Feds Bust Perps Behind The $1.2 Million Dollar Apple Truck Robbery
Federal authorities have broken up a sophisticated cargo theft ring responsible for stealing over $1.2 million worth of Apple products from trucks in transit. The group allegedly targeted shipments at vulnerable points in the supply chain, using coordination and timing to avoid detection. Several suspects have been arrested and now face serious federal charges tied to organized theft and interstate transportation of stolen goods. The case highlights the continued vulnerability of high-value tech shipments and the growing coordination behind cargo theft operations.
Violent duo punches, slashes NYC Five Below worker in brutal attack over bag-checking
A routine bag check turned violent when two suspects attacked a retail employee, escalating from confrontation to physical assault involving punches and a weapon. The worker was injured during the incident, underscoring the risks frontline employees face when enforcing store policies. Authorities are investigating and searching for those responsible. The incident reflects a broader trend of increasing aggression and violence tied to retail theft encounters.
High-tech theft at Arizona truck stop believed to be linked to cartel
Police are investigating a theft involving $175,000 worth of electronics stolen from a truck stop, with suspects believed to have ties to organized cartel activity. The crew reportedly targeted a parked truck, quickly removing high-value goods before fleeing the scene. The case points to the expanding reach and sophistication of organized theft groups operating across regions. It also raises concerns about the security of freight during transit stops and overnight parking.
How criminals use magnets to steal fuel and bypass security systems
Criminals are using magnets to manipulate fuel pump systems, bypassing security mechanisms and stealing gasoline undetected. This method allows thieves to override controls that would normally limit or track fuel dispensing. Law enforcement officials warn that these tactics are becoming more common and harder to detect with traditional safeguards. The trend highlights the need for upgraded security measures and increased awareness around emerging theft techniques.
LAPD found not liable for officer's fatal shooting of 14-year-old girl in Burlington store
A verdict has been reached in the case involving the fatal shooting of a teenage girl during a police response inside a retail store. The lawsuit centered on the actions taken during the incident and the tragic outcome for an uninvolved bystander. The decision brings some legal closure, though the case continues to raise questions about use-of-force protocols in crowded retail environments. It also underscores the complex risks when law enforcement incidents unfold inside stores.
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The Unwritten Rule Every LP Leader Should Know
Amber Bradley
Editor-in-Chief | TalkLPnews
[email protected]
There are people in this industry who get described the same way by everyone who has worked with them, and Keith White is one of them. The phrase that keeps coming up is calm in the middle of a storm or more often, “I owe my career to Keith White.” He has run safety and security programs through 9/11, Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Sandy, and COVID. He spent 20 years at Gap. He’s been tapped to oversee the global safety and security program for Salesforce currently as the Chief of Safety and Security. I had him in the hot seat on the TalkLPnews podcast along with Debbie Maples, Salesforce's VP of Intel, Investigations and Protective Services and has known Keith for nearly two decades.
I asked Keith what advice he'd give someone who wants to grow into an executive seat without bouncing from company to company. His answer wasn't a quote you'd find on a motivational poster. It was a survey he ran years ago – a bit more scientific than a Successories slogan (remember those?).
Keith does a presentation called the Unwritten Rules of Corporate America. To build it, he interviewed CEOs, CFOs, and other senior executives and asked them what rules they'd learned that no one had ever told them about. The answer that surprised him most, and that he keeps coming back to, was about communication.
The rule he heard, in different words, from multiple executives was this: communicate good news fast and bad news faster.
Keith White | Salesforce
Chief of Safety & Security
His point is that LP and AP people sit on bad news because they think the situation will improve before they have to escalate it. Keith says it never improves. The longer you sit on bad news, the more your credibility drains. The executives he surveyed told him that when bad news arrived fast, owned by the person delivering it, with a clear recommendation for getting out of it, the badness of the news started to dissipate. When the same news arrived late, unowned, and without a recovery plan, the executive's reaction shifted from problem-solving to judging the messenger.
That is a small piece of communication advice that explains a lot of stalled careers in this industry.
