LPRC - CrimeScience – The Weekly Review – Episode 171 with Dr. Read Hayes, Tom Meehan & Tony D’Onofrio

Episode Date: January 4, 2024

Happy New Year from the CrimeScience Podcast Team! LPRC Rebrands itself, this week our hosts discuss the continued growth of the LPRC Team! On this episode, our hosts discuss LPRC Kickoff in NYC, online vs physical shopping, and the evolution of shopping technology. The hosts also go into a recap of the latest AP/LP news and the NRF Big Show. Listen in to stay updated on hot topics in the industry and more!

Hi, everyone, and welcome to Crime Science. In this podcast, we explore the science of crime and the practical application of this science for loss prevention and asset protection practitioners as well as other professionals. Welcome, everybody, to another episode of Crime Science, the podcast from the LPRC. And this is our latest in our weekly update series. Happy New Year to everyone. And here we go. What we're doing is catching up from the last week and a half. And there's a whole lot going on out there. I'll be joined by Tony D'Onofrio and Tom, me and our producer, Diego Rodriguez. There have been some active shooting incidents that turn out to be mass shootings in a couple of malls and a couple of other locations in the U.S. over the last few days.

From the best I can tell right now, those are involving their surrounding, the facts are in this case looks like a dispute resolution between individuals, which is, from you look at the data, overwhelming reason for most mass shootings, including active shooter situations. So we'll stay tuned to those, and we'll talk for just a minute about what we're doing, to those. And we'll talk for just a minute about what we're doing again with the kickoff event that we've got coming up on January 17th, hosted by AT&T and business. And it'll be at the up there at Hudson Yards in New York City, just following the Interrupt Big Show. Full lineup. I'll go through next week the exact agenda. We're pretty much booked solid on that, it looks like,

from the participation attendance level. Very excited about all that. Our team will also be participating in multiple panels on RFID, on using mapping at the different micro, meso, and macro level scales. It will be another panel. We've got a panel that we're going to be working on with NVIDIA and Lenovo and others looking at AI in retailing, particularly in asset protection loss prevention. It will be three of those so far. Corey also is participating on one with Google and other players. That'll be pretty exciting as well. We'll update again on some more details coming up as soon as we've got

much more information. But we'll be out and about New York through that from that 12th to 17th period. It'll be the longest time that our team has been on site during these events because there's so much going on and so much that needs to get done. In the meantime, the planning for the upcoming Ignite, which is our board advisors again, and our LPRC Innovate advisory panel, of which we'll have, it looks like, six new corporate members in addition to the 36 retail corporations. That planning goes on. People are enrolling for that. That is, again, as a reminder, February 28th in Gainesville. The following day, on the 29th, we've got the Integrate event, which is our, in this year, our active shooter, mass shooter exercise involving multiple federal state and local law enforcement agencies plus fire rescue so we'll provide a lot more detail on that coming up as well but it will be i think unprecedented in what's going on how it's going to happen and just as critically what that

exercise is going to lead to as far as throughout 2024, a whole series of breakdowns, as we've mentioned before. So a lot going on here in Gainesville as we get ready for an amazing 2024 to work on partnerships and beyond. Without further ado, I'm going to go ahead and turn it over to Tony D'Onofrio. Tony, if you could take it away. Happy New Year, everybody at the Loss Prevention Research Council. Reid, thank you very much for all those great updates. This week, I want to focus on the article that I just published on the year 2024, including what it actually means and what are some of the

resolutions that we have as a population in the United States. Actually, 2024 has been on my mind a lot, possibly because it is beginning of the new year and sometimes we think of new year resolutions, but also because I was actually born on the 24th day of the month of one month this year and I won't say which one so the number 24 is old special meaning for me so and each year we do think about these resolutions and what should we set new year's resolution and interesting that a UGOV survey found that just over a third of USAID adults plan to make new year resolutions or specific identifiable goals for 2024. The folks under 20 years old are the most likely to do it, 52 percent, by the 30 to 44-year-olds, 44%. Older people don't seem to care that much anymore.

Only 27% of 45 to 64-year-olds make those year-end resolutions or goals, and only 18% of people 65 age or older. of people 65 age or older. Interesting, the top five New Year resolutions for 2024 for Americans are number one, saving money. Number two, be happy. Number three, exercise more. Number four, improve physical health. And number five, eat healthier. And this idea of preparing for the new year is not a new idea. It's been around for all of history. In fact, you might find it interesting that the month of January is named after the God of the Roman God Janus. And Janus was the God of, for the Romans, of beginnings and transitions. He presided over passages, doors, gates, and endings as well between peace and war. He was actually depicted as having two

older faces, one looking forward to the past and one looking forward to the future. So think of two faces united, one looking one way and one looking the other way. And it was a wise old man basically doing both things. So before we jump into some other interesting stats about 2024, you know, what's so special about the number 24? And again, I was born on the 24th. about the number 24 and again I was born on the 24th so I never really researched the meanings or potential meanings of the number 24 so here are some fun facts about the number 24 there are of course 24 hours in a day in a complete day the earth rotates 24 degrees on its axis. 24 is the number of carats in 100% pure gold. The standard for film projections at your local movie theater is 24 frames per second. The average person takes

12 seconds to count to 24. In Roman numerals, the number 24 is written as XXIV. The total number of human chromosomes is 46, but a set of 24 is passed down from each parent. Two dozen roses or 24 symbolizes that you think about that special person 24 hours a day. There are 24 edges on that popular Rubik's Cube puzzle. Every day, 24 seconds, every day, every 24 seconds, a new baby is born in the world. 24 is the atomic number of chromium, a steely gray metal used in stainless steel, leather tanning, and other industrial applications.

