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 3/31/26

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Chad Tucker named Multi-Store Investigator - Organized Retail Crime
for Macy's


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Tomorrow, The D&D Daily will release its annual exclusive 2025 Retail Violent Fatalities Report.

After 2024’s decline in retail fatalities following the post-COVID surge, tomorrow’s report will reveal whether that trend continued or if fatalities are once again moving higher.

The report includes year-over-year trend analysis, store-type breakdowns, location insights, and the most targeted cities and states.

Make sure you’re subscribed to the D&D Daily to have the report sent directly to your inbox.
 



The U.S. Crime Surge
The Retail Impact


Warm Weather Theft Risks Rise
Warmer Weather May Bring New Organized Retail Theft Risks


By the D&D Daily staff

As temperatures begin to rise across many parts of the country, retailers may be preparing for more than just seasonal merchandising changes and increased customer traffic. The transition into spring and summer can also create conditions that elevate organized retail theft risk.

Historically, warmer weather months have often been associated with increases in certain property crimes, including shoplifting and coordinated theft activity. While organized retail crime remains a year-round concern, several seasonal factors can make stores more vulnerable during this period.

Higher foot traffic is one of the most immediate drivers. As weather improves, shopping centers, lifestyle centers, and high-traffic urban corridors typically see increased customer volume, making it easier for organized theft groups to blend into crowds and operate with less visibility. Tourist traffic and holiday weekends can further contribute to these conditions.

Retailers also often introduce seasonal merchandise displays, sidewalk presentations, and promotional setups that place high-demand products closer to entrances and exits. These merchandising strategies can improve sales but may also create easier grab-and-go opportunities for coordinated theft teams targeting apparel, beauty, electronics, and home goods.

In addition, spring and summer frequently bring staffing transitions, including seasonal hiring and schedule adjustments. Newer associates may require additional loss prevention training to recognize distraction tactics, booster-fence activity, and coordinated multi-person theft events commonly associated with organized retail crime.

Industry observers also note that organized groups often adapt quickly to seasonal trends, targeting items with strong resale demand such as summer apparel, outdoor products, OTC medications, and health and beauty goods.

For retailers, the shift into warmer months may be an appropriate time to reassess floor coverage, camera placement, high-risk merchandise positioning, and store communication protocols as part of broader shrink mitigation efforts.


Nationwide Drop in Violent & Property Crimes
New federal data reinforces nationwide drop in crime since pandemic peak
Crime in the United States continued to fall in 2024, according to two new federal reports from the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics, with declines in both violent and property offenses even as some states had higher-than-average crime rates.

Crime data often lags by months or even years at the national and subnational levels. Updated national data for 2025 is expected later this year from the FBI’s National Incident-Based Reporting System and the federal Bureau of Justice Statistics’ National Crime Victimization Survey, the two primary sources used in these reports.

Nationally, the rate of violent offenses reported to police declined 5.8%, from 393.9 per 100,000 people in 2023 to 370.8 in 2024, according to the first report, which examined data collected by law enforcement. Property offense rates fell 9%, from 2,019.7 to 1,835.1 per 100,000 people in 2024, according to the same report.

In 2024, 14 states had violent crime rates above the national average, led by New Mexico, followed by Tennessee, Arkansas, Louisiana and California, according to the report. Sixteen states also had property crime rates above the national average in 2024, with the highest rates in New Mexico, Colorado, Washington, Louisiana and Oregon.

Property offenses also decreased across multiple categories. Burglary and larceny-theft rates fell, and motor vehicle theft saw the largest drop, declining 18% from 2023 to 2024, according to the report.

Still, many crime data experts and researchers caution that there is no single explanation for the nationwide decline. Changes in policing strategies, criminal justice policies, economic conditions, technology and local violence prevention efforts may all play a role. stateline.org


Gun Exports Linked to Crime & Cartels?
Democratic lawmakers seek data on US gun exports linked to cartels, criminal violence
Two Democratic members of Congress are pressing the Commerce Department for detailed data on U.S. exports of semi-automatic weapons, citing concerns that ​legally exported American firearms are fueling criminal violence and arming cartels ‌across the Western Hemisphere.

The request covers semi-automatic rifles, pistols, shotguns and associated accessories, ​and asks the Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security to disclose the number of licenses approved, the countries receiving the exports, the types of purchasers cleared to receive them, and ​details of any monitoring conducted to prevent diversion into illegal markets.

