Winter 2023

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Flexibility when and where you need it.

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By Tim McCreight, CPP

By Stefanie Hoover, CFI

Stefanie Hoover, CFI Editor-in-Chief Tavrius / ShutterStock.com

What’s new?

What’s new? You, me, our jobs, our worlds—most everything. We’re all changing in a million different ways every single second of every day. Our cells are turning over and making way for new ones. Mentally, we’re reacting and adapting to the flux in our environment, whether personally or professionally. Family life is more complex—there’s even a TV show judging parenting skills—yikes! Our jobs are becoming more complex. The ways we consume information to stay on top of our jobs is flexing and stretching. It’s a lot.

2023 at LP Magazine will bring a few changes: all of them designed to help you on the job. We want to bring you the information you need—in one place—so that you can be successful and have fewer tough choices when it comes to consuming your information.

In this issue, we’re all about breaking down and simplifying an area that may have been confusing or even overwhelming for you in the past: trade shows. What are they? Why should you attend? What are those associations all about anyway? Credit where credit is due, Seth Hughes with REI approached me at the LPRC IMPACT conference last year and put a bug in my ear. There are many professionals out there who may not be aware of the different trade associations or what conferences are available. Some shows can be so large as to be rather intimidating others so small as to feel like an exclusive club. There are trade shows for all tastes and preferences, we get into the nitty gritty in these pages so that you can feel more educated and maybe consider attending a show outside your normal comfort zone. We think this issue will be one that our readers will use as a reference long after its initial publication.

We are also introducing two new columns that we would love to get our readers involved in. “Something Good,” in our quarterly issues, highlights those unsung heroes in the loss prevention community who are selflessly giving back. This could be one person or a

whole team, whichever it is, help us celebrate these folks in our pages. Another new column in the quarterly this year is “Career Center” where we will feature tips and career advice from industry experts. Have a passion for writing and want to share some tips of your own? Don’t be afraid to share your thoughts in writing. I have heard from so many people that they would love to contribute, but they are reluctant to put themselves out there. Don’t worry, we’ve got your back and will help you on your writing journey. Just reach out to editor@lpportal.com. We’d love to hear from you!

What else is in store for this year? We’ve added new Vendor Advisory Board members, made changes with the Editorial Board, and continue to evolve our content. You can look forward to our next special edition, back by popular demand, “Organized Retail Crime,” which again warrants its own dedicated issue. We’re also laser focused on bringing you original content that is timely and can help you make an immediate impact on the job.

A shout out and thank you to Tom Meehan for continuing to support LPM with content and his perspective in his column “Retail Trends.” Our LPM e-newsletter continues to be the go-to for daily updates on what’s happening in the industry—Courtney Wolfe and Jacque Brittain are gurus at finding the stories that matter and reporting for you. Watch out for additional content from some new voices with different perspectives. We’re going to be busy this year, hitting the road with regional events to support your career development and exclusive webinar and podcast content—all geared toward keeping you in-the-know.

Adapting to new things can be tough but also exciting, and there’s no growth without it. LP Magazine has been here for you through it all over the years and we’re proud to continue that tradition and expand on that legacy as we grow. Here’s to change and growth in 2023!

Powered by The Loss Prevention Foundation

President Terry Sullivan, LPC Terry.Sullivan@losspreventionfoundation.org

Vice President, Editor-in-Chief Stefanie Hoover, CFI StefanieH@LPportal.com

Senior Consultant

Jack Trlica JackT@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

Manager 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

Creative Director Larry Preslar

Advertising Strategist Ben Skidmore 972-587-9064 office, 214-597-8168 mobile BenS@LPportal.com

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the publisher. Statements of fact or opinion are the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the opinion of the publishers. Advertising in the publication does not imply endorsement by the publishers. The editor reserves the right to accept or reject any article or advertisement.

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

Dan Moren Senior Manager, Starbucks

Richard Peck, LPC Senior Vice President, Loss Prevention, The TJX Companies

Joe Schrauder Vice President, International Operations and Realty, Walmart Stores

Tina Sellers, LPC Vice President, Asset Protection, Rite Aid

Marty Andrews, CFI Vice President, Loss Prevention, VF Corporation

Ray Cloud Group Senior Vice President, Loss Prevention, Ross Stores

Scott Draher, LPC Vice President, Asset Protection, Safety, and Operations, Lowe’s

Scott Glenn, EDJ, LPC Vice President, Asset Protection, The Home Depot

Robert Holm Director, Global Safety & Security, McDonald’s

Seth Hughes Divisional Vice President, Asset Protection and Risk Management, REI Co-op

Mike Lamb, LPC Vice President, Asset Protection & Safety, Kroger

Michael Limauro, LPC Vice President, Global Asset Protection, Whole Foods Market

David Lund, LPC Vice President, Loss Prevention, DICK’S Sporting Goods

John Matas, CFE, CFCI Director, Global Fraud, Risk, and Compliance Operations, Etsy

LPM's Vendor Advisory Board is composed of the magazine's strongest solution provider supporters. These executives provide their counsel on how the magazine can better advance and serve the loss prevention and asset protection industry. To learn more about the VAB, contact Ben Skidmore at BenS@LPportal.com.

Keith Aubele, CPP, LPP Chief Security Officer

Rhett Asher SVP, Community Relations & Partnerships

Bobby Haskins VP, Retail Partnerships

James Stark Segment Manager, Retail Rex Gillette VP, Retail Sales

Stephen B. Longo VP, Strategic Initiatives Stuart Rosenthal VP, Global Sales

Tom Meehan, CFI President Jeff Franson Chief Executive Officer

Tim Shafer Marketing Manager

Scott Thomas National Director for Signature Brands

Cita Doyle, LPQ VP, Sales & Marketing

David Studdert Managing Partner

Tony D'Onofrio CEO, Global Retail Business Unit

Ned McCauley Director, Sales

Robb Northrup Director, Marketing Communications

Tony Sheppard, CFI, LPC Sr. Director, LP Solutions

Scott Pethuyne, LPC Sr. Analytics Solution Consultant

Jack Ashton VP Strategic Development

Brad Campbell Chief Executive Officer

Jordan I. Rivchun Director of Business Development

Chris Reene Head of Commercial

National Retail Federation PROTECT Conference

By the National Retail Federation

The National Retail Federation (NRF) passionately advocates for the people, brands, policies, and ideas that help retail thrive. From its headquarters in Washington, DC, NRF empowers the industry that powers the economy. Retail is the nation’s largest private-sector employer, contributing $3.9 trillion to annual GDP and supporting fifty-two million working Americans. For over a century, NRF has been a voice for every retailer and every retail job—educating, inspiring, and communicating the powerful impact retail

has on local communities and global economies.

Retail supports one in four American jobs and drives a large percentage of job creation. NRF's membership includes a diverse community with more than 16,000 leading retailers and industry professionals. NRF advocates on behalf of the retail industry on policy items that benefit the economy, jobs, innovation, and consumer value. Membership in NRF gives retailers the opportunity to advocate on important policy issues, gain insights from industry leaders and visionaries, and network with

retail’s best and brightest. Together with its philanthropic arm, the NRF Foundation, the organization stands up for, celebrates, educates, and inspires the retail industry. As one of retail’s greatest advocates, NRF seeks to unite an industry of leaders and boundary breakers around complex issues and bold opportunities. Member and industry engagement occurs across various programs, initiatives, and collaboration. NRF produces and supports events throughout the year to bring together thought leaders and share insights and best practices. Some of these events

include: Retail’s Big Show, NRF Supply Chain 360, NRF PROTECT, and NRF Nexus to name a few.

Through more than forty councils and committees, NRF also provides members with the opportunity to network, share ideas, establish best practices, prepare testimony for Congress, and grow in their careers. Councils provide members with regular engagement for benchmarking, sharing, and collaboration with retail colleagues.

Supporting LP and AP Professionals

Within the loss prevention, asset protection, cyber, and fraud space, NRF supports the LP Council and the IT Security Council. Members of these councils engage in collaboration, education, and networking to improve the knowledge, standing, and influence of LP and cyber within their retail organizations.

The LP Council is open to senior loss prevention and asset protection executives from member companies, and the IT Security Council is designed for retail sector cybersecurity leaders and technical experts. Through committees and working groups, these councils focus on key aspects of growth including career development, diversity and inclusivity in the workplace, developing new approaches against current and future threats, and developing content to support the NRF PROTECT conference.

The conference is held annually and is open to all professionals working within or in conjunction with all aspects of enterprise security risk. Primary attendees include those with responsibilities for loss prevention, asset protection, corporate security, cyber risk, digital, and e-commerce fraud. Its purpose is to bring together all of those focusing on

cyber and physical security, safety, and digital risks. PROTECT is one of the largest retail security events in the US, featuring diverse content that brings together all retail verticals and security disciplines under one roof.

Boasting three days filled with over thirty educational sessions, an expo with more than 200 solution providers, and numerous networking events, attendees have many opportunities to connect, collaborate, and learn. Keynote speakers provide thought-provoking leadership and inspirational content, while featured sessions provide peer presentations and discussions on the latest issues, challenges, and solutions.

In the expo hall, solution providers representing more than fifty product and service categories showcase innovative and proven technologies and solutions.

The expo also features the NRF Fusion Center, where retailers can interact with federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies; mall property owners and security professionals; and organized retail crime associations to engage and discuss trending LP and cyber issues and explore strategies to counter retail crime.

PROTECT provides attendees with special programs geared toward different areas of the security profession and retail industry. The Executive Afternoon for senior LP leaders offers discussions of the key challenges of the day and potential issues faced tomorrow. The Cybersecurity Forum brings together CISOs and cybersecurity leaders to engage collaboratively on how to better address the cyber threats impacting the retail industry.

Throughout the conference, a special luncheon and presentations

allow attendees to engage in a Women in Loss Prevention Network supporting diversity and inclusivity. The Organized Crime Investigator’s Network luncheon tackles the significant issue of organized retail crime, while showing appreciation to law enforcement in their support of our efforts. Attendees can earn continuing education units to support various industry and professional certifications.

Something for Everyone

Sessions are developed and presented by peers, focusing on the latest issues and providing the latest tactics and approaches from a holistic perspective. As convergence continues between cyber, physical, and digital threats, the PROTECT conference supports all three learning tracks with specific sessions that bring all disciplines closer together to build teamwork. It’s a chance to collaborate with peers from different departments in a retail organization, all to make sure your security, risk, and asset protection measures measure up. For those who have never attended PROTECT or haven’t attended in years, join your peers this year on June 5–7, at the Gaylord Texan Resort in Grapevine, Texas. It is an opportunity to meet new people, collaborate with peers across different retail verticals and disciplines, and see the latest technologies and services.

In preparation for this year’s event, visit nrfprotect.nrf.com for information on content, the agenda, and registration. Follow the NRF on LinkedIn, and, once available, download the NRF PROTECT mobile app that allows attendees to access the full agenda, speaker list, exhibitor list, and conference maps, and the ability to create a personalized schedule.

NRF empowers the industry that powers the economy. Retail is the nation’s largest private-sector employer, contributing $3.9 trillion to annual GDP and supporting fifty-two million working Americans.

Getting to Know the NRF Team

with David Johnston and Christian Beckner

EDITOR’S NOTE: David Johnston is vice president of asset protection and retail operations for the NRF where he is focused on initiatives and member programs, facilitating engagement across the industry, and promoting best practices and policy initiatives related to crime, violence, loss, and issues challenging the profitability of retail store operations.

With over three decades of global loss prevention and corporate security expertise, he spent the last eight years as the senior global security executive for Inspire Brands, an international restaurant company representing 32,000 restaurants across sixty-five countries. Prior to that, Johnston worked as a practitioner for Dunkin’ Brands, J. Baker, and Jordan Marsh. He also spent half of his career as a solution provider and consultant supporting hundreds of retailers across various segments with LP Innovations and Datavantage/micros.

Christian Beckner is NRF’s vice president of retail technology and cybersecurity where he works with policy and industry stakeholders on critical technology issues that affect the retail sector, including cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, payments technologies, and cloud services. He leads NRF’s CIO Council, Technology Leadership Council, IT Security Council, and cybersecurity program, including the Cyber Risk Exchange. He also supports the development of technology and cybersecurity-related content at NRF’s conferences and events.

Prior to NRF, Beckner spent five years as deputy director of George Washington University’s Center for Cyber and Homeland Security, a think tank where he focused on cybersecurity, counterterrorism, and homeland security. He was

previously an associate staff director at the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, where he was responsible for coordination of oversight and legislation on a broad range of homeland security and intelligence issues. He has worked on cybersecurity and homeland security issues for close to twenty years, including positions at IBM, the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and the O’Gara Company.

STEFANIE: Help us understand the makeup of the NRF team and your roles?

DAVID: Even though NRF is one of the world’s largest retail associations, we strive to be a lean organization and focus on how best to serve our membership. Some core functions include government relations, member relations, conferences, content and education, research, and the NRF Foundation. There are additional teams involved in membership support, marketing, public relations, special programs and more. Our role is to support all departments and initiatives as subject-matter experts within each of our disciplines. This includes leading member councils of senior executives who help to define initiatives and benchmark the industry, serving as spokespersons, helping develop content to support our conferences, and assisting government relations to help bring expertise to legislative efforts.

STEFANIE: Tell us about your career path that led you to the NRF. And do you still

wake up saying “time to make the doughnuts?”

DAVID: I have been in the retail industry for thirty-five years now, with about half of my years as a practitioner and half as a solution provider. Starting out in department store and specialty retail LP, I transitioned to a consultant and business development role with LP Innovations and Datavantage. In 2014, I transitioned back to a practitioner role leading the global security, loss prevention, and fraud teams with Dunkin’ Brands, and then Inspire Brands when they acquired Dunkin’ in 2020.

When my position with NRF was announced last year, those who were familiar with my career were not surprised. I have always been involved with associations, serving as a board member and president of RLPSA, and a member and committee chair with the NRF LP Advisory Council. I am a constant learner, interested in what is new and next in our industry, and I enjoy building relationships. I see this role with NRF as an opportunity for me to utilize my skills and learnings by giving back to the industry and helping us to continue the evolution, growth, and value of asset protection. Although the free doughnuts in the office at Dunkin’ were always tempting (so was the free ice cream), I do not wake up wondering about doughnuts anymore. My former team is in great hands with their new leadership. The doughnuts are safe.

STEFANIE: Christian, tell us about your career path and role at NRF?

National Retail Federation PROTECT Conference

David Johnston

Christian Beckner

CHRISTIAN: I joined NRF in 2018 after working in a variety of cybersecurity and homeland security policy roles over the prior fifteen years, including as a Senate committee staffer and a leader at a cybersecurity-focused think tank. At NRF I spend part of my timing working on cybersecurity and technology policy issues but a greater part of my time working with the technology and cybersecurity leaders at our member companies on best practices, thought leadership, and information sharing. By working on both policy and member engagement activities, I try to make sure that our policy recommendations are informed by the insights of the technology practitioners in our member companies.

STEFANIE: How do the two of you work together?

DAVID: We both have our individual disciplines, leading member councils, identifying opportunities for industry growth, and acting as subject-matter experts for NRF initiatives. Where we collaborate are areas where cyber, physical, and digital matters converge. Retailers are

being threatened and attacked across all aspects of the enterprise. Security professionals, regardless of individual discipline, must collaborate to establish an enterprise security risk management approach to their organizations. Christian and I help to do that through content, engagement, and collaborative efforts like NRF PROTECT, joint exercises, webinars, and benchmarking.

STEFANIE: What are your larger goals for NRF?

CHRISTIAN: Our larger goals always go back to the core principle of providing direct value to our retail members and elevating the industry within the broader public dialogue. David and I both do this through our day-to-day efforts to bring our members together and help them to address challenges that they can’t always address on their own. Retail crime and cybersecurity are definitely two areas where industry-wide collaboration is necessary, and we can provide this type of value.

STEFANIE: Trade shows were severely impacted by COVID-19.

Many shuttered their doors and still struggle to regain the foot traffic and solution provider participation of years past. What is NRF doing to attract new visitors to NRF PROTECT?

DAVID: Having been on both sides of the trade show floor during my career, I remember the conversations and decision process about which conferences to attend. NRF PROTECT was always a conference that brought together a diverse group of retailers and one of the largest expos of innovative retail technologies and solutions. Today, we need to double our efforts to help make that decision easy for those wanting to attend. Focus on what’s next, through collaborative and forward-thinking discussions. Highlight the importance of engaging with solution providers, and bring forth the latest technologies and most trusted solutions. Provide everyone with an individual experience that allows them to bring back to their organization ideas and valuable content for a greater return. This must be our focus in today’s environment.

NRF Panel Experts

Retail crime and cybersecurity are definitely two areas where industry-wide collaboration is necessary, and we can provide this type of value.

-Christian Beckner

STEFANIE: Speaking at a trade show might be on a lot of bucket lists for AP professionals. NRF has many breakout sessions during every PROTECT conference. What advice would you give to someone who wants to get involved in a session? What sort of topics are you looking for? What’s the process?

DAVID: Speaking is a great development opportunity. It can be both rewarding and challenging. My advice would be to choose a topic familiar to you and relevant to today. Do not try to speak on a topic just to speak; rather, choose one where you are most knowledgeable and have successful results. Speak to someone with experience presenting at industry conferences. Get their thoughts on your presentation and learn how they went about preparing to speak. I also recommend a book or two about presenting and speaking to get a good foundation on how to prepare, present, and develop presence.

