2017 GLPS - Group LP Selfies
Your Team - Your Pride - Our Industry
Building Industry Pride - One Team Selfie at a Time

The ALTO Approach to Managing Retail Theft Earns a "Historic" Win
in Albertsons' Shoplifting Case
In what one former prosecutor termed "historic," a habitual shoplifter who was set to be arraigned on a misdemeanor petty theft charge, had his bail increased from $5,000 to $50,000 based on information provided to the LA city attorney's office by ALTO US, a risk management technology company that provides retailers an innovative approach to stopping retail theft repeat offenders.

"We are extremely pleased and encouraged by the progress ALTO has made in our efforts to identify and prosecute the habitual offender," said Kathleen A. Smith, CFI, vice president of asset protection for Albertsons-Safeway. "Removing this type of negative element from our stores, creating a safer environment for our customers and associates, and increasing sales is exactly why we partnered with ALTO." alto.us

The Loss Prevention Foundation (LPF) Announces Newest Bachelor Level Partner
The Loss Prevention Foundation (LPF) announced the selection of its newest Bachelor level scholarship partner, 3SI Security Systems. The Bachelor level partnership secures numerous certification course scholarships for distribution to retailers, universities and internal associates. It also enables 3SI to provide complimentary LPF memberships to loss prevention practitioners.

Headquartered just outside Philadelphia, PA, 3SI became a market leader in asset protection technology by protecting and recovering stolen cash and high-value assets, and apprehending the criminals. yourlpf.org

Counterterrorism Units Co-Mingling with NYC Tourists
Security Measures Stepped Up Following Rush-Hour Attack
The city sidewalks here are dressed in holiday style - as well as dotted with blockades, bomb-sniffing dogs and heavily armed counterterrorism personnel. It's Christmastime in the city. Yet, in an area at risk for terrorism, that means a meshing of festive holiday displays and high-level security. That was especially apparent after Monday's pipe bomb blast in which at least three bystanders were injured.

This year, about 6 million visitors will descend upon New York City between Thanksgiving and New Year's Eve, estimates local visitors bureau NYC & Company. And while many New Yorkers are accustomed to pronounced security measures, seeing officers with large assault rifles standing near Christmas trees and colorful light displays can be jarring for tourists and locals alike. For those in New York City this holiday season, here's what to expect:

Automatic rifle-toting military and police: On Monday evening, heavily armed NYPD counterterrorism personnel stood just feet from revelers who were joyfully snapping pictures in front of the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree. Gun-carrying guards were also stationed at transportation hubs and other heavily trafficked areas in the city.

Large blockades outside of stores and holiday markets: A large NYPD barrier stands on the street just outside of a holiday light-clad Tiffany & Co. while blockades line the street-side parameter of the outdoor Columbus Circle Holiday Market. The Union Square holiday market farther downtown is surrounded by three-foot-high boulders. "We want people to feel safe when they come to shop here," Julie Feltman, executive director of Urban Space, which runs the holiday markets, told WABC. usatoday.com

"Sexual harassment is fundamentally about abuse of power"
said Debra Katz, a founding partner of Washington, D.C.-based Katz, Marshall & Banks LLP.

"It exists in large part because of the significant power imbalance between men and women in most workforces. In most companies, men - not women - hold top leadership positions. Unless companies have women in the C-suite and in other top positions in the company, a clear risk factor for sexual harassment exists. Women are reliant on men for pay, career advancement and even keeping their jobs. Companies can talk about zero-tolerance but the message will ring hollow until the workforce has better gender balance."  shrm.com

Teetering Steinhoff Prepares to Shop Around Its Retail Assets
Stock rout indicates action needs to be taken quickly
Stock down 90% - Moody's Rates Stock as "Junk"
After a week in which its shares collapsed and its bonds were downgraded to junk amid an accounting scandal that prompted Chief Executive Officer Markus Jooste to quit, the owner of U.S. furniture chain Mattress Firm and U.K. discounter Poundland needs to appease the creditors it owed more than $21 billion as of the end of March. To raise liquidity it may have to part with assets it built up in a two-decade acquisition drive.

