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By Jacque
, LPC
Iwas introduced to the loss prevention industry in the early 1990s when I was an executive at Pinkerton Consulting and Investigations. As I learned more and more about the retail security industry, the more I admired the practitioners and understood just how competent, professional, and valuable they were to the retail business. That was where I first realized that there was not a business publication for loss prevention professionals.
When I left Pinkerton in early 2001, the idea of a magazine for LP professionals stayed with me. Coincidentally, Jim Lee approached me about that same time asking about joining his and Walter Palmer’s retail training and consulting firm.
During our discussions, I pitched the idea of starting a magazine. Three months later in June, we had produced and printed a prototype that we distributed at the 2001 National Retail Federation loss prevention conference held in Vancouver, Canada. The magazine was received enthusiastically, so we launched our premier edition in September 2001.
Now twenty-one years and 126 magazines later, we have achieved a great deal. We have given voice to LP professionals reaching into the C-suite. We have helped create a curriculum and certification program for loss prevention. We have provided solution providers with a direct means of marketing technology and services to retail buyers. We partnered with ORIS Media to launch a Europe magazine. All of this was accomplished in large part due to the support and participation of
countless LP executives who provided content as well as distributed the magazines to their LP organizations.
In January of this year, the Loss Prevention Foundation who manages the certification program acquired the magazine as part of their commitment to educating the LP industry. Because the foundation is a not-for-profit organization run by a board of directors representing the industry, the magazine for the industry is now owned by the industry, solidifying its future going forward.
Speaking personally, I am extremely proud of what we’ve achieved. I’m proud of the role I was privileged to play these past twenty-one years. And now, it’s time to pass the torch to a new team to carry on and extend the success of the magazine.
As 2022 closes, so too does my full-time role in the magazine. The new year will begin a new chapter in my personal and professional life. I have a long list of things I want to accomplish going forward, not the least of which is joining my lovely wife, Cindy, in exploring retirement together.
While this will be my final column in the magazine, who knows, it may not be the last byline of mine you see in these pages. Whatever the future holds for me, the magazine will endure, which pleases me greatly. To the hundreds of women and men in the loss prevention industry I’ve gotten to know around the world, thank you for your support and friendship. The LP industry is one of a kind. Thank you for everything you’ve given me. I will always cherish it.
President
Terry Sullivan, LPC Terry.Sullivan@losspreventionfoundation.org
Vice President
Stefanie Hoover, CFI StefanieH@LPportal.com
Editor-in-Chief Jack Trlica JackT@LPportal.com
Senior Consultant James Lee, LPC JimL@LPportal.com
Managing Editor Digital Courtney Wolfe CourtneyW@LPportal.com
Editorial Director Jacque Brittain, LPC JacB@LPportal.com
Retail Technology Editor
Tom Meehan, CFI TomM@LPportal.com
Contributing Writers
Read Hayes, PhD Walter Palmer, CFI, CFE Ben Skidmore Shane G. Sturman, CFI, CPP David Thompson, CFI
Director Of Digital Operations
John Selevitch JohnS@LPportal.com
Special Projects
Justin Kemp, LPQ Kevin McMenimen, LPC Karen Smith
Design & Production SPARK Publications info@SPARKpublications.com
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Ben Skidmore 972-587-9064 office, 214-597-8168 mobile BenS@LPportal.com
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Tina Sellers, LPC Vice President, Asset Protection, Rite Aid
Hank Siemers, CFI Vice President, Global Retail Security, Tiffany & Co.
Pamela Velose Vice President, Asset Protection, Belk
Randy Meadows Senior Vice President, Loss Prevention, Kohl’s
Melissa Mitchell, CFI, LPC Director, Loss Prevention, MAPCO Express
Dan Moren Senior Manager, Starbucks
Richard Peck, LPC Senior Vice President, Loss Prevention, The TJX Companies
Joe Schrauder Vice President, Asset Protection, Walmart Stores
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Robert Holm Director, Global Safety & Security, McDonald’s
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David Lund, LPC Vice President, Loss Prevention, DICK’S Sporting Goods
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Americans should be shocked and horrified when they see headlines like “Chicago weekend shootings news: 31 shot, 8 fatally in weekend violence” or “Thirty injured, four killed in mass shootings over the weekend.” Unfortunately, after decades of declining violent crime, headlines like these have become routine. These headlines are not just some overblown moral panic about violent crime. The best available evidence reported by the Council on Criminal Justice indicates that homicide, aggravated assaults, gun assaults, robberies, and domestic violence all increased, on average, in cities throughout the US in 2021.
Unfortunately, the retail industry has not been immune to the rise in violence. According to the National Retail Federation’s (NRF) National Retail Security Survey (NRSS), “guest- on- associate violence” has become a greater priority among a greater number of retailers than any other crime over the past five years. Moreover, when loss prevention executives were asked about their priorities for 2022, violence was the most commonly cited offense.
Some of this increase is due to the violence associated with organized retail crime (ORC). In fact, according to the NRSS, 81.2 percent of retailers reported that aggression and violence associated with ORC has increased when compared to one year ago. According to the Association of Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialists, much of the ORC-related violence is likely due to less sophisticated and local organized retail offenders. However, there are other factors that are contributing to increasing violence.
In our discussions with retail members of the Loss Prevention Research Council (LPRC), we repeatedly hear about guests and workers who are “on edge.” Issues that might have led to mild dissatisfaction in the past are now turning into shouting, threats, and violence. There are many potential explanations for this, including poor economic conditions, the broad erosion of consequences for crime, and the way in which COVID-19 precautions disrupted social interactions and the maintenance of social norms. One bright spot is that violence associated with COVID-19 precautions such as masking and social
distancing seems to be subsiding as we emerge from the pandemic.
All this violence has many consequences for employees, guests, and communities. Obviously, there is physical harm, but violence is also associated with emotional, psychological, social, financial, and emotional harms. In fact, fear is one of the most common and pernicious forms of harm associated with violence.
Recently, the LPRC partnered with LP Magazine and the Loss Prevention Foundation to conduct our “ORC Across the States” survey. We found that 72.6 percent of the 177 practitioners surveyed reported that fear of crime is a major or moderate problem among store-level associates in the areas they serve. Furthermore, 48.7 percent of the survey respondents believed that fear of crime was contributing to staffing and turnover issues at the store level in the areas they served.
All this violence has many consequences for employees, guests, and communities. Obviously, there is physical harm, but violence is also associated with emotional, psychological, social, financial, and emotional harms. In fact, fear is one of the most common and pernicious forms of harm associated with violence.
There is no bright side to any of this but there is good news— violence can be prevented or averted by using strategies, solutions, and technologies throughout the LPRC’s Five Zones of Influence. In fact, any comprehensive violence prevention strategy should include strategies and solutions throughout all five zones. Many of
the solutions and strategies need to be researched to determine which approaches have the greatest impact on violence, other retail crimes, and retail losses in general.
The “Zones of Influence” typology is designed to help retailers think about preventing crime, reducing losses, and protecting assets throughout time and space. More specifically, it helps retailers identify opportunities to intervene in the processes that lead to crime. Within the LPRC, we refer to the processes that lead to crime as the “journey to crime.” Because individuals move through time and space, there are things that retailers can do before retail crimes (proactive strategies), during crime (disruptive and de- escalation strategies), and after crime (reactive strategies). Since crime often recurs at various times and places, it is important for violence prevention programs to incorporate all of these elements. Nevertheless, the term “Zones of Influence” is somewhat self-explanatory—retailers have influence over what happens in each of these zones. That is, retailers have an opportunity to prevent crime and losses: ● In the broader community and cyber domain (Zone 5), ● In the parking lot or store curtilage (Zone 4), ● At the store entry and in the overall store interior (Zone 3), ● In the proximate area where the crime occurs (Zone 2), and ● At the specific location of the crime within a store (Zone 1). Offenders can victimize retail employees, guests, and companies in any of the five zones of influence, however, each of the zones are nested within other zones. This is important because it means that, for example, for a crime to occur in or at Zone, 1 an offender must pass through Zones 5 through 2. Furthermore, it also implies
that, if an offender successfully commits a crime in Zone 1, then it suggests that retailers likely missed opportunities to control crime in Zones 2 through 5.
As mentioned previously, crimes can occur in any of the five zones. However, the nature of each of the zones shapes both the nature of crime that is likely to occur within that zone as well as the opportunities to control crime in each of the zones of influence. Although some strategies can be used across the different zones, there are also many important differences. For example, strategies to deter crime at a specific location within a store (Zone 1) are different from strategies that help retailers establish an impression of control in the parking lot (Zone 4).
This article is not intended to be an exhaustive review of violent crime prevention throughout the zones of influence, rather it is intended to highlight many of the opportunities for prevention within the five zones. More importantly, it is to show that a comprehensive violence prevention strategy must include strategies to affect behavior in every zone of influence. The remainder of this article focuses on strategic opportunities in each of the zones, beginning with Zone 1.
Zone 1 is the specific location where the target of a crime (person or asset) is located. For example, it could be the precise shelf-location of a product that a thief intends to steal or the specific place where a target of assault is located. There are many things that retailers can do to manipulate the situation in Zone 1, and many of these things are suggested by the principles of situational crime prevention (SCP), which is based on the idea that individuals are rational and will commit crime when the likely benefits exceed the likely costs and consequences of committing a crime. There
Zones of Influence in situational crime prevention in which interventions can be done to deter bad actors (red color) and encourage safe behaviors by good actors (blue color), leveraging collected information and built environment adaptions.
are five general principles of SCP, including:
1. Increasing the effort required to commit crime
2. Increasing the risks associated with committing crime
3. Reducing the rewards associated with committing crime
4. Reducing provocations that promote crime
5. Removing excuses for crime
Increase the Risks Associated with Committing Crime. To the extent that offenders are rational, they want to minimize the risk of negative consequences. For example, armed robbers often wear masks in an attempt to reduce the risk that they will be identified, which, in turn, reduces the likelihood that they will be prosecuted and punished. Therefore, if offenders believe they can effectively conceal their identity, then they will be more likely to commit crime. Alternatively, if retailers can increase the risks associated with committing crime such as increasing the risk of being identified, they can presumably prevent crime.
Cameras offer many opportunities to increase risk because they provide evidence that can be used during investigations and prosecutions. For example, using body-worn cameras (BWCs) on frontline staff is one promising strategy—if individuals know that their interactions are being recorded, then they may be more careful about what they say and do. Importantly, research on BWCs
among law enforcement officers suggests that such cameras may influence the behavior of both the wearer and the individual with whom they are interacting.
On one hand, the wearer knows that their actions (and possibly statements) are being recorded, so they may be more cognizant of what they say and do because they can be held accountable for their words and actions. Similarly, the person with whom the wearer is interacting may also be more mindful of their behavior because they are being recorded. More research needs to be conducted in the context of retail to determine the effectiveness of this approach. Furthermore, this research will need to ensure that any benefits outweigh any potential negative consequences in a retail setting.
Reducing Benefits Associated with Violence. Many loss prevention practitioners are familiar with strategies and solutions that reduce the benefits of theft.
For example, dye packs, dye tags, some bottle cap solutions, and anti-theft labels all operate according to the principle of benefit denial. Destroyed products and products with destroyed packaging are more difficult to use or resell. Therefore, by reducing the benefits of crime, we can also reduce crime itself.
Whether we like it or not, violence has risks as well as benefits. For example, violence may be a last resort for dispute resolution
when all other attempts have been unsuccessful. Therefore, techniques that avert escalation by resolving a dispute or de-escalate a confrontation are incredibly important to any comprehensive violence prevention strategy. We will discuss de-escalation later in this article; nevertheless, when disputes are resolved by non-violent means, there is no need to resort to violence, unless violence will benefit the offender(s) in other ways.
Even if a dispute seems to be resolved, some individuals may turn to violence to achieve some other end, such as making a point, sending a message to the victim or others, “getting even,” or becoming infamous. Some news outlets refuse to report the names of mass shooters or discuss the specifics of their ideological motives to deny the offender the benefit they seek such as becoming infamous or spreading their viewpoints. In other words, this is a benefit-denial strategy for reducing mass shootings. Although this is outside the control of LP teams, retailers could deny assailants the benefit of infamy by refusing to sell magazines and other publications that report assailants’ identities or by refusing to advertise with media outlets that publish the names and motivations of mass shooters.
While mass shootings are too common, they are still much less frequent than other forms of violence. For example, violence is an instrumental part of crimes like robbery, which are much
While mass shootings are too common, they are still much less frequent than other forms of violence. For example, violence is an instrumental part of crimes like robbery, which are much more common.
Zone 5 Cyber and Public Zone 4 Parking Lot Zone 3 Entry and Interior Zone 2 Proximate Area Zone 1 Point or Target and adaptations based on analyticsmore common. In these cases, reducing or obscuring the benefits of committing robbery can reduce the incidence of violence. Using time-delayed safes (and making would-be offenders aware of them) can reduce violence by reducing the benefits of robbery. Similarly, regular cash deposits and pickups that limit the amount of available cash can also reduce violence by reducing robbery.
limit firearms within their store locations. However, additional research needs to be conducted on the relationship between open-carry or concealed-carry policies and incidence of violence, especially in the context of retail. The presence of firearms can facilitate the commission of crime and firearm-related accidents are only possible when firearms are available. However, the presence of firearms can also potentially deter crime. It is theoretically plausible that the combination of limiting firearms among guests while employing armed guards could reduce gun violence in stores.
either avoid escalating incidents in the first place or de-escalating incidents that have already escalated. Unfortunately, most of the existing research on these practices has been conducted in the contexts of healthcare and law enforcement. More research needs to examine effective de-escalation in the unique context of retail. With that said, the Crisis Prevention Institute’s top ten de-escalation tips include the following:
Increasing the Effort Required to Commit Violence. Another strategy for reducing violence is to make it physically impossible or more difficult for individuals to commit various acts of violence. For example, installing bullet-proof glass between convenience store cashiers and guests makes it difficult for individuals to rob the store with a firearm. Similarly, simply putting an arm’s length distance between cashiers and guests makes it more difficult for individuals to successfully land a punch. This is also the reason de-escalation programs and law enforcement suggest that individuals should put some space between themselves and an agitated subject.
Limiting accessibility to weapons and other objects that can be used to attack employees also increases the effort to commit violence. Therefore, some retailers limit open- or concealed-carry within their stores in order to
Reducing Provocations for Violence. There is more to preventing crime than simply influencing opportunities for crime or the allure of a situation. There are also temptations and provocations that might increase the likelihood of violence in a specific situation. Therefore, it is important for retailers to take measures to reduce the likelihood that individuals will be provoked to commit crime, especially acts of violence.
Consider the following scenario. A contractor purchases a power tool at a home improvement retailer to complete a very important and time-sensitive job. The next day, while they are using the tool, it breaks before they can complete the project. They visit the store to return it, however, they must wait because there is only one person who can approve the return and that person is unavailable. In this situation, the customer may already be irritated, and this may be exacerbated if their return to the jobsite is delayed. This frustration can be averted if retailers adopt hassle-free returns and ensure that either (1) authorized employees or managers remain nearby to address these situations or (2) employees working at returns desk do not need authorization for returns.
Many retailers offer their frontline staff de-escalation training to
1. Being empathetic and nonjudgmental, 2. Respecting personal space, 3. Using nonthreatening nonverbal communication, 4. Avoiding overreaction, 5. Focusing on and addressing feelings, 6. Ignore challenging questions, 7. Clearly establishing limits and choices for resolution, 8. Being wise regarding what you are or are not willing to negotiate, 9. Giving others a moment to reflect on the situation if need be, and 10. Allowing time for individuals to make decisions.
All these techniques may be used to navigate and de-escalate volatile interactions, but as mentioned, these techniques are not specific to retail and much more research is needed to identify effective de-escalation tactics in retail settings.
Removing or Reducing Excuses for Violence. The final principle of situational crime prevention is removing or reducing excuses for crime. Many offenders will rationalize or excuse their actions in order to reduce the moral culpability they feel for their actions. For example, an individual might blame their life of crime on their inability to find legitimate employment, or they might excuse their behavior because they believe retailers are allegedly “insured” against losses.
Offenders may use similar excuses to excuse the violence they commit. For example,
The “Zones of Influence” typology is designed to help retailers think about preventing crime, reducing losses, and protecting assets throughout time and space. More specifically, it helps retailers identify opportunities to intervene in the processes that lead to crime.
by prohibiting intoxication among employees and guests. Clearly, controlling intoxication among guests can be difficult except in the most extreme cases.
Similarly, if an employee directs an offensive comment toward a coworker, and the coworker retaliates with violence, they may blame their violent response on the initial offensive comment. Retailers can minimize the type of retaliatory violence described above by prohibiting offensive comments in the workplace via policies and promoting a culture of respect.
Many of the strategies discussed for Zone 1 also apply to Zone 2. However, there are other considerations. For example, there
risk of criminal consequences in larger areas. Like the example of body-worn cameras, if individuals believe their behaviors are being monitored, they may be less likely to engage in violence.
However, there are other steps retailers can take to prevent violence using Zone 2 strategies such as taking measures to reduce frustrations. For example, in-aisle “call for help” buttons may make it easier for individuals to receive assistance. Similarly, stationing employees in or around department counters may also make it easier for guests to find assistance and make a purchase. Both strategies can potentially reduce frustration and avert an escalated incident.
Retail friction can sometimes be a source of frustration as well as other negative emotions. Recently,
We surveyed 790 individuals, and they reported that locking cases were frustrating, embarrassing, and unfair. Retailers should avoid generating these types of emotions and experiences if they want to reduce violence. Therefore, solutions that reduce retail friction may help retailers reduce frustration and avert escalated situations.
There are many strategies retailers can use to improve and accelerate threat awarenessat the store entrance and interior that can help minimize the amount of harm associated with violent incidents. For example, we have already discussed the important role that camera systems can play in preventing violence. However,
Retail friction can sometimes be a source of frustration as well as other negative emotions. Recently, the LPRC conducted research on a self-service locking case that enables guests to exchange their personally identifiable information for access to locked merchandise.
Sergey Nivens / shutterstock.comthese systems also offer other benefits, especially if they can be used with modern video analytics. For example, if retailers have a reason to believe that a disgruntled former employee may return to a store to harm others, they will want to know when they are on the premises. Clearly, they will want to alert authorities and store personnel as well as take all other necessary precautions.
Retailers can alert their employees of a threat when they are on the premises using a variety of technologies. Unfortunately, retailers must first detect that the threat is on the premises. If retailers have feature or facial matching software, they can enroll the subject in the system and receive an alert whenever cameras detect that individual on the premises.
visual signatures. For example, gunshot detection systems are available for both the interior and exterior of stores, while several other technologies can detect when electronic devices associated with known offenders enter the premises. Finally, AI-based weapons detection video analytics can detect firearms, knives, and other potential weapons. All these technologies can be used both inside and outside of store locations.
CPTED and Data-Driven Decisions. Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED) also has implications for crime prevention both inside and outside of stores. As the name suggests, CPTED practices attempt to prevent crimes, including violence, by changing the physical environment. As mentioned previously, this can include things such as installing bullet-proof glass between cashiers and guests at convenience stores.
to address queue management and layout, especially if additional analysis suggests that violence is occurring because individuals are becoming frustrated while waiting in lines. Unfortunately, unless retailers are collecting the data, they may not become aware of these problems or their causes.
Modern facial matching (see page 56) is highly accurate and can potentially provide retailers earlier awareness, which gives retailers more time to respond to incidents and take the proper precautions. This is just one example, but this software could also be used to alert retailers that known violent or aggressive individuals are on store premises.
These technologies and many others can be used in both Zones 3 and 4 (the parking lot and store curtilage) to improve threat awareness, including those that detect various digital, audible, and
When we think holistically about violence prevention via environmental design, some of the principles of situational crime prevention apply. One of the most concerning things about violence is that some retailers only maintain records about incidents that escalate to full-blown violence and do not maintain records about non-violent incidents such as shouting matches between customers. In order for retailers to address issues that generate violence inside a store, it is important to be aware of near-miss or close-call incidents, especially since violence is less frequent than crimes like theft. By collecting near-miss incidents, retailers will have at least some data to make strategic decisions about violence prevention.
Imagine if we collected data about guest-on-guest violent incidents and near-misses throughout stores and found that many of them were occurring in queues, before guests had even reached the point of sale. This might indicate the retailer needs
Many of the strategies discussed in previous sections can inform Zone 3 strategies. However, regardless of the strategy a retailer adopts, they must consider the potential negative consequences of the strategy. For example, we recently worked with student teams at the University of Florida to develop strategies and solutions that would prevent active assailant incidents or reduce the harm associated with these incidents. One of the teams suggested that retailers might obscure shooters’ lines of sight by staggering aisles and shelves within the store. However, this would affect the lines of sight for both guests and the assailant alike, which could result in greater harm. In short, there are always possible negative effects, and retailers should be ultra-critical and hyper-vigilant when reviewing any solution for such high-risk incidents.
The retail parking lot, automobile entrance, and store curtilage have become increasingly important as many retailers have established or expanded their buy-online, pickup-at-curbside (BOPAC) and third-party delivery services. Zone 4 is also important because it is the retailers’ first line of defense against in-store violence.
Just as first impressions are important when meeting new people, Zone 4 is where retailers get the opportunity to make their “first impression” of control. Zone 4 is also where retailers have the opportunity to gather information about who and what, such as weapons, are entering the
Many retailers offer their frontline staff de-escalation training to either avoid escalating incidents in the first place or de-escalating incidents that have already escalated and a lot of these practices are backed by research. More research needs to examine effective de-escalation in the unique context of retail.
Continued from page 18
premises. Also, parking lots are the site of much violence, and these incidents must be managed and prevented.
Managing guests’ “impression of control” is a core concept in loss prevention. Unfortunately, this concept is often used as a buzzword without any context or explanation. We tend to manage first impressions because these impressions influence others’ perceptions of us, which, in turn, affect all our subsequent interactions. Similarly, retailers must manage first impressions of control because these shape guests’ subsequent behaviors and interactions on the premises.
of incivilities. This is because signs of incivilities create the impression that the people responsible for managing or controlling what happens in a place do not, in fact, have control of what happens in that place. Alternatively, when places are orderly, clean, and absent of crime and disorder, it can create the impression that things are under control.
According to the Oxford Dictionary, an impression is “an idea, feeling, or opinion about something or someone, especially one formed without conscious thought or on the basis of little evidence.” The impression of control is guests’ impression that a location's managers are in control of what happens at that place. In fact, managing guests’ impression of control is the key mechanism at the heart of the “broken windows theory,” which suggests that we can prevent crime by addressing less serious forms of crime, social or physical disorder, and other signs
Retailers can begin to establish a baseline impression of control by reducing signs of physical disorder, such as removing trash and graffiti as well as fixing broken lights, fixtures, and other assets. Some of these are relatively easy to accomplish. For example, retailers can minimize the amount of trash outside their locations by making trash cans available and regularly emptying them. Alternatively, they can hire contractors to cover graffiti and make necessary repairs. However, retailers must also manage social disorder including loitering, solicitation, drug us,e and prostitution, which can be a bit more difficult, especially in jurisdictions where they receive little or no support from law enforcement. Some retailers have implemented solutions that play sounds that make the location unappealing to those who might want to congregate in the area. Other retailers have adopted surveillance towers or mobile surveillance units in their parking lots. Not only can this promote an impression of control, but it also increases the risks associated with crime by providing evidence that can be used to investigate and prosecute crime. These types of highly visible deterrents are important because, as mentioned previously, the parking lot is a common site of violent crime and disputes.
Finally, Zone 5 is everything beyond the parking lot. One of the most obvious Zone 5 strategies for violence prevention is to not operate stores in areas where
employees and guests are at greater risk of victimization. Unfortunately, we will never be able to avoid our way out of violent crime because retail stores and facilities are, by their nature, places to which individuals travel and crime patterns change over time. Therefore, it is helpful for retailers to understand the risk landscape around their locations, including factors that might contribute to greater victimization in and around their stores and other facilities.
Once they are aware of these risks, they can begin managing those risks.
General Risk and Threat Awareness. There are many tools that can be used to increase a retailers’ awareness of existing and potential threats and risks within a community. For example, solutions from companies such as CAP Index and Esri can help retailers understand the geographic distribution of the risk of violence around their stores, using variables that are known to be related to increased risk of violent crime such as demographic and socio-economic data, indicators of social disorganization, crime data, the location of crime generators and attractors (bars or transportation hubs), and the location of sources of crime control (police stations).
However, there are other resources that can promote threat awareness. For example, there are numerous solution providers that offer web-scraping services that can help retailers identify when individuals are making threats or aggressive statements about a particular brand, location, or employee online. Furthermore, several retailers report that they became aware of violent and potentially violent incidents in their stores because individuals posted about an incident on social media as it was happening.