With NRF, you can submit a presentation proposal online each year from our PROTECT website. Once submitted, our content team will discuss with you your topic, discussion points, where your presentation may fit in the planned

agenda, and, if chosen, work with you through the process of preparation and presentation.

STEFANIE: Christian, share your thoughts on the value of attending NRF PROTECT.

CHRISTIAN: I think one of the strong value propositions of NRF is that we are bringing together loss prevention, cybersecurity, and fraud prevention professionals at a single event. While we are providing some unique content for each group, the real value here is in the cross-pollination of the three disciplines through discussions about how critical risks to the retail sector require a cross-disciplinary team approach. I also think there is value for attendees to learn more about the related disciplines. For example, I think there is value in LP professionals attending many of the cybersecurity and fraud sessions at the show.

STEFANIE: David when you were a practitioner—many days ago—how did you approach attending NRF PROTECT? Any tips for folks new to this experience?

DAVID: I have always attended NRF PROTECT from a learning

perspective. Attend a session or two outside of your direct responsibility or comfort zone. Identify a few solution providers you are not familiar with and spend time learning about their solutions. Find several people you want to meet in the industry and seek out an opportunity to do so at the conference. Meet someone outside of your retail sector or discipline and talk to them about their issues, challenges, and how they solve programs. You may learn something that you can use in your organization—I know I have. The value you receive is very dependent upon the efforts you make at conferences.

STEFANIE: Anything else about NRF PROTECT you want to say?

DAVID: Christian and I look forward to seeing many of your readers at NRF PROTECT. Please be sure to say hello if you see us in the convention halls or at an event. Let’s have a conversation and get to know each other.

STEFANIE: While this article is focused on NRF PROTECT, talk briefly about the other conferences NRF hosts that our readers may be interested in.

CHRISTIAN: NRF has various conferences throughout the year, both virtual and in-person. The largest is Retail’s Big Show, held annually in New York City in January. Retail’s Big Show is the retail industry’s premier event, bringing together attendees from around the globe for three days of great content spanning all retail channels and segments, one of the largest retail expos featuring innovative technologies, and a week of special programs and events celebrating the industry. Other conferences include the NRF Retail Law Summit, NRF Supply Chain 360, and NRF Nexus. You can view all our conferences online at nrf.com.

NRF Expo Hall

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Retail LeadersIndustryAssociation

Bringing Retail Leaders Together to Solve Industry Challenges

By the Retail Industry Leaders Association

The R etail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) is one of the largest US trade associations for leading retailers. We convene retail decision-makers and key strategic partners, advocate on behalf of the industry, promote operational excellence, and inspire innovation. RILA’s over-arching aim is to elevate a dynamic industry by transforming the environment in which retailers operate. We are member-driven. That means we listen to our members and are guided by

their perspective. We identify big challenges that are common across our membership, and work alongside our members to drive effective and sustainable solutions. We follow a similar script across RILA’s offerings, leveraging the collective brain trust of retail executives who participate on over forty committees led by the RILA team.

What Sets RILA Apart

Our Members. Because RILA member companies are among

the most successful retailer brands, we have an unparalleled ability to convene the industry’s thought leaders. RILA’s Asset Protection Leaders Council (APLC), Crimes Against Business Committee, Workplace Safety Committee, and other working groups that are comprised of top-level executives from the retailers we represent meet regularly to discuss persistent high-priority challenges, share best practices, and problem-solve together. RILA’s AP network is a

Pictured here are Kwame Raoul, Illinois Attorney General and Lisa LaBruno, Senior Executive Vice President, RILA speaking about ORC at RILA's Asset Protection Conference in Orlando, FL.

community—we feel a sense of fellowship with each other through shared interests and goals.

Our Team. At RILA, we’ve assembled a cross-functional team of subject-matter experts uniquely equipped to tackle the multifaceted challenges faced by today’s AP practitioner. Retail Operations, Federal and State Government Affairs, Corporate Social Responsibility, Regulatory Affairs, Legal Affairs, and Media Relations are just some of the many functional areas at RILA that play a key role in tackling AP-related issues. Creating an in-store COVID protocol resource library; fighting for legislation to make it tougher to sell stolen product online; developing guidelines to mitigate unconscious bias in AP routines; representing retailers’ interests in response to OSHA proposed rulemakings; intervening in a premise security legal action to prevent an unreasonable duty of care being placed on retailers; or securing an interview with a top media outlet to get our members’ message out—no single RILA team member is equipped to handle the broad range of issues that involve and impact AP.

“RILA’s steady guidance and support to the industry through impactful awareness campaigns and legislative action, collaboration calls, benchmarking, meetings, and other events continue to help collectively level up the industry on critical issues surrounding physical and digital customer and associate experience and outcomes, shrink, crimes against businesses, health and safety compliance, security, asset protection, and the crisis management landscape,” said Meredith Plaxco, LPC, vice

president, loss prevention and safety, PetSmart and RILA APLC vice-chair. “The RILA partnership helps to create sustainable synergy across today’s complex safety and asset protection space that’s never just talk, always action that continues long after collaboration calls end. We are grateful for the networking connections, problem solving, and development offered through RILA’s forums and APLC that continues to develop future industry leaders and solve relevant current and future retail challenges.”

It takes a village to address these complex challenges. RILA’s cross-functional team and the members we serve comprise that village.

INFORM Consumers Act

One of many complex problems that is top of mind for RILA member CEOs and AP leaders is the impact of retail theft on safety in stores and company profitability. Over the past year, large retail chains have closed stores in high crime areas or warned of impending store closures if they are unable to safeguard employees and keep product on shelves. Other retailers have referenced losses from theft in earnings reports. This shows an unprecedented signal of retailers’ sense of urgency around this issue.

Working with our asset protection and government affairs communities, RILA launched the Buy Safe America Coalition in 2021, bringing national attention to organized retail crime (ORC) and the role played by online marketplaces in perpetuating the problem, and calling for federal legislation to compel online

marketplaces to do more to stop the sale of stolen product on their platforms. Working tirelessly with members of Congress, RILA and its members celebrated the passing of the INFORM Consumers Act earlier this year.

“Seeing this legislation become law is the culmination of three years of collaboration and commitment from a broad and diverse group of stakeholders who all recognize the magnitude of this problem and were able to coalesce around this common sense solution. That INFORM ultimately made its way through Congress and to the president’s desk with strong bipartisan and bicameral support is a testament to all that hard work,” said Brian Dodge, RILA president.

The INFORM law requires online marketplaces to collect and verify basic seller information and sellers to provide that information to consumers. Basic transparency and verification requirements will make it harder for criminal actors to deceive online purchasers. It will also provide law enforcement with an important tool to track and prevent the illegal sale of stolen goods. Enacting these commonsense measures that promote safety, transparency, and accountability was a concrete victory for retailers and was achieved through the hard work and commitment of RILA member asset protection leaders. There is more that online marketplaces can and should do voluntarily to stop the sale of stolen goods on their platforms. For that reason, RILA will continue its pursuit of online marketplaces to step up and lead on this issue rather than sit back and wait to be compelled to do more.

“RILA’s steady guidance and support to the industry through impactful awareness campaigns and legislative action, collaboration calls, benchmarking, meetings, and other events continue to help collectively level up the industry on critical issues surrounding physical and digital customer and associate experience and outcomes, shrink, crimes against businesses, health and safety compliance, security, asset protection, and the crisis management landscape.”

-Meredith Plaxco, LPC

The work to curb ORC doesn’t end with the passing of INFORM. Combating ORC requires a holistic approach with active participation by key stakeholders, including law enforcement and prosecutors.

Strength in Numbers

Last June, RILA and the National District Attorneys Association (NDAA) teamed up to host an industry-first roundtable attended by retailers and district attorneys from across the country to address retail theft and violence

and awareness program for law enforcement. We’re optimistic that these and other RILA-led initiatives will help stem the tide of retail theft.

Evolving Challenges

RILA and our AP community remain steadfast in the commitment to identifying and addressing issues that contribute to the increase in crime, violence, vagrancy, and blight in and around retail environments, business districts,

“Seeing this legislation become law is the culmination of three years of collaboration and commitment from a broad and diverse group of stakeholders who all recognize the magnitude of this problem and were able to coalesce around this commonsense solution. That INFORM ultimately made its way through Congress and to the president’s desk with strong bipartisan and bicameral support is a testament to all that hard work.”

-Brian Dodge

government, law enforcement, non-profits, and the business community. RILA is leading that charge.

“RILA continues to create venues and opportunities for business relevant topics that retailers are tackling as one of their top priorities. The collaboration of retailers, the identification of topic experts, and the willingness to lean in to create paths forward on resolving those topics are some of the benefits my team appreciates about our engagement as members of RILA. The discussions are thought provoking, relevant, timely, and very well organized and planned—whether it be in committee meetings, contferences, collaboration calls, or retailer survey and research that RILA produces,” said Paul Jaeckle, LPC, vice president, asset protection, Meijer, and RILA AP Leaders Council chair.

against retail workers. Building on momentum coming out of the ground breaking event, RILA and the NDAA announced a formal partnership to ensure ongoing dialogue and enhanced collaboration between the associations’ constituents along with a $100,000 investment to develop training materials and a nationwide education curriculum to assist law enforcement, prosecutors, and retailers as they work together to safeguard communities.

In addition to forging partnerships with district attorneys, RILA and its AP community consistently work closely with the various Attorneys’ General ORC Task Forces, the Department of Homeland Security, and local and state law enforcement. And we’re proud to have partnered with the Loss Prevention Foundation and CLEAR to develop an ORC training

and communities across the country. The deteriorating social and economic conditions that are plaguing many communities are affecting stakeholders committed to the communities in which they operate. The vibrancy of businesses in these areas is threatened and, in turn, so too is the vibrancy of entire communities. Economic disruption or weakness has traditionally been the catalyst—or at least a leading contributor—to increases in issues such as homelessness, addiction, and crime. But today, with unemployment at or near record lows in many communities, a growing economy is unlikely to meaningfully address these problems. The underlying causes today are numerous and complex, and no single organization is capable of addressing them alone. Instead, durable solutions will require collaboration between

In addition to the substantive work RILA leads every day across many functional areas, we’ve earned a reputation for delivering best-in-class educational conference experiences at four key events.

Retail Asset Protection Conference

The RILA Retail Asset Protection Conference is a must-go-to event for AP professionals seeking a premier learning and networking experience. The educational content is developed by RILA’s AP steering committee, which is comprised of the industry’s top practitioners so the program reflects the needs and interests of those who attend. Every year the event includes retailer-led sessions, keynotes from industry leaders, interactive problem-solving exercises, and cutting-edge technology. And, our AP conference attracts a wide range of top-level AP executives, making for robust strategy discussions and great peer

networking opportunities. This year we will be meeting April 30–May 3 in Denver, CO.

Some of last year’s speakers included:

■ Alisa Dart, Group Vice President, Asset Protection, Albertsons Companies

■ Ray Silva, Chief People Officer, Best Buy

■ Jayson Sutton, Senior Vice President, Asset Protection, Burlington Stores

■ David Lund, MBA, CFI, LPC, Vice President, Loss Prevention, DICK’S Sporting Goods

■ Adam Alford, Vice President, Loss Prevention, GameStop

■ Chris Nelson, Senior Vice President, Head of Asset Protection, Gap Inc.

■ Tim Lapinski, CFI, LPC, Divisional Vice President, Enterprise Risk Management, Helzberg Diamonds

■ Scott Draher, LPC, Vice President, Asset Protection and Safety, Lowe’s

■ Joe Coll, Vice President Asset Protection, Operations, and Safety, Macy’s

■ Paul Jaeckle, LPC, Vice Presiden, Asset Protection, Meijer

■ Meredith Plaxco, LPC, Vice President, Loss Prevention and Safety, PetSmart

■ Seth Hughes, Divisional Vice President, Asset Protection and Risk Management, Recreational Equipment (REI)

■ Jim Mires, Vice President, Loss Prevention & Safety, Sally Beauty

■ Oscar Arango, LPC, Vice President, Assets Protection, Target Notable out-of-industry top leaders headlining last year’s conference program included Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul, Homeland Security Investigations Deputy Assistant Director Raul Aguilar, FBI Senior Supervisory Intelligence Analyst Trish Janke, Miami Gardens (FL) Police Chief Delma Noel-Pratt,

and Florida Assistant Statewide Prosecutor Rita Peters.

The 2023 Conference is shaping up to be another must-attend event. In addition to an all-star lineup of speakers, RILA will have a new title sponsor in 2023—Auror—along with dozens of other leading solution providers as sponsors.

In the Expo Experience, the attendees will get the opportunity to engage with solutions from more than 100 of the industry’s most innovative solution providers working together to find the answers to the retail industry’s most critical issues. From artificial intelligence computer vision to fraud detection, risk management to workplace safety solutions, whatever a retailer is looking for, this event is sure to have someone representing that solution.

Also featured in the Expo Experience each year is RILA’s support of the Loss Prevention Benevolent Fund (LPBF). Through the presence of the LPBF, those in attendance help raise money and awareness of those retailers injured or killed while at the workplace.

In addition to the Retail Asset Protection Conference, RILA hosts several other premier events throughout the year described below.

RILA CEO Forum

RILA’s Retail CEO Forum is held annually in January and is designed to connect CEOs in a private, small group setting. Retailers are relying on RILA more than ever to influence public and private sector actions, to provide forums and networks for retailers to share challenges and solutions, and to deliver crucial information on a wide range of issues affecting the industry. Coming together in January reinforces these relationships and allows new connections to be built among the many CEOs engaged in RILA’s

activities. This year’s event was held Jan. 29-31 in Palm Beach, FL.

LINK: The Retail Supply Chain Conference

Retailers are going the distance for customers and communities that count on us. LINK is a premier partner in this journey, convening the entire supply chain ecosystem at one powerhouse event to help retail teams shape their supply chains to be stronger, smarter, and sustainable. This event is one of the largest gatherings in the US specifically focused on the retail supply chain ecosystem. There are big systemic issues out there causing disruption. This is an important venue for problem solving to unlock value for your business partners and customers as you work to build durable and sustainable global supply chains. This is a can’t miss event for retail supply chains. This year, the LINK Conference will be held Feb. 19–22, in Orlando, FL.

Retail Law Conference

Once a year, RILA and the Retail Litigation Center convene the prominent legal minds in retail alongside expert outside counsel to assess and plan for an ever-changing landscape for retailers. Over three days, this elite event combines thought-provoking educational content with practical perspectives to answer your questions with strategies and leading practices so that your team is operating at peak performance. It’s bootcamp for the legal minds preparing for retail’s future—and a great opportunity to catch up, compare notes, and have a little fun with your colleagues across the industry. This year the Retail Law Conference will be held Oct. 25–27, in Atlanta, GA. If you would like to participate in any of RILA’s events, contact Kelly Foelber, vice president of membership and executive services at Kelly.Foelber@RILA.org.

“RILA continues to create venues and opportunities for business relevant topics that retailers are tackling as one of their top priorities. The collaboration of retailers, the identification of topic experts, and the willingness to lean in to create paths forward on resolving those topics are some of the benefits my team appreciates about our engagement as members of RILA.”

- Paul Jaeckle, LPC

RILA: Bringing Retail Leaders

Together to Solve Industry Challenges

RILA Leaders

At the top of RILA’s leadership team is its board of directors comprised of retail CEOs and strategic partners who help set RILA’s strategic direction. RILA’s team of subject-matter experts work closely with member executive communities in key functional areas to identify and address priority, industry-wide issues. At RILA, we take a cross-functional approach to solving the industry’s biggest asset protection challenges. Here’s a snapshot of RILA team members who work regularly on AP-related issues.

Brian Dodge President

Convenes RILA member CEOs to validate priority AP issues, elicit feedback on strategy, and secure high-level participation when necessary.

Evan Armstrong Vice President, Workforce

Partners with AP communities on workforce issues that are in front of Congress and federal agencies including the Department of Labor and Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the EEO,C and NLRB.

Jason Brewer

Senior Executive Vice President, Communications and Marketing

Leads media relations team working to raise public awareness and understanding of organized retail crime and other pressing AP challenges.

Lisa LaBruno Senior Executive Vice

President, Retail Operations

Convenes top-level AP leaders for best practice sharing, benchmarking, and problem-solving.

Deborah White President, Retail Litigation Center, Senior Executive Vice President and General Counsel

Represents the retail industry’s interests in the judiciary through the Retail Litigation Center on a wide range of issues (e.g., premises liability, extent of OSHA’s authority, and bag check policies).

Kathleen McGuigan Executive Vice President and Deputy General Counsel

Leads RILA’s deputy General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer communities and partners with AP communities on regulatory advocacy and legal and compliance risk mitigation.

Michael Hanson Senior Executive Vice President, Public Affairs

Directs RILA’s work on federal public policy priorities, including the Buy Safe America coalition that drove the INFORM Act to passage.

Erin Hiatt

Vice President, Corporate and Social Responsibility

Leads RILA’s ESG and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion communities and partners with AP communities on mitigating unconscious bias in stores to support a positive in-store experience for all customers and store employees.