The lawmakers cited data from ‌the ⁠Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives showing that legal U.S. firearm exports account for nearly 20% of crime gun traces in Central America and more than 37% globally outside of North America. reuters.com


From lobster to laptops, organized crime is targeting U.S. freight
Cargo theft costs the U.S. trucking industry a staggering $18 million every day.

District 27: Decline in crime based on latest OSBI, FBI data

Taxpayers Paid $28.6M Over 7 Years for Chicago’s Police Monitors to Enforce Consent Decree: Data
 



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Retail's Most Underused Data Source?
Why Retail Needs to Go Back to Video to Move From Insight to Action

Retail has never lacked data. What it has consistently lacked is clarity.

Many retailers are quietly rediscovering an asset they have had all along: video.

Video is Retail’s Most Underused Data Source

Retailers operate in one of the most instrumented physical environments in the world, yet still rely on abstract metrics and delayed reports to diagnose what went wrong. Video captures reality: what customers and associates actually did, how processes broke down, and where friction occurred. But without the ability to interpret it at scale, most of that value has remained locked away.

Going back to video is not nostalgia. It is a recognition that the richest, most objective data in retail has been hiding in plain sight.

Behavior is the Real Battleground

One of the most persistent myths in retail is that loss and inefficiency are primarily driven by bad actors. In practice, they are far more often driven by behavior under pressure.

Consider self-checkout. Associates are managing multiple lanes, handling customer questions and responding to alerts in real time. When systems flag a potential issue — such as a weight mismatch — what happens next is rarely malicious; it is human. Overrides are issued quickly to keep lines moving. Context is lost. Revenue quietly walks out the door.

Static rules struggle in environments where human behavior is dynamic and constantly adapting. Understanding behavior — not just transactions — is where video becomes indispensable.

From Loss Prevention to Loss Recovery

Historically, retailers have framed video and analytics through the lens of loss prevention. That framing is limiting.

Loss prevention focuses on identifying incidents. Loss recovery focuses on changing outcomes. It asks different questions: How early was the issue detected? Was intervention possible? Did the system help an associate respond effectively in the moment?

This distinction matters at the executive level. Loss is not simply an LP metric — it is a margin issue. Missed scans, process breakdowns and delayed interventions accumulate into material financial impact. Retailers that shift from post-incident reporting to real-time recovery are not just reducing shrink; they are protecting revenue and improving productivity. retailtouchpoints.com


5 Workplace Safety Themes Emerge
American Society of Safety Professionals Calls Out Safety Challenges for Profession

"It’s clear the time for passive observation has passed,” says Jennifer McNelly, CEO.

Five critical themes in workplace environmental health and safety (EHS) emerged from this year’s report:

Workforce stability in safety and health: Addressing chronic skill gaps and rapid onboarding pressures as primary drivers of safety risk.

Safety and health is a value, not a metric: Integrating safety into the very fabric of operational excellence and business strategy.

Technology augments humanity: Embracing artificial intelligence (AI), automation and implementation of technology through a lens of ethics, transparency and trust-based adoption.

Health is infrastructure: Treating overall worker well-being, including mental health and psychological safety, as foundational to a productive workplace.

Leadership is relational: Empowering hybrid professionals who lead through influence and trust rather than authority alone.  ehstoday.com


Economic Uncertainty Taking Its Toll
Consumer sentiment falls 6%, hit by declining stocks, higher gas prices
Consumer sentiment this month slumped 6% to the lowest level this year as turmoil from the Iran war pushed up gas prices and slammed share prices, the University of Michigan said Friday.

The short-run economic outlook among households plunged 14% and expectations for personal finances in a year sank 10%, the university said, reporting on a survey conducted from Feb. 17 until March 23.

Consumers with middle and higher incomes and stock wealth, buffeted by both escalating gas prices and volatile financial markets in the wake of the Iran conflict, exhibited particularly large drops in sentiment,” Joanne Hsu, director of the university’s surveys of consumers, said in a statement. retaildive.com


Electronic Shelf Labels Expand at Walmart
Walmart de Mexico to deploy electronic shelf labels at scale
Walmart de México y Centroamérica (Walmex) is expanding its rollout of electronic shelf labels following a successful implementation in the U.S.

Walmex is expanding its ongoing collaboration with store technology provider Vusion to launch the EdgeSense connected store platform across its Walmart Express stores and also begin installing the solution within its Supercenter fleet.