Keith made a second point, he believes communication is roughly 70 percent of the skillset for a long career in this field. We all immediately think, presentation skills – but he's talking about gravitas. Whether people have confidence in your leadership before you've opened your mouth. Whether you can walk into a tense room and bring the temperature down. Whether your reputation arrives before you do. That kind of presence comes from your body of work and from the experiences people have had with you over years.
He also pushed hard on something I rarely hear executives say out loud. He believes EQ matters more than IQ. He has worked with Harvard and Princeton-educated executives who couldn't get a project funded because they couldn't read a room. They'd walk into a budget meeting where sales were down and earnings were under pressure, and they'd run the same big-ask script they'd planned a month earlier. They'd lose the room before they understood why they'd lost it. Keith's discipline is the opposite. Before he walks in, he reads the context. While he's in the room, he watches for the signal that says open up the aperture or pull back the ask. He has walked in conservative and left with more than he expected. He has walked in aggressive and left with less. The difference, he says, is reading the room in real time and being willing to switch your plan inside the meeting.
His take on politics (one of my fav subjects) is also worth quoting in spirit. Keith's rule is that you don't need to play politics, but you're naive if you think they don't exist. People in finance, marketing, and the field organization all want things that favor them. There's only so much budget and headcount to go around. You have to know where the political pull is coming from and decide, situation by situation, when to engage with it, when to take a stand against it, and when to use it.
What I keep coming back to from this conversation is Keith's framework for development. He's a believer in the 70-20-10 rule. Seventy percent of your growth comes from the job you're doing today and how you approach it. Twenty percent comes from mentors and advisors. Ten percent comes from formal training. Most LP people have it backward. They chase certifications and CEUs as if those are where the real learning happens. Keith says the real learning happens in the everyday work that most people dismiss as repetitive. Things like shortage committee meetings, safety walks, store visits or the budget pre-read. He treats every one of those as an opportunity to show what he brings to the business.
The full episode covers his transition from Gap to Salesforce, why he thinks the tech environment forces a different kind of creativity than retail, and Debbie's take on how Keith has invested in the people around him over two decades. Worth a listen for anyone trying to engineer a long career in this industry.
Man arrested for thefts worth more than $12K from home improvement stores
A man has been arrested following a four-month investigation into a series of thefts from home improvement stores around the Valley.
Aaron Amendolara, 42, was arrested for multiple thefts worth more than $12,000 in 30 separate incidents, including locations in Gilbert, Mesa, Tempe, Phoenix, Chandler, and Scottsdale, according to Gilbert police.
Between January of 2026 and April of 2026, the Gilbert Police Department received information relating to ongoing organized retail theft allegedly involving the same offender.
Holtsville Shoplifting Incident Turns Violent When Escaping Thieves Attack 7-Eleven Employee
Suffolk County Crime Stoppers and Suffolk County Police Sixth Squad detectives are seeking the public’s help to identify and locate two men who robbed a Holtsville convenience store earlier this year.
Two men removed approximately $190 worth of merchandise from 7-Eleven, located at 984 Waverly Ave., on March 6 at 10:55 a.m. When an employee confronted the men in the parking lot, the men punched the employee multiple times. The two men fled in a gray Hyundai Elantra. The employee refused medical treatment.
Gym theft ring bought $18K of Costco gold bars on stolen credit card
A criminal organization targeting people’s wallets left at the gym and spanning multiple states has hit Beaverton, authorities say.
The BPD said they investigated a case involving three men connected to an ORC crew operating in at least five western states that target gyms, fitness centers and workout facilities.
“In that incident, a victim’s credit card information was stolen after the victim visited a gym,” police said in a press release. “Investigators learned one of the suspects fraudulently obtained a Costco membership using the victim’s identity.
IMPORTANT CORCA LEGISLATION UPDATE
The Combating Organized Crime Act (CORCA) H.R.2853 has been placed on the House calendar, scheduling it for a likely vote next week (5/11 - 5/15). To pass the House, it will require at least a 2/3 majority – approximately 290 minimum votes.