Susan Kirsch Vice President, Regulatory Affairs

Works with retail environmental health and safety professionals (EHS) on compliance efforts that include disaster response and preparedness and fire risk mitigation.

KangaSafe™

Pouch product protection

Save space while protecting your merchandise

KangaSafe™ security pouches are a new take on product protection. Hard cases take up too much shelf and storage space and are difficult to manage at checkout. KangaSafe™ provides protection of product and limits access while being easy to apply, merchandise, and remove.

The KangaSafe™ Pouches come in various sizes and styles to accommodate a wide variety of products. The conductive, tamper-proof pouch seals around product and will alarm if the pouch is cut or if it passes through EAS gates. It is also food-safe and works in freezers and cold storage applications.

LPM Magpie Awards Celebrate Industry Professionals

Excellence in Partnerships

Shelby Dotson

“Genuine and intentional relationships are important when developing lasting partnerships,” says Dotson. “I think it’s important to actively expand your network, meet as many people as you can, engage them, remember them, and celebrate and support them in any way you can. Pay it forward by being a connector and offering your help without any expectation in return. Partnerships thrive on trust and reliability—be the partner you expect others to be.”

The LP Magazine “Magpie” Awards offer a means to celebrate industry accomplishments on an ongoing basis, recognizing the loss prevention professionals, teams, solution providers, law enforcement partners, and others that demonstrate a stellar contribution to the profession.

The ability to influence change is a product of drive, creativity, and determination, but it also requires a unique ability to create a shared vision that others will understand, respect, support, and pursue. Each of the following recipients reflect that standard of excellence, representing the quality and spirit of leadership that makes a difference in our lives, our people, and our programs. Please join us in celebrating the accomplishments of our latest honorees.

2017 and was assigned to be staff liaison for both the Florida and Georgia Loss Prevention Councils. Since then, she’s jumped in to cover additional roles and tackle many special projects, which earned her a promotion to vice president of member relations in 2021.

currently hosts monthly intel sharing meetings and training sessions available to both loss prevention and law enforcement.

Vice

President

of Member Relations

The Florida Retail Federation (FRF)

In her role, Dotson focuses on strategic growth of association membership, marketing, communications, and project management. She joined the FRF team as director of membership in

Dotson is also working with the Florida Attorney General’s Office to grow the Florida Organized Retail Crime Exchange (FORCE), a statewide ORC taskforce. Working closely alongside Florida’s assistant statewide prosecutor for ORC, a robust intelligence-sharing network is being built, currently boasting nearly 1,000 retail and law enforcement members. FORCE

“You’ll never meet anyone you can’t learn something from,” she says. “I always keep that top of mind. Be accessible, ask questions, listen, take advice before you give it, and find a mentor (or a few) with experience willing to act as a sounding board. Don’t be afraid to make a personal connection by picking up the phone rather than relying on social networks or email to communicate. Be yourself and know that your reputation will be an essential consideration for those you desire to collaborate with.”

During the ongoing ORC epidemic, the Home Depot ORC team has been doing much more than completing critical ORC investigations. They have also been working diligently with their government relations team to help leverage Attorney General’s Offices (AGO), successfully influencing needed legislative and resource support. This might include securing a seat at the table for meetings across the country with the various AGOs to discuss what is needed and to help craft solutions, holding presentations to help educate prosecutors on ORC, testifying at legislative hearings to ensure legislators are aware of the significant ORC problem and what resources are needed, or simply walking a store with a legislator

or prosecutor to let them see firsthand how associates are being affected by ORC.

The Home Depot ORC team has also been working with and educating law enforcement departments across the country on how ORC affects the industry and what resources can be provided to assist with investigations. “Often, the private sector can dedicate specific resources and leverage technology that law enforcement might not have access to,” says Stallard. “Our ORC teams do an excellent job discussing trends, sharing intelligence, and breaking down what support resources we are able to provide. Also, our leadership team has allowed us to grow our teams and place resources where they are

needed most to address these business concerns.”

“I think our industry is a very relational business,” he says. “Not only are internal partnerships necessary, but external partnerships are also extremely important for long-term success. It’s critical to have real relationships with law enforcement, prosecutors, and retail partners at all levels that develop into true partnerships over time. Those partnerships should go both ways and you need to help them as much as they help you. Regardless of the resources you are given, you need to be able to show a return on investment with what you build. And like most successful teams, it all starts with having the right people.”

Excellence in Leadership, Excellence in Partnerships

Rory Stallard

Senior Manager for AP Investigations and the entire ORC Investigations Team at the Home Depot

LOSS PREVENTION SOLUTIONS

LOSS PREVENTION SOLUTIONS

Stop shrinkage and threat weapons.

By Stefanie Hoover, CFI

Career Paths and Trade Shows with Linda Campbell, CFI

inda Campbell, CFI, currently serves as director of asset protection for DSW, the foundation company for Designer Brands.

Joining the company as a regional manager for New York City and the Northeast, Campbell quickly advanced through several positions to ultimately become pyramid head, where she has been delivering innovative company strategies while increasing profitability.

Campbell is a career-driven loss prevention professional with a proven track record in reducing shrink, closing high-impact

STEFANIE HOOVER: Looking at your profile on LinkedIn and recalling our past conversations, you have a career path that I think a lot of people will identify with. You’ve worked in a few different retail formats, from department store to specialty. Can you tell us how you got started in this field?

LINDA CAMPBELL: I was always interested in learning more about the criminal justice system and had plans and aspirations to become a district attorney. While working as a cashier through college, I was recruited for a store detective position and have been in the industry ever since.

STEFANIE: What has kept you interested in this field?

LINDA: I enjoy variety and the opportunity to problem solve. The loss prevention side of the retail world is an ever-changing

investigations, and building partnerships with associates and executives at all levels, as well as interacting with federal and state law enforcement.

Campbell is proud of her private sector experience, a twenty-five-year journey that has taken her from the grocery industry and big box to luxury department stores and specialty retail.

She has conducted investigations for hundreds of cases ranging from associate relations, internal dishonesty, and ORC to retail fraud and homicide.

landscape that at times can be unpredictable. The challenges this provides are appealing, as well as the opportunity to work closely with people and develop teams.

STEFANIE: Before we dig deeper into the business side, can you tell us about your personal life? Where are you from originally, why do you live in Columbus now? What keeps you centered between work-life? What are your interests outside of work?

LINDA: I’m originally from New York, and that’s where I started my career. An advancement opportunity with DSW brought me to Columbus, Ohio, and my family and I are enjoying living in the Midwest. Finding the right work-life balance can be difficult at times. It’s not unusual for me to be taking business calls while cooking or eating dinner. Finding a way to be a career woman,

Campbell enjoys sourcing and developing talent and is happy to tell candidates just starting out in the LP field that she began her career as a part-time store detective and worked in a variety of roles at all levels on her journey to director. She has long been an advocate for expanding the footprint of women executives in the loss prevention field.

Campbell chats with Stefanie Hoover from LP Magazine about building her career and shares tips for navigating trade shows.

mom, and wife is not necessarily easy but well worth it. It takes focus and effort to be “present” at all times. Having a supportive husband, who is also in loss prevention, and understands the nature of the business, has made the journey much easier. In my personal life, I enjoy cooking, music, painting, kayaking, and traveling with my family.

STEFANIE: When you made transitions in your career, what was the impetus?

LINDA: Providing for my family is always my first motivation for any business move. Professionally, I have made changes to pursue opportunities, twice out of necessity (the closing of Fortunoff and Toys”R”Us ) and finally to achieve a better quality of life. On a very personal level, I have always sought to challenge and improve myself with every opportunity I was given.

Linda Campbell Director of Asset Protection Designer Brands / DSW

STEFANIE: You’ve worked in disparate types of retailers (Bloomingdales and Toys”R”Us are quite dissimilar), was that a difficult transition? Tell us about how you navigated that.

LINDA: The journey from grocery to high-end luxury to specialty retail has been incredibly varied, and certainly required the ability to adapt skillsets. However, regardless of the business type, the fundamentals and driving factors of loss prevention and asset protection remain unchanged: maintaining profitability and protection of company assets.

I will note that Black Friday at Toys”R”Us was easily the most epic, exciting, and exhausting event of my retail career. Many of you know exactly what I am talking about.

STEFANIE: I couldn’t agree more as a former TRU kid myself! Black Friday was epic indeed. Did you have a mentor(s) along the way?

LINDA: Yes, of course. Sometimes you choose your mentors, other

times they choose you. At each stage of my career, I was fortunate to have mentors who guided me not just in loss prevention or asset protection but helped me navigate the corporate world. Among the mentors that I admire the most, were peers and supervisors at Bloomingdales, Toys”R”Us, and DSW. In all cases, they established trust, provided a safe environment, and encouraged me to speak directly.

STEFANIE: Did you make any mistakes on your career path that our audience might learn from?

LINDA: What immediately comes to mind is allowing myself to fall into an uneven work-life balance. After that, it was the belief that I knew when I should be promoted. The company makes that decision, so be patient and learn to always have your “elevator pitch” ready, you never know who you are going to run into.

STEFANIE: In 2016 you started at DSW as a regional. How did

you prepare yourself to take the reins of the director position?

LINDA: When I joined DSW as a regional, my goal was to master my current role, and learn all I could about the next level, taking on any stretch assignment that was offered and actively soliciting feedback. I am a believer that we do the role before we get the role.

STEFANIE: What did you experience as you made the step up? What were some of your challenges?

LINDA: When I was promoted to director, we were in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, civil unrest, and a volatile political landscape. Added to this were the complexities of changing staffing requirements and interacting with C-Suite executives and the board. Until then, there had always been buffers. My relationship building and influencing skills were put to the test. Simply advancing to this position had its own challenges, but when combined with the almost daily crises that were emerging in the

Right

I am a believer that we do the role before we get the role.

country, it forced me to learn fast, adapt, and be nimble.

STEFANIE: Many of those trying to get to the next level—whether regional to director or store detective to store manager—may feel like it’s a mystery, especially if they don’t have a mentor or strong company internal development. What would you suggest to someone in this circumstance who wants to advance in their career?

LINDA: If it was one thing, everyone would do it. But it is a combination of tenacity, grit, and humility. Simply put, you own your own development. Seek out learning opportunities, take on challenges, and ask lots of questions from people who know the answers. Above all, stop making excuses and go get it.

STEFANIE: As one of a growing number of women leaders in LP, what advice would you give to a team leader who is interested in expanding the diversity on their team? Do you have any advice on how a team leader can recruit and retain more women in their LP department?

LINDA: In loss prevention and asset protection, our recruitment efforts have historically tended to be siloed. In order to attract a diverse candidate base, recruitment efforts should be expanded. College campuses and diverse studies can be a rich source for discovering talent. To attract more diversity, including women, we need to do a better job of highlighting all aspects of the role, not just the traditional aspects of loss prevention. Staying diverse is acknowledging that everyone has something to offer, and by obtaining the best talent and candidates, we better serve our organizations. As chair for the NRF’s Women in Loss Prevention Network (WILPN) this is our goal.

STEFANIE: Specialty retailers typically run lean teams across multiple geographies; is that the case at DSW? How do you keep your team connected?

LINDA: Most retailers are learning how to be more effective with teams located in various places. At DSW, we leverage technology so as not to let geography be a barrier.

STEFANIE: In this issue we are educating our audience about trade shows and the various associations in our community of loss prevention. Every time I see you at trade shows or industry meetings, you seem to have your stuff together and have a plan. You don’t seem stressed or hurried and you always make time to connect with others. How the heck do you do this?

others who may have interest in the topics of show.

STEFANIE: When you send team members to a show, what do you expect?

LINDA: I expect them to plan as I do—schedule the events in advance, meetings based on priorities, and share their experiences with our team and critical business partners.

STEFANIE: What does DSW get out of your attendance at a trade show?

LINDA: Involving our business partners in what goes on in the LP industry gives them a better understanding of what we do, and illustrates how important their partnership is.

STEFANIE: Can you talk a bit about some of those trade associations that you are active with?

LINDA: I’m involved with or on the board of NRF, RILA, ASIS GSX, LPRC Impact, IAI-Elite / Wicklander Zulawski, ISCPO, Innovision, and CLEAR,

STEFANIE: Put yourself in the shoes of someone making their way up in their career—what advice would you give them about where to invest their time?

LINDA: I want to get the most out of my time, so I plan in advance—who I want to visit, the connections I want to make, and the events I want to attend. At the beginning of the year, I decide which events to attend and then I organize each event and create a schedule for each day in my Outlook calendar. I review and research industry trends and plan who to meet and when. I make notes on important topics and schedule meetings, appointments, and demonstrations. My goal is to find my answers that day at the event as opposed to pushing a meeting to a later date. I’m also selective about what trade shows we invest time in. My priorities are content, location, and the potential to find business solutions for current issues and trends. I look at every trade show as an opportunity to network with peers and build strategic alliances.

Before attending, I extend an invitation to executive members, critical business partners, or

LINDA: Be organized and planful. Decide on which to attend and be picky. Also be mindful of the expense. Perhaps most important, share your learnings with senior executives.

STEFANIE: What makes you say, “That was a great show!”?

LINDA: A successful show for me is one where the content helps me defend against theft, fraud, and profit erosion; offers technological solutions to stay ahead of changing times; and provides solutions that will fit within my budget. Finally, it needs to be fun with free time to connect with old friends and new. At the end of the event, if I achieved my schedule and could put one business solution into practice, and implement two new learnings after the show, it was well worth my time.

STEFANIE: Thanks for your time and insight Linda, we’ll see you at the next trade show, with some comfy DSW shoes on!

My goal is to find my answers that day at the event as opposed to pushing a meeting to a later date. A successful show for me is one where the content helps me defend against theft, fraud, and profit erosion, offers technological solutions to stay ahead of changing times, and provides solutions that will fit within my budget.

Technology life cycle management for your security

Getting to Know ASIS International and Its Largest Annual Conference

Global Security Exchange (GSX)

By Tim McCreight, CPP, 2023 President, ASIS International

Founded in 1955, the American Society for Industrial Security (ASIS) International is the world’s largest membership organization for security management professionals. ASIS helps to advance security worldwide. With hundreds of chapters across the globe, ASIS is recognized as the premier source for learning, networking, standards, and research. Through its board certifications, award-winning publication Security Management and Global Security Exchange (GSX) ASIS ensures its members and the security community have access to the intelligence and resources necessary to protect their people, property, and information assets.

Our members represent virtually every industry in the public and private sectors, and organizations of all sizes. From entry-level managers to CSOs to CEOs, from security veterans to consultants and those transitioning from law enforcement or the military, the ASIS community is global and diverse. We offer a range of education programs, publications, and events to help you thrive professionally, whether you are a young professional or an industry veteran. Developed in consultation with leading industry experts, our resources are designed to support you at every stage in your career. ASIS certifications are considered by many to be the gold standard

within the security profession. Earning an ASIS board certification is a visible acknowledgment that you possess a mastery of core security principles and skills essential to the best practice of security management. It shows you are committed to excellence, professional growth, and a code of conduct. Following is a list and description of our certifications.

■ Certified Protection Professional (CPP )

The CPP is considered the “gold standard” for security management professionals. This certification validates your knowledge in all areas of security management.

Eligibility requirements include

Tim McCreight

Pictured here are Peter O’Neil, FASAE, CAE, CEO, ASIS International (left) and Malcolm C. Smith, CPP, 2022 President, ASIS International (right) speaking during the GSX 2022 keynote.

five to seven years of security experience and three years in responsible charge of a security function.

■ Professional Certified Investigator (PCI )

The PCI certification provides demonstrable proof of an individual’s knowledge and experience in case management, evidence collection, preparation of reports, and testimony to substantiate findings. Requirements include three to five years of investigations experience, with at least two years in case management.

■ Physical Security Professional (PSP )

The PSP demonstrates your knowledge in physical security assessments, application, design and integration of physical security systems, and implementation of security measures. Eligibility requirements include three to five years of experience in the physical security field.

■ Associate Protection Professional (APP)

The APP designation provides the first “rung” on the security manager’s career ladder. It is for those with one to three years of security management experience and measures the professional’s knowledge of security management fundamentals, business operations, risk management, and response management. ASIS remains dedicated to expanding and enriching knowledge sharing, best practices, and peer-to-peer connections so security professionals across disciplines—and at all stages of their career—can get access to the information and resources

they need to succeed, personally and professionally.

ASIS Supports Security Professionals Worldwide

ASIS is a preeminent source for education and learning for security management professionals across the globe. In 2022, it designed and developed more than fifty webinars addressing the greatest issues and challenges facing the security profession.

ASIS International offers a dynamic calendar of events to advance your professional development. From executive education to global exchanges, ASIS events allow its members to reach new heights when it comes to their lifelong learning and networking goals with events like, ASIS Europe, ASIS LATAM, ASIS APAC, ASIS Middle East, and literally thousands of other events and gatherings through its more than 250 chapters and thirty-eight subject area communities.

ASIS International’s award-winning publication, Security Management, provides industry professionals with powerful news coverage on the latest trends, best practices, and insights on an ever-changing security landscape.

ASIS members also have access to a proprietary platform, Connects, which allows an unprecedented level of connection between our 34,000 global members—allowing them to network, ask questions, gather virtually, and provide other valuable resources and tools that strengthen professional skill sets. ASIS International, in its role as a Standards Developing Organization, develops standards and guidelines to serve the needs of security

practitioners in today’s global environment.