"It's so important that these companies that are going concerns are separated out, taken care of and put back into an operational situation," Bruce Main, a money-manager at Ivy Asset Management in Johannesburg, said by phone. "The right action needs to be taken to ensure that the businesses that can survive are put into a situation where they can continue."

Steinhoff may have to sell some of its profitable assets to raise the cash it needs to keep running the rest of the company, she said. More recent acquisitions such as Mattress Firm and Poundland, "which may have some difficulties, likely have some value," he said. bloomberg.com

Ex-Amazon Finance Staffer Gets 6 Mos. For Insider Trading
A former financial analyst for Amazon.com Inc. who admitted to passing corporate secrets to a friend who traded on the information and cut him $10,000 was sentenced to six months in prison by a federal judge in Seattle on Friday.

Brett D. Kennedy, 27, pled guilty to a count of securities fraud in September and settled with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission after he was accused of sharing Amazon's upcoming financials with his former fraternity brother Maziar Rezakhani, who prosecutors said made $116,000 trading on the tip and sent Kennedy $10,000. Rezakhani is currently in prison on unrelated financial fraud charges. law360.com

Omaha, NE: Female Booster Groups with 'Ties to Gangs' Hitting Area Malls
It's called boosting and Omaha Police said this form of aggressive shoplifting is on the rise all over the country and in the metro and Lincoln. The boosters steal the merchandise, then turn around and sell it on social media sites. Police warn these criminals, mainly women, work together in groups and are dangerous.

"The booster groups we are following, they are not discreet at all," Detective Jerrod Galloway said.

Galloway works in the burglary division and in the past year his unit has teamed up with the officers in the retail loss prevention and asset protection areas. They are working together to share information and suspects' pictures to stop this type of aggressive shoplifting.

"What we started noticing is there's a certain group of repeat offenders that are going into stores, sometimes two up to five people deep and stealing large amounts of items," Galloway said.

Galloway believes the women groups have ties to gangs. Police have found gang members' guns in boosters' getaway vehicles. ketv.com

Cargo theft soaring 55% on Mexico's highway
Industry groups in Mexico are pushing to make cargo theft a federal crime in the wake of a 55% increase in violent assaults on ground cargo transport in 2017.

There were a total of 6,007 reported robberies against commercial truckers between January to October, and 2,452 freight thefts occurred on highways in the period. Exceeding the statistics for full-year 2016, when there were 5,908 total robberies against truckers and 1,587 highway robberies.

Cargo and general theft in the states of Jalisco, Baja California, Sinaloa, Puebla and Veracruz has risen particularly rapidly, with hikes of 40% to 60% in the period. bnamericas.com

The Three Leaders Shaping The Direction of the U.S. Contract Security Industry
Allied Universal Security Services - Securitas - G4S
There are three companies in the U.S. contract security marketplace, each having gross annual revenues in excess of $2 billion.

Two of the industry leaders (Securitas and G4S) are majority foreign-owned and combined, represent approximately 27% of the total U.S. contract security market. Allied Universal is 49% owned by foreign investors.

The combined revenues of these three industry leaders make up almost half of the $24.5 billion U.S. contract security industry, gaining 5% over the 2015 year; these are the ones shaping the future of the industry.

Allied Universal Security Services 2016 revenue $5.3B, 22% market share
SECURITAS 2016 revenue $4.2B, 17% market share - includes North America
G4S 2016 revenue $2.4B, 10% market share - includes North America
                   Total $11.9B, 49% remaining market
Remaining Market    $12.6B, 51%
Total Market          $24.5B, 100% of market

Here is an overview of the direction of these three industry leaders:

- Aggressively pursuing an expanded menu of services - most recently to include cyber security, drones and robotics.
- Systems Integration and Integrated Guarding Revenues are increasing over 30% per year.
- Expected to move toward a customer "fixed rate" pricing model - a model already being used by several large security companies operating in Europe.
- That aligns with value added services, and away from the low margin, highly commoditized traditional guarding model based on "man-hours provided". roberthperry.com

There Will Be More Retail Stores Opening Than Closing In 2017
A report by IHL Group answers the question. The kind of store that's opening now is different.