Other services can incorporate information about events happening in real time with
In order for retailers to address issues that generate violence inside a store, it is important to be aware of near-miss or close-call incidents, especially since violence is less frequent than crimes like theft. By collecting near-miss incidents, retailers will have at least some data to make strategic decisions about violence prevention.
information about the geographic distribution of risk. These services take the information that is found on social media and maps the origins of those posts and combine this information with real- time crime incidents as they are reported in each geographic area.
Supporting Community Crime Prevention Efforts. Retailers can also support existing community crime prevention efforts by supporting law enforcements’ efforts to control crime. However, retailers and law enforcement agencies will both need to be proactive in finding opportunities to collaborate on violent crime. To the extent that law enforcement agencies can get violent offenders off the streets, violent crime should be reduced. In fact, since serious offenders tend to engage in a wider range of offenses, removing known offenders from the streets for other crimes should also help reduce violent crime.
Unfortunately, incarceration and deterrence will only get us so far. There are also opportunities to reduce violence by supporting community and developmental prevention programs and practices. There are many risk and protective factors that affect the likelihood that an individual will engage in crime. Risk factors are factors that increase the likelihood that an individual will engage in crime, such as being the child of antisocial parents, poor parental supervision, impulsivity, associating with delinquent or criminal peers, or residing in a high-crime neighborhood. Protective factors are factors that reduce the likelihood that an individual will engage in crime, such as high intelligence, religiosity, and bonds to conventional activities and individuals.
Programs and practices that reduce individual, family, and
community risk factors and enhance protective factors for crime tend to reduce crime and other antisocial behaviors. Therefore, to the extent that retailers can influence risk and protective factors among the individuals and communities they serve, they should be able to reduce crime. Many retailers already do this via their support for various charities and programs that likely affect crime. A brief review of the charitable activities of Walmart, Target, Dollar General, Macy’s, Foot Locker, Lowe’s, and Home Depot reveals that they contribute billions of dollars to combat crime and substance use, promote healthy youth development and job training, and reduce illiteracy and homelessness. Theoretically speaking, all these efforts could have positive effects on crime and other outcomes throughout communities.
To the extent that retailers can influence risk and protective factors among the individuals and communities they serve, they should be able to reduce crime. Many retailers already do this via their support for various charities and programs that likely affect crime.
However, when retailers support community and developmental programs, they should focus their resources on programs and practices that are supported by rigorous research. Fortunately, there are resources that summarize the effects of different programs, such as Blueprints for Healthy Youth Development (blueprintsprograms.org), which is the gold standard for evaluating “what works” in youth prevention programs and is a great resource to help retailers learn about effective community and developmental prevention programs.
If retailers would like to review crime prevention programs and practices that affect adults’ behavior specifically, practitioners can review the programs and practices listed on the National Institute of
Justice’s Crime Solutions website (crimesolutions.ojp.gov). While this site uses a less rigorous set of criteria to review programs and practices, it is still a very helpful resource.
As mentioned at the outset, this article is not intended to be a comprehensive review of violence prevention and harm mitigation strategies. For example, we haven’t discussed how remote-view capabilities can enable retailers to manage their response to a violent incident in real-time, as well as many other important strategies. Rather, the aim here is to highlight the fact that a comprehensive violence prevention strategy will target aiming points throughout all the zones of influence. There
is still a lot more work that must be done to understand which strategies are most effective in retail settings. For more information or to join the research into better understanding the zones of influence, contact the author or consider joining the LPRC.
Cory Lowe,PhD is a research scientist at the Loss Prevention Research Council. He received his doctorate in criminology in 2020 from the University of Florida where he specialized in crime and delinquency prevention, communities and crime, criminological theory, and research methods and data analysis. Lowe has published in peer-reviewed journals and other scholarly publications on the causes of crime, crime and delinquency prevention, and the factors associated with substance use and delinquency. He can be reached at Cory@LPresearch.org.
Thompson is the president and partner of Wicklander-Zulawski & Associates, providing investigative interview and interrogation training to a global audience. He has served as a subject-matter expert in developing curriculum and providing consultation to investigators, attorneys, and the academic community. He can be reached at dthompson@w-z.com.
Sturman is the CEO and senior partner of Wicklander-Zulawski & Associates and has led this international training organization for over a decade. Sturman has provided training for WZ for a variety of clients over the last twenty years. He is also a member of ASIS International’s Retail Loss Prevention Council. He can be reached at 800-222-7789 or at ssturman@w-z.com.
© 2022 Wicklander-Zulawski & Associates, Inc.
Astore manager frantically calls you on Saturday afternoon to report a large theft incident at one of your stores, so naturally you turn on your investigative mindset and start firing away questions. “What did the guy look like?”, “How much stuff did they take?”, “What other employees were there?”, “Why didn’t you lock up the $1,000 leather coats?”
Although it may seem that these questions will provide the most immediate results, it also limits the scope of your inquiry. Of course, these details may be relevant and helpful to your investigation, but they may not be the right way to get there. Urgency of an investigation could be a variable that impacts the types and sequence of questions we ask, as we may need details more quickly in a case that involves an imminent threat. However, the purpose of this article is to stay within the scope of investigative interviews where the ultimate goal is to obtain as much reliable information as possible.
includes identifying the culprit. The problems with this question are multiple, especially if they occur in the beginning of the interview when the interviewee has yet to provide us an uninterrupted narrative. First, the interviewer has already stated within their question that there is “the guy” which suggests to the
interviewee that it was a single male actor responsible for the theft. If the interviewee initiates the conversation stating, “there was one guy that came in…” then it would be more appropriate, but it’s not for us to suggest.
Additionally, when the interviewer starts off with a question like this, they may also be working in contradiction to the interviewee’s attempt to recall the incident. Maybe “the guy” isn’t the context of the incident they are envisioning at the time, but instead it’s the loud noises they heard, the open emergency exit door, the vehicle parked at the curb, or the security tags alarming on the way out. Asking a question out of context of the interviewee’s current mindset may not only contaminate their response, but also makes it more difficult to recall.
What could be wrong with asking “what did the guy look like”?
After all, part of our investigation includes identifying the culprit.
In order to support that goal, it’s necessary to obtain actionable intelligence and provide a platform for the interviewee to give us as much as information as they are able. With this in mind, we need to understand the importance of what questions we ask, when we ask them, and what the perspective of the interviewee is when being asked.
What could be wrong with asking “what did the guy look like?” After all, part of our investigation
Asking for a description of the subject is obviously an important part of the conversation, but there is a more effective way to obtain information than asking in a leading fashion. Even a helpful, truthful witness may unintentionally withhold information because they are only answering the questions that were asked. There is a major difference between initiating an interview with “Could you tell me what happened?” and “What did the guy look like?”.
We’ve written several articles for Loss Prevention
There is a major difference between initiating an interview with “Could you tell me what happened?” and “What did the guy look like?”. Following up to a narrative is done best with expansion questions, as the interviewer can take any section of the story and inquire to learn more about it.CarryLove / shutterstock.com Andrey_Popov / shutterstock.com
Magazine that highlight memory contamination and fallibility. These are commonplace issues that investigators may face, ranging from “I don’t remember” responses to eliciting false information from a cooperative witness. It is important to also recognize that the questions we ask—and the order in which we ask them—may also facilitate more productive recall of the incident.
Let’s take an example of you wanting to know about somebody’s weekend. If we take the closed-ended question approach, “What did you do for dinner on Saturday?”, the interviewee is then triggered to only respond with the location or type of meal they had on Saturday. This focuses their memory, in the moment, on details specific to this event—what they ate, where they were, who they were with. It’s possible that the interviewee goes through a mental checklist when answering this question, withholding perceived irrelevant details or those that do not fit within the scope of the question. For example, if asked “What did you do for dinner?”, the interviewee may not feel prompted or even immediately recall that they went to a bar for a nightcap after dinner. This detail wasn’t required to answer the question, so why volunteer it? A slightly better approach may be use of the open-ended question, inquiring “could you tell me about your Saturday night?”
Now that we’ve highlighted some of the issues with our favorite closed-ended questions, let’s visit a more effective approach which may provide us with more information and subsequently, more details. The best sequence to these factgathering interviews is most likely initiating with an openended question, probing further with expansion questions, clarifying with echo questions, and identifying details with the closed-ended question. To make this simple, we can break down
our conversation with the store manager after the shoplifting incident using the approach outlined here.
Open-ended question. Initiating with this type of question prevents contamination by the interviewer and allows the interviewee to tell their story based on their recollection, in the order in which it comes to them. It also provides limited guardrails to the scope of their answer.
Could you tell me about what happened yesterday?
“I was working by the registers, and I saw a large group of people come in and go right toward the leather coats. They started shouting and then spreading out. Customers were getting scared and then all of a sudden, this group just ran out of the store with a bunch of merchandise. It was crazy!”
Expansion question. Following up to a narrative is done best with expansion questions, as the interviewer can take any section of the story and inquire to learn more about it. These questions also prevent contamination
and place the burden back on the interviewee to provide more details.
Could you tell me more about when you saw them come into the store?
“Like I said, there was a ton of people that came in at once which startled me. I heard a lot of noise, so it caught my attention.”
Echo question. When the interviewee uses subjective language, it is important to use their same words in the form of a question to allow them to define it for us. We may have a different perspective of these descriptive words and should not make any assumptions.
What do you mean by “a ton of people?”
“There had to be at least five people, because that’s how many I saw get into this red car.”
What do you mean by “a lot of noise?”
“They were just shouting across the store to each other. I don’t know what they were saying.”
Closed-ended question. Finally, once we have a wider scope of information from our interviewee, then it would be more appropriate to ask our closed-ended questions to get more intimate details. Remember, these can be very useful questions but only if used in the appropriate context.
You mentioned you saw them get into the car; do you know what type of vehicle it was?
“It was a red minivan; I think a Dodge.”
Resist the urge to “interrogate” when your goal is to obtain as much information as possible. Patience, silence, and allowing the interviewee to recreate the context of the event is more likely to produce more accurate information. There is a time and place for the direct question, but most likely, it’s not where we want to start. My recommendation: be a better listener and you’ll be amazed at the information you may have been missing.
Resist the urge to “interrogate” when your goal is to obtain as much information as possible. Patience, silence, and allowing the interviewee to recreate the context of the event is more likely to produce more accurate information.
Initiating with an open-ended question prevents contamination by the interviewer and allows the interviewee to tell their story based on their recollection.
By Sr. Arbitrator Ashley A. Nobili, MLA, CFI
A policy violation was committed, a pristine due diligence investigation was conducted, the person even confessed! How on earth could an arbitrator ever award in that justifiably fired employee’s favor? Are they an idiot? Unfortunately, this is an all-too-common outcome in the Alternative Dispute Resolution or ADR world. According to current statistics from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), a total of 67,448 wrongful termination charges were filed in 2020. Couple that with the American Civil Liberties Union findings that, “Two million at-will employees are fired every year and that, when impartial arbitrators were given the opportunity to review termination decisions, half of them are found to be unjust—in other words they would award in the plaintiffs favor.”
Incorporate statistics such as the estimation by Chief Justice Charles Canady that in the state of Florida only 0.04 percent of cases are ultimately resolved through the completion of a trial and you start to understand just how large a role ADR plays, and why ignoring it is costing you. With most cases settling out of court through mediation or being handled in private arbitrations, the majority of post-termination claims are being handled by an arm of the legal community you may have never heard of.
Alternative Dispute Resolution is, for lack of a better explanation, a private court. Ever see Judge Judy? That’s an
arbitration—two parties agree on a neutral third party to award the case instead of battling it out in public court. It offers several advantages including cost control, speed, and confidentiality.
ADR programs of all types including arbitration (sometimes called Umpiring) are found at local, state, federal, or industry levels. Furthermore, many companies now days write into their contracts that signing parties agree to arbitration through nationally recognized private neutral firms such as Judicial Arbitration and Mediation Services or the American Arbitration Association. Don’t believe it? Pull out a contract or two that you have signed and one of them probably has an arbitration clause in it. With community ADR programs and the rise of arbitration clauses in transactional law (employment agreements), understanding what an employer needs in order to prevail in these hearings is becoming increasingly important.
In many cases, the arbitrator can absolutely see the context of what is going on. So why on earth are they awarding for the plaintiff? An arbitrator must remain neutral and award upon the preponderance of the dispute and evidence before them. But what in the world does that mean?
It means that the claim brought against the employer is usually not, “I didn’t do it.” The terminated employee comes with other claims such as, “I was coerced,” or
“The investigation or termination was not done per policy or union terms.” Another popular one is, “Everyone does it and they singled me out because…” or one of the most common in my experience, “They fired me to avoid paying me my commission and bonus.”
Well, those are hard accusations to get around if you don’t have a solid termination packet. An arbitrator by law and oath must remain neutral and look at the plaintiff’s claim, the evidence before them, and the terms outlined in the arbitration program or arbitration agreement when rendering their award. An arbitrator is going to consider various points regarding the plaintiffs claim such as, did they do the work? How close was it to the payout date or marker? Was this addressed in the termination procedures? The employee may have been fired for just cause, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that they can’t make a winning case for being singled out or entitlement to their variable compensation.
documentation. I can’t tell you how many times I have seen cases where follow-ups and fact-checking on interviewee testimony were not documented and so I was constrained by the evidence (or lack there of) in my award.
Say you are about to investigate or terminate an employee who you have on camera clearly stealing merchandise. Easy case, right? Maybe, maybe not. What if the company has a history of other employees only being reprimanded, not fired, for similar activity. If this was the employee’s first time and they were fired on the first instance they could argue they were singled out.
This next part is what you aren’t going to want to hear. Yes, they violated policy or stole, no that does not mean they don’t have a justifiable claim under those circumstances for being singled out. In this case, the argument of, “But they were fired for stealing,” has nothing to do with their claim. The employer may have had other reasons as to why that employee was terminated after just one instance when others have been reprimanded three times for similar behavior without being let go. Maybe they were bad with customers, had poor evaluations, etc., and this was just the last straw, but is it in your report? Can you justify why this instance was different?
uncooperative if further litigation is encountered.
Furthermore, in these programs many times neither party comes with council. It is just the terminated employee on one side and a company representative on the other. Some representatives are well versed on the dispute and come with well-ordered and evidence-backed arguments. But all too often they simply say the employee was fired and here is the packet, which is then excessively lacking, or worse, confusing. I have even had hearings where the forms were completely blank and just signed at the bottom. This is where documentation and follow-ups are crucial because the arbitrator needs grounds when issuing their award.
Ok so that is all well and good, but how do you make sure your termination packet has what it needs to protect yourself or your employer from such issues?
So, if you want to be the prevailing party you must be ready to defend your actions before, during, and after the investigation and termination with supporting
The other important aspect of these arbitrations is that many of them are done through public programs, yes even the big Fortune 500 companies. This is because the terminated employee can go fi le a dispute, usually for free, in one or more of a multitude of programs and thus feel they have nothing to lose. In turn, most large companies have either already signed contractual agreements with these programs (such as the Better Business Bureau) or opt to voluntary participate for fear of appearing
Unfortunately, the answer to that question is—it’s on a case-by-case basis. Let’s take the common claim of, they fired me to avoid paying me my commission or bonus. I have seen termination packets wherein the employee agreed to forgo their variable compensation in exchange for the company acknowledging it as repayment and considering the matter settled. I have also seen it addressed under terms of hire or company policy documents wherein the company spelled out under what circumstances variable pay was forfeited. These documents then became the employers’ evidence that they had discussed the variable pay outstanding with the terminated employee, and that the employee did in fact agree to those terms. It would now be on the former employee to establish what about those agreements were unjust. This is a significantly harder claim to substantiate.
Pay close attention to the wording in that last sentence—substantiate, not prove. This is arbitration, not public court, the rules and burdens
are different. They do not need to prove it happened, only that their claim is more substantiated than your rebuttal. It can get more complicated than this (statutory law trumps contractual clauses), but for most post-termination claims in community arbitration programs this is what the employer is going to encounter.
So, if it wasn’t addressed in your packet, say by adding an appendix containing a copy of the hiring terms, and the representative doesn’t bring it up during the hearing, the arbitrator may very well award in the former employee’s favor. But don’t despair, this is to your favor if you construct the investigation and termination with a shielding frame of mind.
Explore all topics that you could foresee the person using to make a claim against the company. In law they call this exposure, meaning where are we vulnerable? When prepping for your investigation and eventual write up you should be asking yourself, “What is our exposure?”
Want a simple way to impress your company’s legal team and show your boss you know what you are doing? Just ask them what kind of civil tort issues you should be shielding for. When working as a consultant for loss prevention departments this is the first thing I do. Why? Because there may be things you don’t know, and they haven’t thought to mention. By posing this question it makes the team stop and think about the entirety of the situation and not the tunnel vision of loss prevention alone. I often get responses such as, “Oh wait, yes they just told us they will be taking parental leave,” or “Yes, we are supposed to pay out their unused vacation according to company policy.” Well, wasn’t that important information they didn’t think to tell you?
By being aware of these surrounding topics you can do what I like to call an accusation audit (a term I borrowed from Chris Voss’s book Never Split the
Difference) and make sure that the termination would hold up against potential claims. You do owe them that paid vacation and if there is a history of this behavior and no one investigated until they happened to ask for parental leave you are going to have some explaining to do. Better to address those issues during the termination instead of trying to explain to an arbitrator why the company failed to pay it out during termination.
Another important aspect to keep in mind is that in arbitration there are relaxed rules of evidence. This standard is significantly lower than that of public courts and allows the arbitrator to consider things such as hearsay and circumstantial evidence. So, make sure that if you feel something is relevant that you put it in your report, even if it may not meet the standards for criminal and circuit civil court evidence. It will be irrelevant to a prosecutor but can very well end up being the shield that protects your employer in an arbitration.
Make sure you follow through in your documentation so that the company representative has everything they need to hold up and defend against any potential post-termination claims. Please note the term, “any potential post-termination claims.” The terminated employees are not simply filing wrongful termination, the claims are around the termination, not the actual termination. So, make sure when constructing your investigation that you consider the surrounding issues—such as variable compensation—that could be grounds for a dispute. Therefore, it is important to build a report that fully captures and documents all events leading up to, during, and after the investigation and termination.
It is also important to structure your documentation and reports in an understandable sequence. I always suggest constructing your packet so that it reads like a
narrative. You want to organize your packet so that an arbitrator can pick it up five years from now and understand what you did, why you did it, and clearly see the evidence and followup of your investigation and subsequent decisions. This is the key to prevailing in any hearing, be it a private arbitration or a public court.
Ashley Nobili is an internationally recognized Sr. Mediator-Arbitrator and Sr. Negotiator with over eighteen years of experience, over 350 hours of Alternative Dispute Resolution training, thousands of completed cases, and over $648M in executed contracts or awards. She holds a Master of Liberal Arts in Strategic Management from Harvard University with a Professional Certificate from Harvard Law School’s Program on Negotiation in Negotiations and Conflict Management. She is a Florida Supreme Court certified mediator for circuit civil, family, and appellate mediations and is a current Florida Supreme Court Qualified Arbitrator. Ms. Nobili is currently taking private cases through the firm Legal Measures ADR and can be reached or booked through their website LegalMeasuresADR.com or by sending an email to Admin@LegalMeasuresADR.com.
Want a simple way to impress your company’s legal team and show your boss you know what you are doing? Just ask them what kind of civil tort issues you should be shielding for.
The LPM “Magpie” Awards offer a means to celebrate industry accomplishments recognizing the loss prevention professionals, teams, solution providers, and law enforcement partners that demonstrate a stellar contribution to the profession. Please join LPM in celebrating the accomplishments of our latest honorees.
EDITOR’S NOTE: For this installment of the LPM Magpie Awards, we have done something a little different. Rather than celebrate two individuals, we are highlighting the hard work that this entire team has dedicated to the retail loss prevention community. Their work has truly been remarkable, leading to tremendous results and outstanding partnerships. The team has both shown an eagerness to learn more about our industry as well as a willingness to share and partner with retailers across the country in the fight against organized retail crime (ORC).
Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) is the principal investigative arm of the US Department of Homeland Security, responsible for investigating transnational crime and threats, specifically those criminal organizations that exploit the global infrastructure through which international trade, travel, and finance move. HSI’s mission is to investigate, disrupt, and dismantle terrorist, transnational, and other criminal organizations that threaten or seek to exploit the customs and immigration laws of the US. This mission also includes the fight against ORC.
As the Deputy Assistant Director of the Countering Transnational Organized Crime, Financial, and Fraud Division at HSI headquarters, Aguilar leads programmatic oversight of HSI’s strategic planning, national policy implementation, and the development and execution of operational initiatives for various programmatic areas targeting transnational criminal organizations involved in money laundering, financial fraud, bulk cash smuggling, document fraud, benefit fraud, labor exploitation, and related crimes enforced by HSI, as well as investigative resources related to asset forfeiture, seized property, and equitable sharing. With offices across the country, Aguilar and his team are working
closely with retail and law enforcement partners to uncover and resolve ORC cases with a tremendous level of success.
“In response to the ORC threat, HSI is leading a collaborative approach under Operation Boiling Point by utilizing our expertise and unique authorities and leveraging private-public partnerships to disrupt and dismantle organized theft groups, and strengthen global supply chain security,” he said. “The Operation Boiling Point team consisted of myself, Division Chief Maria Michel-Manzo, Unit Chief Thomas Welch, Section Chief Daniel Callaghan, and National Program Managers Billy Melton and Robert Skidmore.”
This leadership and the entire HSI team have directly contributed to countless investigations leading to the arrest and conviction of many multi-million-dollar ORC teams across the country, several of which were involved in international criminal ventures. Their leadership and partnerships working with dedicated retail and law enforcement teams have led to some of the largest ORC cases in the country’s history as well as the recovery of millions of dollars in retail assets.
“In response to the public safety threat posed by organized theft groups, HSI serves our communities by protecting the American people, including retail loss prevention personnel and
others, from transnational criminal organizations seeking to exploit and profit from organized retail theft and related crimes,” said Aguilar.
“Our motto is ‘Honor, Service, Integrity.’ We rely on strong strategic partnerships with public-private sector entities, including retail LP and industry professionals whose businesses and employees are targeted by ORC groups, to collaborate in support of investigations to disrupt and dismantle transnational criminal organizations,” he added.
Throughout fiscal year 2022, the Operation Boiling Point team prioritized building and furthering partnerships with multiple industries to advance this national program, including retail, freight transportation, banking, and other business sectors that may be targeted or utilized by ORC groups to facilitate their criminal activities. By coordinating with strategic public-private sector partners, HSI built the Operation Boiling Point strategy to unify efforts and inform stakeholders on this public safety threat.
“To create strong partnerships, leaders and organizations should look at issues from the perspective of their partners and create opportunities for collaboration and cooperation,” said Aguilar. “This allows stakeholders to inform and guide the partnership based on their unique equities.”
Alan Marston, LPC Lowe’s
“LPC
deep look at some of the most important prevailing factors around how and why LP departments exist.”
— Christopher Burdett, LPC“After almost thirty years in the LP Industry, I still abide by the rule that you never stop learning. The LPC course is a well thought out program designed to reinforce one’s existing knowledge and to challenge the individual with more. One of the best parts is the coursework covers a wide variety of retail situations that one may not be familiar with. If we are to truly be well-rounded in this ever-changing industry, we need to continue learning about all aspects of loss prevention, regardless of our current role. Completing this course was one of the more challenging aspects of my personal development but absolutely worth the effort.”
“The LPC is a wonderful way for leaders in the loss prevention professional network to grow their knowledge and understanding around the profession. LPC takes a deep look at some of the most important prevailing factors around how and why LP departments exist. It is a powerful tool to help diversify the approach of even the most experienced leaders in LP.”
“This course is well put together and very deliberate in its presentation. The lesson plans are insightful, and I found can be used daily in my current position as an asset protection supervisor. This course cross-trains you for loss prevention whether you are in a store or warehouse environment as it redefines what it means to be an LP professional. I will use it as development to increase my skillset and further my career while passing on knowledge to my peers. I appreciate the course, review sessions, and professionals that put me in position to grow, learn, and develop.”
Christopher Burdett, LPC Burlington Stores
Jamel Dennis, LPQ Home Depot
takes a
“The LPC course was exactly what I expected—very rewarding and full of fantastic content I will use to further my career. The knowledge I gained from the course will make me a better leader and help me better my knowledge of the loss prevention and safety field. The knowledge I gained will prepare me for the future to use in my daily business. The coursework was detailed and let me learn at my own pace.”
“The LPC is a great course for LP leaders. You can never have too much information around your craft. No day in the world of LP is ever the same, and this course is a great way to help you navigate through each of those days—diving into all aspects of what we see, but also the skills to operate behind the scenes of what people do not see. Even the most tenured professionals can learn from this course. I can be a better leader, partner, and peer because of this course.”
“As a loss prevention and security professional, the goal is to provide the best service possible to your customer base. The Loss Prevention Foundation through their LPcertified program has given me the tools to be a better business partner and leader. This certification is the defining line between those who are good at what they do, and those who are great at what they do. I highly recommend this certification for anyone seeking to further their career and join the elite group of LP professionals today.”
