morale and address issues fairly and proactively. The policy should clearly delegate roles and responsibilities to deliver fair, objective, respectful investigations processes that are compliant with local laws and regulations. The policy should call for periodic review of risks and controls. It should designate a chain of command to the insider risk program - ownership, accountability, governance and oversight.

A risk policy should incorporate insurance in case of breaches, with strong communication policies to implement after the breach occurs.

Having an established change control process can also help identify any user of elevated privileges doing so outside of normal procedure.

And, lastly, Matias Brutti, a hacker at Okta, said the policy should include data categorization so the enterprise understands which teams can access which data. It should also include monitoring capabilities and the ability to regulate employee data access. csoonline.com

McInnovation: McDonald's and CAP Index Create NEW Risk Assessment Management Program

Improved Risk Assessment & Security while Managing Costs & Liability

McDonald's and their long-time crime risk assessment partner CAP Index co-develop a new state-of-the art solution!

McDonald's is the world's largest hamburger fast food chain - feeding 68 million people per day (more than the entire population of the U.K.) and serving 75 burgers every second. With more than 420,000 employees at over 36,000 locations in over 119 countries and a new McDonald's location opening every 14.5 hours, you can imagine what a monumental challenge it is to effectively and efficiently measure, document, and respond to each individual location's crime challenges and security threats. That's why they partnered with CAP Index - the leader in crime risk assessment and reporting. "Building the new R2AMP restaurant risk assessment management program has been exciting. This is a tool we co-developed with CAP Index, and there's nothing like it in our industry." - Rob Holm, Senior Director of Safety and Security for US Operations, McDonald's, USA.

Working closely with McDonald's teams, we helped develop an innovative classification system and software solution called the Restaurant Risk Assessment Management Program or R2AMP. Built using our dynamic CAPWare™ security management tools, this comprehensive program was designed to identify and track security risks as well as provide corrective measures to be considered at specific McDonald's locations.

Read the full article here.

To arrange a personal demonstration of CAP Index's CAPWare technology, click here.

Calgary Walmart store under fire for treatment of customers by store security
A University of Calgary student says he intends to file an official complaint with Walmart after an encounter with a security guard at the Walmart in Sage Hill.

Jean Ventose said the incident happened at around 10 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 23 as he was shopping for headphones at the store in northwest Calgary.

Ventose posted a video of the encounter on Facebook, which has been viewed hundreds of thousands of times.

In the video, which Ventose said was taken with his phone, a woman who appears to be a store security guard is seen closely following Ventose, who can be heard speaking to her off camera.

WATCH: A Calgary man shot this footage at a Walmart he says shows a security guard following him.

The exchange begins with the security guard telling Ventose he can't take her picture with his phone. globalnews.ca

Trump protests occur at the Hudson's Bay in Toronto
A group of protestors hit up two Hudson's Bay locations in the Toronto area this weekend to protest the Canadian retailer's Ivanka Trump brand offering.

The group calling themselves the "Peeved Beavers" is an offshoot of the U.S. #GrabYourWallet boycott of retailers selling both Ivanka and Donald Trump products.

Their aim was to convince the Hudson's Bay to stop selling Ivanka Trump clothing and accessories.
The protests took place at the Bay's Square One location in Mississauga, as well as at its flagship store at Queen and Yonge in downtown Toronto. Some protestors dressed up like President Trump and members of his administration.

The Hudson's Bay offered the same statement to several news sources ahead of the protests stating that "we aim to deliver a strong assortment of fashion," and that "we respect our customers' right to choose the brands that work for them. In turn, our customers' choices inform our decisions on which merchandise we offer." fashionnetwork.com

Giant Tiger and other discounters in expansion mode
Canadians Are Struggling
Giant Tiger will add 10 to 15 stores this year, with more to come. Meanwhile, Costco is midway through a seven-store expansion. And the biggest of them all, Dollarama, is adding 60 to 70 new locations this year to its 1,000-store national network.

Slowest economic recovery in history is driving value discounters
We had a recession in 2008 but we haven't recovered from it, we're in the longest period of Canadian economic recovery. We bounced back faster from the Great Depression than we did from that recession," he says, adding that the slow recovery has affected people's behaviour. "Consumers are more value conscious."

Average Canadian incomes have barely risen over the last year, according to Statistics Canada. For workers in retail, accommodation, and food services, wages have actually fallen by about two per cent.