The fashion-related vacancies you're seeing are dominating the list of store closures. You could blame technology for that, but that wouldn't be entirely fair. It's more fair to say that technology accelerated the decline of retailers who have not been in touch with what their consumers wanted as much as their competitors. Technology helps consumers see more of what's available and that makes the comparison between brands so much more stark and apparent.

What's Opening Now

Click image to enlarge

One of the things you'll see on the chart above is that the list of stores opening this year is dominated by discount and convenience stores.

The data highlight changing lifestyles and tastes. Fashion is less important in physical retail stores. It's being shopped for more and more online and it's becoming less of a focus for younger consumers who are more willing to spend money on experiences than on fashion products.

The discounters and convenience store openings are opening in a big way and the fashion retailers are closing almost as fast.

The reason why you see so many vacancies even though more stores are opening than closing is that the footprint and locations of the stores being closed aren't suitable for the stores being opened. The old stores' formats can't be transformed and their locations don't work for the new stores that are opening.

Consumers want low price and convenience but they also want newness, they're tired of many long-established brands.

One of the most important things about these changes is that they are happening faster than ever before. There's lots of reasons for that and plenty to debate about it but there's no way to avoid the constant adaptation that's now required.

Organizations now need to be able to process new ideas at a rate that's faster and more efficient than ever before. If you're a legacy retailer of any kind, it's hard to change quickly enough and that creates an opening for more nimble competitors. It's not enough just to have something new, it has to keep evolving. That's a challenge both for younger companies as well as the established players and it will be for the foreseeable future. forbes.com

December - January Worst Months for Layoffs For All Industries in U.S.
Companies preparing for layoffs should know the new risks and costs of separation events, specifically on consumer brand and employer reputation: New data published by recruiting and outlpacement solution provider CareerArc after surveying 1,160 respondents:

66 percent of Employees Share Negative Reviews of Employers Who Let Them Go
That percentage nearly double in two years (only 38 percent in 2015). The use of social media and employer review sites to share negative opinions also doubled.

Biggest Threat: Millennials Are Even More Jaded By, and More Vocal About, Being Let Go
Millennials are 22 percent more likely than baby boomers to develop a negative perception of the employers who laid them off, are 2.5x more likely than Gen-Xers to share those views on social media.

What's the Cost?: Poor Employer Brands Lose Out Job Candidates (Especially Female Candidates) & Repeat Customers: Only 1 in 5 candidates would apply to 1-star rated company. Female job seekers are 33 percent less likely to apply to a poorly rated company. 64 percent of consumers have stopped buying from brands tarnished by news about poor employee treatment.

Time Doesn't Heal All Wounds: Adults laid off during the Great Recession were 65 percent more likely to still harbor a negative perception of that employer today, nearly a decade later.

With this December marking the 10 yr Anniversary of the Great Recession, it's a important moment to investigate how layoffs are being managed and communicated in the age when millennials (who surpassed Gen X in 2015) now make up the majority of the workforce and are on pace to comprise of 75 percent of the working population by 2020. How can companies prepare for the millennial-majority talent market primed to influence, and be influenced by, peer-written reviews? thehrdirector.com

Bill would prohibit bulletproof glass at Philadelphia stores
The city's Public Health and Human Services Committee passed a bill last Monday enabling Philadelphia's Department of Licenses and Inspections to regulate the bullet-resistant barricades stand between customers and cash registers in many neighborhood corner stores - but the potential ban has triggered a backlash from shopkeepers.

"No establishment required to obtain a Large Establishment license ... shall erect or maintain a physical barrier that requires the persons serving the food either to open a window or other aperture or to pass the food through a window or other aperture, in order to hand the food to a customer inside the establishment," the bill states. It also calls for larger establishments to have bathrooms for customers.

Several of the hundreds of deli owners and numerous shopkeepers are among those protesting the bill. "If the glass comes down, the crime rate will rise and there will be lots of dead bodies," Rich Kim, the owner of Broad Deli, said. "The most important thing is safety and the public's safety."

The bill, put forward by Councilwoman Cindy Bass, focuses on "stop-and-go" convenience stores that act more like bars than the restaurants they are licensed to be, selling beer and shots of liquor over the counter and attracting crowds that end up becoming public nuisances.