“The experience with the LP Foundation has been great. Going through the different aspects of loss prevention careers has opened my eyes to endless opportunities. Being part of this journey and getting certified has set me up for success in my future goals. Thank you!”
“The LPQ certification opened my mind in ways I had not even thought of. Even after many years of experience, I only knew a portion of what it’s really like in the world of LP. I see loss prevention in a totally different way now.”
“I am humbled and honored to have gone through the detailed and very informative coursework the Loss Prevention Foundation has put together. I am also very grateful to Lowe’s for believing in me and granting me a scholarship to further my career with this designation. I am proud to be an LPC professional.”
“This course cross-trains you for loss prevention whether you are in a store or warehouse environment as it redefines what it means to be an LP professional.”
— Jamel Dennis, LPQ
Learn more about obtaining your LPC or LPQ certification today at losspreventionfoundation.org or scan the QR code.
The following are individuals who recently earned their certifications.
Donald Alexander, LPC, Sleep Number
Bill Asson, LPC, Lowe’s
Tom Barding, LPC, Dollar General
Nikolas Berard, LPC, Macy’s
William Berger, LPC, CVS Health
Wendy Britt, LPC, Lowe’s
Stephen Burd, LPC, Dollar General
Christopher Burdett, LPC, Burlington Stores
Joseph Burgess, LPC, CVS Health
David Cammenga, LPC, Meijer
Cynthia Carbonaro, LPC, LPQ, Meijer
Kat Chapman, LPC, LPQ, Meijer
Marvin Standley Coats, LPC, Dollar General
Kimberly Coleman, LPC, Dollar General
Traci Cooley, LPC, Dollar General
Shayna Coonin, LPC, Charter Communications
Laura Cooper, LPC, Kroger
Heath Croom, LPC, Dollar General
Michael Cross, LPC, Lowe’s
Kevin Dabbs, LPC, CFI, Dollar General
Alfred Dauser, LPC, Dollar General
Michael DeBiase, LPC, Lowe’s
Lee Dowdy, LPC, Dollar General
Michael Doyle, LPC, Dollar General
Brian Ellingson, LPC, Lowe’s
Rachel French, LPC, Meijer
Chris Fulkerson, LPC, Dollar General
Kevin Goeke, LPC, Kroger
Byron Gower, LPC, Dollar General
Heather Gruzs, LPC, Walgreens
Kevin Hale, LPC, Dollar General
Joshua Hamilton, LPC, TJX
Kelly Hansen, LPC, CVS Health
Kyle Harrell, LPC, Lowe’s
James Harris, LPC, Target
John Hasnauer, LPC, LPQ, The
Coastal Companies
Ellis Holcomb, LPC, Dollar General
Chad Houghton, LPC, Lowe’s
Todd Huff, LPC, Dollar General
James Hutchinson, LPC, Home Depot
John Ibarria, LPC, Lowe’s
Logan Iffland, LPC, Lowe’s
Tiana Jimeno, LPC, Walgreens
Brandon (BK) Kinney, LPC, LPQ, TJX
Heather Kohler, LPC, Dollar General Jim Kriston, LPC, Dollar General
Jacy Krogh, LPC, Albertsons
Jonathan LaFontaine, LPC, Lowe’s
Justin Lambright, LPC, Dollar General
Dennis Long, LPC, Dollar General
Richard Luce, LPC, Dollar General
Kevin MacKenzie, LPC, NEXCOM
Jeffery Marrone, LPC, Dollar General Carl Martin, LPC, Dollar General Sergio Martinez, LPC, Dollar General
Holly Martin-Ruth, LPC, Dollar General
Jeff McLain, LPC, Gabe’s
Andika Mukti, LPC, Dollar General
Sean Murtha, LPC, Lowe’s
Heather Muscanere, LPC, At Home
Marian Naylor, LPC, LPQ, CVS Health
Bradley Newkirk, LPC, Dollar General
Chris Nilo, LPC, Lowe’s
Oscar Nuku, LPC, LPQ, Meijer
Erin ONeill Roach, LPC, LPQ, TransformCo, formerly Sears Holdings
Scott Opitz, LPC, Opitz & Associates
Clint Orndorff, LPC, Lowe’s
Jesse Ostrowski, LPC, Lowe’s
Jeanette Palmer, LPC, Dollar General Sean Parello, LPC, CVS Health Gary Pitcock, LPC, Dollar General
Brian Rachford, LPC, Dollar General
Danielle Rahschulte, LPC, Meijer
Tonia Ramos, LPC, LPQ, Meijer
Robert Redman, LPC, Burlington Stores
Jeremy Reno, LPC, Dollar General Charles Robb, LPC, Dollar General Clifford Rockwell, LPC, Lowe’s
Darrell Rose, LPC, United Supermarkets
Rhonda Rouchka, LPC, Dollar General
Theresa Roy, LPC, Lowe’s
Melissa Ryan, LPC, Sally Beauty
Anthony Salvatore, LPC, CVS Health
Hope Sanchez, LPC, Big Lots
Sylvia Sandoval, LPC, Lowe’s
Jeff Scales, LPC, Safeway
Mason Seewald, LPC, Lowe’s
Walter Smith, LPC, Lowe’s
Andrew Smith, LPC, Lowe’s
Adrian Stanciu, LPC, Lowe’s
Richard Stidham, LPC, Big Lots
Robert Stoops, LPC, CVS Health
Patricia Svebek, LPC, Dollar General
Benjamin Taylor, LPC, Lowe’s
Steven Turner, LPC, Dollar General
Jessica Valeiko, LPC, Lowe’s
Rigoberto Villa, LPC, Circle Pizza
Sandra Villanes, LPC, CVS Health
James Volz, LPC, Lowe’s
Damien Vuotto, LPC, Lowe’s
Jennifer Walker-Dotson, LPC, Dollar General
Courtney Willems, LPC, LPQ, Meijer
Julia Wilson, LPC, Corvette Radios
Jasmine Wilson, LPC, DICK’S Sporting Goods
Kyle Wooten, LPC, LPQ, Meijer
Laura Krisma Arcinas, LPQ, TJX
Shelly Bastian, LPQ, Meijer
Nathaniel Bellamy, LPQ, Pacific Edge Hardwoods
Bradley Campbell, LPQ, Home Depot
Chris Cherne, LPQ, Tire Discounters
Karlyn Crotty, LPQ, Meijer
Rachael Dalian, LPQ, Meijer
Terry DeRossett, LPQ, Meijer
Tami DiCroce, LPQ, Lowe’s
Erin Grigoletti, LPQ, Meijer
Jude Iaconianni, LPQ, DICK’S Sporting Goods
Uriah Karkow, LPQ, Home Depot
Thomas LeMoine, LPQ, Walgreens
Brian Lucier, LPQ, Burlington Stores
John Ludwig, LPQ, Meijer
Gabriel Maciel, LPQ, TJX
Matthew Martin, LPQ, Ralph Lauren
Marissa Moore, LPQ, Rite Aid
Johnny Muniz, LPQ, TJX
Mattia Olivero, LPQ, US State Department
Jason Prince, LPQ, Meijer
Ryan Ravenna, LPQ, Marshalls
Olivia Reilly, LPQ, LP Magazine
Cindy Ritter, LPQ, Albertsons
Andy Scantlebury, Jr, MS, LPQ, Madison Security Group
Sergio Sevilla, LPQ, Bloomingdale’s
Brian Sizick, LPQ, Lowe’s
LaKesha Smith, LPQ, Lowe’s
Austin TenElshof, LPQ, Meijer
Shannon Tietsworth, LPQ, Lowe’s
Melissa Tyler-Patterson, LPQ, Meijer
Michael Vega, LPQ, Target
Tommy White, LPQ, TJX
Rachel Willis, LPQ, TJX
Jody Wooster, LPQ, Meijer
By Jacque Brittain, LPC, LPM Editorial Director
What does it take to build a successful loss prevention program? Not surprisingly, that loaded question can be answered in a number of ways. We can focus on the methods and strategies necessary to drive success. We can stress philosophies and cultures, finding the right formula to meet the dynamic needs of the particular organization. We can talk about the tools and gadgets that help us get the job done, from simple widgets to highly sophisticated technologies. There are countless directions we could take this conversation. But what truly matters—the overriding factor that ultimately determines the fate of the program—is people.
Talented people make all the difference. Finding the right balance of talented individuals at every level of the department builds the foundation, sets the tone, and executes the message. To optimize the productivity and potential of our workforce, we must take the necessary steps to make
sound, intelligent, and well-informed decisions regarding our hiring processes, invest in strategies that capitalize on the strengths and abilities of our team, focus on efforts to further develop those talents and abilities, and commit to a realistic approach for maintaining the ongoing investment through opportunity, advancement, and retention.
This has never been truer than it is today. As part of a recent LPM survey, we asked loss prevention leaders their view on whether they felt the overall responsibilities of loss prevention professionals will show significant changes over the next five to ten years, and the results were very revealing (graph 1). Respondents at every level of leadership overwhelmingly indicated that they believe there will be significant changes that will impact the industry with more than 98 percent in agreement.
However, when asked whether LP practitioners are legitimately prepared for the changes that will take place in the near term, the responses
were much less encouraging (graph 2 page 38). As a whole, most LP professionals tend to fall somewhere in the middle, with those that agree (37 percent) very similar to those that disagree (38 percent). Once again, these results were consistent across all levels of leadership. This only further underscores the need to hire, develop, and secure talented individuals throughout all levels of the department to strengthen our teams and better prepare us for the challenges that lie ahead. As one loss prevention leader said, “We are in an era of unprecedented change in the industry. I think the up-and-coming generation is more easily adaptable to the changes. The biggest concern, in my opinion, is how businesses look to loss prevention teams differently than they have in the past.”
Investing in talent, therefore, must be seen as an ongoing process rather than a singular transaction. Talent development is as important, if not more important, than talent acquisition,
all of which starts with a plan and an attitude. Foundationally, it begins with knowing how to hire as well as whom to hire.
The success of any department hinges on making the right hiring decisions, and that process starts with the hiring manager. First and foremost, it begins with understanding exactly what talent is—and the difference between talent and skill.
Talent is more accurately defined as the natural ability of a person to do something special or remarkable. It is typically viewed as something that someone is naturally good at. On the other hand, skill is an ability that a person acquires through practice and training. It is often viewed as a proficiency that a person has learned over time. Both talent and skills are extremely important to identify in a potential candidate, but they are not the same thing. The primary difference is how they
Investing in talent must be seen as an ongoing process rather than a singular transaction. Talent development is as important, if not more important, than talent acquisition, all of which starts with a plan and an attitude. Foundationally, it begins with knowing how to hire as well as whom to hire.
are applied to an individual’s life.
Looking at the difference in practical terms, skills are something that can typically be easily identified based on an individual’s resume. Examining the things they’ve done and accomplished, the experiences they’ve had, their education and training, and their proficiency with certain tasks all point to an individual’s skill level. They quantify past performance learned through life lessons and evaluated
based on our accomplishments. Quantifying skills on a résumé is where most of us start, but it can’t be where the process ends. Identifying talent requires a deeper look. Learning to recognize characteristics such as creativity, decision-making, adaptability, reasoning, insightfulness, communication skills, patience, humility, and perseverance, just to name a few, must become a vital part of the interview process. Looking for individuals capable of building off their talents while expanding and fine-tuning their skills should be our objective during the interview. These are things that propel both the individual and the team to a different level and will ultimately define the success of your program. One vice president of LP highlighted this point when he wrote, “Having an open mind and a willingness to learn is extremely important to our profession. Loss prevention is very organic at its core and has a lot of moving parts that require the ability to adapt quickly.”
Always keep in mind that the idea of hiring talent isn’t enough—it must be something that you can identify and explore. Self-preparation is an essential part of the hiring process for the interviewer as well as the candidate and can be critical in helping to select the best candidate. Knowing what
questions to ask—and being able to follow-up based on the answers provided—will set the tone. Enhancing these skills can have a profound impact on your talents as a leader, the overall effectiveness of your department in general, and your success as a whole.
As a simple example, if hiring a piano player, two people may list on a résumé that they’re skilled at playing the piano and have had lessons for twenty years. But if one can play Mozart and the other can only play Chopsticks, might that be something important to know? What if one prefers Beethoven and the other will only play Billy Joel? Asking probing, open-ended questions that get to the “what,” “how,” and “why” will provide answers that reveal the core of the individual and help you make the best hiring decisions.
Being able to identify talent is certainly a valuable skill, but it does very little good if you are unable to bring that talent to the table. Have you ever had a candidate that you thought was perfect for the position, but were unable to convince them to take the job? Have you ever had a candidate accept a counteroffer and decide to stay with their current employer?
No interview is one-sided. When interviewing a candidate, you
are ultimately determining their overall ability to fit the job and the program. You look at the different qualities of the person, evaluate the skills and abilities they offer, and couple that with factors both tangible (such as salary) and intangible (such as potential) to reach a hiring decision. But the candidate is also making an evaluation of your company as a whole—and you as a potential supervisor—to determine whether your program offers the right match for them.
The best candidates typically have options. They are not simply looking for another job—they are looking for an opportunity to move forward in their career. They want a company that they can grow with and a program that offers advancement potential. They want to work with others who share common goals and interests. They want to work for supervisors whom they respect—and who respect them. They want to work for an organization that is financially stable, yet operationally flexible and open-minded.
As the hiring manager, it is up to you to communicate those attributes to your potential candidates. Instead of simply thinking, “They need to convince me that they’re worth hiring,” it’s just as important to consider, “I need to convince them that we’re a company and a program that they will want to work for.”
All of us understand that we should hire individuals who want to work for our company and show their passion and enthusiasm for the position. But it is just as important that you communicate the desire to have them as part of the team while expressing your passion and enthusiasm for the department, the program, and the company.
Keep the perspective of the candidate in mind. By changing jobs, they are making a potentially life-changing decision, and they want to be sure that they are making the right move.
When you’re good at your job, comfortable in your position, and successful in your field (as most of the best candidates are), you are looking for the right motivation to leave your current position and join another company.
It’s up to the interviewer to provide them with that motivation. Show them the type of leader you are, the quality of the program and the company that they will be joining, the character of your team, and the potential that it all holds in building their career. This helps set the right tone for the candidates that you ultimately hire and will also help those candidates make a smooth and productive transition.
Retail is a dynamic business that must feed on the changing needs of the consumer in order to survive. Similarly, the evolution of a successful and productive LP program is largely dependent on the ability to react and respond to change—and that begins with people. We must be able to adapt to the needs of the business, but every member of the team also has personal and professional agendas that will impact their performance, their outlook, and their potential.
Talent is more accurately defined as the natural ability of a person to do something special or remarkable. It is typically viewed as something that someone is naturally good at. On the other hand, skill is an ability that a person acquires through practice and training. It is often viewed as a proficiency that a person has learned over time.
Stability is extremely important, but that must be coupled with the opportunity for professional growth and development.
Leaders must recognize that the best team members don’t want to become stagnant or irrelevant. They want to move forward in their careers and take the steps necessary to reach the next level. The development of knowledge and understanding and the practical application of skills and abilities help groom the team for what lies ahead.
Everyone is responsible for taking charge of their own career. No one can expect someone else to do it for them. Opportunity is the result of effort. There is a personal obligation to put
together our own career map that determines where and how far our career will take us, what direction we will follow, and what the final destination might be. And while they may provide guidance and support, it is not the responsibility of a company, a supervisor, or anyone else to do it for us. As stated by one director of loss prevention, “From my experience, loss prevention is a career path in which you have to be highly self-motivated. Those who are always waiting to be told what to do or what to change tend to get left behind. Those who further their own growth and knowledge without being told are the ones who thrive in this business.”
Leaders must recognize that the best team members don’t want to become stagnant or irrelevant. They want to move forward in their careers and take the steps necessary to reach the next level. The development of knowledge and understanding and the practical application of skills and abilities help groom the team for what lies ahead.
The role of leadership has never been to draw the map, but rather to guide the way, providing the compass that leads the team in the right direction. As a result, effective development plans must prepare and elicit success for the individual in their current role while drawing on the individual’s potential, whatever that might be. Different companies may offer a wide spectrum of opportunities, but most will typically include methods and programs such as the following.
Coaching. Assessing and improving the performance of an individual or a team through goal setting, encouragement, motivation, and one-on-one dialogue is the process of coaching. Typically, the focus is to influence others to think for
themselves, providing insights and offering suggestions that help explore options, problems, situations, and solutions that lead the individual to reach their own conclusions.
Mentoring. Guidance and support of individuals is the object of mentoring. Focusing on the relationships, commitments, and resources that can help build success, mentoring provides a means to help understand how ambitions and abilities fit into career choices. Mentors typically have direct and relevant experience that can help in development and are willing to offer suggestions and advice that encourages career growth.
Goal Setting. The process of establishing specific, measurable, and time-targeted objectives is important. To be most effective, this should be an ongoing and active process that is continuously evolving, with goals that are tangible and realistic. They should be measurable so that progress can be clearly assessed. Accomplishment should require effort and action, crafted to the specific needs and abilities of the individual, progressive in nature and practice, and focused on positive career management. Education. The development, implementation, and delivery of needed training and education should address strengths and opportunities—the needs, motivations, desires, skills, and thought processes that can assist the individual in making real and lasting modifications to their career choices. This can include opportunities or development in other areas of the business or specific training and educational courses that help team members build and develop career skills.
Evaluation. Ongoing performance evaluations are intended to assess and document an employee’s performance, behaviors, and skills while reviewing the milestones achieved or opportunities missed. This process is a critical aspect of
improving employee productivity, development, and morale while delivering a message that is both straightforward and constructive. A well-conceived evaluation is not merely an appraisal of the employee’s past and current performance, it is a means to enhance future performance and provide feedback that can be the foundation of an employee’s overall career plan.
Demonstrating to employees that they are valued and what they do matters is a key factor in retaining talented individuals while strengthening the overall performance of the team. The best employees want to know that their company and their leadership support their ongoing growth and development. However, as part of our recent survey, there appears to be some room for improvement (graph 3). While loss prevention professionals at all levels of leadership did reveal a slightly positive response in how they rank their company with respect to developing talent for leadership roles, respondents averaged a 6.5 out of 10 overall ranking. The top levels of leadership had a slightly higher ranking, averaging a 6.97 out of 10, while LP managers had the lowest average ranking at 6.06 out of 10. As shown, these numbers were fairly consistent across all levels, with every level of leadership falling between 6 and 7 out of 10.
Continuing Education. With the size of many LP departments diminishing and responsibilities continuing to increase and expand, today’s best professionals understand the importance of continuing training and education. They realize that relevance comes from continuous growth and development and want to know that their companies and their leadership support them in those efforts. Unfortunately, that
On a scale of 1–10 (1=Poor; 10=Excellent), how do you rank your company with respect to developing talent for loss prevention leadership roles.
does not always happen. As one respondent noted, “There’s very little to no direction or even guidance provided to me. I feel like I’m the captain of this ship and it’s up to me to set goals and plan projects
for the whole department, and I’m a mid-level manager. I’ve never been encouraged to pursue further education or professional development.”
Whether real or perceived, this is a genuine area of opportunity for
leadership. Finding creative ways to keep up-and-coming talent involved and engaged in training and educational opportunities should be an ongoing mission that is both supported and emphasized with the team.
Budgets may be a concern, but that does not imply that they are a roadblock. For example, professionals at all levels of leadership tend to agree that two or three regional loss prevention conferences per year designed for up-and-coming professionals would be a valuable, effective, and worthwhile way to develop talent. Overall, 79 percent of those participating in the survey agreed (graph 4 page 42). Considering the many advancements in video technology, there are also many virtual options available
to today’s professionals that allow for both networking and educational purposes, many provided at minimal or no cost. Regional training and educational opportunities are also plentiful, especially considering the ORCA events and other resources available at a regional level. These events provide significant opportunities for growth and development at every level of leadership.
Demonstrating to employees that they are valued and what they do matters is a key factor in retaining talented individuals while strengthening the overall performance of the team. The best employees want to know that their company and their leadership support their ongoing growth and development.
Certifications. Education itself is something that must be looked at in different ways. While the prospects of looking at educational and training programs will draw ongoing interest from talented individuals on the team, seeking out and making our talented team members more aware of valued programs outside of the scope of internal programs and the growth and development that can be available as a result also demonstrates our desire to help them progress in their careers.
For example, in a recent LPM survey, we looked at the primary reasons why industry professionals chose not to pursue completing one of the industry certifications (graph 5). While the primary reason provided by corporate leadership involved the time commitment necessary to complete the courses, the top reason offered by field leadership at every level was the cost associated with the courses.
Many companies currently provide resources to help their team members complete various certifications. This may be provided directly through the LP department or by working with the human resources department to help pay for these college-accredited courses. However, if a LP program doesn’t currently offer that option, that should in no way exclude company leadership from making their talented team members more aware of alternate options. Many industry solution providers generously support the industry through certification scholarship opportunities. Simply keeping our team members more aware of the options at their disposal expresses to the team our interest in helping them take their careers to the next level. The opportunities that our companies provide is extremely important. But a willingness to take the extra step to help our team members move forward in their careers will
The time required to complete the certification process.
The financial commitment necessary to complete the certification.
The fear of failing the examination required to become certified.
They don’t feel that loss prevention is a long-term career path.
The belief that the overall investment is unimportant ot unnecessary. Something else.
be both valued and appreciated by the talent on our team.
Talented team members want to know that they are valued, respected, and appreciated. They want to know that they are building a career—not simply fulfilling the needs of a job. They want to know that they are working for companies and leaders who share those same ideals. Leadership commitment to those fundamental needs will always help keep talent in the room.
An important aspect of investing in talent is the inevitable realization that the most talented individuals will always be pursued and are likely to continue to look for new opportunities to grow and develop. Forward-thinking leaders understand this. And even when developing plans to retain our top talent is a priority, there will be times when that talent looks to seek greener pastures. This makes
succession planning an important aspect of any successful program.
Succession planning is the process of identifying and developing key employees to develop a “bench” of key players that you can move up, move on, or move over. It is designed to help prepare people to meet the company’s needs for talent over time. Through the succession planning process, top performers are identified based on their perceived growth potential. We then establish a means to develop their knowledge, skills, and abilities while preparing them for advancement into increasingly challenging roles. Succession planning isn’t raising a white flag. On the contrary, it shows an ongoing commitment to the growth and development of the entire team. And it doesn’t have to be that complicated.
Succession planning should focus on developing people rather than simply naming them as replacements when openings
occur. When a vacancy occurs, the goal should be that the organization will have qualified internal candidates to consider for promotion. A well-designed succession plan outlines a process to be followed if a crucial employee needs to be replaced. Key elements of a succession plan might include the following criteria.
Forecast Growth and Turnover. Are there open channels of communication that can help anticipate needs? Is there a clear understanding of preferences and expectations? Have we prioritized potential needs? What skills and abilities are most necessary for success in a given role or position? Do we have individual development plans for our associates? Is there a means to hold management accountable for cultivating talent?
Recognize the Need to Plan. Focus on building a foundation that supports where the company is going, how we will get there, and
What do you feel is the most prominent reason why an individual would choose not to invest in one or more of the industry certifications?5. Vice President/ Director/Corporate LP or equivalent District/Area LP Manager or equivalent LP Manager or equivalent Other Regional/Divisional Loss Prevention
finding the best way to make the journey. Plans should always align with corporate values and strategy, identifying key competencies, leadership criteria, and developmental approaches that assess the strengths, weaknesses, and succession readiness of our high potential associates.
Identify Key Positions. Depth charts should be identified for key positions to help ascertain the company’s bench strength—or weakness—at each position. Factors that may come into play include the company and their approach to the business, the goals and objectives of the current leadership, real and perceived growth opportunities, and the structure and composition of the loss prevention department.
Continued Assessment. As the needs of the business grow and develop, succession plans must evolve as well. The LP industry and retail business are in a constant state of change. As new
skills are developed and new roles are defined, opportunities must be assessed and redefined as well to keep the plan efficient and effective.
Encourage Opportunity. Effective leaders open doors for their team members—they don’t fight to keep them caged. If a member of your team has the ability to take your place, you should help get them there. If their interests and passions fall in some other aspect of the business, you should help them fulfill that desire as well. If their abilities and aspirations are otherwise limited, that’s fine too. If the steps are taken to help each team member reach their fullest potential, they will likely remain an effective part of the team.
Talented leaders understand the impact that talented performers will have on their
program and embrace every opportunity to take that performance to another level. Identifying talent is never enough. It takes an ongoing commitment to keep that talent dedicated, engaged, motivated, and content. Considering the growing demands of the business and the evolving needs of successful loss prevention programs, this should be more than a strategy—it must be an expectation.
