OpenEye Announces Powerful Active Deterrence Solutions

OpenEye, a global leader in video surveillance and cloud-managed security solutions, is excited to announce our new active deterrence solutions, available on supported OpenEye cameras through OpenEye Web Services (OWS).

OWS’ active deterrence solutions help strengthen security by discouraging unwanted behavior before it escalates. OpenEye cameras equipped with white light LEDs can automatically activate in response to configured alerts, drawing attention to suspicious activity as it occurs to help de-escalate critical incidents and reduce the number of overall threats.

With active deterrence solutions in place, businesses can trust that their locations are secured around the clock with advanced, intelligent surveillance.

Strengthen Security and Minimize Risk Through Active Deterrence

OpenEye active deterrent cameras help businesses strengthen security and minimize risk with a range of powerful features and benefits.

These cameras discourage suspicious or unwanted behavior with automatic white light activation triggered by alert conditions in OWS, including motion detection or other analytic events, as well as sensor-based events. Deterrence behavior can be further customized with strobe or solid light modes and adjustable activation duration, providing greater flexibility in how your organization uses these devices. When used in conjunction with multi-region alerts, active deterrence serves as the first line of defense, creating a layered security approach that ensures events are only escalated when necessary. By visually deterring threats before they cross onto your property, it helps reduce false alarms and limits notifications to monitoring personnel only when issues persist, minimizing unnecessary calls to central stations or law enforcement and improving overall response accuracy.

By pairing active deterrence solutions with other features in OWS, such as Location Arming, businesses can design a security system that works for them with minimal intervention needed. Location Arming will ensure active deterrence is only triggered when the location is armed, helping strengthen safety while avoiding disruptions during normal business operations.

Two-way audio supported cameras provide an additional deterrence solution, enabling team members or professional security staff to listen and talk down to individuals seen on camera remotely. Two-way audio allows immediate response to push alerts, which can be used to provide audible deterrence to would-be vandals.

Active deterrent cameras enhance visibility and awareness in monitored areas by drawing attention to activity as it occurs, reducing the risk of after-hours incidents, trespassing, or vandalism through visible, proactive response while reducing costs associated with false alarms.

Learn More About OpenEye’s Active Deterrent Cameras

Avert incidents before they happen with OpenEye’s active deterrent cameras, designed to help you fortify security and respond proactively during the situations that matter most.

If you’re interested in seeing how these solutions can help secure your organization, book an OpenEye demo today to learn more.
 

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Davina Stevens, Director of Asset Protection Analytics at 7-Eleven, Receives Operational Excellence Award

7-Eleven is proud to recognize Davina Stevens, Director of Asset Protection Analytics and recipient of the Operational Excellence Award, for her outstanding commitment to operational excellence.

Throughout her tenure, Davina has continuously demonstrated customer obsession – understanding who the customer is and supporting our teams with her extreme attention to detail in all that she does. Her superpower is anticipating needs and launching things forward before being asked, ensuring we stay ahead and deliver exceptional results. Davina consistently provides actionable insights that empower us to execute efficiently and serve our customers. She approaches every request with an It Can Be Done attitude, inspiring confidence and collaboration across the organization.

We are incredibly thankful for all that Davina does, and we’re thrilled to celebrate her achievements. Congratulations, Davina, on this well-deserved recognition!

Better Data & Coordination are Key to Fighting ORC
Lawmakers and industry leaders discuss ORC threat at House hearing

Ranking Member Raskin’s Opening Statement at Subcommittee Hearing on Organized Retail Crime
Today, Rep. Jamie Raskin, Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee, delivered opening remarks at the Subcommittee on Crime and Federal Government Surveillance hearing on protecting consumers and businesses from organized retail crime.

Below are Ranking Member Raskin’s remarks, as prepared for delivery, at today’s hearing.

In recent years, retailers have emphasized that organized retail crime has grown to become a significant threat both to public safety and to the retail economy—threatening the viability of businesses like cargo brokers, shippers, big box stores, and online marketplaces, as well as the safety of the people who work at these businesses.

Although we lack a clear definition of “organized retail crime,” we know what the essential problem is: criminal enterprises that operate in a coordinated manner to commit large-scale theft of merchandise for resale, or to defraud retailers and convert the proceeds into cash or cryptocurrency.

State and local law enforcement agencies are our first line of defense against organized retail crime—but state and local officials have limited resources and authorities to investigate and prosecute crimes that cross state lines and even international borders.

In recent years, federal agencies have taken some interest in tackling this problem. But federal prosecutors tend to focus their own limited resources on the largest, most brazen schemes, especially those involving theft of large amounts of cargo or thefts that amount to losses in the tens of thousands of dollars.

As this Committee grapples with the problem of organized retail crime, I see two fundamental challenges. First, we need better data. Because retailers, retail organizations, and law enforcement agencies all track organized retail crime using different definitions and different methods, we have a hard time canvassing the scope and dimensions of this problem or formulating an effective targeted response. 

If we are going to tackle this problem, we need standardized national data that utilizes a consistent, widely accepted definition of “organized retail crime.” We cannot dismantle these criminal networks until we have a precise understanding of how they operate and how much damage they really cause.