Bass said the bulletproof glass and partitions at some of these businesses are a concern of the city's health department -- if a customer is choking or having an allergic reaction, a barrier should not stand in the way of safety. foxnews.com

American Express is getting rid of signatures for credit card purchases
American Express has announced that it will no longer require signatures for credit card purchases beginning in April 2018, joining Discover and Mastercard, which have also announced similar changes.

According to Jaromir Divilek, an executive VP at American Express, the company is making the change because its "fraud capabilities have advanced so that signatures are no longer necessary to fight fraud." The company also cites advances in contactless payments, the explosion of popularity in online shopping, and the buzzword-citing use of "advanced machine learning algorithms" to help prevent fraud more efficiently than comparing a signature. theverge.com

WEBINAR: The Opioid Epidemic and the Role of Enterprise Security
Thursday, Dec. 14 @ 2 PM ET
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the annual financial cost for opioid misuse in the United States is $78.5 billion and growing. On average, 33,000 Americans die each year from opioid overdose. What do enterprise security executives in all sectors need to know about the opioid epidemic and crisis?

Jim Sawyer, CHS-Diplomate, CPP, CHPA, Security Director for Seattle Children's Hospital, will discuss why security executives need to understand the opioid epidemic, how it can impact an enterprise, and how they can assist employees who are impacted by it.  Register here

Charming Charlie files for bankruptcy, closing 100 stores

Europe's largest property group to buy mall owner Westfield for $16 billion

General Growth Properties rejects Brookfield Property's $14.8 billion buyout offer

Amazon Slows Hiring In Seattle To Prepare For Second HQ

Retail Jobs Jumped Nearly 13,000 in November

Former NBA athlete pleads guilty in charity fraud case
involving eBay

Former NBA player Kermit Washington has pleaded guilty to spending thousands of dollars donated to an African charity he organized on jewelry, vacations and other personal items.

The investigation into Washington arose from an earlier Kansas City-based federal investigation into pirated software that involved Davachi and several other people and became one of the largest software piracy schemes ever prosecuted by the U.S. Department of Justice. The defendants in that case were accused of paying Washington to allow them to sell items through Project Contact Africa's website, saving them money in fees that would have been owed to PayPal and eBay if the items were not sold through a charity. The waived fees cost eBay/PayPal about $908,000. Davachi pleaded guilty in October 2015 to his role in the scheme. Read more here.

For further information on PROACT, email inquiries to PROACT@eBay.com.

STANLEY Video Alarm Verification

A Smart Solution for
Small and Medium Businesses

Legal Warnings Coming From Lawyer Panel This Week
Why Companies Should Prepare for More Data Breach Lawsuits
Feds Aggressive to Levy Larger Fines
The cost of a data breach can vary widely depending on the incident, but firms that suffer a breach should be prepared for legal expenses to sharply rise in 2018.

The increase is being driven by two factors, according to a panel of lawyers at the ALM cyberSecure conference in New York on Monday: Courts are making it easier for victims to sue companies that suffer a data breach, and regulators are probing these firms more aggressively with the aim of levying large fines.

Travis LeBlanc, a partner at Boies Schiller Flexner LLP who previously led the Federal Communications Commission's Enforcement Bureau, said it has historically been difficult for consumers to sue a breached company because it's challenging to show they suffered financial harm or that any injuries were connected to a specific incident.

But U.S. federal judges have seemed to change course in the past year, allowing several cases to proceed following companies' motions to dismiss.

"Breaches are getting more frequent and larger, and there's a need to have more accountability and for the judicial process to ensure there's accountability," said Mr. LeBlanc. "We'll see more plaintiffs prevail on standing in 2018, and companies that find themselves on the litigation end of a breach should anticipate increased litigation expenses." wsj.com

Extortion vs. Rasomware - Its Simpler & Quicker
Multifactor Authentication
An indictment unsealed Tuesday by federal prosecutors in the U.S. Southern District of New York, as well as an unrelated disclosure made by Uber Technologies Inc. that it had paid hackers to conceal a data breach, shed light on a slightly different cyberrisk: extortion that relies on simple techniques instead of sophisticated ransomware tools.