Jacque Brittain, LPC, is editorial director for LP Magazine. Prior to joining the magazine, he was director of learning design and certification for Learn It Solutions, where he helped coordinate and write the online coursework for the Loss Prevention Foundation’s LPC and LPQ certifications. Earlier in his career, Brittain was vice president of operations for one of the largest executive recruiting firms in the LP industry. He can be reached at JacB@LPportal.com.
A ssessing and understanding risk is an important part of a loss prevention professional’s role in a retail organization. Giving risk assessment and mitigation the attention it needs can be a tall task. It can feel like there are so many factors and motivators happening that it is almost impossible to stay on top of all vectors of risk. While that may be true, following a framework to assess and understand potential risk factors is a great way for organizations to think proactively and to distribute the appropriate resources for mitigation.
The PESTEL analysis method is a great tool for LP professionals looking to proactively mitigate risk and is an organized way to consider possible risk vectors.
Economic hardship can unfortunately have a big impact on loss prevention risk. Staying on top of economic health helps organizations mitigate shrink.
The PESTEL (political, economic, socio-cultural, technological, environmental, and legal) analysis method was created by Francis Aguilar, a professor at Harvard Business School in 1967. It was originally called the PEST analysis method, but it had become clear that environmental and legal risks needed to be analyzed and mitigated.
PESTEL is traditionally used in business for strategic planning as a method to scan for market research. It is commonly used by businesses as a strategic tool for planning and allocating resources. For loss prevention it can be used to provide a
framework in which risk can be anticipated by separating risk factors into distinct categories. We can then use those categories to explore the risks that may be considered.
The categories should not be understood as independent of one another. There is a great deal of overlap. For example, the political climate impacts social factors which then in turn have impacts on our economy. The categories simply are used as
understanding the effects of politics can go a long way in mitigating risk for our organizations. Through this understanding, we can anticipate the public or organizational reaction of these political changes. For example, elections can have a big impact. New officials in certain areas may be tough on crime or lenient on crime. Understanding the potential for risk based on political changes can help with the proper allocation of resources.
a brainstorming starting point and once the initial factors are laid out, we can begin to explore the cascading effects these factors have on our organizations and risk.
Political factors to consider include geopolitical events, governmental policies, leadership, taxes, and regulations. Following and
Economic factors include inflation, interest rate, GDP, Consumer Price Index, labor cost, and the overall economic environment. Economic hardship can unfortunately have a big impact on loss prevention risk. Staying on top of economic health helps organizations mitigate shrink. Think about it on a store level, if the economy starts to struggle in a certain community or region, the products that criminals target will change, and the risk for that store or chain of stores will also change.
Social factors include demographics, consumer attitudes, opinions, buying patterns, population growth rate, generational, employment rate, ethical and religious trends, civil unrest, and living standards.
The PESTEL analysis method is a great tool for LP professionals looking to proactively mitigate risk and is an organized way to consider possible risk vectors.
populations growing? Where are populations shrinking? Where are populations aging? All these questions should be considered when deciding on resource allocation. It can help to look at the trends and try to stay ahead of them instead of reacting to them after the changes happen.
Technological factors include equipment used in production of goods and services, new and innovative ways of distributing goods and services, new communication methods, artificial intelligence, machine learning, accelerated processing speeds, new hacking methods, and new devices used by criminals. The technology itself can be what is contributing to the risk, but often it is the status of the technology that can most contribute to risk. For example, whether the technology is approaching the end of its lifespan or if it’s a new
technology to the organization, these factors can attribute to human error or new holes in security.
Environmental factors include status of raw materials, pollution and carbon footprint, ethical and sustainability challenges, weather events, and global warming. Weather is widely unpredictable, but it is not hard to argue the effect of weather on human behavior and the economy. Understanding environment and climate is an important part of mitigating risk as well as understanding the effect
the environment can have on other categories.
Legal factors include liability, health and safety, equal opportunity, advertising standards, consumer rights and law, product labeling, and product safety. The addition of new laws or the adjustment of current laws greatly impacts criminal activity. Thinking through how legal changes can affect your organization is a worthwhile practice when planning. A lot of companies compartmentalize risk. A framework like PESTEL is an effective way to consider the widespread effects certain factors can have on an organization. Also, working through a framework or process is a great way to enable cross department collaboration and encourage stakeholders to work together.
Weather is widely unpredictable, but it is not hard to argue the effect of weather on human behavior and the economy.
LPM’s second special edition of 2022 is focused on the importance of innovative thinking and actions to the success of retail loss prevention organizations. Here is the list of articles:
● Innovation: A Leadership Imperative
● Driving Innovation through Solution Provider Partnerships
● Body-Worn Cameras: Retail’s Latest High-Tech Accessory?
● Innovating for Now and Next
● If Innovation Is Like Giving Birth, Then What About the Toddler Years?
● Normalizing Innovation from Forced Changes to the New Normal
Technology itself can be what is contributing to the risk, but often it is the status of the technology that can most contribute to risk
As the public becomes increasingly aware of organized retail crime (ORC) through outrageous acts caught on camera and news stories of lawless, violent thefts, pressure has increased on lawmakers to do their part. In addition to the violence, implications from lost tax revenue arising from store closures and shoppers turning to the internet to avoid unsafe areas, have made this a priority among legislators. As legislation makes its way slowly through the federal level, most recently with the Combatting Organized Retail Crime Act of 2022 introduced by Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev) and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), more states have stepped up to the plate. Legislation to bolster efforts to combat crime has passed in a handful of states, including Ohio, California, Florida, and, most recently, Michigan.
According to Damon Cavasin, director of asset protection with Spartan Nash grocery stores based in Michigan, “It’s exciting to see progress with legislation targeting ORC in Michigan. The work of the Michigan Retailers Association (MRA) has been instrumental in those efforts. Providing more transparency to online marketplace sellers, increasing penalties for ORC rings, and funding an organized retail crime unit will certainly help reduce ORC, ultimately making our retail stores safer and helping us reduce shrink so that we can keep our prices as low as possible for shoppers.”
In order to understand the work that went on behind the scenes to get this legislation passed, Loss Prevention Magazine interviewed Amy Drumm, senior vice president of government affairs with the Michigan Retailers Association. MRA’s role in assisting this legislative effort is instructional and will highlight the importance of getting involved at the local and state level for retailers.
STEFANIE: Tell us about yourself and the MRA.
AMY: Michigan Retailers Association is the voice of the retail industry in Michigan. Founded in 1940, the association works to promote retail-friendly policies, protect the industry from harmful taxes and regulations, offer quality services to our members, and educate consumers on the importance of keeping their money in Michigan. My responsibilities include day-to-day advocacy in the state capitol, as well as analysis and monitoring of all legislation and public policy. I serve as liaison to retail industry government affairs professionals and organizations and oversee the MRA Political Action Committee. In 2018, I was nationally recognized by the Food Marketing Institute for my leadership and work on Michigan’s ban on local excise taxes or fees on food and beverages—the country’s first-ever such law. In 2020, I was appointed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to serve on the state’s Organized Retail Crime Advisory Board on behalf of the retail industry. A University of Michigan graduate, I joined MRA in 2012 and previously was legislative director for then-State Rep. Sharon Tyler.
STEFANIE: There seems to be a positive trend of states tackling ORC in lieu of or in addition to federal level efforts. Tell us about the recent three-pronged bill that was passed in Michigan?
AMY: The states often play a key role in stepping in when the federal government and Congress moves too slowly. State-led action gives us more immediate, direct impacts to our communities and allows us to test solutions on important issues like fair sales tax collection and ORC rather than waiting for a federal solution. The goal is certainly to drive toward a uniformly applied, federal
solution, which the states have led on more often than not.
As of July 21 this year, all three of MRA’s ORC initiatives have been signed into law. This three-pronged approach includes the INFORM Act (HB 5486), adding ORC as a racketeering offense (SB 691), and a $3.5 million budget line item to create an ORC unit under the Attorney General.
The INFORM Act requires online marketplaces to verify high-volume, third-party sellers and provide their contact information to purchasers. Adding ORC to the state’s racketeering act gives prosecutors the ability to charge criminal ORC rings with up to twenty-year felonies and require forfeiture that will help fund future Attorney General-led investigations. In addition to the two law changes, the fiscal year 2023 Michigan budget includes $3.5 million in one-time funding to be used by the Department of Attorney General to create an organized retail crime unit.
STEFANIE: What was MRA’s role in getting this legislation passed and the hard work that led to its passage?
AMY: MRA took the lead in coordinating the legislative efforts of having the three legislative pieces drafted, introduced, and moved through the legislative process. Our role is to speak for the retail industry at large. After talking with our members, we provided testimony before the House and Senate committees in support of the INFORM Act and real penalties for ORC crimes.
We built a coalition with likeminded associations to highlight the impact ORC has on not just retailers but also manufacturers in perpetuating other crimes. We worked in partnership with some of our more engaged members to educate lawmakers on the INFORM Act and the need for a statewide ORC unit within the
Amy DrummAttorney General’s office. MRA was able to connect the dots on the three efforts and convey the message that all three pieces were needed to crack down on ORC in the state.
STEFANIE: What do you see as being the primary mission of the ORC unit?
AMY: The primary mission of the ORC unit is to connect law enforcement, legal, and retail partners on what ORC trends are happening in Michigan and to track multi-jurisdictional cases efficiently. Michigan’s advisory board is a public body,
Attorney General however they may need.
STEFANIE: What are the qualifiers to meet the level of racketeering described in SB 691?
AMY: Michigan’s ORC Act does not have a dollar threshold, but does include specific activities including organizing, supervising, financing, managing, or assisting another person in committing an organized retail crime with the intent to resell, distribute, or otherwise reenter the retail market. The act also spells out that tampering with antitheft devices or fire exit alarms
consumer protection division, which corresponds with the section of law in which it was added. The AG’s office is looking at what other states have done that’s been effective to enforce the INFORM Act.
STEFANIE: The legislation goes into effect in January. What is happening behind the scenes to get ready?
AMY: The INFORM Act takes effect in January 2023 while the ORC unit funding was allocated on October 1, 2022, and the stricter penalties by adding ORC to the racketeering act took effect on October 19. The AG’s office is working to fill the new positions in the ORC unit. We’re partnering with the AG to help educate local prosecutors and law enforcement about the new stricter penalties for ORC.
STEFANIE: Will retailers have an opportunity to be involved in the ORC unit in some form?
so the meeting minutes are public record. The ORC unit will be able to dive deeper into details and work cases more intimately without any public reporting requirements.
STEFANIE: Help us understand how he special ORC unit will operate.
AMY: The Attorney General’s office is taking the lead on setting up and implementing the ORC unit funded by the state budget. Their vision is for the unit to be comprised of Assistant Attorneys General dedicated to multi-jurisdictional ORC crimes working with local and state level law enforcement. The state has indicated they will seek collaborative agreements with other states to work cases that cross state lines more effectively—and MRA is committed to supporting the
and receiving, purchasing, or possessing known or believed to be stolen retail property as an organized retail crime. If a person is charged with ORC, they will now also be able to be charged with racketeering—a significant step-up for law enforcement.
STEFANIE: HB 5486 is of great interest. Will the ORC unit be involved in enforcing it? Retailers are particularly interested in how online sellers would be addressed.
AMY: The Attorney General’s office has the sole authority to bring action against someone who violates the INFORM Act. There may be some crossover in terms of specialized staff that works on the ORC unit and if cases involve suspected resale of items online, but we anticipate the Attorney General’s office will handle much of the enforcement of the INFORM Act under the
AMY: Yes, the ORC unit has received much of the focus but there was also a plan to create an unofficial ORC taskforce made up of federal, state, and local law enforcement combined with retail loss prevention officers. MRA worked with our members to provide a list of key loss prevention contacts at large retail companies who want to be involved in the taskforce and work with the ORC unit.
STEFANIE: Michigan created a line item worth $3.5 million to support the ORC unit, while some states are attempting to do this work with no additional funding. Why did the MRA feel it important to fund at this level?
AMY: MRA and the Attorney General’s office had the same goal going in—to get the ORC unit to a point where it is self-funding. To get there, we
The states often play a key role in stepping in when the federal government and Congress moves too slowly. State-led action gives us more immediate, direct impacts to our communities and allows us to test solutions on important issues like fair sales tax collection and ORC rather than waiting for a federal solution.
needed an initial investment of state dollars. We felt it was important it was a one-time funding request so we aimed high and were successful in getting $3.5 million over two years. That gives everyone a little flexibility in timing and seed funding to get the unit to become self-sustaining based on forfeiture dollars.
STEFANIE: What role will communication, awareness, and education play in the efforts of the ORC taskforce of law enforcement, retailers, and the general community?
AMY: These efforts will largely happen behind the scenes. We do not expect the taskforce to leverage a public awareness campaign to the general community but rather to share
information with those involved in stopping, catching, and charging criminals committing ORC.
STEFANIE: How closely do you anticipate your ORC team will be working with other ORC taskforces across the US?
AMY: The Attorney General’s office indicated their strong interest in collaborating with other states to prosecute these multi-state offenders.
STEFANIE: What were some of the more difficult hurdles that had to be overcome to get the legislation passed?
AMY: Some lawmakers were concerned that adding stricter penalties to our ORC law would mean simple shoplifters would end up receiving a twenty-year felony charge. We had to overcome the difference between shoplifting for personal gain and organized retail crime activities as well as clarifying
Michigan:
these penalties are intended for those running the organization, not the booster recruited to steal. We were also careful to avoid language that could target possible victims of organized crime as accomplices.
On the INFORM Act, our challenges were the lack of other state laws that were being enforced. There were questions about whether it was the right tool to stop ORC and
for other states looking to have similar legislation passed.
AMY: Taking a single legislative solution approach to ORC likely won’t achieve the needed results. We were successful because we pitched the three pieces together and built a strong coalition in support of the legislative changes. Gaining USA-IT’s support on our legislative changes was also
Taking a single legislative solution approach to ORC likely won’t achieve the needed results. We were successful because we pitched the three pieces together and built a strong coalition in support of the legislative changes.
if our law would be out of sync with other states or federal laws. Modifying our language to mirror the proposed federal INFORM language and legislation recently passed in Ohio alleviated much of those concerns. It took some time to draft revisions and then reconcile which bills would ultimately move across the finish line. MRA’s focus on a three-pronged approach showed legislators that all three pieces were needed to see a true impact on ORC activity.
We also had some challenges on timing and getting the bills scheduled on committee agendas. Michigan has a year-round legislature, so our legislative agendas move more slowly than other states and there is a tendency for lots of different issues to come up for robust discussion. Working to educate committee members, committee chairs, and legislative leaders on the importance of the issue and resolving their concerns while aligning with model language helped us get the bills to move.
STEFANIE: Give our retail readers your recommendations
extremely helpful to leverage the additional coalition and network of support focused on stopping illicit trade. [EDITOR’S
NOTE: United to Safeguard America from Illegal Trade (USA-IT) is a public-private sector partnership protecting Americans’ security and prosperity from black market criminals.]
STEFANIE: How will this bill specifically stop ORC activity on online marketplaces? Or will more have to happen on the national level in order to stop this activity?
AMY: The INFORM Act limits the somewhat unchecked ability for criminals to utilize online marketplaces to resell stolen or counterfeit goods without sharing their information. It provides transparency for law enforcement, loss prevention officers, and others in identifying and communicating with any suspicious online, marketplace sellers. The requirement for marketplaces to include an obvious method
to report any suspicious activity should help flag this activity for marketplaces to act sooner. Enforcement is the critical piece and the more states that adopt INFORM legislation and take enforcement seriously, the more likely we are to see ORC activity greatly reduced on online marketplaces as the marketplaces more thoroughly vet their sellers and hold them accountable for the products they sell.
STEFANIE: Retailers are clearly supportive of these efforts and excited by the prospect of strong state level partnerships. I asked Paul Jaeckle, LPC who is vice president of asset protection for Meijer Stores, which is based in Michigan, for his opinion. He said, “One of the many things that makes legislation like this so powerful at the state level is that it is developed with the support of retailers uniformly and has high parallel similarities from state to state as well as what is happening with the development of the federal INFORM Act. Having strong relationships with your government affairs partners, retail merchant associations, and other advocacy groups are the key to making legislation like this work.”
AMY: As I mentioned, MRA’s work on this legislation was based on the input and strong support we get from our retail members. I encourage all retailers to get involved in the state retail association where they can make a real difference in getting legislation passed to help impact ORC and other retail crimes.
STEFANIE: Congratulations Amy on what you and the MRA have achieved. We appreciate your insights into this important topic.
Vece has almost twenty years of experience in the security industry and joined Protos in 2015. She is currently the vice president of strategic accounts at Protos and plays an integral role in overseeing all aspects of sales and client relations. Vece is a member of the Loss Prevention Foundation (LPF), LP Magazine Vendor Advisory Board, and holds her LPQ certification from LPF. Through her dedicated focus on excellence and relationships cultivated over the years, she has earned a reputation as a security and loss prevention expert.
We know the pandemic affected organized crime. How has that evolved in these post-pandemic times?
With the use of face masks, shoplifters feel a sense of anonymity and violent crimes have increased greatly. During the pandemic, many violent crimes took place by just asking a customer to wear a mask. Physical security teams are highly trained to detect these crimes and know how to identify someone attempting to mask or hide.
Vendors need to partner with retailers to make sure they have clear communication lines when finding solutions to help retailers. Another option is to survey customers. For example, if a survey finds that the parking lot is dimly lit and the customer does not feel safe, the vendor can add more lights in the parking lot to make customers feel safe. Partnering with other LP associations such as Loss Prevention Research Council (LPRC) can also help a vendor stay educated on retailers’ research.
During a time when many companies are automating processes, such as self-checkout for retailers and grocers, how can security measures prevent shoplifting?
There are so many common ways for shoplifting to happen
at self-checkouts—scanning a lesser item for a higher priced item, forgetting to scan an item or just keeping items in the bag, and not scanning them. Customer service is one of the top security measures a store can take. Employees should engage with customers at self-checkout lines, ensuring that they are present and watching. The use of cameras at self-checkout is an easy way to detect if someone is shoplifting. Another deterrent is a scale to weigh items that customers are putting in the bagging area. Technology can help automate these processes and manage monitoring programs, saving time and reducing the number of loss events.
Have a security assessment done by an outside company. This will show where the weaknesses are and where to focus efforts. Retailers should have integrated security solutions in place to improve safety. The use of security devices and technology offers video surveillance to provide access control. Remote monitoring services can mitigate risk by showing a physical security presence and enhancing situational awareness.
All employees must be educated on clear protocols and feel empowered to engage with customers. If potential shoplifters feel like they are being watched, they are less likely to steal.
Integrated security and technology such as facial recognition technology shows how many times a person of interest has visited a store and identifies their patterns. Partnering with local law enforcement so they can help in the process of prosecuting criminals is important. Stores will want to ensure their team is building a case that has all the information a prosecutor may need. Also, train your team on whom to contact if a repeat offender comes to their location. This can be a simple process such as an alert that goes to team members if needed.
Every team member should go through the LPQ course with the LP Foundation. It gives security professionals the foundation of what it means to be a loss prevention manager and is a benchmark that teaches loss prevention practices, core competencies, and best practices for LP professionals. The next step is taking the LPC course, which is the advanced certification for loss prevention and asset protection.
Customer service is one of the top security measures a store can take. Employees should engage with customers at self-checkout lines, ensuring that they are present and watching.
What can vendors do to help reduce violence in the retail industry?
How can stores prevent retail crime using integrated security and technology?
What changes can retailers implement to improve security and loss prevention in the face of mass retail crime?
What training and skills do security professionals need to have?
Imports at the nation’s major container ports are expected to fall to their lowest level in nearly two years by the end of 2022 even though retail sales continue to grow, according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report released by the National Retail Federation (NRF) and Hackett Associates.
“The holiday season has already started for some shoppers, and thanks to pre-planning, retailers have plenty of merchandise on hand to meet demand,” said NRF Vice President for Supply Chain and Customs Policy Jonathan Gold. “Many retailers brought in merchandise early this year to beat rising inflation and ongoing supply chain disruption issues. Despite the lower volumes, retailers are still experiencing challenges along the supply chain, including US ports and intermodal rail yards.”
Imports are expected to bounce back briefly in January 2023, which is forecast at 2.06 million TEU, but that would be down 4.9 percent from January 2022.
Hackett Associates Founder Ben Hackett added, “The growth in US import volume has run out of steam, especially for cargo from Asia. Recent cuts in carriers’ shipping capacity reflect falling demand for merchandise from well-stocked retailers even as consumers continue to spend. Meanwhile, the closure of factories during China’s October Golden Week holiday along with the Chinese government’s continuing Zero Covid policy have impacted production, reducing demand for shipping capacity from that side of the Pacific as well.”
US ports covered by Global Port Tracker handled 2.26 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU)—one 20-foot container or its equivalent—in August, the latest month for which final numbers are available. That was up 3.5 percent from July but down 0.4 percent from August 2021.
The first half of the year totaled 13.5 million TEU, a 5.5 percent increase year-over-year. The forecast for the remainder of the year would bring the second half to 12.5 million TEU, down 4 percent year-over-year. For the full year, 2022 is expected to total 26 million TEU, up 0.7 percent from last year’s annual record of 25.8 million TEU.
Imports are expected to bounce back briefly in January 2023, which is forecast at 2.06 million TEU, but that would be down 4.9 percent from January 2022. February is forecast at 1.8 million TEU, down 15 percent from last year as the month returns to its usual slowdown because of Lunar New Year factory shutdowns in Asia. Numbers remained high despite the holiday last year because of backed-up cargo that kept congested ports busy during the month.
Ports have not yet reported September’s numbers, but Global Port Tracker projected the month at 2.07 million TEU, down 3 percent year-over-year. October is forecast at 2 million TEU, down 9.4 percent year-over-year; November at 2.01 million TEU, down 4.9 percent; and December at 1.96 million TEU, down 6.1 percent. The December number would be the lowest since 1.87 million TEU in February 2021, which was the last time the monthly total fell below 2 million TEU.
The cargo data comes as NRF forecasts that 2022 retail sales will grow between 6 percent and 8 percent over 2021. Sales were up 7.5 percent during the first eight months of the year.
Global Port Tracker, which is produced for NRF by Hackett Associates, provides historical data and forecasts for the US ports of Los Angeles/Long Beach, Oakland, Seattle, and Tacoma on the West Coast; New York/New Jersey, Port of Virginia, Charleston, Savannah, Port Everglades, Miami, and Jacksonville on the East Coast; and Houston on the Gulf Coast.
“Many retailers brought in merchandise early this year to beat rising inflation and ongoing supply chain disruption issues. Despite the lower volumes, retailers are still experiencing challenges along the supply chain, including US ports and intermodal rail yards.”
—Jonathan Gold
ver the years, facial recognition has gotten a bit of a bad rap. When the technology first became popular, some companies and countries developed and used the technology unethically, creating master databases without people’s consent. This ultimately led to a number of lawsuits and bans, and consumer fears of ‘Big Brother.’
But now, with a more educated consumer base and most of the controversial actors having gone under or changed practices, the technology’s true potential is becoming clear. And with a rebrand in process—the term ‘facial recognition’ is being replaced by ‘face matching’—mass adoption may be in the near future.
The most thorough public opinion research done on face matching to date, commissioned by the Security Industry Association (SIA), showed that the majority (59 percent) of US adults are favorable toward face matching technology, and 70 percent believe the technology is accurate in identifying people of all races and ethnicities.
And while those surveyed were most supportive of face matching in airports (75 percent), the majority (51 percent) were in favor of it being used in retail stores. This growing comfort combined with the rapid increase in organized retail crime (ORC) and violence against employees provides a compelling argument for retailers to give the tech a try.
Critics of face matching technology may cite concerns about racial bias—an early flaw in the technology that has since been solved, according to face matching companies and an independent researcher—or a lack of privacy.
But, as Loss Prevention Research Council Director and University of Florida Research Scientist Read Hayes, PhD, points out, privacy is in the eye of the beholder. “It’s very transactional, transitional, and situational,” Hayes explained. “Every day we do value
exchanges. I can see there’s cameras in the store, but I’m still going to go in. All day every day, for convenience, entertainment, and even safety, we all trade a little privacy to buy online, go through toll areas with transponders, tweet, text, Insta, email, and more.”
As long as retailers can balance safety and privacy, consumers will likely become more and more favorable toward the use of face matching in retail stores.
Jake Parker, senior director of government relations at the SIA, has been hard at work championing face matching’s usefulness when used correctly. According to Parker, “Virtually any technology can be misused, and ethical questions typically concern the purpose and methods by which a technology is implemented versus the technology itself. Most public concerns about facial recognition software have centered on use by law enforcement, where it is used to develop identity leads using large databases available to the government.” He added, “This is fundamentally different from most commercial applications of the technology for authentication screening, but similarly, concerns about privacy or potential misuse of the technology can be addressed with the right set of use policies and safeguards.”
