May 2024 — Criminals Are Using Cameras for Nefarious Purposes, and More Security News

There’s a lot going on in the world of physical risk and vulnerability; it’s nearly impossible to keep up with the latest news and developments. We’ll keep you informed with the best content to keep your organization safe and secure. Check out the top news and headlines from the past month.

Man charged with attempted murder, hate crimes after driving car onto sidewalk outside yeshiva

From ABC 7 NY: Police have arrested and charged a man with a slew of hate crimes, including attempted murder, after allegedly trying to hit a group of people with a car outside a yeshiva in Brooklyn on Wednesday, May 29.

Our take: According to the NYPD's most recent statistics, hate crimes against ethnic groups have either remained the same or decreased in New York, except for Jewish and Muslim residents, who have each seen a 100% increase in hate crimes. This incident is an example of the tensions caused by the conflict in the Middle East, and how those tensions are boiling over.

Burglary gangs are literally planting cameras in California yards to spy on residents, police say

From Mercury News: Detectives in Orange County, Calif. believe that so-called burglary tourists from South America have been sneaking the recording devices into bushes and trees outside homes throughout Southern California to track the movements of the residents at specific homes to determine the best time to break in. It’s unclear how many cameras have been planted as reports of discoveries to law enforcement have been few, although an Orange County sheriff’s official said several cases are being prosecuted there.

Our take: Cameras are an effective tool for security, but as this case shows, they can also be used by criminals. If criminals are monitoring homes with cameras, it’s a good idea for businesses to check their shrubbery for cameras as well, just in case.

Huge Rise in Cargo Thefts Continues

From Supply Chain Brain: Cargo thefts in the U.S. rose a troubling 9% year-over-year in 2023, with a further "significant" uptick in the latter half of the year, from around 60 in June to roughly 120 in each of July and August, according to supply chain risk management platform Overhaul, which tracks law enforcement data. Based on that, Overhaul projects national cargo theft volumes will rise by 35% by the end of 2024. The company says criminal groups are getting more organized and sophisticated, and are focusing on high-value cargo such as electronics and liquor. The problem has been particularly prominent in California, which saw 48% of cargo thefts nationwide in 2023.

Our take: In the past three years, the supply chain has been under attack. We’ve seen porch pirates, goods being stolen off trains, and organized gangs stealing from delivery trucks. Business and carriers must invest in securing their shipments while they are en route to consumers.

May Top Security Grants

2024 Homeland Security Grant Program (HSGP): The Homeland Security Grant includes a suite of risk-based grants to assist state, local, tribal and territorial efforts in preventing, protecting against, mitigating, responding to and recovering from acts of terrorism and other threats. This grant provides grantees with the resources required for implementation of the National Preparedness System and working toward the National Preparedness Goal of a secure and resilient nation. Grant closes: June 24

2024 Port Security Grant Program (PSGP): The Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 Port Security Grant Program (PSGP) is one of four grant programs that constitute DHS/FEMA's focus on transportation infrastructure security activities. These grant programs are part of a comprehensive set of measures authorized by Congress and implemented by the Administration to help strengthen the Nation's critical infrastructure against risks associated with potential terrorist attacks. The PSGP provides funds to state, local, and private sector maritime partners to support increased port-wide risk management and protect critical surface transportation infrastructure from acts of terrorism, major disasters, and other emergencies. Grant closes: June 24

Transit Security Grant Program (TSGP): The Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 Transit Security Grant Program (TSGP) is one of four grant programs that constitute DHS/FEMA's focus on transportation infrastructure security activities. These grant programs are part of a comprehensive set of measures authorized by Congress and implemented by DHS to help strengthen the nation's critical infrastructure against risks associated with potential terrorist attacks. The TSGP provides funds to transit agencies to protect critical surface transportation infrastructure and the traveling public from acts of terrorism. Grant closes: June 24

FEMAs Regional Catastrophic Preparedness Grant Program (RCPGP): The Regional Catastrophic Preparedness Grant Program (RCPGP) provides funding to close known capability gaps, encourages innovative regional solutions to issues related to catastrophic incidents, and builds on existing regional preparedness efforts. The purpose of the RCPGP is to build regional capacity to manage catastrophic incidents by improving and expanding collaboration for catastrophic incident preparedness. Grants close: July 25, 2024

About the Author

Daniel Young

Founder & Chief Innovation Officer

Daniel has been a security and risk advisor for more than 10 years, and is passionate about helping companies to better understand their risks to undesirable events on a daily basis. Dan previously served as the Regional Bioterrorism Coordinator for District 1 in Michigan, where he was instrumental in preparing communities for catastrophic incidents. He has also acted as the Private Security Liaison for the City of Lansing’s Critical Infrastructure Team, which identified and documented deficiencies in the city’s critical infrastructure.

He is a Co-Founder of the CSO Risk Council, a think tank of seasoned security professionals and thought leaders with extensive experience in managing the physical security and risks of large enterprises consisting of multiple sites and whose mission is to create a better process to develop and share innovative solutions and pertinent information with organizations to improve safety and security risk by providing a forum to discuss best practices and recommendations for specific risk scenarios and to network with other enterprise security professionals.