The charges unsealed Tuesday, which were leveled against an Iranian man who allegedly hacked on behalf of the Iranian military in the past, concern an attack on HBO that began in May. The attacker was able to compromise multiple employee accounts and, over the course of several months, used them to steal unaired television episodes, scripts and plot summaries, confidential cast and crew lists, emails, financial documents, and credentials for social media accounts, the indictment said.

The incident is a reminder that cybercriminals don't need to launch a WannaCry-like attack to steal sensitive information and hold it for ransom. Often, they can use relatively simple phishing attacks, or target high-ranking employees on social media to break into an organization.

But to prevent the kind of extortion perpetrated against HBO and Uber, a company would need to take a number of steps that would limit access to valuable information and make it harder for criminals to steal it. - Require strong identity management to access any account containing sensitive data

"Having multifactor authentication for anyone who had remote access would have stopped the HBO attack almost immediately."

"Privileged accounts should be owned by as few people as possible," said Ms. Zbarsky. "If one gets infected, it can damage the whole organization." wsj.com

NEW Point-of-Sale Magazine Issue : Security at the Point-of-Sale
The Point-of-Sale News Online Magazine: December 2017: Security
This issue offers over 20 exclusive articles from industry leaders and discusses topics like POS system vulnerabilities, fraud prevention, data security, EMV, SSL, payment security, hacking and more for retailers and restaurateurs.

PointofSale.com, a website and online magazine for the POS industry, has released the December '17 Issue of the Point of Sale Magazine.

Don't miss out on the opportunity to stay-up-to date on the latest from top POS experts. The issue of Pointofsale Magazine is a must read! Read now pointofsale.com

Enterprise USB security is outdated and inadequate
While USB drives are ubiquitous for employees across all industries, security policies for these devices are often severely outdated or grossly inadequate for protecting critical enterprise data, according to Apricorn.

By failing to effectively monitor USB usage, organizations are leaving themselves vulnerable to data breaches, as well as putting their clients' and employees' personal information at risk.

While nine out of 10 employees rely on USB devices today, only 20 percent of them are utilizing encryption on those devices. Eight out of 10 employees use non-encrypted USBs, such as those received for free at conferences, trade events or business meetings. helpnetsecurity.com

1.4 billion unencrypted credentials found in interactive database on the dark web
A data dump containing over 1.4 billion email addresses and clear text credentials is offered for download in an underground community forum.

What's so special about this data dump?

For one, it's the largest one to date. "This dump aggregates 252 previous breaches, including known credential lists such as Anti Public and Exploit.in, decrypted passwords of known breaches like LinkedIn as well as smaller breaches like Bitcoin and Pastebin sites," 4iQ founder and CTO Julio Casal.

Secondly, the dump has been pretty regularly updated. Thirdly, none of the passwords are encrypted and some of them still work. Also, 14% of exposed username/passwords pairs had not previously been decrypted by the hacker community.

Finally, the dump is interactive: it includes search tools, and scripts that can be used to import new data in the database (how to do it is explained in a README file).

This is not the first data dump of this kind, and it won't be the last. Its author (compiler) is unknown, but he (or she) is accepting donations in Bitcoin and Dogecoin instead of outright selling it. helpnetsecurity.com

A cybersecurity researcher forecasts the state of IoT in 2018
Insecure IET devices could enable a major breach in 2018

Two Tips for Quicker Google Search

Site-specific search is one of my favorites. To find information on a specific site, simply add "site:url" after your search term. For example, by looking up "active shooter site:d-ddaily.net" Google would only return results for active shooter on d-ddaily.net.

My next favorite search shortcut is to search for a file. Let's say you wanted to find PDF files about shoplifting. Typing in "shoplifter filetype:pdf" will return PDFs (not regular web pages) with "shoplifting" in the title. You can also try "shoplifting filetype:docx" to do the same for Word documents.

This works for publicly available documents only and can be very useful in doing research.