Empty Target stores a prime location is driving new stores
The American chain abandoned 133 stores and 15 million square feet of retail space when it left Canada in April 2015. Leasing agents have had to scramble to replace lost revenue, and are still calling Giant Tiger with enticing offers. Many even promise to reconfigure the space to suit the chain's needs.

Either way you slice it, with stagnant wages and ongoing anxiety about the economy, there's no question Canadians will be seeking out bargains - wherever they can find them - for the foreseeable future. cbc.ca

Chip technology gets "credit" for reducing debit card fraud
Skimming losses total $1.5 million in Canada
Customer complaints about debit card fraud haven't been wiped out completely, but the good news is security and consumer protection features are working in our favour. According to Interac Association, debit losses due to skimming have declined, reaching a record low of $11.4 million; $1.5 million of that was in Canada. The transition to chip technology, which began in 2008, is getting most of the "credit" for the decline. 9900chml.com

Canadian parka company Moose Knuckles awarded $68M in counterfeit case

Canadians Becoming More Vigilant in Recognizing, Rejecting and Reporting Fraud and Identity Theft

Sunrise Records to move into 70 closing HMV locations across Canada

Holt Renfrew to shutter it's off-price 'hr2' division - only had 2 stores

Canadian retail operator bids $1.5M for Wet Seal's trademarks

• Handi's Convenience - Moncton, ON - Armed Robbery
• Mac's - Watford, ON - Armed Robbery
• Pet Valu - Hamilton, ON - Robbery
• Rexall - Stony Plain, AB - Burglary/Break & Enter
• Shopping Basket - Moncton, NB - Armed Robbery
• Undisclosed business - Saskatoon, SK - Robbery
• Undisclosed convenience store - Maple Ridge, BC - Armed Robbery
• 7-Eleven - Battleford, SK - Robbery

Network surveillance technologies continue to revolutionize the way retail professionals work with not just loss prevention, but also with store optimization, operational efficiencies, and enhancements to the overall customer experience. Hedgie Bartol, Retail Business Development Manager for Axis Communications, tell us how the global leader in network video can help retailers can bring together their video surveillance, physical access control and now audio systems to create a full solution that goes beyond security and helps grow the business.

Quick Take #3

Joe and Amber share some words of wisdom for the young professionals out there. Hear the advice they would each give to their younger self.

Solution Providers: Have a video or commercial you want to publish? Contact us

Online fraud spikes 35% in Q4
ThreatMetrix, a California-based company that analyzes and blocks cybercrime attacks in real-time, said it detected 122 million fraud attempts worldwide in the final three months of 2016, representing a 35 percent spike over the previous year. 

Attackers are using increasingly sophisticated device-spoofing tools, malware and bots to make fraudulent transactions - in some cases employing a combination of "multiple vectors" that makes them harder to detect, according to the company's report on cybercrime released this month. Eighty million cybercrime attacks last year used stolen or fake credentials. 

The research is based on actual attacks attempted October through December of last year and detected by the company's Digital Identity Network through "real-time analysis and interdiction of fraudulent online payments, logins and new account applications."

"Transaction volume is no longer regional, or even confined to country borders, but has rather exploded cross-border as the global village economy has really taken root," the report states. "However, cross-border transactions are riskier than domestic ones; organizations must look for better ways to authenticate their user base on a global rather than regional scale." thehill.com

EU's EBA Eases Anti-Fraud Web Payment Rules After Industry Pushback
Proposed rule aims to combat online-payment fraud
The European Banking Authority relaxed a controversial proposed rule designed to combat online-payment fraud in a new draft released Thursday.

According to the text, the EBA now plans to require online shoppers to use extra verification tools only for purchases above €30 ($31.64). An earlier proposal put the threshold at €10, but e-commerce advocates slammed the idea as a threat to sales.

Under so-called Strong Customer Authentication, a buyer would need to use a combination of two elements such as a PIN, authentication code or fingerprint to complete a purchase.

Visa Europe, the European subsidiary of payments-technology company Visa Inc., estimated that the rules with the €10 threshold would put €11.2 billion of European online sales at risk. A survey of more than 5,000 adults across Europe, conducted on behalf of Visa, indicated that 61% of consumers would abandon purchases if more steps were added to the online payment process. wsj.com

Minors exposed to dangerous goods by gaps in ecommerce age checks, survey finds
A new survey of ecommerce businesses in the UK has found that 78% are concerned about selling age restricted goods or services to minors online due to the age verification methods they are using. The age restricted products include cigarettes, alcohol, knives and fireworks.