The organization is accredited by the American National Standards Institute, and serves a key liaison role on two International Organization for Standardization technical committees. ASIS standards and guidelines offer a rich set of tools that security professionals can leverage to strengthen their own organizations. In 2022, ASIS unveiled the Pre-Employment Background Screening and Vetting Guideline as well as our Senior Security Executive Standard. ASIS has a robust pipeline of activity already planned for the coming year with the forthcoming release of five new or revised standards—including an Executive Protection Standard, the revised Risk Assessment Standard, the School Security Standard, the Cannabis Security Standard, as well as the Management System for Private Security Company Operations Standard.

The CSO Center affords chief security officers (CSOs) and their deputies from the world’s preeminent organizations various ways to connect, collaborate, and learn year-round.

The CSO Center has moved the dial on a number of activities that will help its members year-round while at the same time establishing new processes that will serve its members well for years to come. I think one of the more impressive things it has accomplished is the revitalization of its onboarding process—making sure each new member feels welcomed, knows how to leverage the tools and resources available to them, and is now assigned a “new member ambassador”, an existing CSO member who serves to assist new members in their ASIS journey. CSO Center Leadership has also refined its regularly scheduled “CSO Huddles” providing CSOs opportunities to

ASIS certifications are considered the gold standard within the security profession. Earning an ASIS board certification is a visible acknowledgment that you possess a mastery of core security principles and skills essential to the best practice of security management.

Getting to Know

ASIS International and its Largest Annual Conference, Global Security Exchange (GSX)

learn from one another and leading experts in other fields. In 2022, there were twenty-two such “huddles” discussing timely issues, best practices, and experiences creating another mechanism to bring global CSOs closer together. This year’s huddles ranged from discussions with a leading medical expert in COVID variants to an expert in hybrid workplaces from Airbnb. Last, GSX provides CSOs with yet another opportunity to connect, network, learn from one another, and forge lasting relationships. The CSO Center Leadership Series is an exclusive, invitation only virtual experience for CSO Center members bringing together the global community of senior security executives. There they can explore a wide variety of critical issues and compare approaches and strategies to best prepare for an uncertain future. This three-part leadership series is focused on how senior security leaders can move beyond their title and position themselves as an asset within their organization and industry.

■ Workplace Violence Prevention Certificate

■ The Essentials of Executive Protection Certificate

GSX attracts a global audience to this annual event. In 2022, more than 13,000 registrants from eighty-five nations participated in the three-day event. Attendees include top-tier executives spanning the public and private sectors representing all elements of the security profession’s global supply chain. GSX also provides attendees with the opportunity to connect with individuals representing large security enterprises.

Through its certifications (CPP®, PCI®, PSP ®, APP ®), ASIS offers those certified a visible acknowledgment that they possess a proficiency in core security principles and skills essential to the best practice of security management.

ASIS has designed and developed a range of certificate courses allowing security professionals to demonstrate proficiency in core areas of security. By narrowly focusing on a topic, these programs help newcomers and experienced professionals alike build competencies. Unlike ASIS certifications which require rigorous study and recertification to stay current, ASIS certificate courses consist of a learning portion followed by a test based on information in the course. No previous knowledge of the topic is required and at the end of the course participants will earn continuing professional education credits (CPE). Currently, ASIS offers the following certificate programs:

■ Essentials of Retail Asset Protection Certificate Course (produced in partnership with the Loss Prevention Foundation)

■ Enterprise Security Risk Management (ESRM)

The ASIS Foundation helps security professionals achieve their career goals with certification scholarships, practical research, member hardship grants, and more. The ASIS Foundation is supported by generous donations from ASIS members, chapters, and organizations. The work of the Foundation continues to play a significant role throughout our global network through its support of our members’ certification and leadership development aspirations as well as research, offering us all not only timely insights but also practical guidance. In 2022, the ASIS Foundation awarded more than 125 certification scholarships, twenty certification starter kits (awarded to our chapters), four Bordes Education grants, and two IE executive program scholarships, and released two research reports: State of Security Management and Security Convergence & Business Continuity.

ASIS runs a newly redesigned global mentoring program. ASIS members are welcome to sign up to be a mentor or mentee—or both—considering your interests and needs. The Security Leaders Mentoring program consists of an online, searchable mentor directory and mentoring support community. Once a member has set up a mentee profile, they can search the directory for potential mentor matches and reach out to those with whom they would like to connect. Mentorship relationships are encouraged to last at least six months. To date, there are 663 registered mentors from fifty-eight countries engaged in this program. ASIS members are not only passionate about the security profession, but also in supporting their fellow members—it’s a network unlike any other.

Why Join ASIS?

Individuals must evaluate their decision to join any organization based on their personal criteria. That said, ASIS offers global

security management professionals significant value with respect to their return on investment. ASIS membership offers access to best-in-class resources, such as:

■ The largest professional network of security management professionals. With 34,000 members representing 150 countries, and more than 250 chapters across the globe, ASIS provides an unparalleled network from which our members learn, collaborate, and share valuable insights, trends, and best practices.

■ The Connects platform—offering our members a 24/7 connection to ASIS, events, job postings, discussions related to the most pressing security issues, etc.

■ Year-round webinars that allow security professionals to stay informed and earn CPEs.

■ Subject area communities.

■ Access to the free e-book of ASIS Standards and Guidelines—tools to increase your effectiveness as a security professional.

■ Career HQ.

■ Scholarship, grant, and award opportunities for ASIS members through the ASIS Foundation. ASIS offers discounted rates for those professionals in emerging markets, a low-price student membership ($20), and special pricing for retirees—making it easier than even for any individual to become a member. Additionally, ASIS maintains a robust offering on its online store of resources and tools for security management professionals—and offers steep discounted rates for ASIS members of up to 30 percent.

Global Gathering at ASIS GSX Conference

GSX attracts a global audience; in 2022, more than 13,000 registrants from eighty-five nations participated in the three-day event. Attendees include top-tier executives spanning the public and private sectors representing all elements of the security profession’s global supply chain. GSX also provides attendees with the opportunity to connect with individuals representing large security enterprises.

GSX is a platform for global security professionals to gather, inform one another, network, and conduct business. GSX is held each September and is a three-day event. It offers an unprecedented number of educational offerings ranging from classroom discussion, general session keynote presenters and X Stage presentations on the latest cutting-edge technologies in the security industry.

In 2023, GSX will be held September 11-13 at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Atlanta, GA. GSX rotates between four primary cities:

■ Atlanta, Georgia

■ Dallas, Texas

■ New Orleans, Louisiana

■ Orlando, Florida

What Sets GSX Apart

There is no other event that brings together the diverse community of global security professionals with robust educational offerings, along with access to hundreds of

exhibitors representing the latest technologies and solutions for the security profession.

GSX serves as a platform for industry leaders and innovators to showcase their services and products. In 2022, the GSX show floor was 25 percent larger than in 2021—with more than 400 exhibitors. It is worth noting that 97 percent of those attending GSX visit the exhibitor show floor.

GSX features its Diamond Club—giving attendees the ability to privately connect with elite buyers possessing over $1,000,000 in purchasing authority in this invite-only meeting space.

The X Stage (located in the exhibit hall) at GSX allows exhibitors with innovative security solutions the opportunity to bring their products and perspectives to life and engage in a Q&A with attendees.

GSX attendees often cite that top reasons to attend this event include access to top-notch educational offerings, the ability to

network with security leaders, and our exhibit hall.

Each year, GSX celebrates military, law enforcement, and first responders through its Military and Law Enforcement Appreciation Day, where individuals representing those communities (as well as veterans) are offered free admission to GSX on the third day of this global event.

GSX offers a robust number of CPE credits. In 2022, professionals could earn up to twenty-two CPEs at GSX.

First Time at GSX?

Between the exhibit show floor, best-in-class educational offerings, and a slew of networking events, those who attend GSX regularly would advise newcomers to plan their experience in advance of attending. Planning your schedule in advance can help to ensure you are able to experience the totality of what GSX has to offer over this jam-packed three-day period. To learn more about GSX visit gsx.org/about/.

Shane G. Sturman, CFI, CPP David Thompson, CFI

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.

© 2023 Wicklander-Zulawski & Associates, Inc.

A Global Standard of Interviewing

Investigative interview training, guidelines, and expectations have grown significantly over the last several years from “the way we’ve always done it” to a global movement of standardization. A continuously expanding body of academic research combined with anecdotal insights from practitioners has provided the ability to examine the effectiveness of interview training and methodology. The evolution of this standardization has been a lengthy process and one that culminated in 2021 with the release of The Principles on Effective Interviewing for Investigations and Information Gathering

The Association for the Prevention of Torture, along with the Anti-Torture Initiative at the Washington College of Law at American University and the Norwegian Center for Human Rights were part of the coordinating group supporting the development of the principles by the steering committee. The principles are being used as a template for many organizations and countries around the world. The advisory council and steering committee consisted of representatives chosen from multiple verticals including law enforcement, academia, and legal scholars.

Most of the attention toward improving interview or

“interrogation” techniques has been focused on the public sector, ranging from traditional law enforcement investigations to counterterrorism efforts. However, loss prevention professionals are equally well-informed on the ever-changing landscape of how to conduct appropriate interviews, and are consistently seeking continued education opportunities to improve this skillset.

In fact, the loss prevention industry has sought standardization and certification in interviewing for several decades. The Certified Forensic Interviewer (CFI) designation has long served as an industry standard for “elite” interviewers. This achievement helps to separate those who have pursued advanced training and knowledge of investigative interviewing and interrogation.

Continued education such as obtaining the CFI designation and other formalized training programs, like Wicklander- Zulawski, are important aspects of these international principles. These principles, as detailed below, have been supported by several notable groups across the globe including the American Bar Association, the International Legal Foundation, and the International Association of Chiefs of Police IMPACT Section. Those tasked with leading a group of interviewers,

creating a standard operating procedure, or conducting interviews themselves can find value in using these principles to implement a consistent, standardized expectation.

According to the Association for the Prevention of Torture, these principles, founded on science, law, and ethics, have been broken into the below categories with a focus on obtaining “accurate and reliable” information.

On Foundation

The basis of this principle is to lay the groundwork that interviewing methods should be based on “science, law, and ethics.” In a recent LP Magazine article, we discussed the importance of bringing science into the interview room. The growing body of academic research has significantly improved the effectiveness of interviewing, if implemented properly. Understanding the limitations of improper and outdated techniques while incorporating knowledge from research studies can produce better results for interviewers. In recent years we have seen research on the importance of rapport, appropriate question structure, and the strategic use of evidence, which have all supported better outcomes of interviews.

The growing body of academic research has significantly improved the effectiveness of interviewing, if implemented properly.

On Practice

An essential target of these principles is to change the mindset of the interviewer from a confession-based approach to one of obtaining accurate and reliable information. Although a confession is obviously a powerful piece of evidence, it should not be the sole intent of the interviewer as it narrows the scope of their focus and results in confirmation bias. Effective interviewing also includes conversations with victims and witnesses, where we should ensure the method is targeted at obtaining the most amount of information possible, without contamination.

On Vulnerability

An equally important but often overlooked principle is

specific guidelines to account for this concern.

Vulnerability is not just limited to age, however. Interviewees may have other characteristics that render them more susceptible to improper techniques including intellectual capabilities or personality disorders. There are also situational factors to consider, including the length of an interview, the time of day, the state of mind of the interviewee, and their potential incentives to “escape” the interview.

On Training

Interviewing is not a skill that should be purely learned through on-the-job training. This is a professional responsibility that has the potential to impact the livelihood of all involved, while also posing a liability for

training or oversight. As is the theme of this article, research and practice in the field of interviewing is ever-changing and this essential knowledge is most likely missed without a dedicated training program.

On Accountability

As with any policy or expectation, it carries no weight without accountability and transparency. There are a variety of ways to ensure compliance with this principle, including the electronic recording of interviews. Understanding that some organizations may have legal and financial obstacles to overcome, the ability to record an interview in its entirety with an oversight process can play a significant role in accountability.

If this option is unavailable, organizations can look at alternatives such as auditing their interviews on a routine basis as a leadership or peer responsibility. The investment in an interviewer through training programs can be lost without an effective follow-up and accountability process.

On Implementation

The final principle highlights the way in which these concepts can be operationalized. The ultimate goal of these standards is to have them adopted on a global basis, but this can be equally accomplished in the private sector. For an effective rollout of any program, organizations should implement with expectations across the entire company. These principles can then serve as a decision-making tree for appropriate interview methods, policy decisions, and requests for funding training.

There is an inherent risk taken by organizations that have interviewers learn by simply observing other interviews without the appropriate foundational training or oversight.

Scan the QR code and answer questions about this article to earn CEUs towards your CFI designation or to learn more about the advantages of becoming a Certified Forensic Interviewer.

to ensure that investigators are aware of and make appropriate accommodations for a vulnerable interviewee. A highly likely situation in the loss prevention industry is the interview of a youthful subject. Interviewers and organizations should be aware of potential vulnerabilities due to a person’s age and have

the organization. Those afforded the opportunity to conduct interviews should be formally and consistently trained, specific to these skillsets.

There is an inherent risk taken by organizations that have interviewers learn by simply observing other interviews without the appropriate foundational

The challenge for investigators and leadership is to understand these principles and how they can be adopted into their own organization. Many of these may already be in place but serve as a consistent reminder on the areas in which we need to hold ourselves accountable. For more information, please visit interviewingprinciples.com.

The investment in an interviewer through training programs can be lost without an effective follow-up and accountability process.

LP Magazine is recognizing the unsung heroes of the loss prevention and asset protection industry, in an ongoing column we will highlight those among us who are going above and beyond to help their community and world around them to be a better place. Whether it be an individual or a team, donating time, money, or bringing joy to others—we want to say, “thank you” and let our readers get to know you better.

Second City Feels the Love with Gary’s Help

By LP Magazine

In this issue we are featuring Gary Haynes, enterprise loss prevention and safety manager at Office Depot. Gary has dual responsibility for retail and supply chain in the Midwest. He covers approximately fifty stores in Illinois and Iowa and supports two supply chain buildings of about 250,000 square feet each. Gary conducts audits, safety inspections, and is responsible for both internal and external fraud investigations. Gary just celebrated his 13th anniversary with Office Depot where he served as a store manager for a short time before taking on the role as special projects manager overseeing remodels, store liquidation process, and launching new initiatives. Prior to Office Depot, Gary worked in various management positions including loss prevention at Dominck’s, Best Buy, and Circuit City.

Gary goes above and beyond to participate in charitable causes throughout the Chicago area.

For several years Gary has partnered with Ed Henkel, global investigator at Walmart and David Williams, Cook County assistant state’s attorney, to

coordinate donations from Office Depot in support of charitable activities with the Cook County Regional Organized Crime group. Gary consistently supports another effort between Office Depot and the Boys & Girls Club by coordinating donations and handing out backpacks along with other school supplies. In addition, Gary serves on the leadership committee for Office Depot’s Associate Resource Group called STAND (See Talent, Ability, not Disability) which has helped donate

supplies and works with organizations to improve opportunities for persons with disabilities including providing opportunities to work at Office Depot.

When asked what inspires Gary to be so involved, Chris Girone, a friend and mentor stated, “He is passionate about helping others and is specifically drawn to supporting youth and those with disabilities hence his involvement in these organizations.” Gary has also volunteered with Best Buddies organizations (Best Buddies International) Aspire (inspiring inclusivity for people with disabilities) and Turning Pointe (Turning Pointe Autism Foundation)

If you’d like to submit someone or a team to be featured in this column please visit: losspreventionmedia.com/ something-good/

When Gary is not busy working and volunteering, he makes awesome custom cornhole and bag sets and frequently does this in support of charity raffles. In any remaining free time, he enjoys refereeing youth football, watching spring training for the White Sox in Arizona, and cruising with his wife. Thanks for all you do Gary!

Gary Haynes Loss Prevention and Safety Manager at Office Depot

Research on the Researchers LPRC and IMPACT

By Stefanie Hoover, CFI

Gathering LP practitioners, research scientists, and academics can be a little like herding cats or—as might be more likely in Gainesville, Florida—alligators. Here, I’ve put on my alligator wrangling gear and done the hard work for you. What follows is a Q&A with Read Hayes, PhD research scientist at the University of Florida and the Loss Prevention Research Council (LPRC); Cory Lowe, PhD research scientist at LPRC; Chad McIntosh, chief operations officer for LPRC; and Scott Ziter, vice president of risk management at Northeast Shared Services and chair of the

LPRC board of advisers (BOA). Let’s dig into all the who, where, what, and how behind the LPRC and the yearly conference they put on in Gainesville, known as IMPACT.

STEFANIE HOOVER: Read, at the most recent LPRC IMPACT, you spoke a little about how the LPRC itself was formed. For those who couldn’t attend, can you give us some background on its beginnings?

DR. READ HAYES: Thanks Stefanie. After conducting a large-scale offender interviewing project for

Target with then vice president King Rogers and Marvin Ellison in 1999, King, Ellison, and I presented the study results in Orlando at the 2000 NRF LP Conference. With King recruiting nine other major chains to help form an independent industry R&D organization, the group founded LPRC in 2000.