Following are some policy and safeguard recommendations from SIA that retailers might consider. Transparency. Transparency is the bedrock that governs the use of face matching technology for both commercial and government use, according to SIA. It should be clear when and for what purpose the technology is used, as well as which processes and procedures govern the collection, processing, storage, use, and transfer of related data. Transparency should ensure that every application of the technology is subject to a policy set by the implementing organization, which governs how the technology is used.
Clear and Defined Purpose. Organizations must specifically
identify their purposes for using face matching technology. They must understand the capabilities and limitations of the systems they intend to use to ensure the technology is selected and configured appropriately for that purpose. Similarity thresholds and other performance settings should be highly tailored according to the intended use.
Using Accurate Technology. Organizations must strive to use the highest performing face matching technology for a given application, with accuracy validated using sound methods, such as through the National Institute of Standards and Technology Face Recognition Vendor Test program, which is the gold standard for scientific evaluations of face matching algorithm performance, according to SIA. Both developers and end users have a responsibility to minimize any negative effects that could result from variability in technology performance through proper design, selection, and configuration of technology.
Nondiscrimination. Face matching should only be used in ways and for purposes that are nondiscriminatory. There are legitimate concerns that some applications of face matching technology might negatively impact minorities. The highest performing face matching technologies have been found to have undetectable differences in performance across given demographic groups and the performance of most others was much more consistent than had been widely reported in the media and several nonscientific tests.
Data Security. Face matching data transmission, storage, and processing should be optimized to ensure privacy and security using encryption and other cybersecurity and privacy best practices that protect biometric data. Solutions should follow a distributed data approach by limiting biometric data stored in central repositories and storing this data in the form of encrypted digital templates rather than original images.
Critics of face matching technology may cite concerns about racial bias—an early flaw in the technology that has since been solved.Read Hayes, PhD
Privacy by Design. Privacy protections are critical in the deployment of face matching technology as, in most cases, these tools create a link between a person’s facial appearance and personally identifiable information. Face matching systems should be designed to facilitate compliance with current and emerging data privacy laws and support privacy practices and ongoing system maintenance.
Training and Education. It is critical that users of face matching technology know how to configure and maintain the technology, consistent with their policies. Additionally, sellers of this technology should provide buyers, installers, and operators with training on how to achieve the most accurate and unbiased results and commit to doing so on an ongoing basis.
ethical face matching companies do. Early on, some companies worked without these values, giving facial recognition a bad name, and forcing companies like FaceFirst to educate consumers about how technologies like theirs really work.
“Many people hear the words ‘facial recognition’ and think the system knows everyone who walks in, or that it’s matching them against a master database. That’s not the case, of course.”
—Dara Riordan, President, FaceFirst“Increasingly, technology providers are helping ensure their customers are implementing the technology ethically through careful customer screening and selection, terms enforced through end user license agreements, software features like encryption and use audit processes, as well as providing guidance on crafting use policies and even offering staff training,” Parker added.
“We partner with our clients to balance safety and privacy,” said Dara Riordan, president of face matching company FaceFirst. “People deserve privacy, and we do offer that to the general public. They also want to be safe. Employees and customers deserve to know when a person who is a known threat has entered a store. They want their families safe.”
Riordan emphasized that deploying face matching technology with privacy, policy, ethics, and transparency should be at the forefront of everything
“Many people hear the words ‘facial recognition’ and think the system knows everyone who walks in, or that it’s matching them against a master database,” Riordan said. “That’s not the case, of course. Our clients’ private databases are their own. They are only populated with individuals who are known to have caused loss or disruption to the business. They are not shared. Our clients have crafted appropriate use programs and oversight policies in partnership with us, and they have been hugely successful in reducing theft and mitigating violence.”
Retailers on average experienced a nearly 27 percent increase in ORC incidents last year, according to a 2022 report from the National Retail Federation, and eight in ten businesses surveyed experienced an increase in associated violence. Because of this, retailers’ interest in face matching technology is increasing, with more than 12 percent of respondents reporting they had implemented or were planning to implement face matching.
The director of loss prevention at one of these retailers spoke anonymously to LPM for this story, detailing the immense success they’ve had with the technology.
The company started researching face matching around five years ago and met with different providers, but the price of the technology was a little expensive. On top of that, the vendors didn’t seem to understand the challenges in the retail LP space, since they were mostly
working with government entities and airports. So, they put their consideration of the technology on pause until early 2019, when they saw an opportunity with a face matching solution that checked their boxes. They felt the technology was impressive and accurate, and started thinking about how they could adopt it in their own stores.
“We knew [face matching] had some risk and negative perceptions and that it could be a challenge, so part of our job in LP was to present to our executives how we were going to use the tech and mitigate the risk of exposure,” the LP executive said. “The tool was sold as a theft apprehension tool—which it is—but we took a different spin on it and rolled it out as a customer service and theft prevention tool, not an apprehension tool. We knew that our managers are busy with a lot going on, and this is an amazing tool to give them insight on when a repeat offender walks into the store. There’s a lot of exposure and confrontation that could happen if we used it as an apprehension tool. So, we involved our store management team and trained them very specifically on how to use this tech to minimize physical confrontations and still got the results we needed by providing excellent customer service. That’s how we rolled it out on day one, and three years later, it hasn’t just been a home run—it’s been a grand slam for us.”
When a repeat offender enters the store, the manager receives an alert, and they’re able to approach the customer with the goal of offering excellent customer service, rather than apprehending them. This process was enough to help the retailer stop a shocking 90 percent of their repeat offenders.
“The first day we turned the tech on, we were training the store managers and the training stopped because we received alerts on three ORC boosters and stopped all three of them with
great customer service—and we only had a few hundred faces in our database to start with,” the executive said. “So, we knew on day one it was going to be a game changer, and we quickly rolled it out in another fifty stores and started to see win after win.”
In the beginning, they would stop the repeat offender and provide great customer service, but then the offender would leave and drive to another of the retailer’s locations. So, they started rolling out the technology in geographic clusters, and now they’re live in 100 locations, with hopes to add another cluster of stores as soon as possible.
“The wins are so big that when we have something happen in a store that does not have the tech, we really feel the difference,” the executive said. “Even some of our store managers, if you talk to them, they say they don’t want to be transferred to a store without this technology.”
As the retailer deployed face matching in more stores, they started seeing more and more value. It was clearly a great tool for fighting ORC and store theft—not only for putting cases together and saving time and labor, but for issues like employee safety. Authorized users can enroll disruptive people to their watchlist, with notes to contact law enforcement immediately, and details about violent behavior that person has displayed in the past.
On two separate occasions, this retailer has had an employee hit by a car while collecting carts in the parking lot. The last time this happened, the motorist mowed an employee down, knocking him back twenty feet, causing a concussion and cracked ribs. Using the face matching system, the LP team was able to identify the person who committed the hit and run, leading to an arrest.
In another incident, an unknown male posted a threat on social media saying he was going to
come into the store and start shooting and warned anyone with children to stay away. Employees immediately saw the post because it had gone viral. The LP team ran a search in the face matching software with the photo the man had attached to his social media profile and had two matches of him in two of their stores. One of the matches was from the night before he had posted the threat, and they confirmed through surveillance video that the subject had been threatening their employees, and that he was wearing a lanyard with an ID card showing where he was employed.
LP officers immediately contacted law enforcement, and they recognized him as someone who had tried to burn down the
it], they give the traditional answer that when a repeat offender comes in they call the manager and tell them to watch the person, and it’s just not very practical. Once we say to use it as a customer service tool and kill them with kindness, they say that makes so much sense. It appears some of those retailers are going to try [implementing face matching technology] again. It’s exciting to see other retailers discovering this and how valuable the tech can be for them as well. It’s all about getting past the myths.”
Despite all the back and forth as to whether face matching is ethical or not, the practice itself is really nothing new.
store where he worked two years ago. The retailer immediately enrolled him in their watchlist, and when he showed up eight days later and started throwing bottles of liquor onto the floor, the system matched his face immediately, notifying store employees so police were able to arrest him and grant a restraining order immediately.
“I spoke about this case study at a recent conference, and I think the impression I got was that many retailers are now starting to discover this tech, and they’re excited about it, as we were three years ago,” the retailer said. “Talking to other LP executives who say the technology didn’t work [when they previously tried
“When I started out as a store detective in college, we would carry around Polaroids of bad actors, and that was face matching,” Hayes said. “It’s just more automated now, but nothing new. Humans used photo technology to inform their decisions then and still do now.”
Every retailer has a multifaceted loss prevention program that includes efforts to identify known ORC participants. For years this has meant relying on the organization’s case files and subject photos. However, there are significant limitations to this sort of screening.
“Facial recognition simply augments these existing loss prevention programs by anonymously comparing images of
It is critical that users of face matching technology know how to configure and maintain the face matching technology, consistent with their policies.
individuals entering a property against a typically small list and providing an alert to staff when there is a potential match,” Parker pointed out. “This is the same process that occurs when staff determine there is a potential match without using the technology, except this is more accurate, efficient, and continuously in operation. Note that in such cases the technology is not used to confirm an identity or make a decision. Whether aided by technology or not, steps taken after an individual is flagged are still left to staff to determine based on the situation.”
Part of the reason face matching technology is so helpful is because of how much less bias it has than actual humans.
faced far more legal risks before using face matching. “They relied solely on human decision-making, and they had no notice when known threats walked in,” Riordan said. “I think he’s correct—there’s more risk and more liability for retailers who do not use proven technology when it’s available to them. Relying on human recognition alone is a known risk. When you use AI with human oversight, it’s a better option. Face matching lets you warn associates not to approach a known threat, or to call 9-1-1 if the person fits that enrollment qualification.
Face matching isn’t just a loss prevention tool. While it can help reduce shrink, it’s a gamechanger as a real-time life safety tool and exceptionally powerful investigative tool.”
Oregon has banned the use of the technology in businesses and spaces open to the public. Baltimore, Maryland imposed a temporary ban on the use of the technology by businesses through 2022—though security systems are specifically excluded—and city officials are currently debating whether to extend that ban.
Retailers should not be afraid to fully explore the benefits of deploying face matching technology because of concerns about looming legislative restrictions though, according to Parker.
“All humans are biased as part of their survival instinct, and people often lack focus or can become confused in visually dense environments, whereas properly trained artificial intelligence (AI) models are providing more consistent alerts to decision makers,” Hayes said. “There is no silver bullet, and there never will be, but the stakes are high with life safety. Face matching seems to be a tool that better safeguards people because it can provide more accuracy and less bias.”
Riordan said that one of their client’s attorneys told them they
States and cities are starting to realize this, with some reversing facial recognition bans or restrictions they had previously implemented. The city council of New Orleans, for example, approved an ordinance in July 2022 that restores the use of facial recognition tools to aid in criminal investigations by the New Orleans Police Department, though under new guardrails, and subject to a comprehensive use policy approved by the state and federal government. Earlier this year, Virginia lawmakers replaced the state’s ban on law enforcement’s use of facial recognition technology with comprehensive rules. In West Lafayette, Indiana, city council members rejected a proposed ban of the technology for city agencies.
Now, only three jurisdictions in the US limit the use of facial recognition technology in ways that could make it difficult to implement in retail settings. While allowing the use of biometrics under certain conditions, the Biometric Information Protection Act in Illinois creates numerous hurdles and litigation risks that discourage adoption. Portland,
“While most legislative proposals we have seen that specifically limit facial recognition technology apply to state or local government, no jurisdiction has moved to prohibit or substantially limit commercial use of the technology this year,” Parker said.
The anonymous LP executive we interviewed for this story said that the people who initially oppose face matching technology often don’t really understand how it works and need to do more research to understand how effective it can be—especially as it relates to reducing crime and protecting employees.
“If you’re not considering the technology, you need to reconsider,” the executive said. “At least test it. Maybe it’s not for everyone, but at least try it and see if it works for you. If you aren’t trying this, you’re going to be left behind. The risk is so minimal compared to the enormous benefit you will see.”
Courtney Wolfe is LPM’s managing editor digital focusing on expanding the magazine’s digital content and reach. Prior to LPM, she was managing editor for SDM magazine, a trade publication for security systems integrators. She received her bachelor’s degree in multimedia journalism from Columbia College Chicago. She can be reached at CourtneyW@LPportal.com.
Part of the reason face matching technology is so helpful is because of how much less bias it has than actual humans.
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Richard is the founder and chief operating officer of Geogentia, a geospatial intelligence company specializing in using big data to uncover criminal activity. With years of experience in the Department of Defense and the intelligence community, Richard has focused on merging tools and tradecraft into easy-to-use platforms for local, state, federal, and corporate customers.
Geospatial intelligence vendors now allow customers to identify known and unknown shoplifters, boosters, fences, black market distribution, and more with only a few clicks online.
The terms “big data,” “artificial intelligence,” and “algorithms” are commonly found in advertisements for new security tools but often serve as nothing more than buzzwords with no substantive backing. Now there is a new buzzword that delivers what it promises—geospatial intelligence. What is geospatial intelligence? The traditional approach to geospatial intelligence involved analyzing satellite imagery and gathering data such as the number of tanks on a neighboring country’s border or assessing a country’s nuclear program by measuring the number of cement trucks and type of construction material at a secret location. Now geospatial intelligence compiled from mobile phone location data is becoming an increasingly popular investigative tool due to the vast amounts of information that can be quickly deciphered into actionable intelligence. Geospatial intelligence vendors now allow customers to identify known and unknown shoplifters, boosters, fences, black market distribution, and more with only a few clicks online.
The National Retail Federation estimates organized retail crime (ORC) cause $62 billion in annual losses to retailers across the country. Even though retailers focus on stopping these criminals from taking their products off shelves, shoplifters continue to become increasingly bold including robberies, smash-and-grabs, and flash mob-style thefts. Fundamental security principles
have been used to prevent, deter, and investigate these criminal activities for decades, but they continue to fall short of helping shut down ORC. With geospatial intelligence and advanced analytics, it is now possible to identify criminals and their patterns before, during, and after they commit crimes.
Advanced geospatial intelligence is similar to current exception based reporting. The exception reporting tool (EBR), primarily when used at the point of sale (POS), has proven valuable in the detection of theft and fraud. Programmers and investigators have worked together to identify transactions or performance metrics that raise red flags, also known as anomalies. A typical example of an exception report is an employee using the void transaction button statistically more than others, indicating that merchandise is possibly being stolen at the POS. Other exception reports can be much more complex and discover many areas of theft and fraud in a company.
As cheaper processing power, lower storage costs, and big data become more mainstream in everyday life, geospatial intelligence has stepped in to provide ways of combating theft and fraud with location-based red flags and suspicious patterns. Like POS exception reporting, companies are producing algorithms that uncover theft based on how people travel in and around store locations. By reviewing billions of signals compiled
from data brokers, patterns of how consumers travel from point A to point B can reveal investigative insights, lead generations, and actionable intelligence instantly. Some vendors even offer the ability to review IP address location patterns to quickly investigate cybercrime and other online activity in ways that were impossible for civilians and companies to conduct in the past.
In one example using mobile phone locations, multiple consumer patterns can be uncovered quickly when examining the typical retail location to identify possible criminal behavior. Consider how often a consumer might visit more than one big-box retailer on the same day when shopping. It may be expected that they needed help finding an item at store #1 and drove to store #2 in search of a product. Another consumer may be an auditor at a big-box retailer and visit multiple stores daily. And now we have many cases of workers for companies like Instacart and Uber who pick up numerous items each day from multiple retailers. Unlike single shoplifters or even regular customers, boosters travel from retailer to retailer, sometimes hitting multiple stores in multiple cities daily. Some geospatial intelligence vendors have analyzed these patterns millions of times and identified anomalies that have now been converted into algorithms that can uncover these patterns in seconds, highlighting the
suspicious travel patterns indicative of boosting. Subsequent geospatial data can analyze multiple booster travel patterns and look for common relationships between devices. Quickly, unknown fences, shipping companies, and other suspicious locations are identified for further investigations. Even basic searches, often called “patterns of life,” can show investigators where a device has traveled dating back years.
In addition, geospatial intelligence can be utilized with a spatial-temporal analysis search to verify when two or more people have been together anywhere in the world. A simple-to-understand model would be instantly knowing if employees from company A ever had lunch, private meetings, or inappropriate relationships with any employee from competitor company B in the past few years. These patterns can also apply to boosters meeting up with partners and fences, conflicts of interest, intellectual property theft, and other types of crime involving sex trafficking, cartels, and organized crime activity. The
use cases for geospatial intelligence are unlimited.
All new technology, particularly investigative or surveillance services, raises privacy concerns, and geospatial intelligence is no exception.
Adding to the fears, there is a fundamental lack of understanding of how geospatial intelligence companies operate and the safeguards that are in place for the use of these tools. While geospatial intelligence is legal because of how data is collected, processed, and used, regulations are beginning to emerge. Vendors who offer geospatial intelligence are aware of the concerns, and many have data controls in place to ensure that even these impressive data sets comply with the General Data Protection Regulations and California Consumer Privacy Act.
A few vendors are even offering filters that limit searches of sensitive locations including hospitals, places of worship, and other sites that may not have investigational value for the average user. While these tools are beneficial to law enforcement and
retailers, it is the availability and use of the data themselves, as well as trust in surveillance practices, that the public at large is uncertain about. More transparency about geospatial intelligence can help to alleviate these concerns.
With the growth of geospatial intelligence since the 1950s, new applications have been developed to support investigations and identify criminal activities. What was once the simple reconnaissance of areas using imagery has evolved into an industry ruled by big data and leveraging acquired signals and signatures to define and track predictive behavior. As this data grows and new algorithms are developed, the potential uses for investigations become infinite.
Users agree that a single search can instantly transform any investigation into a positive conclusion, making the opportunities provided invaluable in the pursuit of crime and criminals.
Using geospatial data to intersect time and space is simply the next step to safeguarding our communities and businesses with everything from predictive policing to bolstering our understanding of the criminal mind.
All new technology, particularly investigative or surveillance services, raises privacy concerns, and geospatial intelligence is no exception.
This New Product Spotlight section provides readers with information on new products and services from leading retail asset protection solution providers. If your company is looking for new technology or solutions, please check with these vendors as well as the other advertisers throughout the magazine. Visit the magazine website for more information about these new offerings.
Checkpoint’s Alpha High-Theft Solutions SnareLok is a one-piece device that secures high-theft products to their display fixture. This is a highly secure, simple to install, product protection device that allows the customer to easily handle and pick up the product while reducing the opportunity for theft.
bit.ly/Alpha-SnareLok
As a premier provider of EAS in the US, ADT Commercial’s 58 kHz AM systems are designed to help protect your locations from shrink. If you’re looking to increase coverage of merchandise in current locations or in search of a new EAS provider, we are ready to serve your needs.
bit.ly/3EzpEXf
Clip Money provides the fastest and easiest way for businesses to make cash deposits securely to their current business bank account through a national network of smart drop box locations in malls and big box stores. Clip improves the deposit experience through locational convenience, digital transparency, and ease of use. clipmoney.com
Stop tag defeats while directing customers to pay. The printed over-label fragments, slowing would-be thieves and draws attention to unwanted activity AMProtect® and RFProtect™ labels are applied in-store by hand or using a rapid handheld applicator, and via visible source tagging solutions. Book a free trial at csi-labels.com
FaceFirst is a leader in highly accurate retail face matching systems. Our software turns passive security cameras into proactive tools that prevent violence and loss. FaceFirst provides retailers with immediate notifications when known threats enter—a vital situational awareness advantage when seconds matter. Take action now to protect your valued customers and associates facefirst.com
Dependable Detex hardware is designed for any area where unauthorized entry must be controlled and where authorized entry must be easy, quick, and reliable. The Detex tailgate detection system is compatible with most access control technologies and can be customized for your needs. bit.ly/sneak-detection
Security Center 5.11 simplifies the path to unification with a redefined product licensing model. This major update introduces our new Streamvault Edge™ appliances, which simplify the path to hybrid-cloud, along with the upcoming Genetec Web App1, providing an intuitive and easily portable window on your security system.
bit.ly/3MQyimw
CaseShield™ is a fully customizable engineered solution designed to protect retailers against smash and grab crime. Designed for interior display applications, CaseShield consists of a polycarbonate glazing that can be conformed to any glass display, counter, or case—making it the ideal solution for retailers of high-end merchandise. info@defenselite.com
Heavy duty steel storefront gates have proven they will withstand the “crash and grab” trend. Thieves attempted to drive into Storefront gates, slamming a car through the front door. But even a vehicle couldn’t get past the heavy duty steel security gate. lpschi.com
RadiusAI offers the most comprehensive AI platform available today. Our revolutionary technology learns, adapts, improves, and offers never-before-captured insights to make customers’ and employees’ in-person lives better. Human-centric AI means our technology adapts to your workflow and your people to keep everyone safe, improve the experience, and increase efficiency and revenue.
radius.ai
Reveal designs and builds smart, efficient, and secure body worn video systems. Our small, lightweight associate camera acts as an independent witness to events when activated by a one-touch record button. Its signature front-facing screen has a proven de-escalation effect, markedly reducing violent and aggressive incidents in stores. bit.ly/3T65zf9
Quick Assist® Shopper Call Button instantly notifies store associates when a customer wants merchandise from a locked case. When the customer presses the button a voice message is sent to an associate's portable radio indicating the location. No WIFI, network, or additional infrastructure needed. Compatible with existing radios. Made In USA
Riot Glass, LLC is launching their new ArmorPlast® Gen II unbreakable storefront glazing system that acts as an invisible board-up. Standard security glass may stop forced entry, but the glass still breaks. ArmorPlast® stops this vicious cycle of emergency board ups and glass replacement. Available for many different storefront styles and colors. riotglass.com
Salient’s latest release includes the availability of CompleteView v7, as well as the launch of Salient Cloud Services, with significant enhancements to storage, expanded camera support, and upgrades that deliver improved customer experience and performance. Unlock the intelligence in video with Salient’s open cloud video data platform today.
bit.ly/Salient-CompleteView-v7
Leverage ThinkLP’s platform for your complex investigations to include Organized Retail Crime
Case management software has been rigid about the type of data it can collect and process. ThinkLP has re-imagined this with our Complex Investigations tool. All case information will be at your team’s fingertips, so there is no delay in closing a case! bit.ly/3MM057v
Treuth’s IMIS™ approach for incident management is simple, easy, and contains everything you need to investigate and communicate about incidents securely for your organization. IMIS now contributes crime data to 30% of active ORC investigations and uncovers 10% of all new cases opened by law enforcement in active jurisdictions. Let’s talk today about how Treuth can help your organization! treuth.com
With its built-in metal detection, Cronus’ patent pending dual technology enhances both the physical security and the throughput of any security entrance. Reliable and easy to operate, Cronus reduces your security personnel requirements and adds an extra layer of protection. It is ideal for a manufacturing facility or any building that requires credentialed entry and security inspection. bit.ly/ZKTeco-cronus
Are
Question structure is just one of the many methods and techniques taught in our training courses that are essential to your success as an investigative interviewer. If your goal is to obtain actionable intelligence, then you need to be equipped with the proper structure of an investigative interview.
Question structure is just one of the many methods and techniques taught in our training courses that are essential to your success as an investigative interviewer. If your goal is to obtain actionable intelligence, then you need to be equipped with the proper structure of an investigative interview.
Question structure is just one of the many methods and techniques taught in our training courses that are essential to your success as an investigative interviewer. If your goal is to obtain actionable intelligence, then you need to be equipped with the proper structure of an investigative interview.
Question structure is just one of the many methods and techniques taught in our training courses that are essential to your success as an investigative interviewer. If your goal is to obtain actionable intelligence, then you need to be equipped with the proper structure of an investigative interview
Become a better interviewer when you learn question formulation, including the power of an open-ended question and the impact of echo questions or how to leverage a challenge or expansion question when attempting to gain additional information If you want answers, let us help you ask the right questions
Become a better interviewer when you learn question formulation, including the power of an open-ended question and the impact of echo questions or how to leverage a challenge or expansion question when attempting to gain additional information. If you want answers, let us help you ask the right questions.
Become a better interviewer when you learn question formulation, including the power of an open-ended question and the impact of echo questions or how to leverage a challenge or expansion question when attempting to gain additional information. If you want answers, let us help you ask the right questions.
Become a better interviewer when you learn question formulation, including the power of an open-ended question and the impact of echo questions or how to leverage a challenge or expansion question when attempting to gain additional information If you want answers, let us help you ask the right questions
SCAN THE 2023 SCHEDULE
SCAN THE 2023 SCHEDULE
SCAN THE 2023 SCHEDULE
SCAN THE 2023 SCHEDULE
TYPICAL QUESTION VS. A BETTER QUESTION
TYPICAL QUESTION VS. A BETTER QUESTION
TYPICAL QUESTION VS. A BETTER QUESTION
TYPICAL QUESTION VS. A BETTER QUESTION
Should I attend a WZ Class?
Should I attend a WZ Class?