The research surveyed 200 senior ecommerce professionals responsible for e-retail activity. More than half (61%) of respondents said that they use self-certification (tick box/date of birth entry) to check their customers' age online. This figure was higher among respondents from larger ecommerce businesses (those with more than 500 employees), 79% of whom said they still use this method, which simply depends on the customer's honesty.

Only 30% of ecommerce businesses said they used Know Your Customer (KYC) checks via specialist credit check or identity check software. 83% of ecommerce businesses said that they felt a need to conduct more comprehensive identity verification to mitigate identity fraud, a growing problem online. retailrisk.com

Target's online sales grew more than 30% in Q4

Sacramento, CA: Two brothers pull a $15,000 Burglary at Target, throw stolen items from car during police chase
Two Sacramento-area brothers accused of burglarizing a Target store in San Joaquin County were arrested following an early morning pursuit Tuesday. Vincent Arkansas, 35, and Benton Arkansas, 34, are accused of smashing out the front window of a Target store in Lathrop at 3:39 a.m. Tuesday. Once inside, they used a crowbar to open display cases in the electronics section and fled with approximately $15,000 worth of items, including PS4s, Xbox Ones, GoPros, laptops and digital cameras, according to a San Joaquin County Sheriff's Office news release. sacbee.com

Frankfort, KY: Police identify suspect in $9,000 Walmart jewelry theft
In a press release, Frankfort Police Maj. Rob Warfel said Aaron Creech was identified through the Crime Stoppers tip line and is a theft suspect at a Georgetown Walmart two days before he allegedly hit the Frankfort store on Feb. 12. "People are walking around Walmart shopping and here's a guy with a crowbar prying open the jewelry case and nobody thinks this is suspicious, I guess," said Commonwealth's Attorney Larry Cleveland. "Nobody says a word. He's on video doing it. He's apparently done this in Walmart stores all over central Kentucky. state-journal.com


Forest Park, OH: Man steals $3,800 of Fishing Gear from multiple Walmarts
Derrick Marcum was arrested in October at the Walmart in Forest Park after he tried to leave the store with two backpacks full of fishing lures and other equipment, police said. Police arrested him for theft of merchandise worth $1,300. He posted bond, but failed to appear in court. A grand jury on Monday indicted Marcum in a similar theft the day before the Forest Park heist. Prosecutor David Fornshell said Marcum filled five storage containers with fishing lures and other equipment and took them to the self-checkout, where he paid for only the storage containers. Marcum "pretty much cleared out the aisle," according to Fornshell. The total value of fishing gear taken from the Lebanon Walmart was more than $2,500. That case was unsolved until police said they connected the two thefts. wlwt.com


Livingston County, MI: El Hadji Mamadou Gueye, 27, of Mount Morris, plead guilty to organized retail crime
The prosecution agreed Gueye can seek sentencing under the state's Holmes Youthful Trainee Act, which means he would have no public criminal record if he successfully completes probation. Sentencing is March 23. livingstondaily.com 

Shootings & Deaths

UPDATE: Avondale, AZ: Employee dies after shooting inside Best Buy
Police continue to investigate a double shooting at an Avondale shopping center on Monday afternoon that left a Best Buy employee dead. According to the Avondale Police, upon arrival at the business, one man and one woman were found injured inside the store from gunshot wounds. Both individuals were taken to hospitals.

The woman was pronounced dead by hospital personnel on Monday. The man remains in critical condition. Best Buy told reporters the woman who was killed was a team member of the store. Later Tuesday afternoon, police identified her as 26-year-old Melissa Mendez.

