Tag Archives: violent incidents

Organized Retail Crime has grown worse in an age of Elevated Inflation

Revelations 13:16-18 “Also it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name. This calls for wisdom: let the one who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man, and his number is 666.”

Important Takeaways:

  • Target CEO: We’re seeing ‘violent’ incidents in our stores, and it’s costing us millions
  • The retailer estimated in its earnings release Wednesday that inventory shrinkage — mostly the theft of merchandise — would clip profits by a whopping $500 million this year.
  • Factoring in an about $700 million profit hit from inventory shrinkage in 2022, Target is on pace to see $1.2 billion in profits go up in smoke, due primarily to organized retail crime.
  • “These concerns have grown in recent years, as criminal groups have become more brazen and violent in their tactics and are using new channels to resell stolen goods.”
  • Nordstrom (JWN) recently followed Whole Foods in exiting a key location in San Francisco, citing concerns over worker safety.
  • Independent news site The San Francisco Standard has tracked 20 closures of household-name stores in the city since 2010, including Office Depot.

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American Airlines CEO says onboard violent incidents must stop

By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -American Airlines Chief Executive Doug Parker on Thursday sounded the alarm about disruptive and violent incidents onboard U.S. airplanes after a flight attendant was physically assaulted, prompting a flight diversion.

“This type of behavior has to stop,” Parker said in a video posted on Instagram. “American Airlines will not tolerate airport or inflight misconduct of any kind.”

American said a New York to Santa Ana, California, flight on Wednesday diverted to Denver after a passenger assaulted a flight attendant.

U.S. airlines have reported a record number of violent incidents this year and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) pledged a “zero tolerance” approach.

Parker called the latest incident “one of the worst displays of unruly behavior we’ve ever witnessed.”

A passenger on the flight told CBS Los Angeles that the flight attendant had blood splattered on her mask after she had been punched. The passenger was arrested when the plane made its unplanned stop in Denver.

On Oct. 8, President Joe Biden said he instructed the Justice Department to “deal” with the rising number of violent incidents onboard planes.

FAA Administrator Steve Dickson imposed the zero-tolerance order on passenger disturbances aboard airplanes after supporters of former U.S. President Donald Trump were disruptive on flights around the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol attack. He has said the zero-tolerance order will last until least mid-January.

Through Monday, there have been 4,941 reports of unruly passenger incidents, including 3,580 related to pandemic face covering regulations.

The FAA has initiated enforcement actions in 216 cases, issuing more than $1 million in proposed fines.

Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin told U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland at a hearing on Wednesday that flight attendants were facing thousands of confrontations over wearing masks on aircraft. “This has to be taken seriously. These assaults in the so-called name of liberty are unacceptable,” Durbin said.

In June, a group representing major U.S. airlines such as American, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines as well as aviation unions asked Garland to prosecute violent air passengers.

A union representing Southwest Airlines workers said in May that a flight attendant “was seriously assaulted, resulting in injuries to the face and a loss of two teeth.”

Delta in September called on other U.S. airlines to share lists of passengers who have been banned during the COVID-19 pandemic for disruptive behavior to help deter the rising number of incidents. Delta said since the pandemic began it has put more than 1,600 people on its “no fly” list.

Parker said the passenger who assaulted the flight attendant would be banned from the airline.

(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Bill Berkrot)