This initiative also builds on successful deployment of Vusion's connected store technologies across Walmart U.S. stores. chainstoreage.com


87-year-old retail grocery giant lays off 100s in store closings

Ulta doubled store fulfillment capabilities in 2025

Dollar General slashes 1,500 SKUs, boosts in-stocks
 



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Is AI The Top Retail Cybersecurity Threat?
Expert says AI is the top cybersecurity issue faced by retailers

Robust cyber hygiene is essential to protect devices, networks and critical systems

When cybersecurity expert Jeff Greene was asked at NRF’s recent Retail Law Summit what should be at the top of the checklist for in-house attorneys in charge of cyber compliance this year, his answer was clear.

“It’s AI,” he said without hesitation. “It’s the No. 1 issue that companies face.”

AI has fixed the poor grammar that was once the hallmark of a phishing email trying to trick the recipient into clicking on a malicious link, Green said. It has also led to “spear phishing,” which weaves in subjects like hobbies or favorite sports to make a phishing email look like it’s coming from someone the recipient knows. And it filters out people with the same name to be sure the message is reaching the right target.

On the other hand, the scale and speed that make it easy for AI to run a “brute force” attack to discover passwords also make it easy to use AI to block such attacks, he said. And with large companies facing more cyberattacks than any security center can handle, artificial intelligence is a “classic force multiplier” that can block millions of low-level attacks while identifying the handful of top-level incidents that need human attention.

Some things, however, stay the same.

The basics we had to do before AI are still the basics we have to do now,” Greene said, ranging from employee training to multifactor authentication to firewalls and more. “AI is going to make that easier, but you still need to be involved.”

Martz said retail companies don’t hold data on critical infrastructure that might be sought by large-scale, nation-state attackers like China or Russia, but that they do hold sensitive customer data, intellectual property and competitive data. Greene said that means it is still important for retailers to use robust “cyber hygiene” to protect “insecure edge” devices and technology such as cell phones, routers and firewalls, along with other steps.

Greene said he is supportive of employee training on cybersecurity whether AI is involved in threats or not. Despite some studies that say training is only 10% effective, “that’s still a fairly significant dent,” especially considering that training requires a “fairly limited” investment of time and money, he said.  nrf.com


Communication is Key
Why risk alone doesn’t get you to yes
Executive management sees the world through the lens of accountability. Management is accountable for maintaining revenue flow, regulatory compliance, operational stability, and long-term enterprise value. If we present the exposure without relating it to these issues; then we are communicating in a foreign language.

But tell a COO that a single unprotected endpoint can stop a manufacturing line from producing for two days, and suddenly you’re in a conversation about operational risk, not IT metrics. The underlying exposure hasn’t changed. What changed is the frame.

This is where a lot of us fall short. As soon as we sense hesitation, the instinct is to pile on more data. More dashboards, more metrics, more slides. It’s the security equivalent of talking louder when someone doesn’t even speak your language. More information doesn’t equal more clarity. Sometimes it buries the decision that needs to be made.

The security leaders who consistently get a “yes” from stakeholders aren’t working with better intelligence. They’re simply using different methods of communication. helpnetsecurity.com


Stryker restores most manufacturing after cyberattack
The medtech company has been working to restore manufacturing, ordering and shipping operations since it was hit by a cyberattack on March 11.

Breaking out: Can AI agents escape their sandboxes?

Newly observed malware campaign likely combines AI and ClickFix

 


 

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Retail's AI Shopping Push
Sephora launches app in ChatGPT

The AI-enhanced experience will give customers advice and help them discover products, according to Global Chief Digital Officer Anca Marola.

Sephora is launching its app in ChatGPT through a U.S. pilot, with the goal of expanding globally.

The AI-enhanced experience will give customers advice and help them discover products with curated recommendations, according to a Tuesday announcement.

Shoppers will soon be able to use their Sephora loyalty rewards and member benefits including free shipping promotions and samples through ChatGPT. Future updates will include enabling payments and checkout directly within the app.

The objective is to bring the beauty retailer’s experience where the customer is inside ChatGPT, Anca Marola, global chief digital officer at Sephora, told an audience at Shoptalk Spring.

The customer has never had this much opportunity and this much choice at his disposal,” Marola said. “So the stake for brands and retailers is — how do you remain that trusted beauty adviser for them, no matter the channel?”

ChatGPT users can ask beauty questions, then the app will recommend answers based on the user’s Sephora Beauty Insider profile if the user has elected to link their Beauty Insider account to the app.

“By blending our digital retailer expertise with new AI tools, we are creating new seamless and conversational experiences that are not only efficient but helpful for beauty consumers,” Nadine Graham, Sephora North America general manager of e-commerce, said in a statement. retaildive.com


Lowe's E-Commerce Overhaul?
How Timely Is the Planned Lowe’s Website Renovation Focusing on Personalization?
In remarks shared with Modern Retail’s Allison Smith, the centrality of a planned website renovation was made plain by the home improvement retailer. In short: The company’s website is due for a significant upgrade, one wholly aimed at improving the personalization aspect.