The suspect has been identified as Henry Cota, Jr. Police say there was a history of domestic violence between the two. Police say investigators have determined there was a confrontation outside the store between Mendez and Cota, and Mendez ran into the store after Cota fired several shots. Cota followed her into the store and fired more shots, police said. abc15.com

Reports of shooting lock down Moreno Valley Mall
After people were posting on social media that a shooting was underway at a Moreno Valley Mall Tuesday, authorities said they were investigating, though no shooting had occurred. The tweets about a possible shooting began around 8:20 p.m. at the shopping center. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said there was no shooting, but deputies were investigating suspicious circumstances. Officials lifted the lockdown about an hour later. nbclosangeles.com

Reno, NV: Police investigating a Shooting outside Dollar Tree
Reno Police say no victims have been found or have come forward after shots were fired Tuesday afternoon. Police say after they were called to reports of shots being fired, they found two shell casings in the parking lot of the Dollar Tree store about 4:30PM February 28, 2017. One car is damaged. kolotv.com

Robberies & Thefts

Burlington, NC: Shoplifter Mistaken Identity; City of Burlington, Police and Walmart settle case for $25,001 in Federal Court
Charges that Anna Marie Martin, 52, stole CDs from Wal-Mart, and hit another vehicle in the parking lot fleeing in a Chevrolet pickup, were dismissed as mistaken a little more than a month and a half after her arrest in May 2015. Martin filed July 18 against the city and retailer, she asserts she did not even go to Wal-Mart on May 1, 2015, or ever drive a truck. But when officers investigating a shoplifting and hit-and-run that day distributed surveillance-camera photos, Officer Blake Johnson told them he recognized the suspect as Martin, whom he had stopped about a week before over an issue with her license plate. According to the suit, Officers Karla Topete and A.D. Jones showed a driver's license photo of Martin to Adriana Sposato with Wal-Mart loss prevention, who said she was "80 percent" sure Martin was the woman they were looking for. thetimesnews.com




Suspects flee with $40,000 of narcotics in Walgreen's Armed Robbery
Lacey Police are trying to identify a huge (between 6'6" and 6'8" Armed Robber who ordered pharmacy employees at a Walgreens store to get on the ground. "I've approximated the value that he's taken to be $30,000 to $40,000 worth of street-value narcotics so to get him and to get these drugs off the street would be a huge profit to the community," said Det. Stetler. q13fox.com








Ellicott City, MD: Thieves steal opioids from 4 Howard County pharmacies
County police said they don't think any of the four cases are related, but they said it represents a regional problem, and they're working with other jurisdictions to see if there are any connections. wbaltv.com



ID: Univ. of Idaho Football Player suspended for shoplifting
Redshirt freshman Charles Akanno has been suspended indefinitely from the Idaho Vandals football team, the university announced on Monday. "We have high expectations for every member of our program," head coach Paul Petrino stated. "It is an honor and a privilege to represent the University of Idaho. Until this matter is resolved by the courts, Charles will be suspended from all team activities.' Akanno and Chris Hunter, a former player who is no longer with the team, were charged Monday morning after a shoplifting incident on Sunday. spokesman.com

Los Angeles, CA: West San Fernando Valley Serial Robber Gets 30 Years
Jason Paul Holman, 35, entered his plea to six counts of second-degree robbery and admitted being armed with a rifle during the heists. Seventeen other counts against him were dismissed as a result of his plea. The charges stemmed from robberies at a dozen locations, including fast- food restaurants and gas stations, between July 2014 and December 2015. patch.com


Elmwood Park, NJ: Police Shooting Victim Charged With Robbing Walgreens

Panama City, FL: Five Teens arrested in two Gun Store Burglaries; 11 weapons stolen

Littleton, CO: Man Convicted In Colorado Gun Broker Burglary Sentenced to 6 years

Kay Jewelers in the Park Plaza Mall, Little Rock, AR reported a Grab & Run on 2/28, item valued at $5,199

Rogers Jewelers in the Belden Village Mall, Canton, OH reported a Grab & Run on 2/28, Movado Watch valued at $995


Zales Outlet in the Concord Mills, Concord, NC reported a Distraction Theft on 2/26, item valued at $8,250

Piercing Pagoda in the La Palmera, Corpus Christi, TX reported a Grab & Run on 2/26, item valued at $778

Cargo Theft

BNSF Railroad, the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) and the Southwest Transportation Security Council will host the 6th Annual Texas Cargo Training Summit
The event will be held March 2 - 3, 2017, at BNSF Headquarters at 3000 Lou Menk Drive, Fort Worth, TX 76131, and will consist of two full days of training and information sharing for law enforcement officers who work cargo/commercial vehicle theft, transportation/logistics security management personnel, and shippers. Training will be TCOLE-certified for law enforcement thanks to our affiliation with the Eastfield College Criminal Justice Training Center. tavti.org

Skimming

Lucas County, OH: Credit Card Skimmer At Gas Pump

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