With 206 co-sponsors of the bill, we need to make sure we encourage members of Congress to vote YES on CORCA. Here is how YOU can help!
Use National Retail Federation’s VOTER VOICE (button below) to reach out to your members of Congress. Ask them to recognize the vote and vote YES! We make it easy - just a few clicks of information and you can reach your House and Senate delegation.
We are at a pivotal point in our fight against ORC! Now is the time for us to flood Congress with messages of the importance of this legislation – it is time to pass CORCA!
Woman pleads guilty to importing, selling $2.3M in counterfeit luxury goods
A Waynesville woman pleaded guilty in federal court to importing and selling counterfeit luxury goods, apparel, and other items online.
Mary A. Lecena, 32, pleaded guilty before U.S. Chief Magistrate Judge Willie J. Epps Jr. to three counts of trafficking in counterfeit goods.
Lecena operated Bali Rattan LLC, an online boutique store selling various goods, which she operated out of her residence in Waynesville and in Chicago. Bali Rattan LLC was registered with the State of Wyoming.
Employee, 2 others shot during Publix shooting in Cane Bay
Deputies with the Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office and crews with EMS are actively investigating a shooting that happened at a grocery store in Cane Bay on Thursday night.
Crews were at the Publix at 1724 State Rd. Cpl. Carli Carr confirmed the incident was a shooting that resulted in injuries.
Berkeley County Sheriff Duane Lewis said three people were injured and the shooting occurred both inside and outside the store.
Officials said one person was believed to have been targeted, and a bystander and a Publix employee also were shot.
Facial Recognition Expands Beyond Theft Investigations
Retailers are finding new uses for facial recognition technology beyond organized retail crime cases.
A recent investigation uncovered a coordinated slip-and-fall fraud scheme by linking suspects across multiple store locations—patterns traditional footage alone missed.
The case highlights how advanced analytics can help loss prevention teams detect fraud faster, strengthen liability investigations, and uncover connections across stores more efficiently.
The Director of Asset Protection & Risk Management is responsible for protecting company assets, brand reputation, and business continuity across the region. This role leads the development and execution of strategies that reduce shrink, mitigate risk, and ensure safe, secure, and resilient operations.
The Director oversees asset protection, crisis management, workplace and food safety, cash controls, and incident response. This role partners cross-functionally with Operations, Supply Chain, Legal, HR, and Communications to proactively identify risks, respond to incidents, and sustain business continuity during disruptive events.
The Regional Asset Protection Manager is responsible for leading Asset Protection strategies and execution across a defined region. This role partners closely with field leadership to drive shrink reduction, improve safety, and ensure consistent execution of Asset Protection programs across multiple locations. Key responsibilities include overseeing investigations, identifying trends, and implementing solutions that address both internal and external theft. The role also focuses on developing and coaching Asset Protection teams while reinforcing accountability to company standards and performance metrics.
The checkout is the brand – why biometrics will define retail’s next chapter
Walk into almost any UK retailer today and you’ll see significant investment in the shop floor experience. Lighting, merchandising, staff training, digital signage, every touchpoint has been carefully considered. And then the customer reaches the till.
For millions of shoppers, that final moment still means fumbling for a card, waiting for a PIN pad to respond, or abandoning the transaction altogether because the queue is too long. In a world where consumers can order a taxi, check their bank balance and unlock their front door with a glance, checkout has not kept pace. That gap is now commercially significant.
Rethinking returns: legal and tech challenges for retailers
Retailers are struggling with the increasing number of customer returns, as the rise of fast fashion and online shopping has normalized ordering multiple items at once and sending back any that don’t make the cut.
The issue is that returns require shipping, sorting, checks and fresh packaging, and each of these steps are costly.
Returned items are not always able to be resold by retailers, and when they are, data from HSBC suggests that around half of those items sell for roughly 40% below their initial value. The increase in returns fraud, enabled by generous and flexible return policies, is contributing to this issue.
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