24 is a factorial number, and I didn't know what that is, and really it's a number that involves multiplying a series of decreasing numbers. So in other words, 4 times 3 times 2 times 1, all decreasing number, equals 24. There are 24 letters in the Greek alphabet. There are 24 points in the backgammon game board. In 1851 Gerhard Lang, a printer from Stuttgart, Germany, created the first known advent calendar and it was made of cardboard with 24 doors, one for each day of the month leading up to Christmas Eve, and the original version behind each door with a small picture or verse. In both Chinese and Japanese culture, the year is split in 24 blocks or 15 days. If you need more indications on the number 24. In numerology, 24 represents family, harmony, idealism,

and companionship. There is also the desire for long-term security. The number 24 is a great diplomat who tends to use a sensitive cajoling to mitigate differences and restore and keep harmony. So interesting about the magic and potential of the number 24 for 2024. Also interesting on the importance for 2024, it is a leap year, so we're going to have 29 days in February, which is different, but it's also a very important Chinese year for the zodiac calendar. There are 12 animals that appeared in the zodiac calendar in the 5th century when it was created, and it's an ancient cultural belief system considered to be a tool for deciding one's destiny. During the Han dynasty to the Qing dynasty, the great and powerful dragon was

associated with emperors as a way to show rulers have been divinely chosen. 2024 is the lucky year of the dragon. So that's the most powerful symbol in the zodiac calendar. If you were born in any of these years, you are a dragon. 1916, 1928, 1940, 1952, 64, 1976, 1988, 2000, and 2012. So every 12 years, you get the dragon back, basically. So in traditional Chinese culture, the dragon symbolizes power, nobleness, honor, luck, and success. And it is a supernatural being with no power for talent or excellence. So it is the zodiac symbol. So it's going to be a lucky year in terms of the Chinese calendar in the zodiac signs. year in terms of the Chinese calendar in the zodiac signs. And for these other symbols, it will be a like year in the zodiac. So monkeys, roosters, and pigs. And I was actually born in the year of

the pig. And my luck is actually when I read it, it was very interesting, especially as it relates to my career since I made some major changes this year. So those are some interesting facts about 2024 in terms of resolutions, in terms of the number 24, and in terms of the Chinese zodiac calendar. But recall back what I said about Janus. You know, you can look back and look at the history of the last year, but ultimately last year and history in general cannot be changed. So I would encourage everyone to look forward to the future, what's in front of you, for all of that really has not been written. And maybe setting a New Year's resolution is a place to start. So remember that you are in control of what happens next and can craft really the destiny that you wanted or dreamed about.

And really that applies to me. In fact, when I read this, especially as it applies to the numerology, my name, my last name, Benofrio, translates somewhere in old languages to son of a peacemaker, which implies historically that my family had a lot of ambassadors in it. So maybe there is something in numerology of being a diplomat. And as I said, according to the Chinese zodiac calendar, I'm going to have a very lucky year. So I'm looking forward to it. So I really did have an amazing 2023, really finishing up one CEO role and starting an even bigger role, celebrating my father's life and legacy, writing and publishing my first book, which is now available for sale on Amazon, and really growing engagements with all of you around the world. So it's been an amazing year. So I wish you all a healthy, safe, and prosperous new year. Thank you for listening to this podcast. And in my native Italian, as I said in the article that I published, I wish you, let's raise a toast the next time you have a glass of wine and say in Italian, salute, which really means to your health. So happy new year.

And now over to you tom uh well thank you tony and thank you reed and happy new year everybody this is uh the first episode of crime science post new year so hopefully everybody had a healthy happy new year and got some time with the family and wow it has been a probably a whirlwind of events in the last couple of weeks around the geopolitical landscape and wanted to spend just a little bit of time about geopolitical risk and tie it back to some things we should be aware of here in retail we have conflict in the red sea We have conflict all over the world or potential conflict when you think about what's going on in Israel and that conflict. And receive things in, but that are used to transport throughout the Middle Eastern parts of the world, as well as when you think of

some of the interesting things that are occurring in Asia and the Asia-Pacific market with China and Taiwan. And for the first time in as long as I think recorded history, there are more naval fleet ships out and about than we've seen. So when you think about that and you think about what the potential impact is there for boats and for transport, we definitely need to keep an eye on the supply chain world. And also we need to keep an eye on the supply chain world. And also, we need to keep an eye on additional civil disturbance that will occur. I'm sure everybody who is listening

has seen a lot of the protests globally. Certainly in New Year's, there were protests, pro-Palestine, pro-Israel protests in Boston, New York City, Los Angeles, and of varying different sizes in varying different cities. Boston was a very large protest. New York City was, although I think it was largely contained. And a lot of these events garner conflict with folks and protests and civil unrest. So definitely, definitely something to work, look at through the fusion net here at the Lost Prevention Research Council, because there's a definite heightened level of things that are occurring. Not to mention that there have been numerous warnings of lone wolf and terror attacks throughout the globe on Western countries. So we really, really need to keep our eyes open and be aware of what is potentially to come.

