October 2020 SM Online
SECURITY PERCEPTIONS
Only 4 percent of law enforcement officers surveyed in 2017 by the Security Research Initiative viewed private security as an essential partner.
HUMAN TRAFFICKING
Globally, there were 11,841 prosecutions for human trafficking in 2019 and more than 110,000 victims identified, according to the U.S. State Department’s annual Trafficking in Persons Report.
CARGO THEFT
In 2019, 87 percent of cargo theft attacks globally targeted trucks, according to the Cargo Theft Report 2020.
FINANCIAL CRIMES
The European Union released an action plan designed to help prevent financial crimes such as money laundering and terrorist financing.
FORCED LABOR
Nearly 25 million people worldwide are subjected to forced labor, according to estimates from the International Labour Organization.
DATA SHARING
For the second time in five years, the Court of Justice of the European Union struck down a data sharing agreement between the United States and the European Union.
WILDLIFE TRAFFICKING
Poachers in the illegal wildlife trade have turned from ivory to scales—according to the United Nations World Wildlife Crime Report, pangolins are now the most heavily trafficked wild mammal in the world.
TERRORISM FINANCING
Complex criminal structures can generate terrorism-supporting revenue, according to analysis in the European Union Terrorism Situation and Trend Report.
PIRACY
The U.S. State Department issued a warning about the rise of piracy and ocean freight theft in the Gulf of Mexico.
CHILD ABUSE
The California Child Welfare Indicators Project tracks instances of child maltreatment.
PHONE PRIVACY
The Indiana Supreme Court ruled that the police cannot force individuals to turn over phone passcodes or unlock their smartphones.
CORRUPTION
A subsidiary and a former subsidiary of global pharmaceutical company Novartis AG agreed to pay more than $233 million in criminal fines to end a U.S. Department of Justice investigation.
WILDFIRE FINE
After Pacific Gas & Electric pled guilty to 84 counts of involuntary manslaughter, a Butte County Superior Court judge ordered the California utility company to pay a $3.5 million fine.
SEDITION
The new security law mainland China enforced on Hong Kong in June gave the government’s ruling Communist Party broad powers.
DRONES
New York City enacted a bill requiring city police to disclose information about their use of surveillance tools, such as drones, as well as any information gathered from these tools.
CYBERSECURITY
India banned 59 mobile applications, including social media and video app TikTok.
MONEY LAUNDERING
The United Kingdom’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) fined the London branch of a German bank £38 million after the branched failed to incorporate money-laundering controls for five years.
CITIZENS
The U.S. Census Bureau has reached agreements with at least four U.S. states to gather information from driver’s licenses and state identification cards in an effort to determine the citizenship status of adults in the country.
CORRUPTION
A subsidiary and a former subsidiary of pharmaceutical company Novartis AG agreed to pay more than $233 million in criminal fines to end a U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) investigation.
TERRORISM
Hasher Jallal Taheb was given a 15-year prison sentence for an attempted attack of the White House.
DISCRIMINATION
Norfolk Southern Corporation and Norfolk Southern Railway Company (Norfolk Southern) agreed to a $2.5 million settlement to end a disability discrimination lawsuit.