The LPRC founding group wanted to leverage research specifically, (the scientific method) to better understand theft, fraud, and violence dynamics and create and test better crime and loss prevention processes and technologies.

Dr. Read Hayes speaking at the 2022 IMPACT conference in Gainesville, FL

Some of the retailer leaders at that time expressed their concerns that just using their experience and benchmarking with others might not be enough when dealing with the critical life safety problems they experience. They also wanted some scientific and independent input.

STEFANIE: In terms of growth, what was your headcount and working space then compared to now?

READ: LPRC started with ten retailers including OfficeMax, Gap, Beall’s, Walmart, The Home Depot, and Target, and hovered around twelve to fifteen chains for years. The group then voted to add solution partner members. As membership grew, we were able to add another researcher, and an operations team member. Bill Titus as the LPRC’s BOA chair helped grow membership to over forty-five members and set the stage for the next growth phase. Today we have approximately seventy-five retail corporations and their divisions as members, over 100 solution partner (SP) members, most of the retail industry associations, and manufacturers like Proctor & Gamble, Mead Johnson, and beyond.

We first worked out of my home dining room, and then moved to a small storage area in the local Sears store. Randy Dunn and the Sensormatic team provided annual sponsorship resources to allow us to move into a lab and workspace area with now five team members. Today we’re at fourteen team members and growing, working in six labs in the University of Florida (UF) INNOVATE Hub building, also leveraging the four surrounding square blocks as the UF SaferPlaces Lab; we also use multiple stores in a challenging eastside Gainesville multi-block area as our UF SaferPlaces Eastside and are now standing up our nearby

regional mall as the UF SaferPlaces Lab West/Mall.

STEFANIE: How have the founding and early retailer members influenced your direction over the years?

READ: The retailers have always made sure we’re focused on the theft, fraud, and violence problems they’re facing, and that we provide them short, actionable Research in Action briefs they can go to work with. They also recruit fellow retailers and SPs they want to work with into the LPRC community. The retailers wanted a focus on shoplifting prevention for the first years, later asking us to set up violent crime and retail fraud working groups. We now include data mapping analytics and supply chain protection working groups. Finally, we’ve got over thirty major retailers and select SPs steering our LPRC INNOVATE program to create and test integrated crime scenarios across our indoor, VR, and outdoor lab ecosystem.

STEFANIE: Cory, tell us about your background and how you came to work with the LPRC team. What is your role today?

DR. CORY LOWE: Thank you, Stefanie. I became interested in criminology, and later, crime prevention, because of my family background—there is a good bit of criminality and substance use in my family. During my first stint in college, I started as a mathematics major at Southern Polytechnic State University in Georgia but dropped out because of family problems related to my father’s substance abuse. A few years later, I returned to school, and was interested in why so many people in my family, and in the South generally, struggled so much. In other words—I was interested in why the South was the most uneducated,

poor, and violent region in the United States.

Because I was interested in the “big” issues, I started out studying history and political science with a focus on the American South. Over time, I focused more and more on the problem of crime and deviance. I ended up doing my master’s degree in sociology and criminology at Georgia Southern University, and then moving on to the UF, where I completed my PhD in criminology. At UF, I primarily focused on the causes and prevention of youth substance use and delinquency, and my dissertation examined the effects of religious families and communities on youth substance use and delinquency.

While I was primarily interested in developmental and community prevention at UF, I also learned a lot about situational and environmental prevention. During my final years at UF, a position opened at the Loss Prevention Research Council. Since I was passionate about crime prevention and wanted to stay in the area for family reasons, I applied. Fortunately, Read hired me.

Today, I am the research team leader. While I facilitate some of the working groups and still conduct research, I also work with the research team members to ensure they are completing projects that help our retail members.

STEFANIE: Cory, the working groups have been a mainstay—why have you found those to be important, and is there anything you would want to change moving forward?

CORY: The working groups are important because it is where retailers can work together to generate research questions, conduct research, and solve problems.

It is the only place where retailers can talk to each other about the

The LPRC founding group wanted to leverage research (specifially, the scientific method) to better understand theft, fraud, and violence dynamics to create and test better crime and loss prevention process and technologies.

-DR. READ HAYES

Read Hayes, PhD

Cory Lowe, PhD

Research on the Researchers

challenges they face, it is a safe place and from a team development perspective it really drives that. Is there anything I would change? Of course! In fact; we have already begun making some of these changes. For example, each of the working groups need the dedicated attention of a research scientist; therefore, we have limited the number of working groups that any team member is responsible for. We are also working to reinstitute regular working group communications and to enhance the working group section of the LPRC knowledge center to ensure that everyone is aware of what each of the working groups are doing or have done recently. Finally, to ensure that what we are doing in the working groups is relevant to all your retail members, I have tasked each member of the research team to have one-on-one calls with active and inactive working group members. They have found that retailers are a bit more talkative in one-on-one calls than in working group discussions, and this has led to a lot of helpful feedback for each of the individual working groups.

STEFANIE: Chad, please tell us about your background and your role at LPRC. Why LPRC?

CHAD MCINTOSH: I have had a great career as a loss prevention practitioner. I began while attending the University of Maryland as a parttime store detective for Woodward & Lothrop, a regional department store in the Maryland, District of Columbia area. At Woodies I was mentored by

Lew Shealy and was challenged in many different managerial roles. In 1985, I was approached by Ed Wolfe to go to Neiman Marcus where I was part of a new regional manager program they were developing. The training and preparation that Ed and Gary Manson left with me was nothing short of amazing. I felt so prepared for the role that I carried that feeling throughout my career in the care and training for anyone I brought on to my team.

Little did I know that my connection with Ed Wolfe would take me to Home Depot. This is where my shortage reduction education began. We didn’t catch a lot of bad guys at that time, so we focused on operational controls and cashier accuracy to reduce shortage. My time took me back and forth across country.

My next adventure with Ed was at Polo Ralph Lauren. I went about reorganizing the resources to support the stores, putting LP professionals in the field and developing a scored audit to address operational deficiencies. The impact of which was great shortage performance and the LP team winning an award for making the most significant contribution to the business—one of my proud moments in my career.

Next would be the beginning of my Bloomingdale’s, Macy’s career. In 2010, Jay Fogg asked me to be the vice president of asset protection for Bloomingdale’s. I was now in my dream job. I built a progressive and innovative team there and was willing and open to new ways to

solve the challenges of the day. I retired there in October of 2018.

I moved eleven times in my career with a partner and family that was all in for the adventure. I had some amazing leaders involved in my development and career guidance. One of my guiding principles throughout my career is “be so good they can’t ignore you.”

I failed retirement and went to support Dr. Hayes and the LPRC. I spent the past year and six months as the COO. I came on at a time when the operation’s team needed some support to help grow the research team and Read’s vision. Having been a founder of this great enterprise twenty-two years ago, I can’t think of a better way to continue to support an industry we all love.

STEFANIE: Chad, it is interesting that you have an LP background and now collaborate with academics daily. I’m picturing you on the UF campus riding a skateboard. What have been the challenges? What has kept you excited about continuing this work?

CHAD: Stefanie, no, no skateboarding for me. I hope I bring an air of practical experience to the group that they would not normally have. It is amazing and invigorating to be around these incredible minds and committed professionals. My biggest challenge with academia is that research moves at a methodical pace that requires one to adjust for all the right reasons.

I’m excited by the commitment to safer retail spaces and how the team is bringing to life Read’s vision. What they are working on isn’t replicated

I’m excited by the commitment to safer retail spaces and how the team is bringing to life Read’s vision. What they are working on isn’t replicated any other place in the world. I tell everyone that you have to come to Gainesville and see it and the team in action. Bring your skateboard!

-Chad McIntosh

Chad McIntosh

any other place in the world. I tell everyone that you have to come to Gainesville and see it and the team in action. Bring your skateboard!

STEFANIE: Why should a retailer get involved with LPRC? What’s in it for them?

CHAD: Retailing is facing some difficult challenges today— active assailants, aggressive homelessness, as well as ORC, to name a few. The research that is being done at LPRC is focused on theft, fraud, and violence. LPRC is the only place where the community works together to find solutions to these challenges. Come and get involved and help us change the narrative with these business challenges. We all want safer places and people.

CORY: There is no other organization where retailers can collaborate on an ongoing basis, or that conducts the types of research that we conduct. It is that simple—if retailers want to know what works and what their colleagues in the industry are doing, then they need to be a part of our community.

STEFANIE: LPRC hosts IMPACT yearly in Gainesville. Can you talk to us a little about this conference and what makes it unique, from an ex-practitioner’s perspective?

CHAD: The annual IMPACT conference is the culmination of the year’s research. It’s the only conference where you can see demonstrated science to action and the results achieved by retailers and solution partners working together. The 2022 conference was no exception. We had 388 attendees that

had the opportunity to experience sixteen Learning Labs that illustrated opportunities for improvement, new ideas, and scientific results to improve your business.

What also made IMPACT unique from my perspective was team and individual development. It was an opportunity to see a team challenged with new perspectives on problem solving and getting involved in leadership roles with the council. I always saw LPRC as a way for me to identify technology I wanted to deploy that had a strong ROI.

Building and managing a conference like IMPACT has a lot of moving parts. It is the definition of a true team effort—research on content and operations on logistics. We rely on the support of our BOA leadership for their voice on what’s important and quality control. Content has always been the differentiator and what separates IMPACT from other conferences. The response and support of our solution partners is the oil that drives this machine.

During the development process we would face challenges we couldn’t solve on our own. The LP community is always willing to answer the call and help where needed. We have already started preparing for IMPACT 2023. You won’t want to miss it.

STEFANIE: Tell us about the team who supports putting on IMPACT.

CHAD: IMPACT is an “all hands on deck” event, so every team member plays a role in making the event a success. The research team is responsible for the agenda and content, while the operations team is responsible for most of everything else. Diego Rodriguez has had his

hands in pretty much every aspect of planning and execution over the past three years, alongside Bryan Hayes, the CFO. However, the team has grown in the past year, which has enabled us to spread the workload. Wilson Gaberino and Kim Ruffier joined the team this year, and they have taken on the work associated with retail member engagement and event coordination, respectively. We also had assistance from several interns.

We also receive a lot of support from the IMPACT Planning Committee and Operations Committee of the BOA. Both groups are comprised primarily of retail practitioners, and they help guide the planning process, advise the team on the agenda, provide constructive criticism of all the content, and play various roles during the event. For example, John Copen and Lindy Mercer from TJX managed the audio and visual in the main ballroom during the conference. Of course, we also hire a few different teams to assist with audio and video, and provide catering.

STEFANIE: How did the IMPACT conference come about? What was the impetus?

READ: LPRC IMPACT started a couple of years after the LPRC was founded in 2000-01 and stemmed from an earlier set of large group brainstorming meetings called BrainStorm held in 1995-97 and hosted by Walt Disney World. We were able to get dozens of LP leaders and their top direct reports together to discuss and share their greatest challenges and protective responses in a new and engaging format.

We rely on the support of our BOA leadership for their voice on what’s important and quality control. Content has always been the differentiator and what separates IMPACT from other conferences. The response and support of our solution partners is the oil that drives this machine.

-Dr. Read Hayes

Research on the Researchers

Disney then hosted the first three IMPACT conferences with the first one focused on a significant FBI ORC case called American Dream that allowed us to have the lead Target ORC investigator, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement case special agent, the FBI case agent, and the main convicted ORC group leader (turned FBI confidential source) describe their roles in the case—what happened, what they and others did. The IMPACT participants were in working groups and worked through an exercise at several key parts of the case for retail LP practitioners to improve their own anti-ORC efforts.

This event set the stage for annual IMPACT conferences primarily hosted by retail members at their home offices including The Home Depot, Office Depot, and Sears then at the UF for the last ten years. Our event attendance has steadily risen from the initial 100 to closing in on 500 this year. The UF venue is preferred by our members since we’ve got our six labs, a unique university environment, college student and faculty participant energy, and more.

STEFANIE: Why attend IMPACT? There are many conferences out there. What does LPRC bring to the table?

CORY: there are two things that differentiate IMPACT from other industry events. First, there is our content—we work on research projects throughout the year with our members and then we present this content at IMPACT. We present some of our research at other conferences, but no other loss prevention conference has as much evidence- based content as LPRC IMPACT.

The second difference may seem trivial, but I am not aware of any other group with the same close-knit sense

of community as the LPRC. I believe this is due to the year-round working groups and events that enable our members to get to know each other and collaborate, but it is also due to the culture of collaboration, openness, and respect that we promote throughout the year.

STEFANIE: Scott, how did you come to be involved with the LPRC?

SCOTT ZITER: I met Dr. Read Hayes during my time as chair of the Food Marketing Institute Asset Protection Council. Read provided insight as to the direction the LPRC was heading in, and I was intrigued to learn more. My good friend and colleague Jim Cosseboom and I worked together at Ahold USA and in 2014 we set up a meeting with Read to visit LPRC in Gainesville. After spending time with the group, Jim and I felt strongly that we should pursue joining the LPRC. A few months later, I accepted a position at Price Chopper Supermarkets. Both Ahold USA and Price Chopper became members of LPRC that year.

STEFANIE: As the new chair of the BOA, can you share any new goals for IMPACT or changes?

SCOTT: The LPRC team and BOA will take what’s learned at the kickoff meeting in January and will brainstorm at IGNITE in February to create goals and objectives for IMPACT 2023. I’m confident that Fred Becker (vice chair of operations and IMPACT committee) and team will once again develop an agenda that will attract hundreds of attendees to Gainesville, Florida in October.

STEFANIE: What tips do you have for solution provider partners who want to get involved with IMPACT?

SCOTT: My advice would be to speak with LPRC leadership or a member of the BOA to gain a better understanding of what the LPRC’s mission is. A prospective solution provider should know that collaborating with other solution providers (perhaps even competitors) and retailers is a very important component of being a member. One of LPRC’s goals is that solution providers work with their team and retailers to come up with ideas and solutions that will help LP departments address areas of concern such as organized retail crime, violent crimes, inventory shrink, and other industry trends.

STEFANIE: What advice can you give to a retailer who is a first-time attendee to IMPACT?

SCOTT: My recommendation would be to attend as many general and learning lab sessions as possible. I would also encourage first- time attendees to visit solution providers during the Solution Center Experience to learn more about the newest technologies and solutions in the industry. My best advice would be to make sure you network and collaborate with other colleagues as in most cases, they are experiencing the same issues as you and your company. The sky’s the limit as to what you can take away from the IMPACT conference. I hope to meet many new colleagues at IMPACT 2023.

CORY: The best tip I can offer is to get involved long before IMPACT. IMPACT is a much better experience if you have been participating in the working groups and other events throughout the year because you are already a part of our community and get to meet your colleagues face-to-face and catch up on projects and common interests. Learn more at lpresearch.org/impact.

My best advice would be to make sure you network and collaborate with other colleagues. The sky’s the limit as to what you can take away from the IMPACT conference. I hope to meet many new colleagues at IMPACT 2023.

-Dr. Cory Lowe

Scott Ziter

Retail Council of Canada’s Retail Secure Conference

By

As the voice of retail in Canada, the Retail Council of Canada (RCC) advocates on behalf of more than 45,000 independent, regional, national, mass, and specialty retail businesses and online merchants in general merchandise, drug, and grocery operations. With offices in Vancouver, Winnipeg, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, and Halifax, the mission of RCC is to advance the interests of Canada’s retail industry through effective advocacy, communications, and education.

RCC boasts an unapologetic passion for small, mid-sized, and large retailers across Canada.

We are proud to represent the country’s largest private sector employer, supporting over 2 million Canadians and contributing to the economic health and well-being of communities from coast-to-coast. The RCC has a Loss Prevention Advisory Committee comprised of retail, security, and law enforcement professionals from across Canada which meets regularly to identify relevant best practices and coordinated approaches to keep people, property, and assets safe. The committee also helps determine the speakers, topics, and trends covered at the Retail Secure Conference held each year.

The Conference

The Retail Secure Conference is one of the organization’s key events, a one-day event ideal for retail loss prevention professionals; retail team leaders in IT, e-commerce, and finance; and loss prevention solution providers. This is Canada’s only retail conference developed specifically to address contemporary preventive loss mitigation strategies, providing a robust environment that encourages learning and the exchange of ideas while exploring actionable systems and forward- thinking retail solutions.

Sessions at the conference focus on the most pressing issues facing

This event allows retailers to closely examine, discuss, and analyze issues and the nuances that retailers experience in the loss prevention and security industry.

the Retail Council of Canada

loss prevention practitioners, to including approaches and best practices on topics such as de-escalating violence in stores, mitigating fraud, responding to security breaches, and future- proofing risk management strategies. Attendees also have opportunities to meet and connect with retail risk management and security vendors and providers in the exhibit hall. What sets RCC’s Retail Secure Conference apart is the distinct retail loss prevention focus. This event allows retailers to closely examine, discuss, and analyze issues and the nuances that retailers experience in the loss prevention and security industry.

To ensure the best experience at RCC Retail Secure, plan to arrive early to participate in the breakfast and continue to network during the coffee breaks, lunch, and at the cocktail reception at the end of the day. With the conference concluding in the late afternoon, there is also time for private meetings, and team building events in the evening.