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

The Fraudsters Have Followed Retail Online
Merchants need an integrated, comprehensive fraud prevention program, not a one-hit-wonder. This means avoiding standalone or ad hoc tools that open up vulnerabilities in certain areas, or create isolated silos of data that restrict the ability to respond to fraud attacks effectively. Fraudsters have innovated as fast (and in some cases much faster) than commerce has. What separates business and retail innovators from fraud "innovators" is that you, the merchant, are bound by the rules, and the bad guys are not.

There is good news though. Fraud management tools are becoming more dynamic. From behavioral biometrics and persona linking-the "good guys" can now be empowered with the capability to distinguish between real and fraudulent shoppers. Furthermore, machine learning- by analyzing hundreds of millions of transactions, at a rate impossible for humans to accomplish, to determine between risky behavior and legitimate transactions-helps to target organized criminal groups attempting to conceal (their identities) while they steal (your money). For these reasons, the E-commerce sector must continue to innovate and use big data, machine learning and "Real Intelligence" to its advantage to get ahead of the fraudsters using the Dark Web to theirs.

Some may tout the ABC's but we think it's more important to Always Be Learning, because a boost in sales should be the natural accompaniment to an integrated, comprehensive fraud prevention program. To learn more about the perfect storm of fraud and dynamic tools for addressing it, read Kount and Meractor Advisory Group's new whitepaper "Fraud Detection 2.0: Dynamic Tools For Fighting E-Commerce Fraud." paymentsjournal.com

Christmas Shoppers Beware:
U.S. Law Can't Protect You From Dangerous Counterfeits On Amazon and eBay
As Chinese e-commerce sites like Taobao cracked down on counterfeiters - removing 380 million items and 180,000 merchants - Amazon, eBay, and Walmart opened their doors and invited them right in, degenerating their own marketplaces into cesspools of counterfeit, fake, potentially hazardous, and otherwise unregulated products. According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, China is the source of 86% of the world's counterfeits. According to Marketplace Pulse, Chinese sellers now make up 25% of Amazon's U.S. marketplace. There is a direct correlation here.

If engaging in cross-border e-commerce, copyright, trademark, and consumer safety laws no longer apply - the offenders of the crimes are outside the legal jurisdiction of U.S. courts and Amazon and eBay cannot yet be held accountable.

On top of that, e-commerce sites like Amazon, eBay, and Walmart lack effecting vetting system for new sellers, U.S. customs is unable to properly screen parcels coming in from abroad, and the American legal system is embarrassingly inept at protecting its citizens from foreign criminals shipping in illegal items. In this climate, counterfeit and dangerous products flow freely over U.S. borders and into the homes of U.S. citizens, and nobody with any power seems willing or able to do anything about it. forbes.com

Top 5 Department Stores Ranked by Website Visits
Which department stores are seeing the highest global monthly traffic? Here's the data from the eMarketer Retail & Ecommerce Database.

1) Macy's - 58.8 million
2) Nordstrom - 53.0 million
3) Kohl's - 40.1 million
4) Sears Holdings - 36.4 million
5) JC Penney - 33.4 million emarketer.com



Infographic: Analysis of Amazon's growing warehouse capacity in the U.S.



Adobe: Holiday season ringing up $1 billion online daily

LuLaRoe Faces Class Action Lawsuit Over Sales Tax Charges

Kount Live Webinar - The Future of CNP Fraud: 2018 Strategies
Wednesday, December 13 - 10:00 am PST / 1:00 pm EST

Costa Mesa, CA: $375,000 in watches stolen in Smash-and-Grab Burglary
About 3,000 watches valued at $375,000 were stolen late Sunday from a watch warehouse in Costa Mesa, police said. Several people wearing masks used a white van to smash through the door of Vestal Watches on W. 17th St. at about 11 p.m., said Police. The burglars grabbed the watches and fled in the van. Detectives are reviewing surveillance video from the business. latimes.com

Lexington, KY: Police go after shoplifters: 28 arrested; $12,000 in stolen property recovered
A three-day shoplifting blitz by the Lexington Police Department at stores in the Nicholasville Road area led to 28 arrests and 14 citations, police said. Detectives from Lexington police, the Nicholasville Police Department and members of the Kentucky Organized Retail Crime Association worked undercover with retail loss prevention to target shoplifters from Dec. 5 to 7, according to police. They focused on thieves at stores at Fayette Mall, Brannon Crossing and Kohl's Drive, they said. Thirty of the charges were shoplifting related, four involving burglary, four were drug related and six of the charges were financial crime related. kentucky.com