Should I attend a WZ Class?
asking the right questions? How many WZ classes should I go to?
Should I attend a WZ Class?
How many WZ classes should I go to?
How many WZ classes should I go to?
How many WZ classes should I go to?
Did you learn anything in the WZ class?
Did you learn anything in the WZ class?
Did you learn anything in the WZ class?
Did you learn anything in the WZ class?
Could you tell me about your experience in the WZ class?
Could you tell me about your experience in the WZ class?
Could you tell me about your experience in the WZ class?
Could you tell me about your experience in the WZ class?
Is there any reason you haven’t attended a training seminar since VHS tapes went out of style?
Is there any reason you haven’t attended a training seminar since VHS tapes went out of style?
Is there any reason you haven’t attended a training seminar since VHS tapes went out of style?
Is there any reason you haven’t attended a training seminar since VHS tapes went out of style?
When was the last time you educated yourself on the latest interviewing techniques?
When was the last time you educated yourself on the latest interviewing techniques? LEARN
When was the last time you educated yourself on the latest interviewing techniques?
When was the last time you educated yourself on the latest interviewing techniques?
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Wolfe is LP Magazine’s managing editor digital focusing on the magazine’s digital content and reach. Prior to LPM, she was managing editor for SDM magazine, a trade publication for security systems integrators. She received her bachelor’s degree in multimedia journalism from Columbia College Chicago. She can be reached at CourtneyW@LPportal.com.
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The LP Magazine website and digital channels offer loss prevention and retail professionals a myriad of thought-leadership articles from a wide range of industry experts, original articles from LPM writers, webinars with industry experts, podcasts, whitepapers, and much more. There is new content updated to the website daily that is featured in our e-newsletter. To ensure that you don’t miss this important loss prevention information, subscribe to our digital channel at LossPreventionMedia.com/email or scan the QR code on the left.
October 20 raid resulted in the recovery of $167,000 in stolen merchandise and 28 firearms including assault rifles, silencers, and 20,000 rounds of ammunition. Over the last three years, HSI estimates the scope of loss from this gang’s activities exceeds $5 million in stolen goods.
October at the Ballantyne Hotel for the 2022 Annual Meeting, once again proving just how much stronger we as an industry can be when we join together.
The latest effort by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in the battle against ORC resulted in the takedown of a gang in a rural community 32 miles west of Charlotte, North Carolina. The
Top loss prevention industry professionals, solution providers, staff from Loss Prevention Magazine and the Loss Prevention Foundation, and members of the Retail Industry Leaders Association’s Asset Protection Leaders Council and Loss Prevention Foundation Board of Directors gathered together in Charlotte, North Carolina in
The manager of a Walmart in Chesapeake, Virginia opened fire on employees gathered in the break room the Tuesday night before Thanksgiving, killing six people. The store was busy just before the attack with people stocking up ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday.
Carolina HSI Busts Dangerous ORC Gang in $5M Case
verbally threatened an associate with bodily harm and 76 percent reported that an associate had been physically assaulted.
While the specter of retail staff being subjected to violence and verbal abuse from shop thieves and irate customers is sadly not a new phenomenon, growing concerns about its increase—especially associated with ORC attacks—is once again putting the spotlight on how retail staff can best be protected. One approach that is gaining considerable traction is the use of body-worn cameras.
The US Department of Labor has proposed $330,446 in penalties to a Family Dollar store in Orlando after an investigation into a fatal shoplifting incident. A 41-year-old employee experienced shortness of breath and nausea after attempting to stop a shoplifter from escaping with merchandise. An assistant manager then called 911, but the employee later died at a local hospital from cardiac arrest.
Retail is becoming an increasingly unsafe environment in which to work, making it more difficult for companies to hire and retain employees in an industry that is already stretched thin by labor shortages. To help alleviate this problem, retailers need to take an integrated approach to employee safety and building security.
There is new content updated to the LPM website daily that is featured in our e-newsletter.
Asset protection professionals from each of the 23 Kroger divisions converged on Cincinnati during the second week in October with division AP leaders and assistants, high-potential district AP managers, and the core “GO Team” from the corporate office, in their first live national meeting post-COVID-19.
The increasing frequency and severity of retail crime continues to make waves in the national news and impact consumers and businesses across the country. In addition to impacting revenue, the lesser discussed—but equally detrimental—consequence is the heavy toll that retail crime is taking on employees. A 2021 study reported that 86 percent of asset protection managers said that an organized retail criminal had
Illinois State Senator Scott Bennett filed legislation to clarify language in the controversial SAFE-T Act and improve how officials can enforce the law. The intent of the SAFE-T Act aims to do away with cash bail in an effort to end systemic racism in the criminal justice system, according to those who support it. Senate Bill 4228 updates many provisions in the SAFE-T Act to address concerns raised by local law enforcement officials.
To stay up-to-date on the latest career moves as they happen, visit the Professional Development page on the LPM website LossPreventionMedia.com. To inform us of a promotion or new hire, email us at peopleonthemove@LPportal.com.
Lee Foley, CFI was promoted to LP market manager at Academy Sports + Outdoors.
Jeremiah Villavicencio is now a regional AP manager at Advance Auto Parts.
Chad Tucker, CORCI is now a district LP manager at Albertsons.
Amazon announced the following promotions: Marc Rojas to director, data center security and global investigation; Aysia Lix to program manager, AWS security, enterprise protection program; Timothy Klass to director of risk and resilience EMEA (Germany); Steve Sturgill, LPC to senior manager, supply chain and asset recovery investigations; Ryan Schild, LPC to senior manager, fraud prevention; Dane Waugh to investigations manager, e-commerce risk, investigations, and enforcement; Roxanne Clapham, Omar Lara, Dan Barnes (UK), and Suzanne Frazer (Australia) to cluster security and LP managers; Scott Hodgson to area manager (UK); Michael Smith, Chindra Stephens, and Matthew Perry to multi-site LP site lead. Other changes at Amazon included: Luis Chagollán is now physical security program manager (Mexico); Annie Goddard is now senior physical security program manager; Dale Hatfield, CPP, FCPP, CPTEDP, SAS-AP, Chris Vaccari, Paul Lima (Mexico), and Trammell Montgomery are now regional LP managers.
Claudia Veloso was promoted to regional LP coordinator at Americanas (Brazil).
Deana McLees-Bailey, CFI is now director of retail risk; Chris Kelly is now senior manager of risk, supply chain (Canada); Christopher LaMonte was promoted to senior manager, inventory management; and Fernando Torres is now director of retail risk at Aritzia.
Edmundo Velazquez, MBA, MA, LPC, CFI was promoted to senior director, enterprise risk North America at Aritzia.
Lee Stafford was promoted to retail process improvement manager at Asda.
Maciel Lastoria is now the Latin America head of security at Associated British Foods (Brazil).
Jonny Grinstead was promoted to regional LP supervisor at B & M Retail (UK).
Keith Langley, LPC is now a regional LP manager at Bargain Hunt.
Matthew Seifert is now a regional AP manager at Bath & Body Works.
Valerie Zennario is now a district LP manager at Bealls.
Angie Cahill, CFI is now LP manager, e-commerce at Bed Bath & Beyond.
Thomas Thweatt was promoted to senior security engineer at Belk.
Megan Clyne is now senior digital e-commerce fraud analyst at BJ’s Wholesale Club.
Jason Hamill, MS, LPC, CFI, CORCI is now a regional LP manager at Books-A-Million.
Dave Shaffer CFI, LPC, MBA is now a regional LP manager at Boot Barn.
Nicole Dean is now a territory LP manager, and Nathan Hambrook is now group LP manager at Brandbank Group (Australia).
Stephen Melia is now director of AP and security at Brookshire Grocery Company.
Ruben Castillo is now an area asset and profit protection manager at Burberry.
Ryan O’Hara is now director, response and investigations center; Yves Bellefleur is now senior manager of investigations, Northeast; Josh Skinner and Joe Kinsey are now regional AP managers; and James Volz, LPC, LPQ and Deb Nunnally are now district AP managers at Burlington Stores.
Tiago Quadros de Macedo is now a LP analyst at C&A (Brazil).
Michel Maced is now a LP coordinator at Caedu (Brazil).
Tânios Kopti was promoted to risk and loss management coordinator, convenience stores; Luiz Gomes was promoted to LP supervisor, convenience stores; Sidomarco Aragão and Romoaldo Farias are now district managers of risk management and LP; and Eduardo Guilharducci is now manager of risk at Groupo Carrefour (Brazil).
Jefferson Gollis is now head of LP at Celeiro Supermarkets (Brazil).
Sérgio Nascimento dos Santos is now senior LP supervisor at Cesta do Povo Supermarkets (Brazil).
Steve Waligora is now VP of AP and risk management at Channel Control Merchants.
Rhiannon Philpot-Hale is now a LP advisor at Chemist Warehouse (Australia).
Joseph Biffar, CFE, CFI was promoted to VP, AP at Chico’s FAS.
Brendon Cutler was promoted to market investigator at DICK’S Sporting Goods.
Sabine Engelby, CFI is now director of LP at Discovery Clothing.
Michael Klar is now a regional AP manager at Dollar Tree.
Cheyne Collins CCII, CORCI, CEFI is now a regional LP manager at Dollarama (Canada).
Ray Cooke is now VP of business development at Dragonfruit AI.
director of AP; Brooke Murota, MBA to chief of staff, AP; Brit Hehn to director of AP, Northwest; Joshua Gregory to AP manager of supply chain enablement; Luciel Madera to senior AP analyst, Northeast; and Alyssa Kelly, Brittany Beck, Kevin Gill, Bobbye Banks, and Tracy Tessener to area AP managers. Lindsay Wilder III and Joel Griese are now regional AP managers, and Ian Walsh is now an AP coordinator.
Lloyd Shaffer is now a district LP manager at Giant Eagle.
Saba Giorgobiani was promoted to senior regional manager, LPAP at Giorgio Armani.
Sardar Bhaginder Singh is now a regional manager of LP at Ecom Express Limited (India).
Christopher McGourty is now director of ORC and law enforcement liaison at Ensurity.
Alfredo Mangano was promoted to senior security manager at Esselunga (Italy).
Francisco Specis is now head of risk and LP at Falabella Retail (Chile).
Alex Júnio Leitão Cardoso is now head of LP at GPA (Brazil).
Chuck Lindow, LPC, CFI is now manager of AP solutions at Green Thumb Industries.
Michael Goldman was promoted to senior VP of store operations and LP at GrowGeneration Corp.
Nate Pearson, CPP, CISSP is now senior director, global security at CHS.
Brian Starling, CFI is now a regional LP manager at Claire’s.
Georgina Butrón Gutiérrez was promoted to fraud prevention engineer at Claro S.A. (Chile).
Lauren O’Donnell was promoted to regional AP manager, and Allen Velasquez is now a multi-channel AP manager at CVS Health.
Andrea Araceli Segovia is now an inventory analyst at DIA (Argentina).
Nicholas Deringer is now a district LP manager, and
Betzaida Rivera-Jasper is now a regional AP manager, and Nicholas Stine, MED, CFI is now a market investigator at Family Dollar.
Allie Chretien is now manager of projects and initiatives at Gabe’s.
Adam Alford (top) was promoted to VP, head of stores, and Brandon Gentry was promoted to VP of LP at GameStop.
Juan Fernando Alonso Leiva is now security supervisor for Spain and Portugal at Gucci (Spain).
Shane Metcalf was promoted to regional security manager at GXO Logistics.
Christopher Manchesi is now a multi-area security manager at H&M.
April SpurlockSherwin is now senior manager of global ethics, compliance, and investigations at Hanesbrands.
Juan Escruceria is now a divisional manager of AP at HD Supply.
Luz Evelyn Zepeda is now a regional LP manager at GameStop.
Gap, Inc. announced the following promotions: Dina Yakhin to
Paul Lawson is now a retail auditor at Henderson Group (UK).
Kyle Penoyer was promoted to director of supply chain AP at Home Depot.
Eric Trehern and Stephen Prettyman were promoted to senior managers of AP investigations, and Benjamin Schwartz, LPC was promoted to senior manager of AP technology and resources at Home Depot.
Edgar Melvin and Deviin Mabry, LPQ were promoted to district LP supervisors at HomeGoods.
Peter Horsley is now a regional LP manager at Indigo (Canada).
Emre Küçükatasayan is now an LP leader at InStreet (Turkey).
Joel Griffin is now director of marketing, and Matthew Tomao is now a regional business manager at Intelligent Security Systems (ISS).
Bud Homeyer is now chief operating officer at Interface Systems.
Bradley Craigie-Williams was promoted to information security analyst, and Ross Young was promoted to retail training specialist at John Lewis & Partners (UK).
Abraham Galvez is now LP manager at Kavak.com (Mexico).
Harold Matthews was promoted to area shrink control specialist at Kent Building Supplies (Canada).
Cari Studyvin-Blank was promoted to manager of physical security, corporate office LP at Kohl’s.
Pete Groehler was promoted to ORC specialist at Kohl’s.
Aytek Demirdelen is now head of internal audit at Kordsa (Turkey).
Sean Anselmo is now a regional LP manager at Lasership.
Christopher Milan is now a regional LP manager, and Arthur To (Canada) is now a regional LP investigator at Lids Sports Group.
Todd Hunt was promoted to district AP manager at Loblaw Companies (Canada).
Ben Siems is now senior manager of AP technology, and Ryan Hepburn, PSP, LPQ is now a multi-store AP manager at Macy’s.
Fernanda Felinto is now a fraud prevention strategy analyst at Magazine Luiza (Brazil).
- Nunn was promoted to lead product owner for cash, payment and fraud at Marks and Spencer (UK).
Isidro Contreras Solis (Mexico) is now regional LP, policies and procedures, and Juan Francisco Mujica, CFI, PCI, PSP, CPP (Argentina) was promoted to LP Latam director at Mercado Libre.
Bruno Vieira and Andressa Vasconcelos are now regional LP supervisors at Mercado Livre (Brazil).
Justin Wisener was promoted to manager of investigations, LP, and safety at Michaels.
Kath South was promoted to LP manager, cash and payments at Morrisons Supermarkets (UK).
Christopher Hagerdon, LPC is now a district AP manager Jay C Foods.
Gora Ndao (France) and Stuart Davie (UK) were promoted to territory profit and AP managers, and Bastien Lesaulnier (France) and Ahmet Günner (Germany) are now area profit protection managers at JD Sports Fashion.
Jorge Batista is now corporate AP & employee relations director at JetTrades (Puerto Rico).
Nicki Juniper was promoted to head of security and shrinkage at John Lewis & Partners (UK).
Paula Ramires was promoted to LP specialist at Lojas Renner (Brazil).
Mark Stinde, LPC is now chairman of the board of directors, Scott Glenn, LPC, is now treasurer, and Paul Jaeckle, LPC will now serve on the executive committee at the Loss Prevention Foundation.
Stefanie Hoover, CFI is now VP and Editor-in-Chief at LP Magazine.
John Moriarty is now regional director of supply chain AP; Joshua Harris is now manager of supply chain safety, environmental, and AP; and Christine Lux, Josh Bowen, and Chris Nilo, LPC are now district AP managers at Lowe’s.
Ellis Clark, LPC is now manager of EHS and LP at M&D.
James Simpson, LPC is now director of AP at Northeast Shared Services, Northeast Grocery.
Griffin Glynn is now director of intelligence at the National Child Protection Task Force.
Norm Smaligo, LPQ was promoted to senior manager of security investigations at Navistar.
Brian Scott, CCPS, LPQ is now a LP market manager at Neiman Marcus.
Eloy Lomlomdjian was promoted to regional security and facilities manager at Nestlé (Argentina).
Katie Shephard is now senior director of LP and risk operations, EMEA (Netherlands), and
Chris Macera and Paul Silva (Canada) are now district LP managers at Nike.
John Roaix, CFI and Brandon Cohen are now district AP managers at Nordstrom.
Joshua Salthouse, CFI is now a district AP manager at Ocean State Job Lot.
Shannon Boardman was promoted to area AP manager at Old Navy.
Javier Villanueva was promoted to senior manager, global corporate security and investigations at Oportun.
Nathaniel (Nate) Wells Jr. is now a district LP manager, and Charity Mackey is now an LP analyst at Ollie’s Bargain Outlet.
Rhonda Rouchka, LPC, CFI is now senior manager of AP at Opshelf.
Lauren Denman was promoted to LP manager US at OSL Retail Services.
Bradley Lyne was promoted to LP team leader at Paddy Power Betfair (Ireland).
Ashley Engelmann was promoted to senior manager of LP governance, compliance, and theft operations at Panera Bread.
Diane Valdez was promoted to safety and loss control manager, and Douglas Martinez is now a market manager, AP and safety at Paradies Lagardere.
Michael Elliott is now LP director at Paris & Potter Management.
Bill Aldridge is now a regional LP manager at The Parts Authority.
Nicholas Creger was promoted to retail AP supervisor, North America at Patagonia.
Josh Bruckshaw was promoted to senior profit protection analyst at Pets at Home Group (UK).
Melanie Millaway, CFI was promoted to senior director, investigations and enterprise
security; Bryan Hillman was promoted to senior director DC and field LP and safety; and Mark Lukens, CFE, CFI was promoted to director of LP and safety, DCs at PetSmart.
Patrick Stelmaszyk is now national manager, LP at Pet Valu (Canada).
José Gilberto Fernandes is now head of LP and head of operations, wholesale division at Pinheiro Supermarkets (Brazil).
Mark Leuschner, LPC is now director of LP at Ponce Ground Service.
Ashley Erickson is now investigations specialist at Pride Stores.
Maurizio Scrofani is now the senior director of supply chain at PVH (Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein, Izod, Warner).
Matt Hilbrink was promoted to VP, enterprise risk and AP at The Raley’s Companies.
Nick Jacobson was promoted to senior director, organizational safety and security; Rosa Nasri was promoted to director, supply chain LP and safety West; Stephanie (Sabato) Boyd, Martin Medina, CFI, and Carolyn Manick are now senior area LP managers; and Tim Riker, Troy Holub, and Rob Street are now area LP managers at Ross Stores.
Ieda Fraga is now a LP auditor at Grupo SBF (Brazil).
Axel Sundén is now divisional president, Africa, Middle East and Asia Pacific at Securitas (Singapore).
Kasey Kolnberger, Adam Amado, Manny Castro, and Calvin Kanlong were promoted to area LP managers at Sephora.
Jose Munoz is now a district LP manager at Smart & Final.
Ulises Diego is now a regional AP manager at Southeastern Grocers.
Michael A. Fortune, PCI, CFE, CFI was promoted to regional LP manager, Matt Makhlouf was promoted to district LP manager, and Brandon Morris is now corporate investigations analyst at Sportsman’s Warehouse.
Demison Miranda was promoted to LP supervisor at Rede Super Maxi (Brazil).
Robert Leonard is now manager of LP and investigations at Refuel Operating Company.
Brian Friedman CFE, CFI is now director of AP and risk management, and Kate Dube is now a regional AP manager at REI.
Santhosh Vadakeveed is now regional manager, shrink mitigation at Reliance Retail (India).
Darren Leonard, LPC is now UK regional security manager at Richemont Group (UK).
Carlos Valdes and Frank Moreno are now regional AP managers at Rite Aid.
Brendan Fitzgerald is now director of AP and corporate security at Staples.
Eduardo Catala, LPQ was promoted to director of LP at Stew Leonard’s Farm Fresh Food.
Dan Armour is now manager of profit protection at Storewise.
Kevin Thomas CFE, CFI, CBCP is now senior director, head of global physical security and AP at Sysco Corporation.
Target announced the following promotions: Kellie Diem to AP director; Robert Johnson, MA to AP business partner, global supply chain and logistics, Sara Wiersma to senior manager, corporate command center; Melissa Hoffmeister to headquarters AP operations GSCL director; and Dave Kuntz to employee relations investigator. Other changes: Eric Rode LPC, CFI is now senior business partner, AP governance; David Halliwell MBA, LPC is now senior AP operations manager; Kris Carpenter, Billy Byrd, Brandon Prieto, Joseph Penaflor, Erica Champion, and Jennifer Sanders are now AP business partners.
Thomas Smith was promoted to senior manager of AP, and Pete Dominguez and Justin Evans are now regional AP managers at TBC Corporation.
Karin McKenna was promoted to senior VP, director of LP at TJX.
manager, stores; and Amir Attaei was promoted to store investigations supervisor at TJX Canada/Winners Merchants International (Canada).
Ian Thomas was promoted to assistant VP of LP, Luke Horton was promoted to global safety and security center specialist, and Dani Connell was promoted to district LP manager at TJX Europe (UK).
Chad Fischer, LPC was promoted to AVP, director of Sierra LP, and Joseph Rinker is now a district LP manager, Sierra at The TJX Companies.
Shanna (Gianchiglia) Ramirez, CFI was promoted to director of AP at T-Mobile.
Sean Milligan, CFE was promoted to corporate security manager, and Marlene Giordano was promoted to senior field AP manager at T-Mobile.
Ahmad Johnson is now an area LP manager at Ulta Beauty.
Jeremy Wolfe is now AP manager at Victoria’s Secret
Kimberley Treece was promoted to group VP of AP and comprehensive loss at Walgreens.
Christyn Keef, LPC was promoted to VP of AP and safety at Walmart.
John Baschoff was promoted to senior manager II, ORC; Collin Reedy was promoted to senior manager II, cyber intelligence and data assurance; and Ketrina Shyti was promoted to senior manager, global audit at Walmart.
John Wandell, CFI is now senior manager of AP at The Walt Disney Company.
Kiki Rickardo, CSMP is now head of security and LP at Watsons (Indonesia).
The TJX Companies announced the following promotions: Jessica Djonne, Axel Diaz, CFI/IAI, Becky Cincotta, LPC, and Genaro Piza to regional LP managers; Owen Booth to corporate investigations manager; and Nicholas Yurevich to field investigations manager. Other changes: Loredana Prosser is now a centralized internal investigator; Cody Bratton, Andrew Gourley, LPQ, Michael Mulholland, CPCI, Wylie Broshar II, Jason Coots, and Adam Schloegel are now district LP managers; Samantha Bedillo, Kelli Wilson, Edwin Omar Ruiz (Puerto Rico), and Robert Krzemien are now national task force investigators, ORC investigations.
Adam Harris was promoted to remote investigations supervisor; Wayne Fowler is now an ORC investigator; Troy Joshi was promoted to investigations
Jacob Hampton is now a regional LP manager at UNFI.
Jillian Bruce is now supervisor of inventory and AP at United Farmers of Alberta Co-Operative Limited (Canada).
Derek Foley is now VP of sales at Vector Security Networks.
Jason Hampton is now director of LP at Vantiva Supply Chain Solutions.
Brandon Duggins, LPC is now a regional LP manager at Variety Wholesalers.
Brandon Kiick is now director of safety and AP at Vasa Fitness.
Serge Ahmad, MBA, LPC was promoted to senior manager of global security at Wayfair.
Saundra Smith is now a regional LP manager at Worldwide Golf Shops.
Gerry Nevarez is now senior manager, LP and security at Yusen Logistics.
Carlos Eduardo Silva Ferreira is now corporate LP and inventory supervisor at Grupo Zaragoza (Brazil).
Whether you’re an LP professional looking for a new opportunity or an employer looking for new talent to fill a position, LPjobs.com is a resource you cannot afford to miss utilizing if you are truly committed to finding the best job or the best job candidate! We have been helping to find jobs and fill positions since 1999 as the only online resource dedicated to the loss prevention and asset protection profession. Don’t miss out on the perfect match. Visit LPjobs.com today!
crime fully to find out if it is part of a larger pattern of incidents or organized retail crime.
Continue working with law enforcement throughout the investigation process so you can help them provide prosecutors with enough information and evidence to build a strong case in court. This will also build trust with law enforcement and prove that you are a proactive participant and dedicated team player in the fight against retail crime. Building this trust and creating this partnership will encourage your local law enforcement to become an ally with your store—and your employees—and respond quickly to future safety concerns.
When it comes to retail theft, a lack of reporting the crime in the first place is unfortunately quite common. However, it initiates a domino effect—without reporting retail crime, law enforcement cannot do their jobs to identify and arrest offenders, prosecutors cannot take them to court, and nothing gets done—and mostly, offenders become recidivists. Not only does this have a major impact on loss prevention efforts, but it can create unsafe stores and communities.
Retailers are the first victims of retail theft and crime. This positions them to be the biggest advocates for the loss prevention and criminal justice efforts behind stopping organized retail crime. At ALTO, we believe this is how retailers can be better victim advocates, not only for themselves but for their communities.
When stores tolerate even the lowest level of theft, it prevents law enforcement from taking action and prevents offenders from experiencing criminal repercussions, thus encouraging repeat offenses, often at the same stores.