“The personalization will show up through modular content blocks on Lowe’s website that can be swapped, reordered or customized based on customer behavior,” Smith wrote.

“[Lowe’s SVP of digital commerce Joe] Cano said Lowe’s homepage is made up of different sections, or ‘modules,’ such as featured banners and product recommendation areas, that can either stay the same for everyone or change based on the shopper. Lowe’s started to introduce these personalized content modules to its website at the end of 2025. One module that has already been fully rolled out is a weather widget that recommends projects based on local conditions,” she added.

Cano noted that early testing had unearthed upticks in terms of both conversion and engagement, with the continued deployment of the modular interface ongoing. retailwire.com


Amazon opens same-day delivery facility in Western Pa.

E-commerce duties moratorium expires as WTO talks run out of time, officials say


 


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San Mateo, CA: Police arrest suspect in $1.287 Lululemon theft at Peninsula mall
A 21-year-old San Mateo man was arrested Wednesday after allegedly stealing more than $1,200 in merchandise from a Lululemon store at Hillsdale Mall, police said. Officers responded around 1:54 p.m. Wednesday to the store at 17 Hillsdale Mall for a reported theft in progress, police said. Police said the suspect, identified as Jamir Ortiz, allegedly concealed multiple items under his clothing and left the store. An arriving officer spotted Ortiz walking away from the business, detained him after he matched the suspect description, and recovered stolen merchandise valued at $1,287, according to police.  mercurynews.com


Rancho Cordova, CA: 3 arrested in Rancho Cordova after multi-city retail theft investigation
The suspects were last seen in a white rental van with Arizona license plates. RCPD and sheriff’s deputies located the van in a Rancho Cordova store parking lot. Officers detained a female exiting the vehicle and then contacted the driver and a male passenger, detaining all three pending further investigation. A records check revealed that one of the suspects was on searchable probation for prior theft convictions in Sacramento County. A search of the van uncovered numerous stolen items from department stores across the greater Sacramento area, including Rancho Cordova. Loss prevention personnel positively identified the suspects. All three were arrested and taken to the Sacramento County Main Jail for booking on multiple charges.  abc10.com


Ontario, Canada: Pair of arrests made in local organized retail theft investigation
Two men are facing charges following an investigation into a series of organized retail thefts across Ontario. South Simcoe Police say the incidents took place between November 2025 and February 2026 at multiple Home Depot locations, including stores in Newmarket, Bradford, Barrie, Orillia, and Markham. Investigators allege the suspects used a variety of methods to avoid paying full price for merchandise, including partial scanning items at self-checkout and making fraudulent returns. As a result, a 22-year-old man from Innisfil and a 22-year-old man from Thornhill have been charged with multiple counts of theft, fraud, and possession of property obtained by crime.  miltonnow.ca


Spring Hill, TN: Police arrest 2 Florida men, part of retail crime organization

Cleveland, OH: Vacuum Cleaner Thief Caught on Camera at Mayfield Heights Target; $700

 



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Shootings & Deaths


San Antonio, TX: Deadly crash follows San Antonio triple shooting — what we know
The San Antonio Police Department (SAPD) is investigating after three people were shot outside of a Southside Walgreens on Sunday, March 29, according to a preliminary report. Officers responded to a reported "shooting in progress" outside the store, located at 138 Southwest Military Drive, at 9:29 p.m., police tell MySA. The shop is open 24 hours, seven days a week. Upon arrival, an SAPD park officer discovered that three men had crashed into a business and began rendering aid to them. The report says the men were 29, 23, and 17 years old. Authorities say they were also informed of a "disturbance" that took place between them and unknown suspects, which resulted in the three men being shot. "Officers provided life-saving measures until EMS arrived," the report states. Authorities say the twenty-nine-year-old man was pronounced dead at the scene, while the other two individuals were transported to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries.  mysanantonio.com