Saginaw Twp, MI: 35 arrested in Shoplifting Sting
The Saginaw Township Police Department's Crime Prevention Unit organized an effort to stop shoplifters at local businesses, which resulted in 35 arrests. The Shoplifting Blitz took place from Dec. 7 to Dec. 8. The operation included the support of Saginaw County Sheriff Department, Michigan State Police, and Carrolton Township Police Department as well as loss prevention officers from nearly two dozen stores. wnem.com





Fox Crossing, WI: Verizon Store Manager charged with $40,000 theft
A store manager at a Fox Crossing mobile phone store is facing charges after allegedly staging a burglary to cover up the theft of store property. It happened on September 1, at a Verizon store on American Drive. Officers said an employee opening the store found the rear door ajar. Money and electronics valued at $40,000 were missing. nbc26.com




Columbus, OH: Reynoldsburg and Whitehall Police collaborate with local stores in Retail Theft Blitz
More than 20 officers and support staff from both departments conducted a retail-theft blitz from 2 to 10 p.m. Dec. 2 at three Whitehall locations: Great Eastern Shopping Center, Town and Country Shopping Center, and Walmart. While focused on shoplifting within retail stores, the blitz also included surveillance for the theft of property from parked vehicles and any other suspicious activity. thisweeknews.com


Northern Ireland: Crime Gang of eastern Europeans behind alcohol and razor blade theft
A gang of highly-trained former army personnel from eastern Europe are suspected of being behind a spate of high-tech robberies in Donegal. The Garda believes the gang is based in Northern Ireland and is coming across the border, carrying out the raids and then skipping back.

The thieves struck again for the ninth time yesterday in the early hours of the morning. The same group is believed to be behind the robberies of a number of premises across Donegal including a jewellery store, a post office, two supermarkets and three service stations. belfasttelegraph.co.uk

El Paso, TX: Man purchases $700 in merchandise from Walmart, loads into his car - Goes back in and attempts to steal the exact same items

Lower Paxton, PA: Police seek 2 Female suspect in Sears theft

Shootings & Deaths

Seattle, WA: Forever 21 Armed Robbery suspect shot and killed by Police
One man is dead and a woman is in custody following an officer-involved shooting in North Seattle late Monday night. The incident began shortly after 10 p.m. when the couple robbed a Forever 21 store at the Northgate Mall, according to spokesperson Detective Mark Jamieson. The woman was taken into custody at a store along Holman Road. The man was spotted near the store and immediately fled the scene in a car at high speeds. Seattle police pursued the man, during the pursuit, the man fired shots at the direction of police. The pursuit ended when the man crashed his car at the park. Police officers fired shots, striking the man. king5.com

Emeryville, CA: Target Parking Lot Shooting Victim Dies
A 19-year-old Richmond man gravely wounded in a shooting last week in the crowded Emeryville parking lot of a Target store has died of his wounds, authorities announced Monday. Emeryville police said 19-year-old Eondre Bolton passed away at a local hospital on Sunday. Bolden was one of two people wounded in the Dec. 4th shooting. Detective have identified the man shooter as 22-year-old Cameron Smith from Oakland. cbslocal.com

Oak Creek, WI: Four in custody after gunshots fired near Meijer
Oak Creek police said four people are in custody after a theft and gunfire at the Meijer grocery store near Howell and Drexel. Officers were at the Meijer after a report of a theft. The suspect saw officers as they left the store, and ran away but was captured and arrested. As they were arresting the theft suspect, authorities heard gunshots in the parking lot. The shooting suspect was reportedly firing from the parking lot. Police took that suspect into custody, as well as two others wanted for questioning. wtmj.com