Retail Secure 2023 will take place on March 21 at the International Centre in Mississauga, Ontario. For more information, visit RCCRetailSecure.ca.

Beyond the Conference

To support its members, the RCC offers several resources that further support the retail industry, including:

ALL THE LATEST NEWS, RESOURCES, WEBINARS AND PODCASTS.

■ Specialized online certification and retail education programs,

■ The latest retail industry research, best practices, trends, and statistics,

■ Relevant and thought-provoking publications,

■ Resources concerning new and emerging health and safety requirements,

■ Videos and podcasts to keep you up to date on the latest tech, consumer trends, and legislative issues affecting retail. Since 1963, RCC has been fighting for every retailer, every retail issue, and every retail job across Canada. We always have your back, and we are proud that you are a part of the strongest voice, the strongest promoter, and the strongest advocate for retailers across every region of Canada. Our strong advocacy work pays close attention to concerns that may add cost, affect reputation, establish precedent, and support the growth of Canada’s retail industry. To learn more, visit retailcouncil.org

The RCC has a Loss Prevention Advisory Committee comprised of retail, security, and law enforcement professionals from across Canada which meets regularly to identify relevant best practices and coordinated approaches to keep people, property, and assets safe. The committee also helps determine the speakers, topics, and trends covered at the Retail Secure Conference held each year.

Plus, original content from industry experts. Loss Prevention Magazine is the information resource for loss prevention professionals, security and retail management. From technology to management skills to investigations, we equip you with the best practices from the store level to the executive suite.

Subscribe today and stay on top of what’s new in retail.

This is Canada’s only retail conference developed specifically to address contemporary preventive loss mitigation strategies, providing a robust environment that encourages learning and the exchange of ideas while exploring actionable systems and forward-thinking retail solutions.

FMI Protects People, Property, and Reputations

By Doug Baker, Vice President, Industry Relations, FMI – The Food Industry Association

ood retailing is one of the most vital parts of an economy—if not the most vital. Food, after all, is basic sustenance, and those who provide food, drink and household essentials keep people and societies moving forward on an everyday basis.

Given the breadth and depth of crises that have faced the food industry, FMI is regularly updating and expanding its resources to include comprehensive guides, research‑based reports, collaborative training, and special events like the upcoming Asset Protection and Grocery Resilience Conference in Orlando—all specifically designed for the food industry.

As the events of the past few years have shown, the food industry is open to threats that directly impact the flow of foods and goods to consumers. If this is an ultimate asset, it needs protecting at many levels.

While it’s often impossible to prevent a crisis or even see it coming in the way it unfolds—the early COVID-19 pandemic days of 2020 being Exhibit A in that regard—planning and preparedness make a difference in how a situation is managed. The Food Industry Association (FMI) helps retailers, wholesalers, and manufacturers anticipate and address a wide range of asset protection issues.

FMI’s team of experts are in place to help safeguard property, profits, and, above all else, people. In fact, according to the 2022 “FMI Asset Protection in Food Retail” survey, the health and well-being of associates was the number one concern listed among AP leaders. Given the breadth

and depth of crises that have faced the food industry, FMI is regularly updating and expanding its resources to include comprehensive guides, research-based reports, collaborative training, and special events like the upcoming Asset Protection and Grocery Resilience Conference in Orlando—all specifically designed for the food industry.

That industry specialization has proven valuable for those involved at various points in the food retailing business. FMI offers tools and expertise for its members across the value chain—from retailers who sell to consumers, to producers who supply the food, as well as the wide variety of companies providing critical services—to amplify the collective work of the industry. Importantly, the organization also brings people in this essential industry together to share their experiences and ideas in an ever-shifting environment, through the annual AP conference and other forums, both online and in-person.

The Rising Threat Level

If food is at the crux of people’s lives, it’s also at the center of many safety and security challenges. Three

of the major crises of the last three years— the COVID-19 pandemic, supply chain backlogs, and inflation—fell square into the food retailing space. Add to that social unrest, changing laws at the state and federal level, weather-related disasters, and a war in Ukraine—known as a breadbasket of the world—and you can see why preparedness has moved up the priority list for those in the food supply chain.

Accordingly, those tasked with protecting people, property, and profits in the food industry have a lot on their proverbial plate as the 2020s continue to be a disruptive time. A decade ago, protection encompassed the rather straightforward protection of merchandise and facilities—something that was gently dubbed “cops and robbers.” In today’s more complicated world, with challenges exacerbated by the pandemic and other socioeconomic and geopolitical circumstances, retailers must contend with a new crop of serious threats. The scope of their jobs has greatly expanded.

Fortunately, technology has accelerated to the point at which retailers can use various tools to largely

address small-scale theft, guided by the principle of protecting lives over products. Such advances allow retail AP professionals to focus on the additional simultaneous challenges facing the industry right now:

■ More opportunities for loss. Retail AP professionals must deal with traditional shoplifting as well as new and emerging forms of theft and fraud. The advent of grocery technologies like self-checkout, for example, has led to different vulnerabilities for theft, along with shrink and waste that are not intentional.

■ The rise of organized crime The rate of organized crime targeting the retail industry, including the grocery sector, is as high as it has ever been. Criminal operations have become savvy at working together to steal goods from shelves, use stolen credit cards to buy merchandise and manipulate e-commerce, among other activities. Moreover, some of those enterprises have become violent.

■ Greater risk for conflict and personal harm. Unfortunately, security in the food retailing sector increasingly involves ways to protect shoppers and staff from violence. Situational awareness is pivotal, and active shooter training has moved to table-stakes education for retail employees at all levels, especially in the wake of mass shootings that occurred at grocery stores in 2021 and 2022. In addition to quickly identifying assailants and protecting associates and customers, teaching staff on how to de-escalate conflict is also a must to diffuse potentially explosive events.

Beyond these front-burner issues, retailers and their safety and security professionals must plan for other things that may arise, such as severe weather events that can affect virtually any part of the country, an adulteration attempt by an individual or group, or a labor strike that can compromise security. And that doesn’t even count the things that come seemingly out of the blue.

Resources for Retailers

Given the evolving and growing number of crises in the food industry, retailers have had to rethink, redeploy, and retrain their team members to handle what may come

up. I, for one, didn’t expect to have to use a bleeding-control kit for a gunshot victim in the store when I was a store worker at age seventeen; these were more focused on accidents with box cutters or in the butcher shop and other such incidents. It’s a different world now, and one that requires different approaches and foresight.

To support its members, FMI offers several resources that share best practices, standardize nomenclature, and offer other solutions for today’s—and tomorrow’s—threats. These resources reflect FMI’s all-hazards, all-threats, all-crime, all-the-time approach.

■ Crisis guides. FMI members who are part of the retail, wholesale, and manufacturing sectors can utilize the many crises guides that the organization has developed and made available. In addition to guides devoted to active assailants, de-escalation, civil unrest, and other matters, FMI links its members to additional resources from federal, state, and local authorities.

■ Extensive training options. In addition to its own comprehensive training programs, FMI works in tandem with other experts to offer retailers and their AP teams with the latest education and instruction. One of those partnerships is with The Power of Preparedness, or TPOP, which provides online training focused on active assailant training and workplace violence preparedness. Covering several relevant topics, that training can be customized to different settings and includes short, succinct sessions. FMI has also teamed with Early Alert, comprised of a qualified team of professionals from the public, private, and military sectors who help retailers and other businesses reduce risks and mitigate losses from hazards threatening their organizations; together, the groups offer real-time consulting that spans emergency management, disaster response and recovery, and incident command and control, among other topics.

■ Research and educational materials. Every year, FMI publishes a state-of-the-industry report based on research and insights

from stakeholders on what keeps them up at night. That report sets a yearly benchmark for the industry. Throughout the year, FMI also hosts downloadable digital seminars featuring industry leaders and innovators talking about key issues.

■ Special events. This spring— and for the second time in five years—FMI will host its Asset Protection and Grocery Resilience Conference at the Hyatt Regency in Orlando, Florida Running March 19-22, the event provides an opportunity for professionals in loss prevention, risk management, workplace safety, and crisis management to collaborate and network on issues that impact their shoppers, employees, facilities, and overall business success. Those who are pursuing certification from the Loss Prevention Foundation can earn continuing education credits from this conference.

Several hot button topics are on the agenda for the 2023 conference including business continuity planning, organized retail crime, civil unrest, workplace violence, and cybersecurity. In addition to keynote presentations and breakout educational sessions, attendees will come together in business- to- business networking meetings to talk about challenges, learnings, and best practices. FMI will help facilitate those B2B meetings to connect trading partners and foster important discussions.

In addition to providing resources for its global members, FMI regularly keeps a pulse on happenings that affect the safety and security of food and essential goods. Among other year-round efforts, FMI’s team works closely with federal agencies, including the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, for preparedness and situational awareness to gauge and improve response to crisis events. While we all wish we didn’t have to think about such scenarios, it’s our mission of protection that goes handin-hand with sustenance.

To learn more about or register for the Asset Protection and Grocery Resilience Conference, visit fmi. org/ asset-protection-and-grocery -resilience-conference

Several hot button topics are on the agenda for the 2023 conference, including business continuity planning, organized retail crime, civil unrest, workplace violence, and cybersecurity. In addition to keynote presentations and breakout educational sessions, attendees will come together in business to‑business networking meetings to talk about challenges, learnings, and best practices.

All About ISCPO

EDITORS NOTE: The International Supply Chain Protection Organization (ISCPO) is a non-profit professional association that connects members from a wide array of sectors across the global supply chain including retail, wholesale, e-commerce, manufacturing, insurance, risk management/ legal, distribution, operations, and logistics, as well as law enforcement and government agencies, to promote a collaborative effort of networking, benchmarking, and resource development for security professionals across the global supply chain The ISCPO mission is to promote, support, educate, and advocate for the advancement of supply chain security and protection through strategic partnerships, international agency engagement, and the building of strong cross-industry networks within the global supply chain Following is our conversation with Rhett Asher, ISCPO board chair and senior vice president at ALTO; Glenn Master, director of asset protection and security, McLane, Inc, and ISCPO board member at large; and Byron Smith, CFI, LPC corporate asset protection manager, 7-Eleven, and ISCPO board treasurer.

STEFANIE HOOVER: Could I ask you to provide a little color around how ISCPO got started?

GLENN MASTER: By 2013 I had attended numerous loss prevention and security conferences recognizing that there was limited networking taking place with peers, who were strictly supporting the supply chain. I approached a longtime friend and industry colleague Rod

Fulenwider with the idea of creating a professional trade organization. Over dinner and a bottle of wine at an Olive Garden in Ohio, we mapped out on a napkin what this organization would look like and how would it be different from every other trade group. We then took the concept from napkin to action and created a group on LinkedIn to see if anyone would be interested. Within three months, we had over 200 people join

the group from multiple countries. We knew then that there was a need and wanted to take the next step. We brought Byron Smith into the mix, created a board of advisers, and became a 501C. If we all knew how much work outside of our normal jobs this was going to be, we probably would have thought twice. However, it’s been a great journey that started with one industry conference and has now grown over the years.

STEFANIE: Why should someone join or have interest in your association?

RHETT ASHER: ISCPO membership gives you access to an ever-expanding resource; tools and education library; participation on developing share groups and working committees; key industry partnerships; various global threat communication information; key industry programs; discounts on our annual conference and other member only programs and events; and access to our network of industry professionals.

Rhett Asher

Glenn Master

Byron Smith, CFI, LPC

By Stefanie Hoover, CFI

STEFANIE: If there are chances to network at the conference, what would that consist of?

BYRON SMITH: We like to keep the conference simple. We have a cocktail hour the night before, which is a great opportunity to network with other conference attendees. What really makes us different is that we don’t overload our conference with vendors. We have created a vendor-partner program where select businesses are asked if they would like to participate in the conference. All the vendor partners set up tables inside the conference hall, so they can hear each speaker and have direct engagement with all participants. This is as much a chance for them to learn about the challenges we face as practitioners, which provides them with an opportunity to help solve problems. I can recall making an introduction to two different vendors that both were working with my company on separate security issues. We discovered that the vendors shared a mutual interest, and they became partners, which actually benefited my company even further.

STEFANIE: Outside of your conference, what else does your association do?

RHETT: The ISCPO has three primary objectives:

■ Networking—across global lines of both private and public sectors.

■ Partnership and advocacy— create the avenue by which private and public relationships can move into successful business relationships.

■ Training and education—provide adequate, professional, and timely training (via multiple venues) that is industry specific and relevant. An example of this would be tours of local distribution centers incorporated into our conference as a sort of field trip and learning experience for our attendees.

STEFANIE: Pitch your event to someone who has never attended.

BYRON: Join our diverse group of industry professionals and take advantage of the wide range of topics related to global supply chain security, e-commerce, industry trends, and investigations.

As in years past, the conference also provides a great venue to network with global industry peers, transportation and logistics professionals, law enforcement, and select vendor partners. It’s tailored for the supply chain security and loss prevention community which is not addressed in the industry’s larger conferences. Anyone is welcome to attend. Many attendees primarily come from six key industry sectors: manufacturing, retail and wholesale, logistics, distribution, law enforcement, and risk management and legal.

STEFANIE: How do you determine where the conference will be held?

RHETT: Typically, we rely on our host to determine the conference space. And we are very thankful for those that have supported the ISCPO’s mission. It will be held at the 7-Eleven SSC in Irving, Texas this year.

STEFANIE: What should attendees expect at the event? How many days, when during the year, types of presentations, and so forth.

GLENN: Attendees should expect a community of supply chain, logistics, transportation, loss prevention and asset protection professionals, and solution providers. The conference will be April 11-13, 2023. Topics include social media investigations, ransom negotiations, workplace violence and police interaction, cargo theft trends in Canada, unions in supply chain, and security in the middle east supply chain, to name a few.

STEFANIE: Will there be an exhibit hall?

BYRON: Yes, the event is a tabletop show allowing for better interaction between solution partners and all other stakeholders. There are a select group of solution providers joining the conference to maintain the personal feel when discussing their services.

STEFANIE: Are there opportunities for attendees to earn continuing education units (CEUs)?

BYRON: Yes, we have partnered for attendees to receive CEUs for LPC, LPQ, and CFI certifications. But they will also be able to use them toward other educational program requirements.

STEFANIE: Any advice you would give to those attending for the first time?

BYRON: Don’t expect to get lost and left out at the ISCPO conference. We have always liked a smaller conference to allow attendees, speakers, and solution providers better interaction.

STEFANIE: Anything else you would like to add?

BYRON: Take time to check out our LinkedIn group and sign up for our monthly newsletter to become more aware of the support in your industry. Our board of directors is always available to answer any questions or point you in the right direction. Visit ISCPO.org to learn more

Attendees should expect a community of supply chain, logistics, transportation, loss prevention professionals, and solution providers. The conference will be April 11‑13, 2023, in Irving, Texas. Topics include social media investigations, ransom negotiations, workplace violence, police interaction, cargo theft trends in Canada, unions in supply chain, and security in the middle east supply chain, to name a few.

What really makes us different is that we don’t overload our conference with vendors. We have created a vendor-partner program where select businesses are asked if they would like to participate in the conference.

Don’t expect to get lost and left out at the ISCPO conference. We have always liked a smaller conference to allow attendees, speakers, and solution providers better interaction.

The Industry Standard for Investigative Interviewing: Resources and Training

By Dave Thompson, CFI and Tony Paixão, CFI

It is important to recognize that interviewing is a professional skillset which requires continued education, standardized approaches, and a structure based on science, law, and ethics. WZ helps to fulfill this mission for interviewing professionals as we are engaged with the academic community and legislative efforts while consistently evolving our curriculum to deliver the most current content to our audience.

One of the most important skillsets for those in the loss prevention industry is the ability to strategically communicate with others. Daily encounters with operators, vendors, shoplifters, and employees require LP professionals to prepare, adapt, and implement different communication strategies. Wicklander-Zulawski (WZ) and the International Association of Interviewers (IAI) are proud to be a long-standing resource for the industry on how to best craft these conversations and approaches. Each of these organizations offer unique opportunities for professionals to learn new skillsets, network with others in the industry, and expand their knowledge base for both personal and professional development.

The team at WZ has offered support and training to the interviewing profession for over forty years through multiple venues. Difficult conversations, including employee-relations issues, internal theft or fraud, organized retail crime investigations, or conversations with operators are covered in a variety of training programs and resources provided by WZ. Many investigators in the industry have learned how to conduct these conversations and investigative interviews while “on the job.” It is important to recognize that interviewing is a professional skillset which requires continued education, standardized approaches, and a

structure based on science, law, and ethics. WZ helps to fulfill this mission for interviewing professionals as we are engaged with the academic community and legislative efforts while consistently evolving our curriculum to deliver the most current content to our audience.

WZ has programs that LP practitioners can attend including a Level One course that lays the foundation for an interviewer needing a certificate of attendance and knowledge on how to conduct investigative interviews. Additionally, there are programs including a Level Two Practical Application Workshop, Level Three Advanced trainings, Masterclasses, and the Certified Forensic Interviewer (CFI) preparation course. WZ also provides those in the industry several virtual options, including webinars on topics like remote interviewing, organized retail crime, and de-escalation. WZ’s courses and resources offer continuing education units for those that have industry designations such as the CFI or LPC certifications.