Second, we need to see better coordination between federal law enforcement agencies and state and local counterparts. A national task force could be instrumental in finding the broader patterns in local incidents and conducting complex investigations across state lines. democrats-judiciary.house.gov  c-span.org

   Click here to watch the full hearing


Industry Pushes D.C. to Take Action
NACS Urges Action on Retail Crime Ahead of House Judiciary Hearing

NACS’s letter underscores the real-world impacts of crime on convenience retailers and the communities they serve.

NACS today sent a letter to lawmakers on the House Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Crime and Federal Government Surveillance ahead of its hearing, “Protecting Consumers and Businesses: Confronting Organized Retail Crime.”

In the letter to Subcommittee Chairman Andy Biggs (R-AZ) and Ranking Member Lucy McBath (D-GA), NACS thanked the Subcommittee for convening the hearing and highlighted the growing impact of organized retail crime and escalating violence on convenience and fuel retailers across the country.

While organized retail crime affects retailers of all sizes, NACS noted that crime at convenience and fuel retail locations often looks different than traditional ORC cases, ranging from sophisticated fuel theft rings to persistent crimes occurring on or near store properties.

Rising crime has forced many retailers to divert significant resources to security measures, and in some cases, has made continued operation in high-crime areas unsustainable. Store closures result in lost jobs, reduced tax revenue and diminished access to essential goods.

The letter also pointed to frustration with the lack of enforcement of existing laws related to public camping, vandalism, drug use and other public nuisances, which contribute to unsafe conditions around stores. NACS highlighted Arizona’s Proposition 312 as an example of an accountability-focused approach that has already prompted action by municipalities to address encampments and enforce existing laws.

NACS urged the Subcommittee to consider similar accountability concepts at the federal level and reiterated strong support for the Combatting Organized Retail Crime Act (CORCA), which would strengthen coordination among federal, state and local law enforcement and help disrupt organized theft rings before they escalate into violence. convenience.org


Retailer Rolls Out Gift Card Security Tech
Schnuck Markets prevents gift card fraud in 10-store pilot
Schnuck Markets Inc. successfully streamlined in-store gift card security during a technology test in the St. Louis market.

The regional grocery chain deployed the new Digimarc Corp. end-to-end gift card security solution in 10 Schnucks stores in the St. Louis area for a 10-week period, with 100% of Digimarc-protected gift cards activated successfully and no reported fraud on any cards secured by Digimarc.

“We are confident the watermarked gift cards developed by the Digimarc team will significantly mitigate the persistent gift card fraud prevalent within the retail sector,” said Dianna Kaiser, Schnucks store auditor and compliance officer. “From the initial planning and discovery phases through the completion of the pilot program, the Digimarc team consistently prioritized and addressed our concerns while maintaining a seamless experience for both our customers and our checkers.”

Specific store-level results of the pilot included:

• Almost nine-in-10 (87%) cashiers in pilot stores said cards protected by the Digimarc solution activated as fast or faster than traditional gift cards, resulting in faster checkout.

• Cashiers said they no longer needed to open complex packaging or examine gift cards for fraud, which further streamlined checkout.

• No training was needed for customers at self-service checkout.

• There was no impact to any other workflows or processes in stores or the supply chain.

Digimarc partnered with Schnucks, Blackhawk Network, Westrock, STL Labels, Zebra Technologies, and four major gift card brands to implement its new gift card security solution, which involves replacing gift card activation barcodes with Digimarc’s tamper-evident solution, at select Schnucks stores.

If the scanner detected any evidence of tampering, the gift card wouldn't activate, stopping fraud before it reached customers. Scanned cards with untampered watermarks activating instantly.

"Working with Zebra Technologies, we configured Schnucks' in-store scanners to automatically detect if cards showed any evidence of tampering to the Digimarc on-card watermark activation layer, eliminating the need for cashiers to open and inspect cards," said Ken Sickles, Digimarc chief product officer. chainstoreage.com

 
'Imperfect Justice System' Letting Repeat Theft Offenders Off the Hook
He was indicted on 58 counts of theft and burglary. Then he was released on a $25 bond deposit
A man accused of repeatedly stealing from Plaid Pantry stores in Portland was indicted by a grand jury on 58 counts — then released from jail just one day later, only to allegedly reoffend almost immediately. The case has frustrated the retailer, worried store clerks, and exposed what the Multnomah County district attorney calls a strained and imperfect justice system.

On Nov. 11, police arrested Jones on an outstanding warrant. He was booked into Multnomah County jail. Court records show that on Nov. 24, a grand jury indicted him on 58 counts of theft and burglary.

But just one day after the indictment, Jones was released after paying a $25 bond deposit. According to Plaid Pantry, Jones was back inside its stores within days. The company said he reoffended three more times after his release.

Multnomah County District Attorney Nathan Vasquez said the release should not have happened. Vasquez said the case highlights broader problems within the county’s justice system, including a shortage of public defenders and a district attorney’s office stretched thin by limited staffing and resources.

“If we had more attorneys, I think we’d have more opportunities to avoid situations like this,” Vasquez said.

For Plaid Pantry’s CEO, the case has become a symbol of what he sees as a broken system — one that leaves repeat offenders on the street while victims absorb the consequences. “It’s a catch and release system,” said Polonsky. “It’s got to stop.”  kgw.com


DC to name interim police chief amid crime data controversy

Thousands of guns are found at crime scenes. What do they tell us?