Oak Park, IL: 7-Eleven Employee shoots 1 of 3 Armed Robbery Suspects

Robberies & Thefts

Tulsa, OK: Target Armed Robbery, Stabbing suspect Arrested
A suspect in an armed robbery with a dangerous weapon at a Target store is in jail. Rachel Sheppard, 33, was arrested Monday night. She is accused of snatching a woman's purse and stabbing her in the arm with a knife during a robbery in the parking lot at Target. Sheppard used a knife to threaten the victim who was loading groceries into her car when she was robbed. krmg.com


Florissant, MO: Armed Robbery at Kay Jewelers
Monday night, a male suspect entered the store around 8:40 p.m., displayed a gun and then left with an undetermined amount of merchandise. kmov.com

Oklahoma City, OK: More Than 2 Dozen Guns Stolen From OKC Cabela's Store

Washington, DC: Third phone store robbery in 11 days; similar technique in all

Decatur, IL: Kroger employee busted for $1,300 cash theft

Swift's Fine Jewelry in Knightdale, NC reported a Armed Robbery on 12/8, undisclosed loss

Fred Meyer in Portland, OR reported a Grab & Run on 12/11, item valued at $4,395

Kay Jewelers in the King of Prussia Mall reported a Distraction Theft on 12/10, item valued at $17,399

Peoples Jewellers in the Southridge Mall, Subury, ON, CA reported a Smash & Grab on 12/11, item valued at $559

Sentencings & Arrests

Corunna, MI: Man gets Life for shooting deaths outside Walmart
One of two men convicted of murder in the January shooting deaths of two men outside a mid-Michigan Walmart store has been sentenced to life in prison without parole. Otis Smith Jr. of Grand Rapids earlier was convicted in the deaths of Joseph Michael Carson and Anthony Lee Hammond. Their bodies were found in a car at the store's parking lot in Caledonia Township. Smith learned his punishment last week. Co-defendant Anthony Holloway is awaiting sentencing Friday. detroitnews.com

Chicago, IL: Suspect in Train Yard Gun Theft pleads Guilty
The sole suspect in a 2015 theft of guns off a Chicago train who chose to go to trial has changed his mind and pleaded guilty just as jury selection was to start. A federal judge was to begin the trial Monday but accepted Dandre Moody's guilty pleas. Moody and seven others were arrested for stealing some 100 new guns from a Norfolk Southern yard. foxnews.com

Fargo, ND: Man sentenced for Robbing C-Store with a Stick; sentenced to 18 months

Corunna, MI: Man convicted to life sentence in Walmart parking lot double murder

Mays Landing, NJ: Man guilty in fatal shooting of store manager at outlet mall

Bomb Threat

Mooresville, NC: Walmart evacuated after bomb threat

Counterfeit

Wentzville, MO: Man charged with Felony Counterfeiting; $25,000 of Sport merchandise seized

Credit Card Fraud

Franklin, TN: Suspect wanted using stolen Credit Cards at CoolSprings Galleria; charged $5,000

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'Tis the Season for Annual Reviews: Here's How to Make Them Better
 

14 Steps to a Better Performance Review
A lot of people have mixed thoughts on performance reviews. If you're getting ready to give your employees their annual review, use these tips to make it less stressful and beneficial for everyone involved. Compare notes

Everyone Hates Performance Reviews. Here's How to Rebrand Them
Performance reviews don't have to be seen as a necessary evil. When rebranded in the right way using these tips, annual reviews can be successful and helpful. Survey your team

Millennials Are Inspiring a New Approach to Performance Reviews
Continuous feedback is growing in favor more than annual reviews, especially among millennials. If you're looking to make continuous feedback a practice, here's what you need to do. Add value to yearly reviews

7 Things Every Employee Should Hear During Their Next Review
Employee reviews aren't just a way to check in with your team on their performance, they are opportunities to impact business and success. Here's what should be communicated during reviews. No surprises

Self-reflection is something many avoid or refuse to allow it to creep up and point to exactly what you need to look at. Hidden behind rationalizations, self reflection in actuality can be an eye opening experience. Popping up when you least expect it but most notably late at night when you're staring at the ceiling with no other outside interferences lending you license to deny it. Self-reflection is the one person you should make it a point to face. It just might make a difference tomorrow.

Just a Thought,
Gus

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