The International Association of Interviewers (IAI)

After over 4 decades of providing industry leading training for the investigative interviewing industry the founders of WZ recognized there was also a need to create a community

where interviewers from all over the world could come together to learn from one another. This prompted the creation of the IAI, and for the last twenty years, has served as the space where interviewers can access industry leading educational resources, attend top-tier networking engagements, and position themselves to advance their careers. Educate, network, and advance have been the bedrock tenants of IAI and will continue to drive the association forward in providing members with the tools necessary to be informed and successful in their roles.

Providing accessible opportunities for continuing education is a standard that both WZ and IAI have maintained as a priority since the beginning. This commitment to education is what drives the IAI member experience by providing access to member exclusive events throughout the year, including the Elite Training Event Webinar Series, Case Study Webinars, IAI Book Club Experiences, and our annual in-person Elite Training Day (ETD) conference. Each of these events brings together industry leaders across multiple verticals including loss prevention, human resources, law enforcement, and academia, to share their best practices and relevant research, with the goal of enhancing the member practitioners’ skillsets.

IAI’s Elite Training Days

A culmination of networking and continued education is seen annually at the ETD conference. This event brings together elite interviewers from across multiple industries to collaborate and learn from experts on topics that impact their profession. Law enforcement, loss prevention, human resources, and others have benefited from these conferences for more than ten years.

Why would some of the most skilled interviewers from across the country attend an event focused on developing their interviewing skills? Because the most skilled interviewers from across the country understand the importance of continuing to develop and fine-tune their interviewing skills. The best interviewers know that there is always more to learn—more they can experience, absorb, and pass on to others. Proficiency is something we build upon, not a plateau we reach.

ETD creates an opportunity for interviewing professionals to get together and learn from one another. While the conference has grown and the reach has expanded, the goal remains the same: to provide interviewing professionals with a place to learn and network. We bring everyone together to provide a credible

investigative interviews—to never become complacent. The objective is to always challenge the way investigative interviews are conducted while providing the tools to make informed improvements.

While the event is tailored for those who work in the investigative interviewing community, there are many other fields that can benefit from this type of event. There is also a common misunderstanding that you must be a CFI to attend the event and while we encourage all CFIs to attend, it is certainly not a requirement.

Topics are intended to both focus and stretch the perspective of attendees to maximize value. Sessions have included case studies on serial killers, international interviewing methods, false confessions, juvenile interrogations, and workplace violence. For those passionate about advancing their skillset and scope of knowledge, this is the event to attend.

For an added challenge, WZ offers a Masterclass that is partnered up with ETD to provide an in-depth training program specific to WZ methodology.

ETD provides a unique opportunity to learn from the best minds in the industry while doing so in a fun, engaging, and collaborative

While the process of obtaining the CFI is an arduous one, the payoff is worth the time and effort invested. IAI provides prospective CFIs with the resources to adequately prepare for the exam through a variety of platforms, both in-person and virtual. Virtually, applicants are encouraged to utilize the CFI Online Preparation Guide as a roadmap to getting prepared for the exam. If the applicant prefers face-to-face instruction, IAI also hosts CFI Prep Seminars, both in-person and virtually, to accommodate a wide range of learners.

Passion for Learning

Why would someone consider joining an organization like the IAI? While all the events, member resources, and networking opportunities may sound appealing—it all comes down to what level of commitment the professional is willing to put forward. Are you willing to take an hour out of your schedule to engage in a live case study webinar covering a multi-million-dollar Ponzi scheme investigation? Are you interested in participating in a virtual book club experience that culminates in a live webinar with the author? Are you interested in advancing your career by earning the status of CFI? At IAI, we believe that when the learning stops, the problems begin. Our mission is to provide the investigative interviewing community with a continuous flow of credible educational experiences that will enhance the current generation and inspire the next.

ETD creates an opportunity for interviewing professionals to get together and learn from one another. While the conference has grown and the reach has expanded, the goal remains the same: to provide interviewing professionals with a place to learn and network.

atmosphere where investigative interviewers from all verticals and tenures can get together to improve their skill sets. The conference is built on the idea that sharing knowledge with a small group of leaders will have an exponential impact on performance in the field.

Each year IAI brings new perspectives to the interviewing process, offering unique profiles and complex scenarios to challenge the way we approach the process and those we speak with. This event has consisted of sessions delivered by leading academics, practitioners, and investigators from across the globe.

From influencing policy to promoting evidence-based training protocol, ETD is designed to challenge those tasked with one of the most delicate aspects of any job—conducting

environment. We want people to walk away with a new perspective, feeling recharged and inspired to promote evidence-based interviewing practices within their respective fields. Our hope is that attendees leave feeling equipped with new outlooks and techniques that help them become more successful in their roles as investigative interviewers.

Certified Forensic Interviewer (CFI)

In addition to the various virtual and in-person events offered, IAI has also developed and maintains the CFI credential. The CFI is the leading designation within the investigative interviewing community, standing as a symbol of ethical, legal, and industry competence above any other investigative interviewing certification.

When looking at the options for career and professional development, there is no shortage of opportunities in the loss prevention industry. However, for those that are focused on improving the results of their investigations and developing stronger communication skills, WZ and IAI are the industry standard resources. Attending the ETD conference, WZ classes, or even remote events will give loss prevention professionals access to interviewers across multiple sectors of law enforcement, retail, federal agencies, and other verticals. WZ and IAI provide consistent resources for a specialty skillset of communication and interviewing that has been the catalyst of career growth for loss prevention professionals over the last decades.

From influencing policy to promoting evidence-based training protocol, ETD is designed to challenge those tasked with one of the most delicate aspects of any job—conducting investigative interviews—to never become complacent.

The Loss Prevention Foundation (LPF) is a leader in educating and certifying retail loss prevention and asset protection professionals by providing relevant, convenient, and challenging educational resources. The LPF is dedicated to elevating the industry through its accredited LPQualified and LPCertified courses. For more information, visit losspreventionfoundation.org.

Spotlighting Loss Prevention Certified Professionals

“The LPC course is nothing short of outstanding. To all professionals looking to further develop themselves, this course will accomplish this and so much more.”

— Cem Colpan, LPC

Oscar Arango, LPC Target

“After thirty years in the industry, I strongly believe the LPC certification is one of the best ways to establish credibility as a knowledgeable and advanced leader. It shows a commitment to personal and professional growth and sets the bar for demonstrating competency in the complex and ever changing world of retail loss prevention.”

Amanda Harrington, LPQ The Home Depot

“Being relatively new to the loss prevention industry, the LPQ helped get me up to speed and provide insights on the entire retail environment and loss prevention terminology and best practices. I am applying what I learned during my studies and incorporating it to my day to day as well as inspiring my team and other professionals. I encourage anyone who is interested in a career in loss prevention or works closely with LP professionals to take the LPQ.”

Cem Colpan, LPC Saint Laurent

“The LPC course is nothing short of outstanding. To all professionals looking to further develop themselves, this course will accomplish this and so much more. Regardless of which aspect of the business you may be involved in directly, this course is impactful as it provides education and insight on the entire loss prevention footprint within an organization. I’m grateful to have this certification with so many other professionals in the industry.”

Joseph Lyons, LPQ Bloomingdale’s

“The LPQ course was a great source of information even for a seasoned member of loss prevention. The variety of topics included in the LPQ have greatly enhanced my skills. It was definitely a worthwhile investment in time.”

Liz Arevalos, LPQ Amazon

“After many years working in vendor fraud, I was excited to see this course offered through my employer. Having completed this course, I see more opportunities for advancement with the tools I gained from this LPQ course. Using the tools I learned, I look forward to moving on to the next course offered for my LPC.”

Moyen Tapper, LPQ The RealReal

“The LPQ courses and exam helped me become a better business partner and retail professional. The most essential quality of LP is our ability to enhance company objectives by setting trends concerning efficiency and integrity. Through our actions we can become a complimentary asset to the business model.”

“The LPQ course was a great source of information even for a seasoned member of loss prevention. The variety of topics included in the LPQ have greatly enhanced my skills. It was definitely a worthwhile investment in time.”

— Joseph Lyons, LPQ

John Carlone, LPQ Bob’s Discount Furniture

“I have been in the LP industry for ten years and have experience with a large big-box retailer where we concentrated on reducing shrink by making external and internal apprehensions and by securing high-end product as best we could while still allowing customers to browse products. I now am working for a furniture retailer where there isn’t much external and internal theft but more operational concerns such as excessive damages and returns and fraud by use of web and phone order purchases. This course provides such well-rounded course content it prepares people from all types of retailers to perform their duties to the best of their ability no matter what type of retailer they work for. When you learn about business concepts, leadership principles, crisis management, or any of the other chapters, this information is useful in all positions.”

Sarkis Grigorian, LPC Topgolf Callaway Brands

“I must admit this was my second time taking this course and this go around I felt a lot more prepared to take the course and exam. With some of the new enhancements like the audible feature it really helped getting through the content. Also, the study sessions held via zoom to review the chapter tests with Paul Mello were incredibly helpful. So many of us have been doing this for a long time but never really learned the proper terminology or method of doing this and the LPC really helps with that part of the business.”

John Harper, LPQ TJX Homegoods

“The LPQ was an amazing course. The course content expanded my LP knowledge base and taught me so much more about the business side of retail and how to be a better business partner. The LPQ course has taught me how to help support the store to become more profitable while at the same time protecting its assets. I have always been passionate about the loss prevention field and after completing the LPQ I have become even more passionate and excited about being an LP professional. The knowledge I have gained from the LPQ is going to help me in my career development. I want to thank the LPF for the development of the courses to help educate LP professionals, expand their knowledge base, and the development of their careers. I also want to thank Liveview Technologies for the LPQ scholarship.”

Learn more about obtaining your LPC or LPQ certification today at losspreventionfoundation.org or scan the QR code.

Newly Certified

The following are individuals who recently earned their certifications.

Recent LPQ Recipients

Isha Adya, LPQ, University of Cincinnati

Michelle Aiello, LPQ, TJX

Jordan Anderson, LPQ, Meijer

Mirsad Basar, LPQ, 7-Eleven

Sydney Bresnihan, LPQ, University of South Carolina

Theodore Calcina, LPQ, University of South Carolina

Christopher Capano, LPQ, Rite Aid

John Carlone, LPQ, Bob’s Discount Furniture

Amanda Carlson, LPQ, TJX

Scott Carpenter, LPQ

Andrew Chan, LPQ, Philip Morris

Danielle Corder, LPQ, Meijer

Jamel Dennis, LPQ, The Home Depot

Lisa Dickens, LPQ, Meijer

Anna Dicks, LPQ, University of South Carolina

Christopher Douglas, LPQ, Bloomingdale’s

Michael Dowd, LPQ, TJX

Paul Erite, LPQ, Amazon Fresh

Cassie Flowers, LPQ, University of Cincinnati

Mary Ford, LPQ, Amazon

John Genders, LPQ, Meijer

Theresa Goyon-Carroll, LPQ, The Home Depot

Claude Hake, LPQ, Heinen’s

Balin Hale, LPQ, Walmart

Duane Harmon, LPQ, TJX

John Harper, LPQ, TJX

Amanda Harrington, LPQ, The Home Depot

Daniel Hayden, LPQ, LEGO

Sabrina Herbold, LPQ, Amazon

Jason Hoke, LPQ, Meijer

Michael Ireland, LPQ, Amazon

Ainsley Isenhour, LPQ, University of South Carolina

Dawanna Jones, LPQ, University of Cincinnati

Craig Jones, LPQ, Papa Johns

Jacob Justice, LPQ, Meijer

Kasey Kemble, LPQ, Amazon

Marco Lorentz, LPQ, Lowe’s

Michael LoSchiavo, LPQ, Amazon

Joseph Lyons, LPQ, Bloomingdale’s

Isabelle McGuire, LPQ, University of South Carolina

Alan Munro, LPQ, Bloomingdale’s

Steven Myers, LPQ, Amazon

David Nelson, LPQ, University of South Carolina

Tatum Orlando, LPQ, University of South Carolina

Kimberly Pasnik, LPQ, TJX

Jared Porras, LPQ, Amazon

Milca Pratts, LPQ, Amazon

Joel Rosman, LPQ, The Home Depot

Kevyn Ruiz, LPQ, ALTO

Joseph Saunders, LPQ, University of Cincinnati

Kyle Scidmore, LPQ, Meijer

Glen Smith, LPQ, London Drugs

Young Hee Somemoto, LPQ, Amazon

Elizabeth Sowinski, LPQ, Amazon

Kristin Stoning, LPQ, Ulta Beauty

Moyen Tapper, LPQ

Jonathan Tessman, LPQ, TJX

Natalya Thomas, LPQ, Amazon

Art Trujillo, LPQ, TJX

Juan Trujillo, LPQ, ALTO

Cheri Vaughn, LPQ, Bloomingdale’s

Gabriel Vazquez, LPQ, Bloomingdale’s

Michael Williams, LPQ, Amazon Style

Jessica Willis, LPQ, University of Cincinnati

Recent LPC Recipients

Kyriakos Agathangelou, LPC, CVS

Oscar Arango, LPC, Target

Meredith Atkins, LPC, LPQ, Meijer

Kimberly Bassler, LPC, The Home Depot

Robert Bohen, LPC, Whole Foods Market

John Britton, LPC, The Home Depot

Jared Brown, LPC, Albertsons

Michelle Carterette, LPC, Rite Aid

Stratton Clark, LPC, Lowe’s Cem Colpan, LPC, Saint Laurent

Joseph Conway, LPC, Albertsons

Jeffrey Cotterman, LPC, LPQ, Meijer

Beth Cox, LPC, At Home

Vincent Cruz, LPC, Whole Foods Market

Armie Decano, LPC, Majid Al Futtaim Retail

Greg DePuy, LPQ, LPC, Meijer

Jeremy Faries, LPC, LPQ, United Supermarkets

Andrew Gamboa, LPC, Bed Bath & Beyond

Sarkis Grigorian, LPC, Topgolf Callaway

Jose Gutierrez, LPC, CVS

Jeff Hall, LPC, Macy’s

Sarah Hartman, LPC, LPQ, TJX

Ed Hollenbach, LPC, SpartanNash

Benjamin Horste, LPC, Busch’s

Greg Huber, LPC, LPQ, Meijer

Joseph Kennedy, LPC, DICK’S

Sporting Goods

David Kraal, LPC, Walgreens

Jason LaGiglia, LPC, Rite Aid

Joseph Mastalski, LPC, Albertsons

Bob Mastenbrook, LPC, LPQ, Meijer

Sara Morrison, LPC, Meijer

Theresa Myers, LPC, Caribou Coffee

Timothy Orabone, LPC, Dollar General

Jacob Pitte, LPC, LPQ, Meijer

Tyler Poulin, LPC, Goodwill

Northern New England

Timothy Prominski, LPC, LPQ, Goodwill Northern New England

Kimberly Radomsky, LPC, London Drugs

Barbara Roper, LPC, LPQ, Meijer

Rick San Nicolas, LPC, The Home Depot

Jeff Saunders, LPC, Family Dollar

Steven Sherod, LPC, Tractor Supply

Jerry Smith, LPC, The Home Depot

Tina Stafford, LPC, Meijer

Emily Stephenson, LPC, Albertsons

David Stone, LPC, LPQ, Meijer

Charles Thompson, LPC, CVS

Isaac Valentin, LPC, LPQ, InstaKey

Security Systems

William Waddell, LPC, DICK’S

Sporting Goods

Vincent Waits, LPC, Family Dollar

Stephen Wiser, LPC, Sears

Alex Workman, LPC, Walmart

Robin Wynne, LPC, TransformCo

Joseph Yelin, LPC, Albertsons

Tired of Waiting on a Promotion?

Take

Designed to provide benchmark loss prevention education for:

■ Loss prevention managers

■ College students

■ Store managers

■ Operations support roles

■ Anyone interested in a career in loss prevention

COURSE CONTENT

Course 1: The Retail Environment

Course 2: Becoming a Successful Business Person

Course 3: Loss Prevention Basics and Tools

Designed to provide advanced loss prevention education for experienced LP professionals with three years’ experience or more:

■ Loss prevention management

■ Loss prevention executives

COURSE CONTENT

Course 1: Leadership Principles

Course 2: Business Principles

Course 3: Loss Prevention Operations

Course 4: Safety and Risk Management

Course 5: Crisis Management

Course 6: Supply Chain Security

When in doubt, apply the “Disciplined Listening” leadership test. Ask yourself: Do those around me believe that I am calm, consistent, and making people better?

The Evolving Mindsets of Loss Prevention Leaders

As loss prevention professionals climb the leadership ladder, each new rung requires a mindset shift. When new leaders earn promotions, they are often hungry to develop their perspectives. Unfortunately, it is easy for senior leaders to assume that their rising leaders are aware of these necessary shifts and bypass opportunities to educate them.

Each level of leadership requires a more strategic, and less tactical approach. Success is no longer defined by case numbers, audit scores, and merchandise protection standards compliance. It is now defined by business acumen, budget management, relationships forged, new leaders developed, innovations, and process improvements.

This evolution in thinking can be challenging for people who earned their reputation by generating cases and enforcing policy compliance. As Marshall Goldsmith famously stated, “What got you here, won’t get you there.” Below are five best practices for loss prevention professionals to employ as they progress in their leadership journey.