And I think that when we think about all of these things together, we need to be realistic about what our potential supply chain disruption is. And then when you add in the Suez Canal and some other things that are occurring in the supply chain world, you have kind of the perfect storm of potential supply chain disruption around geopolitical risk. So certainly don't want to start the first podcast of the year off with doom and gloom, but it's definitely something to be aware of and something that we want to look at and stay in tune with. On the cybersecurity and risk front, there had been a kind of rash of ransomware and cyber incidents, most of which we've covered in the past, so I don't want to bring up a lot of them. But I think throughout the holiday, there had been some updates around some of these cyber instances in 2023 that really will carry into 2024. And as opposed to getting into some of the specifics, we really saw a very, very heightened level of attack

on utilities, retailers, financial institutions, and supply chains. And I don't have the specific numbers here, but certainly in an upcoming podcast, I'll talk about some of those increases. And some of that is due to targeted approaches. Some of it is government-backed. And some of it has to do with actually the advancement in artificial intelligence and the ability or the speed and agility that attacks can occur. So I think, excuse me, absolutely something to keep an eye on. And as always, you know, stay vigilant when it comes to cybersecurity and cyber awareness. And there are a lot of simple things that we all can do. I won't get into my normal spiel here,

but patch and upgrade your phones and systems. That's the first line of defense that will really help get some of that low-hanging fruit attacks out there. And then just, I'm going to wrap up today relatively quick around AI news. You may have heard that you have the Wall Street Journal formally taking OpenAI or ChatGP's parent company to court, you know, claiming copyright infringement and unfair use of their data. The timing of this is very interesting because it's at the same time as Google released a new version of their generative AI engine. And I think that what I would say here is I would believe that the venture that we're going to see more of these type of lawsuits, the Associated Press was the first recognized news agency that actually worked out an agreement with OpenAI to have a monetary exchange for data. And for those of you that haven't heard us talk about this before, OpenAI's ChatGPT basically consumed data on the internet. And it is

one of the largest data sets that were available of what was on the internet. And that was what encompassed it. So a lot of these agencies are saying, hey, that's our data. You can't use it without our permission. And then additionally, the claim from the Wall Street Journal, the obligation was that the chat GBD was replicating near, you know, exactly, nearly the same data. So basically what chat GBD does, it's a large language model that predicts what someone needs or wants. So it might take a story and summarize it and use bits and pieces, but theoretically it's not going to copy word for word. And then there becomes this gray area. If I change keywords, but say the same thing, and the source is the same, what does that mean for copyright? So that's something we're going to need to keep an eye on. Additionally, the last couple of weeks, Google introduced Gemini,

which is their later version of their generative AI as a competitive product to ChatGBT. And I would encourage everybody to take a look at Gemini. And it's interesting because a lot of news media reports that were out talked about how Gemini was just a slight percentage better in 9 out of 12 tests that it took versus ChatGBT 4. And what I would argue is 1 or two percent better on an mcat an lcat or a very sophisticated test is a significant delta of increased quality and i i think it's easy to read an article and go like oh so what it scored one percentile higher but when you think

of the magnitude of what that means on some of these tests and tricks, it's pretty wild. And I would say that, as I always say, if you're not using generative AI today, go out there and experiment with it. Understand it, learn it. It will change what we do in the future. And with that, again, a very, very happy, healthy new year to all of our listeners. I'm excited to get out there in the field and see you. LPRC's kickoff is coming up in just two weeks from the time that you will hear this, and I hope to see each and every one of you out in the field. Thank you. All right. Well, thanks so much, Tony, for all that information. And of course, Tom, there is a lot going on that we've

got to pay attention to. We've got wars. We've got a lot of antisocial behavior. We've got a lot of problems that are taking place clearly in the retail environment as a result of that and more. So at LPRC, we're dedicated to moving on. We've got our new team members. They spend good quality time training with us, helping us plan 2024. So we will update on everything that we can as soon as we can. So stay safe and stay in touch. Thanks for listening to the Crime Science Podcast presented by the Loss Prevention Research Council. If you enjoyed today's episode, you can find more crime science episodes and valuable information at lpresearch.org.

The content provided in the Crime Science Podcast is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for legal, financial, or other advice. Views expressed by guests of the Crime Science Podcast are those of the authors and do not reflect the opinions or positions of the Loss Prevention Research Council.