NYC, NY: NYPD searching for suspect after off-duty security guard shot multiple times in Midtown
A off-duty security guard was shot multiple times amid a dispute with another man in Midtown on Monday afternoon. The shooting was reported just before 12:30 p.m. along E. 28th Street and Madison Avenue. The victim is described by investigators as a security guard at the Prince George, a single room occupancy hotel two doors down from the crime scene. The 49-year-old victim was shot twice in the torso. He was taken to the hospital and is said to be stable. Police say the victim saw the suspect on the street and it is believed the two had an ongoing dispute. Margaret Gilligan was working in the supermarket across the street when a witness burst into the store. "She was in distress, crying, visibly upset and struggling to breathe and hyperventilating," Gilligan said. "So I just tried to get her into a more like private spot where she could sit down, get her some water, some tissues. She told me that she saw a man shoot another man and that she ran into the store after and said that some other people on the street also ran into the store to seek shelter." The suspect ran away but authorities say they have a good idea of who they are looking for. No arrests have been made and the investigation is ongoing.  abc7ny.com


Fresno, CA: Shot fired through Fresno 7-Eleven window, police say

Houston, TX: Teen shot outside Bellaire Fiesta store after groups confront each other
 



Robberies, Incidents & Thefts


Glendale, WI: Police arrest 14 people (ages 12 to 19) for incident at Bayshore Mall
Glendale police arrested more than a dozen people on Sunday following an incident at Bayshore Mall. According to Glendale police Chief Rhett Fugman, 14 people were arrested and are being held for recommended charges of disorderly conduct, battery and resisting police. The event was advertised on social media as a "teen takeover" and invited teens to the mall from 4 p.m. until close. Organizers for the event did not respond to social media messages Monday. Fugman says those arrested were ages 12 to 19. WISN photographer saw multiple squad cars around the mall Sunday evening, as well as multiple groups of young people running from security and police. Bayshore policy said visitors who are under the age of 18 must be accompanied by an adult who is at least 21-years-old after 3 p.m. typically on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Bayshore will now enforce that policy daily. "BAYSHORE continues to work closely with the Glendale Police Department following the unauthorized gathering earlier this week," a spokesperson said in an email statement Monday. "We are continuing to maintain an increased security presence, including both Glendale police officers and BAYSHORE’s on-site security team, to ensure a safe environment for all guests."  wisn.com


Oshawa, ON, Canada: Mallgoers help stop smash-and-grab robbery at Oshawa Centre; 5 suspects arrested after bear spray attack
A violent smash and grab robbery at the Oshawa Centre triggered chaos Sunday afternoon, ending with bystanders tackling suspects to the ground and police arresting all five alleged offenders after a brief foot chase. Durham police confirmed the incident after videos circulated widely online showing shoppers restraining two suspects inside the mall as officers rushed in. The footage captured the aftermath of what investigators describe as a coordinated robbery involving multiple masked males and the use of bear spray inside the jewelry store. Police say the incident began around 3:45 p.m. on March 29, when four males stormed a jewelry store inside the Oshawa Centre at 419 King Street West. The suspects smashed display cases while a fifth accomplice waited in a getaway vehicle outside the mall.  toronto.citynews.ca


Rutland, VT: Massachusetts man who robbed Burlington store at gunpoint sentenced to 5 years in prison

Mobile, AL: Police seek man accused of robbing two stores, biting employee and wielding knife

Bismarck, ND: Two men charged with conspiring to commit burglary of Applebee’s


 


 

Auto – Milwaukee, WI – Armed Robbery
C-Store – Milwaukee, WI – Armed Robbery
C-Store – Las Vegas, NV – Armed Robbery
C-Store – Centralia, WA – Armed Robbery
C-Store- Virginia Beach, VA – Armed Robbery
C-Store – Fresno, CA – Armed Robbery/ shot fired
Dollar – Wethersfield, CT – Armed Robbery
Gas Station – Evansville, IN – Armed Robbery
Grocery – Houston, TX – Armed Robbery / shot fired
Grocery – Mobile, AL – Robbery
Hotel – Altoona, PA – Armed Robbery
Jewelry – Plano, TX – Armed Robbery
Jewelry – Southaven, MS – Robbery
Jewelry – Ft Collins, CO – Robbery
Jewelry – Wilmington, DE- Burglary
Jewelry – West Des Plaines, IA – Robbery
Liquor – Green Bay, WI – Robbery
Restaurant – Houston, TX – Burglary
Restaurant – Mt Prospect, IL – Robbery
Restaurant – Bismarck, ND – Burglary     
 

Daily Totals:
• 17 robberies
• 3 burglaries
• 2 shootings
• 0 killed



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Vice President, Corporate Loss Prevention Operations
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Group Director, Asset Protection - Fulfillment Centers
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The Group Director, Asset Protection – Fulfillment Centers is responsible for leading the operations and strategy of the Asset Protection department across Walmart’s Fulfillment Centers. This role ensures the safety, security, and profitability of fulfillment operations by overseeing risk management, crisis response, financial performance, and team leadership...

 



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