The first step in breaking this cycle is to report crime to your local law enforcement officers as quickly as possible and provide them with detailed, accurate, and complete incident reports. This ensures that law enforcement and investigators can do their jobs effectively to identify and charge a criminal. With all the shrink data and evidence—specifically video evidence and witness statements—you provide, law enforcement can investigate the
As the National Association for Shoplifting Prevention says, “Your victim statement is your voice.” Speak up and tell your story to local law enforcement and prosecutors to prove in court the impact retail crime and theft has had on your store, your employees, and your customers.
Empower your staff and witnesses to speak up as well. Teach your staff how to collaborate with law enforcement and encourage them to give their victim statements to local officers. It is also important to encourage them to show up in court when called upon and, if needed, provide them the support they need to get to court safely.
Become a stakeholder in your loss prevention community and get involved in the
efforts taking place around you, such as organized retail crime associations or task forces advocating for better legislation. Also, with ALTO, you can become a part of a boots-on-the-ground solution.
ALTO is a people-first company that provides a solution powered by technology and led by loss prevention and law enforcement experts, attorneys, and strategists. ALTO works in alliance with retailers, law enforcement, prosecutors, nonprofit organizations, and government officials to effect change in the community and in the courtroom.
The ALTO Customer Success Specialist (CSS) is an extension of the in-store team, listening to concerns, offering client-approved on-site training, analyzing, and collecting the information of incidents reported, as well as providing constant support and advice for store associates and managers.
ALTO’s legal team also supports retailers by serving as victim advocates and following their retail clients’ cases throughout the criminal court process. The staff attorneys also share information on recidivists between retailers for intelligent accountability, easing the burden of court appearances on in-store staff, and building strong partnerships with law enforcement, as well as state attorneys
Finally, to create safer communities, the ALTO CSS, in collaboration with the staff attorney, organizes events and meetings with local law enforcement and leaders to improve goodwill, foster mutual respect, and promote the awareness of organized retail crime in society. The ALTO team also fosters relationships with other community groups dedicated to breaking negative cycles at the root causes of crime, as well as developing strategies to deal with displaced persons, aggressive panhandling, and vandalism.
No matter how retailers get involved, it’s important to pay attention to how retail crime is affecting your community, speak up to hold your local leaders and government officials accountable, and form partnerships in order to successfully prevent future retail crime—together as a community.
Want to become part of the solution to prevent retail crime from happening in your community? Partner with our team and contact us at alto.us/contact/
R etail loss prevention and asset protection teams are faced with many challenges, but perhaps one of the biggest pain points is getting the solutions delivered when they need them. Each retailer’s challenges are unique and finding the right solution is vital for success, however, a solution is only effective if it is deployed and operating. From the pandemic to component shortages and supply chain issues, getting solutions has been a challenge for retailers, but we’re here to change that. At CONTROLTEK, we are on a mission to ensure retailers have exceptional, technology-agnostic EAS and RFID solutions that are in stock and ready to be deployed to support their unique needs.
Whether your asset protection program requires AM, RF, RFID, or a combination of technologies, CONTROLTEK offers a comprehensive portfolio of EAS and RFID tags and systems to fit your needs. We recognize that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to asset protection, so our team of experts use our design thinking approach to truly understand your challenges and partner side-by-side to assist in finding the right solution.
Every detail of our EAS and RFID solutions are built to perform, starting with the high-performing technology—which can be tailored to meet your requirements—to the sleek yet durable hardware built to keep up with the demands of any retail environment. And with our First Time Right™ approach to solutions deployment, we deliver high-quality tags and systems on time and install your systems right on the very first visit, thus saving you time, minimizing
the impact to your business, and saving you money.
CONTROLTEK’s broad line of AM systems boast sleek design, state-of-the-art AM technology, and a variety of installation options to fit your retail environment. Whether it is securing large entry points, requiring a concealed solution, or using multiple technologies for the best asset protection, our SAM systems stand up to the test. From acrylic and aluminum designs, 6- and 9-foot ranges, door-mounted and “invisible” floor installations, and even an integrated camera for enhanced visibility, the SAM Family AM system offering has you covered.
CONTROLTEK’s SRF RF system boasts the same high-quality and sleek design as our AM system, yet
it is equipped with state-of-the-art RF technology. The high-performing software can be customized to meet your unique asset protection needs, including the option to upgrade to RFID to future-proof your operations, while the design creates a streamlined aesthetic that will stand the test of time in your fast-paced retail environment.
For retailers, EAS poses an unexpected problem because it requires you to choose between using AM and RF technology in your stores; however, you no longer have to choose. CONTROLTEK’s Omni SAM+RF system combines the power of both AM and RF without compromising on performance. Also equipped with the option to upgrade to RFID, Omni SAM+RF combines all available technologies into one system to give retailers the ability to use any EAS tag on the market, while opening the possibility of
automated inventory management, real-time asset tracking, and improved customer insights for the forward-thinking retailer.
InFlight RFID™ is the world’s thinnest and most advanced overhead RFID as EAS reader on the market, combining state-of-the-art UHF RFID with Time-of-Flight (ToF) in the form of light detection and ranging (LIDAR) sensors. This system accurately tracks speed and direction of merchandise movement, virtually eliminating false alarms. Equipped with an integrated variable alarm, the system can alert in different sequencing based on the number of assets leaving the store. This can help decipher between single item theft and organized retail crime theft, in real-time. And with built-in Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), the reader can serve as a hub for other handheld readers syncing data for automated inventory management.
We offer a vast selection of tagging solutions for protecting a wide range of products, from eyewear, handbags, clothing, and accessories, to liquor and electronics. Our AM, RF, and RFID tags and labels distinguish themselves by their high detection rate, ease of use, sturdy construction, and budget-friendliness. Our experts are here to help you choose the right EAS tags for your stores for maximum protection and deterrence. Some of the tags we offer that retailers love the most include:
● InkGuard: An ink tag designed to stand out and let would-be thieves know they will not succeed at shoplifting in your store.
● The SurfaceTag: The go-to solution to protect boxed merchandise while eliminating product lockdown, not taking up too much shelf space, or interfering with the customer experience.
● The Halt Tag: Which features multiple layers of protection and a classic padlock design that is lightweight and unobtrusive to shoppers.
When it comes to deploying your loss prevention system, we understand the importance of high quality and consistency across your entire brand of stores. Trusted by retailers large and small, we offer structured delivery, full transparency, and nationwide infrastructure for EAS and RFID solutions. Our agile approach means our solutions are delivered faster and installed with more attention to detail than any other provider in the industry. After delivering thousands of EAS and RFID solutions to some of North America’s leading grocery, home improvement,
and apparel retailers, we understand the importance of providing a quality system with minimal disruptions to your business. Our team at CONTROLTEK works with your team to ensure we provide the best possible solution while making the process seamless. Our promise is simple: we make sure that every EAS or RFID system installation is done on time, correctly, and approved by our retail partner on the very first visit.
We are committed to ensuring you receive an outstanding solution that aligns with your budget and long-term business
goals, which is backed with the added assurance of a warranty that is the best in the industry. It is our goal to provide peace of mind that your EAS and RFID solutions are delivered when you need them and operating at full potential to give you the freedom to focus on what is most important to you: serving your customers.
To learn more about CONTROLTEK’s EAS and RFID solutions, visit our website at controltekusa.com and discover the solution that is right for you.
It is an unfortunate fact that, if given unlimited time and resources, a determined burglar will likely find a way to break into your facility. For anyone responsible for loss prevention and security in general, the objective is to make the burglar’s task as challenging and as time-consuming as possible—and in the best case, to delay the burglar long enough for law enforcement to arrive and take care of the problem before entry is achieved.
Even a building that has not recently been subject to a threat can benefit from an occasional and objective review of its security parameters. What follows below is a “back to basics” review of some fundamental components of a solution that can help thwart external efforts to break-in and steal property:
● Heavy-duty door
● Full-length hinge
● Heavy-duty lock
● Burglar alarm
The integration of more of these components into the overall security picture will result in more secure doors. In many cases, creating highly secure points of ingress will discourage would-be thieves from approaching a facility in the first place.
Perhaps the most fundamental weakness of an entry point is the door itself. Placing a strong locking mechanism on a weak door defeats its purpose and makes it very easy for intruders to break in. A 16-gauge door and frame is preferable to a 20-gauge door and frame because it is stronger; however, it should be reinforced
for the security hardware that will be installed on it. A door security hardware distributor or a third-party integrator can be an invaluable resource regarding this and other break-in prevention issues.
With a strong door in place, the next consideration is how it is hung. It is
Placing a strong locking mechanism on a weak door defeats its purpose and makes it very easy for intruders to break in.
common to see doors hung with three or perhaps four hinges. Since every door on a commercial building must swing out in the path of egress, the hinge knuckles are on the outside, exposed and vulnerable to attack by a potential burglar.
Using one long continuous hinge that runs the length of the door is recommended because (1) it supports a heavier gauge door better than several discrete hinges and (2) it is more difficult for an intruder to manipulate or vandalize.
Now the locks themselves should be considered. Regardless of which of the many available products is selected, it should be able to withstand thousands of pounds of pull force—preferably 10,000 pounds or more. A lock that has as much bolt penetration into the door frame as possible is the goal.
That being said, it is recommended to lock into the floor as well as the door frame, since a potential intruder will often try to pry the bottom of the door upward. A floor bolt that locks the very bottom of the door helps prevent (or at least delay) that particular approach.
An astragal is a device that protects the edge where the door meets the frame. Like the hinges, this area is a tempting target for an intruder with a pry bar. A partial astragal that protects the latch area is helpful, to be sure; but a sturdy, full-length astragal is recommended, as it will prevent prying at any point along the edge.
It is a fundamental and common practice to locate a burglar alarm at the top of a door. But as previously mentioned, many burglars will try to pry
a door upward from the bottom, just enough to be able to crawl under. A weaker door is susceptible to a considerable amount of bending, which is why a heavy-duty door is advisable. In any case, an additional alarm contact should be installed close to the bottom of the door. The resulting silent or audible alarm increases the likelihood that the intruder will be discouraged or apprehended.
Deciding to invest
of susceptible outside doors is commendable, but disregarding building codes and being forced to re-do an illegal installation may result in a much greater and unnecessary investment than was originally contemplated.
Door handles can be unintended accomplices to a burglar. It may be necessary to have a pull handle on the outside of a back or side door; if so, any style handle that a chain can be wrapped around or run through should be avoided. Instead, an offset piece that offers a small finger-pull facing the ground is recommended, as a chain is much less effective against this type of mechanism.
Because visibility is an important deterrent to illegal activity, generous illumination of doors that may be of interest is essential. Also, shrubbery, partial walls, or any other hindrance to an unobstructed view of the doors is strongly discouraged, as burglars generally are not motivated to ply their trade in front of an audience.
Finally, the importance of adhering to relevant building codes cannot be emphasized strongly enough. Regardless of the locking device and door security hardware that is eventually selected, industry professionals will always vigorously advocate for strict code compliance.
There are many regulations to consider; for example, nothing can project or protrude more than four inches off the face of a door. Also, installing locks from multiple sources on one door is not allowed. Deciding to invest in enhancing the security of susceptible outside doors is commendable, but disregarding building codes and being forced to re-do an illegal installation may result in a much greater and unnecessary investment than was originally contemplated. When selecting and installing the best door security hardware for break-in applications, a third-party integrator is often a valuable resource to help do it right the first time.
Following these recommendations will make your facility more secure and, as a result, quite likely deter potential burglars from even attempting a break-in. The sight of a sturdy door with a full-length hinge and full-length astragal—with no gap for a crowbar and no protuberance around which to wrap a chain—should send even the most ambitious of intruders in search of easier targets. Those who are not easily deterred will be hampered, frustrated, and quite possibly apprehended. To learn more about heavy duty locks that can protect you against break-ins visit detex.com/SSW22.
in enhancing the security
Outstanding customer service and attention to detail are top priorities at Protos. We prove this by our “service first” mindset. Our managed service provider (MSP) model stands out from the competition because we are able to focus on a client’s unique wants and needs, along with other factors (location or size) to create a custom security solution by presenting multiple security vendors with backup options.
Whether your company is in a crowded city or rural town, you are a small business owner, or you have multiple partners running the company, we have the ability to focus on each site and give it specialized attention. Protos handpicks security providers across the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico with specialization in your vertical market—this is unique in the security industry, and something we pride ourselves on. The security industry often has a “one-size-fits-all” solution while Protos has a tech-forward approach. It works so well because of a multi-tiered service model and support structure along with Protos’ technology that allows officers to report incidents in real-time.
“The MSP model is the only solution that’s focused on giving customers choice,” said Protos Vice President of National Operations Dan Arnold. “Our business is truly service-focused. You should be in the driver’s seat of your security program—and having choices allows you to set preferences and decide what fits your organization, style, and culture. Protos can give that to you with options in mind, presenting different vendors with specialized areas of focus.
And the best part is that these are locally owned and managed businesses familiar with your specific markets.”
The Protos dispatch team is available for each client 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. This group of professionals works in shifts, readily available to focus on your immediate security needs. As the eyes and ears of our organization, dispatch
is thoroughly trained in record keeping, communication, customer service, working with emergency personnel, and more—all while multi-tasking to focus on client requirements. From scheduling to check-ins and calling for backup vendors—Protos’ dispatch center is critical to client success.
Protos’ software is used by the dispatch team to track the attendance of security personnel, so they are able to ensure down-to-the-minute billing. The team
is focused on getting officers to your location on time and in uniform, with a 90-minute average speed to post in emergency situations—faster than even the largest companies.
Every client, whether they are seeking temporary or permanent security services, gets assigned an expert service agent. The service department is focused on client account management and providing the best possible customer service that is tailored to each individual client site
They focus on security needs required on an ongoing basis by customers and manage relationships with vendor companies. Protos’ service agents become well-versed in the security issues clients are having and select specific vendors that will be the perfect fit for them. They ensure these officers are aware of the duties expected of them and that they will be able to perform to the best of their ability.
In addition to knowing the ins and outs of customers’ security needs, the service department measures the KPIs of officers, including attendance, tardiness, and the number of incidents at a post every week. They constantly update these to ensure guards are timely and incidents decrease. Protos knows it’s crucial to have continuous reporting and evaluation of the effectiveness of your security program to guide your solution and provide service enhancements when needed.
Protos’ strategic accounts managers (SAM) are the relationship holders to the highest level of security programs. They work closely with clients to ensure it’s easy to work with Protos. The SAM team is responsible for partnering with their
clients to reduce program costs efficiently, educating clients on their innovative software offering through the client portal, managing reporting, KPIs and SLAs for each SAM client, and more based on custom needs.
As Protos continues to grow as an organization, it’s important that clients know they can grow also, especially as new service offerings are added. Through their strategic growth model, Protos can guarantee that what will continue to set them apart is the adoption of technology, ongoing software development, and a modernized staffing approach.
The SAM team is a central component within Protos, acting as a liaison between internal departments and clients. It’s just one of the ways to ensure Protos’ relationships are strong and long lasting.
Whole Protos greatly values their positive, long-term relationships with vendor companies and treats them just as they would a client. Because they depend on
them to provide above-average security services, the vendor management team is constantly looking for ways to help vendors grow their companies. For example, can they expand a vendor to a new market? What about getting them over state lines? If it benefits them, it will benefit the client.
As mentioned above, senior service management personnel are provided with insight where they can provide positive feedback to vendors, as well as assistance and coaching to resolve any areas of improvement. The entire service chain is truly connected to identify areas of improvement for their clients, many times bringing topics of discussion to them before they even realize there is an issue.
To connect with our service specialists and have us help manage your security program, drop us a line today at www.protossecurity.com.
Since the outbreak of COVID-19 and the onset of its ever-evolving challenges, the retail industry has been contending with a number of other trends including the re-allocation of policing resources, changes to sentencing guidelines, and the growth of online marketplaces. These combined have created a perfect storm in which organized retail crime (ORC) has thrived. According to the National Retail Federation’s (NRF) 2022 Retail Security Survey, retailers saw a 26.5 percent increase in ORC incidents over the past year representing $94.5 billion in losses. Not only that, but increased felony thresholds meant prosecutions fell, making criminal activity even more attractive.
As economic and lifestyle pressures have continued to exacerbate the levels of retail crime and the brazenness with which it is committed, the volume of incidents involving violence and aggression has also increased, with retail associates impacted the most. A recent New York Times article revealed that of the more than 2 million assaults reported to the FBI by law enforcement agencies across the country in 2020, more than 82,000—about 4 percent—occurred in a retail store. In the UK, which is facing similar issues, retailers are increasingly turning to body-worn camera technology. The signature front-facing screen found only on Reveal’s body camera has proven to deter and de-escalate violence and aggression by having a calming effect on
the person being recorded. One of the UK’s leading health and beauty retailers using Reveal’s retail cameras saw a 68 percent reduction in violent and aggressive incidents in the first of its
high-risk stores to trial the technology and is now rolling out deployment across its portfolio. Similar benefits have been experienced in grocery settings—a popular UK supermarket saw a 41 percent decrease in violent crime in stores using Reveal body cameras.
More retail associates than ever before are reporting that they feel more unsafe at work and are experiencing lower levels of well-being. In the , one in four workers reported high levels of anxiety and a staggering 48 percent considered quitting their full-time retail job all together. With the threat of increased antisocial behavior and risk of being assaulted at an all-time high, making associates feel safer at work must become a top priority for retailers. Throughout their implementation phase, body cameras have not only proven their capabilities in deterring violence and aggression, but also their ability to improve the confidence of the wearer. In the UK, one home goods retailer reported that 100 percent of retail associates felt safer and more confident at work when wearing a body camera and 95 percent wanted to continue using body cameras post-trial. Similarly, 78 percent of associates at one of the UK’s largest high-street fashion retailers said that dealing with less risk has had a positive impact on their mental well-being.
A popular UK supermarket saw a 41 percent decrease in violent crime in stores using Reveal body cameras.
Capturing an independent account of a situation that has taken place is vital when it comes to evidence gathering and the successful prosecution of any retail crime. Second to that is having a comprehensive evidence management system in which to review, manage, and share this information with law enforcement and to build cases against repeat or known offenders. DEMS 360 is Reveal’s most advanced digital
evidence management solution that enables retailers to automatically upload all digital evidence including video, audio, and documentation into a single, secure platform to review and add notes. For one customer, our body camera and DEMS 360 software were key in achieving convictions in six cases involving customers that had committed criminal damage. Not only has our solution been proven to deliver the desired outcome, but it has also been shown to strengthen the relationships between retailers and law enforcement
who are able to better support retailers and associates affected by retail crime.
Contact Reveal and take the first step toward deterring violent crime and safeguarding your retail associates with body cameras. Visit revealmedia.com, email us at salesusa@revealmedia.com, or call +888 269-9924 to discuss a trial.
Capturing an independent account of a situation that has taken place is vital when it comes to evidence gathering and the successful prosecution of any retail crime.
Glass doors are the most likely to get hit. It takes only one blow to completely clear the path to entry. Doors are made of tempered glass by code for safety but become destabilized instantly upon breaking. The manufacturing process used to make tempered glass creates enormous, trapped surface tension that when broken releases all at once to cause the glass to shatter into tiny pebble-like pieces. The design intent is to prevent large dangerous shards from becoming lethal in an accidental human impact scenario. From a security standpoint however, the broken glass loses all structure and falls easily from the frame. Even when an edge-attached security window film is installed prior to a smash-and-grab, it is easily thwarted with a sledgehammer or other heavy hand tool. So how can you achieve a high level of security while complying with safety building codes and maintaining a crystal-clear view?
In a perfect world, retail loss prevention teams would have a go-to source for storefront protection where products were readily available, in stock, with a thoroughly trained and vetted installation network capable of timely, quality, and thorough installations anywhere in the US and Canada. Wouldn’t that be wonderful? But let’s not stop there. The products should be available in retrofittable configurations, meaning they can be seamlessly installed onto or into existing storefront systems, or in new construction formats when you are doing a complete ground-up build or comprehensive tenant improvement where the storefront is to be demolished and rebuilt from scratch. What if this mythical source actually existed? Well…it does!
Earlier this year, Riot Glass, LLC introduced its newest retrofit storefront security system
called ArmorPlast® Gen II. The new product line offers a variety of storefront framing options aimed at higher-end retailers with large, oversized windows and all-glass doors. The suite of products eliminates the side effects normally associated with unbreakable glazing
systems. This article will detail the features of the ArmorPlast product line and what it means to retailers in this new era of heavy tool assaults.
According to a recent survey, retailers across the board are seeing significant increases in forced entry, smash-and-grab-style crimes. That, coupled with the widespread rioting from 2020, has security professionals seeking new and innovative ways to not only thwart break-ins, but to also reduce instances of glass breakage. Simply replacing glass with a standard laminated security glass or adding security window films does not solve the problem. Films and laminated glass were not designed to stop the kind of organized retail smash-and-grab hits being carried out today. They are considered the lowest level of storefront security by today’s standards and can be easily thwarted with a few blows from a sledgehammer, which let’s face it, is the tool being adopted by an increasing number of bad guys. They have learned that most retail establishments have some sort of glass protection, so they have ratcheted up their offensive posture. The good guys now must take glass security to the next level to be effective.
That is where Riot Glass® products come in. The company focuses on doing one thing very well—stopping forced entry crimes with minimal to no impact on the visual features and appeal of a building’s glass line. Riot Glass engineers work solely on systems designed to absorb the intense kinetic energy produced with hand tools that maximize the leverage a human being can impart on an object. Manufacturing high-level security glass and framing systems that look elegant yet can withstand attacks with these heavy tools is a tall order, and one that takes considerable time and effort to develop. Riot Glass has done this in a way not seen
before in the glass industry and is garnering quite a bit of attention. These are the right products for the times we find ourselves in, and they work magnificently. On their YouTube page there are dozens of videos of actual surveillance footage showing serious forced entry attempts on storefronts with Riot Glass installed. The body language of a thug not able to get into a building tells the story better than words can describe. Frustrated would be an understatement.
Keeping bad guys out is only half the story. Preventing expensive glass breakage is another aspect. Not only does broken glass create a stressful event for store staff, but it also requires a board up, and in some cases, a security guard—which when added to the cost of the glass itself can get expensive real quick. Replacing the storefront glass with heavier security glass may help keep some criminals out of the building, but now you have the glass replacement costs and lead times going up dramatically. Riot Glass unbreakable storefront systems stop that cycle of glass breakage, board up, long lead time, only to have it happen again and again—rinse, lather, repeat. When bad guys strike Riot Glass, their tools just bounce off. Even when there are multiple attackers using heavy tools for a prolonged period, they are unable to break in.
Polycarbonate glazing has been around for a long time, and there are undesirable side effects such as yellowing, haze, lack of clarity, and a plastic-like look and feel. Riot Glass is not that. It is a completely redesigned material
specifically geared for high-end storefronts where crystal clear clarity, color stability over time, and a glass-like hardness, rigidity, look, and feel are essential. The vision behind the company from inception has been to offer extremely high security with minimal to no reduction in visual acuity or sightline intrusion. The entire line of products is framed within this vision.
Here are a few of the most asked questions: Q: If the bad guys cannot get in, and the glass is not broken, are there any marks left from the tools striking the glass?
A: Yes, and to address this, Riot Glass offers a special coating that is like the glass protection you have on your cell phone. When damaged, this less expensive coating is simply removed and a new one installed.
Q: Does Riot Glass make it harder to see into the store?
A: No. We have crystal clear panels much like low iron or Safire glass. Our conversion framing eliminates the need to have an over glazing panel, so there is no “visual chatter” associated with a second layer over your existing glass. While that style, known as an “invisible board up,” is also available in the Riot Glass line, the ultra-clear Gen II is catching on fast with major retailers.
Q: Is there any concern about condensation or dust forming with Riot Glass?
A: No. Our systems are all designed by our team of world class curtain wall developers and engineers, so the systems are designed using Riot Glass proprietary pressure, temperature, and moisture-balanced construction.
A: Riot Glass framing and panels are always in stock. When you need it fast, you can get it fast.
Q:
A: Simply call or fill out a form at bit.ly/riot-glass.. A security expert will do a thorough needs assessment and help you every step of the way to ensure you get the perfect system for each individual store. Riot Glass has a comprehensive installer network, and handles all the install details for you, anywhere in the US and Canada.
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In short, computer vision serves as the “eyes” of a machine learning system. This empowers connected solutions to analyze video data in near real-time. For retailers, this means having a dedicated set of eyes to help watch shelves, aisles, checkouts, entrances, and even parking lots, and monitoring for a variety of use cases. The results of this monitoring can come in many forms, including (but certainly not limited to):
● Creating heat maps based on actual consumer traffic to optimize the floor layout.
● Measuring store traffic, pass-by traffic, display interactions, dwell times, and more.
● Measuring audience response to in-store advertisements.
● Measuring inventory levels.
● Recommending stocking and auditing planogram compliance.
As the holidays approach, loss prevention becomes an even bigger concern for retailers than usual. That’s because shrink increases by 15 percent when the holiday season arrives, and the holiday season as a whole can account for as much as 37 percent of a retailer’s total annual shrink. Shrink losses may be even higher this season, considering there’s a clear correlation between rising inflation and increased theft.
With this in mind, retailers may wish to consider using every tool at their disposal to deter opportunistic thieves and organized retail crime (ORC) organizations. One technology in particular that can deliver impact for retailers of all types is computer vision.
Let’s unpack what computer vision is, how it works, and all the benefits it can offer retailers this holiday season—and beyond.
By now, you’ve probably heard of computer vision in some form or another, but what is it, exactly? IBM offers a concise definition:
Computer vision is a field of artificial intelligence (AI) that enables computers and systems to derive meaningful information from digital images, videos, and other visual inputs—and take actions or make recommendations based on that information. If AI enables computers to think, computer vision enables them to see, observe, and understand.
That’s a lot of upside from a single technology, but perhaps the biggest upside of all comes from what computer vision delivers for loss prevention teams.
With the retail labor shortage showing no sign of slowing, today’s retailers are continuing to ask stores to do more with less. That means fewer associates on the floor—and fewer eyes watching for dishonest behavior in the store and on the security monitors. But with computer vision, those are eyes retailers can allocate to other tasks. After all, from a loss prevention and security standpoint, computer vision can monitor for:
● Shelf sweeps.
● Associates removing tags without scanning items.
● People loitering on premises after hours.
● Suspicious and aggressive behavior.
● Arrival of large groups of individuals, such as flash mob or ORC scenarios.
● Concealing merchandise in the aisle or staging merchandise at an emergency exit for them to take later.
Each of these behaviors, Ares noted, can be detected by a computer vision solution once it’s identified what “regular” shopper behavior looks like versus “anomalous” behavior.
“We can implement a computer vision solution that monitors for—and helps detect—virtually any anomalous behavior a retailer is interested in identifying, as long as that behavior takes place in front of a camera,” he added.
meaning there’s relatively little hardware to buy. That’s certainly the case for Sensormatic Solutions’ computer vision solutions. Unfortunately, that’s not always the case with every provider.
Dustin Ares
● Person of interest detection. When a computer vision solution detects any of these, it can send automated alerts to store personnel and loss prevention teams who are able to take action immediately, rather than reacting after the fact (and that’s if an associate witnessed the incident or anomaly at all). This is a huge win for retailers, yet it’s far from computer vision’s full potential. “Traditionally, computer vision has been used for object detection,” said Dustin Ares, general manager of video analytics, AI, and incubation at Sensormatic Solutions. “That includes everything from people counting to mask detection and more. These use cases are great and have a lot of value for retailers, but the biggest contribution a computer vision solution can deliver comes from recognizing behaviors, not just objects.”
Ares noted that internal theft is also at play, with more than 50 percent of retailers surveyed in the National Retail Federation’s 2021 National Retail Security Survey reporting that combatting internal theft has become more of a priority for their organization. This includes things like dishonest associates taking something from the cash drawer and putting it in their pocket, propping the cash drawer open with their hip in anticipation of a later theft, or even conducting a refund without a customer present. It also includes shopper behavior, like:
● Scan avoidance at self-checkout.
● Entering a store with a tool or device intended to deceive or destroy security equipment.
When a computer vision solution detects a threat, it can send automated alerts to store personnel and LP teams who are able to take action immediately, rather than after the fact.
A technology this powerful—with the ability to deliver benefits to loss prevention, customer experience, labor optimization, and across the entirety of the retail enterprise—must come with a hefty price tag and an intense implementation process, right?
Not so, according to Milton Navarro, video solutions manager at Sensormatic Solutions. “Retailers are often shocked at how cost effective and easy to implement computer vision can be,” Navarro said. “Especially if they already have robust camera infrastructure—and many major retailers do.”
Navarro pointed out that some computer vision solutions can work with retailers’ existing camera infrastructure,
“Some providers, particularly those using open-source object detection not designed specifically for retail, can become burdensome in terms of the hardware retailers have to install,” Navarro said. “In some cases, retailers almost have to install what amounts to a server room somewhere in the stock room. But others, like ours, require just a small edge device and use relatively little computing power, even though they’re just as—and usually more—capable than those using off-the-shelf technologies.”
Traditional loss prevention solutions like hard tags, labels, and EAS detection systems aren’t obsolete—far from it. Computer vision simply adds a powerful new dimension to savvy retailers’ loss prevention ecosystems. It works alongside, rather than in place of—to augment existing technologies and empower associates to focus more on valuable customer interactions instead of watching monitors or looking out for suspicious behavior. And best of all, it’s relatively easy to implement and can be extremely cost effective, meaning it’s not a burden on your associates or your bottom line.
There’s a reason computer vision is the future of loss prevention—but you don’t have to wait for tomorrow to start seeing value from it. Start a conversation today.
For over nine years, ThinkLP has disrupted the loss prevention and risk management industry with its speed of innovation. As a result, the company’s vision of creating impactful software for loss prevention professionals has been embraced by industry professionals at some of the largest retail organizations worldwide. Their centralized platform allows teams to streamline their data, digitally transform their functions, and unlock hidden insights to improve performance, creating a “one-stop-shop” experience for retailers. One particular big box retailer has found immense success with ThinkLP in recent years and is familiar with the one-stop-shop approach.
The retail-wide issue of organized retail crime (ORC) impacts retailers around the world, and big box retailers are not immune to this trend. Although curfews, closures, and other pandemic restrictions suppressed shoplifting incidents in the initial stages of the pandemic, as restrictions lifted, shoplifting incidents occurred at higher than pre-pandemic levels. Throughout the implementation of ThinkLP, there were many changes to the retailer’s business. These changes required adapting to new processes and ways of doing business to address these evolving issues. This retailer’s AP team was one of the first clients to leverage the ThinkLP platform to monitor and track nearly every facet of its ORC efforts.
Before ThinkLP, the team relied on many external systems to track, manage, and
understand the nature of ORC in their stores. When investigators are pressed for time, searching multiple systems for information to make informed decisions can slow down essential investigative efforts. This delay can result in further losses between the incident and obtaining relevant information. By partnering with ThinkLP, all sources of investigative details were brought together into one easy-to-use and managed space. This centralization of systems eliminated all the previous headaches that initially existed. In addition, the retailer’s AP team found the intuitive nature and usefulness of ThinkLP’s features—such as drag-and-drop customizability—incredibly valuable to their process. As a result, the ThinkLP software is now a central hub of information for their team—a single source of truth!
Despite being essential for restitution and budget allocation, equipment and case expense tracking are complex elements of an investigation that typically get overlooked. These elements were nearly impossible for the AP team to track accurately prior to implementing ThinkLP. Instead, managers relied on sign-out sheets, email chains, and other ad hoc methods for tracking investigative assets that were not well documented. With ThinkLP, assets and equipment are not only tracked from team to team, but the equipment list can also be checked into inventory lists. From there, the inventory lists are attached to specific operations and records and are used to demonstrate ROI and operational value for any active case.
With ThinkLP, investigators can put investigative tactics into the system with all the vital details of assets and equipment needed, as well as other resources that may be involved in closing a case. Doing this helped the AP team track all operational expenses allocated to specific cases rather than just a general budget for the department. It made it much easier for the team to advocate for their department’s costs. The ability to associate the exact cost of individual cases and demonstrate value for the team’s efforts was invaluable for annual assessment conversations.
One of the most innovative solutions that ThinkLP offers retailers is a store input portal. In one store’s experience, the portal allowed users to access and submit valuable information that the team used to submit data instantly in one centralized location. The AP team utilized this for theft incidents, and they called it the “Theft Input Portal.” Store level users could access
the portal from any terminal or cash register to submit theft tips directly to the system immediately after it happened. They were able to submit critical details such as time of day, area of entrance or exit, and description of the perpetrator(s), all within ThinkLP.
Before ThinkLP, collecting these details would have been near impossible for the retailer’s investigators unless they were on‑site at that moment. In fact, the Theft Input Portal received over 300,000 tip entries per year on incidents from the store level! These incidents were quickly escalated in ThinkLP, tracked, and picked up by the ORC team to pursue. Those with required access credentials on the team can view instances at the store, district, regional, and corporate levels, and once they are reviewed, initiate further action in the system with a few simple clicks. This process is made more efficient by the ease of accessibility to the ThinkLP platform, meaning those with access could also view submissions from anywhere and anytime via desktop or
mobile device. Incidents escalated to the AP team could be assessed, and they could create BOLOs and send out state wide store announcements to help identify high risk individuals should they enter a store location.
Not only does ThinkLP serve as a comprehensive space at this big box retailer for investigators to access information and gain insights, but it also allows for a high level overview of all active and open cases. ThinkLP’s live reporting dashboards made it easier for management to view all the information attached to any active case logged in their org. This feature led to increased productivity and job efficiency among investigators. Moreover, whenever an investigator left, it proved more efficient than ever to pass along information without anything lost in translation over the course of an investigation. Unlike other ad hoc methods from the past, it was easy to leverage the chatter feature in ThinkLP to communicate with supervisors, track all the steps investigators are taking, and streamline the approval process.
ThinkLP is an award winning, industry‑leading loss prevention and safety management software platform, empowering companies to manage their teams and data in a whole new way.
Are you looking to manage your ORC data better and more efficiently? Reach out to ThinkLP today to see how they can help you succeed with their intuitive loss prevention software and how you can streamline your data and unlock hidden insights for your retail organization.
Loss prevention professionals are facing unprecedented internal and external challenges. Rising labor costs coupled with a limited labor pool, an increase in organized crime and the lack of prosecution of shoplifters, and logistical problems resulting in shortages of both food and other goods are making it more difficult than ever for the retail sector. These issues combined with already thin profit margins, and retail professionals must rethink their approach to safety and security.
Security technology remains a critical tool in the loss prevention professional’s toolbox, and now more than ever, it’s imperative to fully leverage a video management system to mitigate these pressures. But how?
Even with a robust loss prevention team that includes a combination of security employees on the retail floor and several in a central command center, watching for shoplifting incidents via surveillance can be a challenge. Video analytics, when incorporated as part of a video management platform, can help to proactively identify issues, and notify security staff to address the specific problem. By using video analytics, the loss prevention team can better utilize its resources thanks to technology that can specifically look for and identify certain behaviors instead of relying on the human eye to detect them. Video analytics can also serve as a workforce multiplier, where surveillance can track multiple issues at once compared with a human security officer who can only manage one incident at a time. Precious time can be saved using video analytics.
An increase in organized crime rings means that loss prevention professionals
need to use as many resources available to them as possible to combat this problem. This includes leveraging AI and facial recognition technology to identify known shoplifters as they enter the store.
Facial recognition technology can be used to quickly detect an individual who has been placed in a database of known offenders and can be easily checked against incoming shoppers. When a known shoplifter is detected, the loss prevention staff can then use this information to decide what to do next. Do they use surveillance to more closely watch the individual or do they contact police sooner to have the person removed from the premises?
Knowledge is power and in the retail space, knowing how a person shops can be invaluable. Surveillance has proven to be a powerful tool when coupled with analytics that can track shopping patterns and identify long lines. In addition, sales and marketing teams are now using intelligence gained from their video surveillance solution to provide business insights into things like
retail traffic, dwell times, the effectiveness of product placement, and customer service issues to name a few
By fully leveraging a video management system, retailers can reduce theft and, at the same time, optimize efficiencies resulting in a healthier bottom line. Watch Salient’s GSX 2022 presentation on “The Retail Cyclone. It’s real, and how to combat it with an open platform VMS” to hear from two former loss prevention executives from Walmart and The Home Depot on the ever—growing challenges faced on the job and how retailers can make the most of their VMS solution. Integrators will learn how to help their retail customers leverage their VMS solutions to the fullest. Find the QR code below for the link to the presentation.
Contact Salient today to learn more about Salient’s solutions for retail security. Scan to Contact Us
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ADT Commercial ................................................. 41 adtcommercial.com
ALTO Alliance 55 alto.us
Checkpoint............................................................ 19 checkpointsystems.com
CONTROLTEK .................................................... 100 controltekusa.com
Cyber Security Summit .................................... 61 cybersecuritysummit.com
Detex ......................................................................... 7 detex.com/ode10
Geogentia .............................................................. 63 geogentia.com
InstaKey.................................................................... 3 instakey.com
LVT 45 lvt.com
Loss Prevention Foundation ................... 35, 99 losspreventionfoundation.org
LPjobs ...................................................................... 77 lpjobs.com
LPM Media Group ............................................... 97 lpmmediagroup.com
Riot Glass 2 riotglass.com
Securitas ................................................................ 31 securitases.com
siffron ...................................................................... 23 siffron.com
ThinkLP ................................................................... 51 thinklp.com W-Z 69 w-z.com
Please go to the magazine website Events page or scan the QR code to get the most up-to-date calendar listings. LossPreventionMedia.com/events
Winter 2022
Attracting and Developing Diverse Talent with Target’s Oscar Arango by Jim Lee, LPC and Jack Trlica (p. 12)
Visions of Success: What Battles Must LP Win in 2022 by Garett Seivold (p. 26)
Moving Targets—With the Supply Chain in Focus, Can Preventing Cargo Theft Gain Traction? by Garett Seivold (p. 38)
An Ounce of Prevention—5D Retail Theft Prevention across the Five Zones by Cory Lowe, PhD, LPRC (p. 48)
FMI, The Food Industry Association with Doug Baker by Jack Trlica (p. 60)
A Perfect Storm for Organized Retail Crime by Garett Seivold (p. 8)
Taking the Battle against ORC to Another Level by Jacque Brittain, LPC (p. 16)
Applying Effective Interviewing Skills to ORC Investigations by David Thompson, CFI (p. 24)
Prioritizing People’s Safety in the Tidal Wave of ORC by Garett Seivold (p. 30)
Human Trafficking and ORC by Courtney Wolfe (p. 38)
What Research Is Telling Us About the State of ORC by Cory Lowe, PhD, LPRC (p. 42)
Prosecuting ORC Cases with District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert (p. 48)
Leading the Push for ORC Legislation with Jason Brewer, Michael Hanson, and Lisa LaBruno, RILA (p. 52)
Organized Retail Crime Associations Directory (p. 54)
Spring 2022
Fighting the Good Fight—Home Depot’s AP Leaders Grapple with Ever-Evolving Challenges by Jim Lee, LPC and Terry Sullivan, LPC (p. 12)
Controlling Self-Scan Checkout Losses—A Global Survey of Retailers by Professor Adrian Beck (p. 32)
Getting Back to Business—Recovery Doesn’t Happen Just Because a Crisis Ends by Garett Seivold (p. 46)
Leveraging Situational Crime Prevention by Read Hayes, PhD, LPRC (p. 56)
Retail Council of Canada with Rue Rodrigues by Jack Trlica (p. 68)
Summer 2022
Chief Asset Protection Advocate with RILA’s Lisa LaBruno by Terry Sullivan, LPC and Jack Trlica (p.12)
On the Road Again—Travel Safety Programs May Need to Retool as Trips Resume by Garett Seivold (p. 28)
Engaging Customers, through a Different Lens by Jack Trlica (p. 42)
Shaping Your Space to Serve and Protect by Read Hayes, PhD, LPRC (p. 54)
Small World, Big Ideas—Partners in International Crime Fighting Cook up Collaborative Approaches to Risk by John Wilson, LPM Europe (p. 62)
Innovation Special Edition 2022
Innovation—A Leadership Imperative by Jacque Brittain, LPC (p. 10)
Driving Innovation through Solution Provider Partners by Jacque Brittain, LPC (p. 16)
Retail’s Latest High-Tech Accessory? Body-Worn Cameras Are Getting a Closer Look by Garett Seivold (p. 22)
Innovating for Now and Next—There’s No Shortage of Problems to Solve by Read Hayes, PhD, LPRC (p. 30)
If Innovation Is Like Giving Birth, Then What About the Toddler Years? by Stefanie Hoover, CFI (p. 36)
Normalizing Innovation from Forced Changes to the New Normal by Tony Paixão, CFI, CFE (p. 38)
Fall 2022
Preventing Retail Violence Across the Five Zones of Influence by Cory Lowe, PhD, LPRC (p. 12)
Arbitration Hearing Got You in a Panic? What You Need to Know Before Arbitration and Why Your Report Matters by Sr. Arbitrator Ashley A. Nobili, MLA, CFI (p. 26)
Investing in Talent—Identifying, Hiring, Developing, and Retaining Top Performers by Jacque Brittain, LPC (p. 36)
Michigan: The Latest State to Tackle ORC by Stefanie Hoover, CFI (p. 48)
Face Matching Leads to Big Wins for Retailers by Courtney Wolfe (p. 56)
Ask the Expert
Controlling Shrink in the Grocery Industry with Jason DeVinney, Checkpoint (Winter 2022 p. 59)
Four Tips for Choosing Storefront Security Glazing with Brad Campbell, Riot Glass (Spring 2022 p. 66)
The State of Loss Prevention with Ned McCauley, Sensormatic (Spring 2022 p. 67)
Perception vs. Realty: Using Data to Assess the Risk of Crime with Steven Aurand, CAP Index (Summer 2022 p. 60)
Securing Retail Facilities to Protect People and Assets with Tim Shafer, Detex (Summer 2022 p. 61)
The Latest Organized Retail Crime Trends with Kris Vece, LPQ, Protos (Fall 2022 p. 53)
Certification
Spotlighting LP Certified Professionals (Winter 2022 p. 34)
Spotlighting LP Certified Professionals (Spring 2022 p. 42)
Spotlighting LP Certified Professionals (Summer 2022 p. 38)
Spotlighting LP Certified Professionals (Fall 2022 p. 32)
Five Cyber Musts for Retail in 2022 by Garett Seivold (Winter 2022 p. 66)
Cybersecurity Trends and Strategies by Tom Meehan, CFI (Spring 2022 p. 74)
Using Geospatial Intelligence to Solve Investigations by Vijay Richard, Geogentia (Fall 2022 p. 62)
Editor’s Letter by Jack Trlica
LP Magazine Reimagined (Winter 2022 p. 6)
Addressing the Scourge of ORC (ORC Special Edition 2022 p. 6)
Stronger Together (Spring 2022 p. 6)
Welcoming Stefanie Hoover (Summer 2022 p. 6)
Innovate Or Die! (Innovation Special Edition 2022 p. 6)
A Grateful, Fond Farewell (Fall 2022 p. 6)
Interviewing by David Thompson, CFI, and Shane Sturman, CFI, CFE
One Size Doesn’t Fit All (Winter 2022 p. 22)
Do You Remember? (Spring 2022 p. 28)
Bringing Science into the Interview Room (Summer 2022 p. 24)
The Closed-Ended Conundrum (Fall 2022 p. 24)
LPM
Denise Wynn, LPC, CFI, TJX and Tyson Robertson, CPP, LPC, Amazon (Winter 2022 p. 52)
Karen Edwards, JD, University of South Carolina, and Kevin O’Brien, The Integritus Group (Spring 2022 p. 30)
Chris O’Leary, LP Recruiters, and Pedro Ramos, Agilence (Summer 2022 p. 26)
Deputy Assistant Director Raul Aguilar and the Homeland Security Investigations Team (Fall 2022 p. 30)
Parting Words by Jacque Brittain, LPC
A New Year with New Beginnings (Winter 2022 p. 66)
Resiliency Standing Front and Center (Spring 2022 p. 106)
It Takes All Kinds of Minds (Summer 2022 p. 82)
Elephants and Tree Branches by Stefanie Hoover, CFI (Fall 2022 p. 980)
Inflation: Return of the Dragon by Tom Meehan, CFI (Summer 2022 p. 50)
Retail Community
Loss Prevention and the Big Quit by Stefanie Hoover, CFI (Winter 2022 p. 46)
Incident Reporting: One Key Element in Shrink Reduction by Stefanie Hoover, CFI (Spring 2022 p. 54) Boots-on-the-Ground Support for Retailers by Rhett Asher (Summer 2022 p. 48)
Using the PESTEL Framework to Assess Risk by Tom Meehan, CFI (Fall 2022 p. 42)
The Global Supply Chain Crisis by Tom Meehan, CFI (Winter 2022 p. 56)
Imports Headed to Lowest Level Since Early 2021 (Fall 2022 p. 54)
Publication title: Loss Prevention. Filing date: 10/1/22. Issue frequency: bi-monthly. No. of issues annually: 6. Mailing address of office of publication: 128 Fast Lane, Suite 203, Mooresville, NC 28117. Mailing address of headquarters: same. Name and address of publisher, editor, and managing editor: Terrance Sullivan, Publisher; Jack Trlica, Editor; Stefanie Hoover, Managing Editor, same address as above. Owner: Loss Prevention Foundation, same address as above. Publication title: Loss Prevention aka LP Magazine, Issue date of circulation data below: Summer 2022.
Avg. No. Copies No. Copies of Single Each Issue During Issue Published
Preceding 12 Months Nearest to Filing Date
Total no. of copies 13,333 13,800
Outside county paid/requested subscriptions 10,094 9,927
In-county paid/requested subscriptions 0 0
Other paid/requested distribution outside USPS 1,666 1,616
Requested copies distributed by other mail classes through USPS 0 0
Total paid and/or requested circulation 11,760 11,543
Outside county nonrequested copies 5 0
In-county nonrequested copies 0 0
Nonrequested copies distributed by other mail classes through USPS 0 0
Nonrequested copies distributed outside the mail 0 0
Total nonrequested distribution 5 0
Total distribution 11,765 11,543
Copies not distributed 140 119
Total 11,905 11,662
Percent paid and/or requested circulation 89% 84%
Electronic copies requested 8,372 7,643
Total print and electronic requested 20,132 19,186
Total distribution print and electronic 20,137 19,186
Percent paid and/or requested both print and electronic 93% 90%
Name and title of publisher: Terrance Sullivan, President Date: 10/1/2022
Have you ever looked at an image and felt like you truly identified with it but didn’t know why, like some sort of weird synchronicity that you just couldn’t put your finger on?
For four months now, I’ve been looking at the image at the top of this page and wondered about it and why it was speaking to me.
feeling like the part of the branch directly underneath her.
Jack Trlica never thought he’d be training a type-A personality with non-stop questions at this point in his career. Thank you for your patience.
For four months now, I’ve been engaged in the mind‑blowing task of learning this magazine—it’s people, process, personalities, advertisers, readers, history, heart, and soul. There are consultants to manage, employees who are remote, brand new systems to learn, not to mention, an entirely new language they call “editing.” There’s an advertising sales process that’s new to me and large teams from huge companies with marketing and sales departments to get to know. There’s the asset protection community that needs and deserves the best content possible. All this while knowing full well there is a legacy to keep intact and preserved.
At the end of this four months, I can honestly say that while the main figure in the photo above is the elephant, I am identifying with the fragile branch on which she perches. And at times,
Lest this comes across a bit whiny, let me explain. This is an awesome weight, but just like the tree branch, we don’t get stronger without being tested. Please readers and advertisers be patient while bending is underway. As I stumble around, make mistakes, learn, and get stronger, a daily goal is to remind myself of how lucky I am to be surrounded by those who wish me success and put their wishes into action by helping without being asked. Jack Trlica never thought he’d be training a type A personality with non‑stop questions at this point in his career. Thank you for your patience, Jack, and for putting off that drink with a little umbrella on the beach for a couple more months. There have already been opportunities to pay forward some of this good will, and for that I am also grateful.
There is an old Buddhist parable about a group of blind men meeting an elephant for the first time that applies in this situation and maybe to yours in your job as well. As each man approaches a different part of the elephant, they misidentify the part but come close to getting it right. For example, saying
a tusk is a spear is not totally wrong. The gist is that we each approach an unknown situation with our own context and, a lot of the time, we only have it partially right.
Have you ever started a new job as an asset protection professional and met team members only to find out later they weren’t what you thought? Or been trained on a process and not really become proficient until months later? Why is that? You were trained, right? You understood the assignment—it just takes time for the whole elephant to become clear and to develop the proper context. We all need to have patience with ourselves because those elephants can be big and tough.
As we head into 2023, you may or may not engage in New Year’s resolutions. I’m not really one for resolutions, but I like to think about goals for the year. Among my many professional goals is patience for myself, just like Jack has for me. Right now, I’m fumbling around trying to figure out what is what, which part is the tail, and which is the tusk. I’ll let you know when I have the elephant figured out.
May your 2023 bring you a year of patience and gratitude. Happy holidays to you and yours.
Retail loss prevention teams are faced with many challenges, but perhaps one of the biggest pain points is getting the solutions you need when you need them.
At CONTROLTEK, we understand how critical this is, and we are on a mission to ensure you have exceptional EAS and RFID solutions to support your unique needs that are ready to be deployed in your stores.
Stop waiting on the other guys to deliver, give us a call at 888.808.6970 or visit us online at controltekusa.com
controltekusa.com | 888.808.6970 | sales@controltekusa.com