Transition from doer to teacher and listener. As leaders progress in their careers, they are no longer expected to do many of the daily tasks they were previously responsible for. They are now expected to develop a team of people to tackle these tasks, evolve how these tasks are accomplished and identify new efforts that benefit their team and organization. This requires rising leaders to step aside and allow other team members to make mistakes as they learn to handle these assignments. The best leaders are teachers, and mistakes create the best

teachable moments. Focus on developing the patience necessary to listen to how those around you think and feel so you can teach them the understanding necessary to be successful.

Shift your focus from numbers to outcomes. Metric driven leaders often find themselves chasing numbers. This tactical approach places leaders in a trailing position as they try to catch up to their numeric goals, which typically limits their strategic impact on the organization and their ability to develop others. Focusing on outcomes allows leaders to best deploy their teams and resources, evolve traditional efforts, and identify new best practices.

Teach problem solving skills, not task requirements. Gregg Smith did a great job with this when I was on his team. He was consistently inquiring about our thought processes and how our actions aligned with our goals. As a result, he wasn’t teaching us how to handle any one situation. He was teaching us how to think, understand our environment, consider various factors, and weigh alternatives. The problem-solving skills we learned transcended individual issues and helped us protect the organization by making better decisions, quickly, in novel situations.

Align LP goals with organizational goals. Adam Ostrowsky was the first loss prevention leader who taught me this lesson. It was easy to focus on generating cases and securing inventory while ignoring greater organizational needs. He was the first person who slowed me down and motivated me to consider how my actions impacted the entire

operation. This is especially important in environments where loss prevention is working to overcome a us-versus- them perception with sales-focused departments. Loss prevention leaders earn greater support throughout the organization when they develop the ability to frame their initiatives around the goals and priorities other departments are focused on.

Build trust through follow-up conversations. People don’t trust what they’ve been told, they trust what they believe they’ve experienced. Building trust within your team, and your organization, requires providing everyone around you with experiences that consistently reinforce the belief you—and your team—are trustworthy. The more impactful information you can share with your team, and the more often you set aside time to listen to them, the better. This is especially true after stressful or difficult events.

There is no doubt it can be difficult to let go of tasks you previously handled, assume the role of teacher, focus on outcomes, develop your business acumen, and integrate yourself within the larger organization. Whenever possible seek out mentors who have previously navigated this change and ask their advice. Ask your team for their input and connect with leaders outside of loss prevention to learn from their experiences and perspectives. When in doubt, apply the “Disciplined Listening” leadership test. Ask yourself: Do those around me believe that I am calm, consistent, and making people better? If the answer is yes, you’re on the right track. If the answer is no, address these cornerstones and the rest of your leadership foundation will fall into place

Are you asking the right questions?

Are you asking the right questions?

Are you asking the right questions?

Are you asking the right questions?

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.

ECHO E X P A N S I O N C H A L L E N G E

ECHO E X P A N S I O N C H A L L E N G E

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

ECHO E X P A N S I O N C H A L L E N G E

ECHO E X P A N S I O N C H A L L E N G E

SCAN THE 2023 SCHEDULE

SCAN THE 2023 SCHEDULE

SCAN THE 2023 SCHEDULE

SCAN THE 2023 SCHEDULE

TYPICAL

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?

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?

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?

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?

OPEN-ENDED

OPEN-ENDED

Building Strength in the Security Profession Through Diversity

By IOBSE

In2022, the International Organization of Black Security Executives (IOBSE) celebrated 40 Years of Legacy and Leadership serving the security and loss prevention communities. IOBSE is the leading organization for minority security professionals. Founded in 1982 by six security professionals who saw a need to educate and introduce minority professionals to the opportunities that existed in the security field, the primary mission of IOBSE is to “impart professional resources to aid in the integration of security management into business operations.” That mission has now eclipsed several generations of security and loss prevention professionals and is still growing to this day.

The tremendous diversity of our country has provided a foundation for our unique strength, prosperity, and resilience. Embracing diversity is becoming more and more important as the world continues to shrink and the demographics of our society transform in a global environment. We are a nation built on the promise of inclusion and acceptance, where every individual has the opportunity to find their place and make a difference. IOBSE was built on that promise.

We are a nation built on the promise of inclusion and acceptance, where every individual has the opportunity to find their place and make a difference. IOBSE was built on that promise.

This is just as important in the workplace, where we have come to recognize the value of an employee population that respects and supports our human differences. By learning to better understand each other we can better appreciate the unique contributions that people with variable backgrounds and experiences can bring to the workforce, creating a positive and nurturing work environment that maximizes the potential of all employees.

The Annual Conference

The IOBSE is a non-profit organization that provides education and training to help keep practitioners

and students abreast of current trends in security operations and technology. With a primary focus on minority security professionals, the purpose of the annual conference is to connect and network with successful and emerging professionals in the security industry; gain knowledge with the support of leading professionals and subject matter experts; build leadership skills through educational panel discussions, presentations, and workshops that cover a variety of security topics; and assist in professional networking to facilitate the exchange of information, ideas, knowledge, and experience.

Active members include individuals who are either a director, manager, supervisor, or exempt-level security practitioner; law enforcement officials; security solution providers at the executive, managerial, or supervisory level; and educators providing instruction or administering educational programs in security, criminal justice, law enforcement, or closely related programs at accredited colleges or universities. However, anyone interested in learning more about the security industry is welcomed to attend the conference.

Attendees should expect a conference atmosphere that is genuine, engaging, and inviting. The two-day event is filled with insightful panel discussions with industry leadership, educational presentations by leading subject matter experts, and informative workshops focused on current trends and topics. Networking opportunities bookend the conference, with a welcome reception kicking off the event and the Founder’s Dinner, a formal “black-tie” event that closes out the conference.

The conference features small exhibition areas sponsored by leading solution providers, an aspect of the event that has continued to grow and develop over the past several years.

With a goal to develop leaders for today, tomorrow, and into the future, IOBSE also sponsors college students to attend the annual event to create exposure and awareness of the opportunities that exist in the security and loss prevention industries. A day prior to the conference, IOBSE hosts what has become known as “Student Education Day.” Students are selected to attend the conference by committee members who work with historically black colleges and universities.

Engaged in a panel discussion at the IOBSE conference are (left to right) Bert Williams, John Griffin, Vanessa Matthews, and Ricky Davis.

IOBSE sponsors each student and pays for all their expenses to take part in the conference.

The conference is typically held in the spring, however, adjustments will be made if necessary in the best interests of the organization and its members. IOBSE has developed partnerships with various companies, vendors, and solution providers over the years, and as a result the conferences are held in different locations each year with prominent organizations sponsoring and hosting the conferences by offering their facilities and financial resources to support the conference.

Those who attend the IOBSE conference receive a certificate for continuing education units. It is then up to that specific board to acknowledge and apply those hours toward maintaining their certifications.

Beyond the Conference

The IOBSE is committed to giving back to our communities by ensuring our future leaders are a key focus. Beyond the conference experience, IOBSE offers quarterly webinars for our members. Current and up- to- date information is provided along with topics that inspire and

provoke thought to promote education and awareness among our security and loss prevention leaders. This helps to develop business and leadership skills while keeping members informed on the latest industry trends, technology, and topics.

By continuing to build a culture of acceptance and mutual respect where both attitudes and actions will encourage understanding, IOBSE looks to create an environment where people of all attributes and backgrounds are valued, where every voice has a chance to be heard, and every individual has an equal opportunity to be successful. Some additional initiatives include:

■ Identifying colleges and universities with prominent minority enrollment. IOBSE members will visit those campuses and provide seminars for the student population to educate them about the opportunities in security and loss prevention. Scholarships are also offered to select students to help support their education.

■ Mentorship programs that are available to students and young

professionals to help them further develop and advance in their professional careers.

■ Exclusive job listings are provided to members to further support growth and advancement opportunities.

■ Virtual mixers and in-person social events are held throughout the year to help keep members engaged. This allows for networking, which is key for developing professional relationships.

■ Several committees are available that any member can join and get to work helping the organization, to include a Membership Committee, Professional Education Committee, Student Education Committee, and the Communication Committee. When a person gets involved in a committee, they stay connected to the organization and the community.

IOBSE members have the opportunity to network and align with likeminded individuals with an organization that promotes excellence. Members are provided with a number of opportunities to make a difference, allowing everyone to stay personally connected throughout the year. You can be a part of an organization that gives back to its community, providing prospects for students to grow into future leaders.

The IOBSE allows today’s leaders to provide support, knowledge, and life experiences to develop future leaders for tomorrow’s challenges. If you are looking for an organization where you can meet security executives, middle level managers, and young professionals to assist with building a strong network, learn more about the security field, and find mentorship opportunities, the IOBSE is the organization. If you are interested in joining an organization that will allow you to network with leading security professionals, enhance and broaden your knowledge about all security fields, develop your leadership skills, and give back to the community, this organization fits that bill.

To learn more, read “IOBSE: A Message of Workplace Inclusion and Leading with Purpose” provided by LP Magazine. You can also visit the IOBSE website at https://iobse.org.

With a primary focus on minority security professionals, the purpose of the annual conference is to connect and network with successful and emerging professionals in the security industry; gain knowledge with the support of leading professionals and subject matter experts; build leadership skills through educational panel discussions, presentations, and workshops that cover a variety of security topics; and assist in professional networking to facilitate the exchange of information, ideas, knowledge, and experience.

With a goal to develop leaders for today, tomorrow, and into the future, IOBSE also sponsors college students to attend the annual event to create exposure and awareness of the opportunities that exist in the security and loss prevention industries.

Sparking Innovation Through New Connections

By Innovision

Innovision is an invitation-only event that fosters cross-functional discussions to develop and explore innovative solutions in combating today’s complex issues in asset protection and loss prevention. It is a unique, high-end, two-and-a-half day educational and networking event with a strong educational agenda exploring topics such as organized retail crime, cybersecurity, risk, and loss prevention reduction strategies, and evolving technology.

The event location and speakers are handpicked by experienced committee members composed of retail loss prevention, asset protection practitioners, and solution partner professionals. The conference agenda is designed to offer something for everyone, with general sessions, breakout sessions, meetings, workshops, and networking events. The goal is to provide attendees an opportunity to learn and develop, ultimately returning to their organizations with actionable intelligence and a strong desire to make positive change.

and leave a mark on the industry. By absorbing new and innovative solutions, brainstorming fresh ideas, and sharing best practices with peers from across the loss prevention community we are making a difference together, strengthening the industry, and giving back. At the last Innovision conference, for example, more than $4,000 was raised at the closing gala for the Loss Prevention Foundation Benevolent Fund.

Unique Format

Innovision is unique because solution provider sponsors invite decision makers from their top retail clients to network and meet other solution partner clients in a relaxed, low-pressure, non-competitive, intimate setting. The only cost for retailers to attend the event is their travel to the conference.

Innovision committee practitioners and solution provider partners are passionate about the industry, contributing as thought leaders, board members, participants in panel discussions, speakers, sponsors to events, and certification programs. Many of the partners provide scholarships, including LPQ and LPC certifications, through the Loss Prevention Foundation and CFI certification through Wicklander-Zulawski and The International Association of Interviewers.

Partnership

Leaders and decision makers working in the loss prevention, asset protection, and safety industry come to Innovision to network, learn, and break barriers between retailers and solution partners. Attendees are passionate about the field and have at heart the mindset to influence change

Innovision is unique because solution provider sponsors invite decision makers from their top retail clients to network and meet other professionals in a relaxed, low-pressure, non-competitive, intimate setting. The only cost for retailers to attend the event is their travel to the conference. Solution provider booths surround the general session area, making it easy to visit with partners during breaks and between sessions. There is also the opportunity to attend solution partner presentations and schedule meetings for solutions that interest you.

Between brainstorming sessions with peers, focus groups in a crossindustry setting, and speaking with solution providers to develop new solutions, all attendees have the opportunity to help colleagues, mentor newcomers, and strengthen relationships with solution partners and peers, all while having a little fun.

Conference attendees are also eligible to receive continuing education units toward their LPC recertification. To make the most out of the event experience, first-time attendees should come prepared to:

■ Learn, with inspiring, forward-thinking, and original keynote speakers who will present new tools essential to industry leaders.

■ Network, with roundtables and focus groups meant to foster collaboration and become a form of “think tank” where everyone wins by openly sharing best practices.

■ Make a difference, by getting together to explore new solutions to business problems in open forums while making a meaningful donation to a social cause.

■ Be heard, throughout networking events and discussions with vendors who can include your suggestions as part of their future designs.

■ Build new relationships

Whether they last a lifetime or a season, it is up to you. Innovision allows you to expand your rolodex considerably. Maximize your experience by staying in touch with peers who can support you all year-round.

This year’s Innovision event will be held in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, February 27 through March 1. Learn more at innovisionconference.com/.

Fighting Organized Crime Through Partnerships

By Rich Rossman

Coalition of Law Enforcement and Retail (CLEAR) is a non-profit, nonpartisan association consisting of law enforcement and retail professionals focused on improving the safety of retail communities and advancing the professions of its membership. Recognized as the national authority on organized retail crime (ORC), CLEAR actively participates in federal and state legislative efforts, national media events, and diverse educational programs for retailers and all levels of law enforcement.

Through public-private partnership programs, CLEAR continuously offers timely, relevant information and insights to members as well as providing vital core resources for creating and furthering partnerships that reduce serial retail crime.

The primary mission of CLEAR is to build and support public-private sector partnerships focused on improving the safety of our communities. And while affordable, relevant education and training remains critical, cooperation between all law enforcement agencies, business, and private

sector organizations is seen as a mission imperative.

The Conference Experience

The CLEAR annual training and networking conference first launched in 2008 and is the only national conference dedicated to defining, disrupting, and dismantling ORC organizations through the active sharing of intelligence, innovative technology, and advanced investigative strategies. The conference provides a unique learning experience as attendees from both retail and law enforcement jointly participate in powerful sessions on the most relevant topics presented by dynamic speakers from the major police agencies, prosecutors, solution providers, and national corporations. To further enhance learning and networking opportunities, CLEAR has also partnered with the Florida Law Enforcement Property Recovery Unit (FLEPRU) for the annual conference.

FLEPRU is a non-profit corporation consisting of top property crime detectives from across the state of Florida along with approved nonlaw enforcement investigators, such as retailers, and various other

public and private partnerships with similar goals and objectives. This collaboration further strengthens the event by consolidating efforts, attracting a more diverse professional audience, extending our reach, and bolstering public-private relationships.

This national event boasts top retail loss prevention investigators, law enforcement officers, lawmakers, and others for educational excellence, solutions-based discussions, and networking opportunities in the fight against ORC. The conference has grown exponentially in recent years with specialized training sessions primarily focused on property crimes, trends, investigative tactics, and legislative topics. General sessions are hosted by speakers who are experts in their field and industry professionals both locally and from across the nation. Additionally, the event features both retail and law enforcementfocused breakout sessions with subject matter experts providing insights on topics more specific to our partner audiences.

Attendees can take in topics featuring many of the top ORC-related issues facing our communities today, such as ORC

The primary mission of CLEAR is to build and support public-private sector partnerships focused on improving the safety of our communities.

, President at CLEAR

trends, social media investigations, dark web investigations, traveling ORC crews, civil unrest, fencing, return fraud, credit card fraud, gift card fraud, identity theft, prosecution strategies, legislative updates, and a host of topics related to the mission and vision of the public and private partnership. Audience participation is encouraged throughout the event, taking full advantage of the spectrum of experts that participate in the conference to keep learning opportunities at a premium.

The conference also features a Vendor Showcase and Retail Fusion Center to support networking opportunities between law enforcement and retailers. This allows attendees to meet with many different solution providers to learn more about the latest tools and technologies available to combat these crimes, improve partnerships and communication, increase safety, and drive results.

Beyond the Conference

Opportunities to participate in CLEAR don’t end with the annual conference. CLEAR offers year-round

opportunities for retail loss prevention and the law enforcement community to work together as we face the ongoing challenges of ORC and other incidents that impact our businesses and our communities.

CLEAR serves as an essential advocate for providing information of interest to all organizations and agencies in the battle against ORC while building and reinforcing critical loss prevention and law enforcement partnerships. By working and learning together we can all benefit, creating strong relationships that make our communities safer. The goals and objectives of these partnerships include:

■ Encouraging cooperation between all law enforcement agencies and retail corporations with the goal of detection, prevention, and investigation of property crimes and the apprehension of involved perpetrators.

■ Promoting and encouraging municipal, county, state, and federal organizations to create and support enforcement and detection units to combat property crimes such as but not limited to;

ORC, fencing of stolen property, cargo theft, identity theft and fraud, burglary, theft, and organized property crime schemes.

■ Organizing on a national level those departments and associations who qualify for membership.

■ Accumulating and disseminating information of interest to all members to facilitate the duties of law enforcement and retail property crime investigators.

■ Tracking, proposing, and supporting both state and national legislation concerning property crime investigations as brought forth by individual states and organizations.

■ Encouraging and supporting other state, regional and national associations that share similar goals as CLEAR as necessary and appropriate, such as the various organized retail crime associations that have been established across the country. Look for more from CLEAR in the coming months and join us as the 2023 annual conference returns to Orlando next November. For additional information, please go to the CLEAR website at clearusa.org/.

The Asset Protection Executive Xchange

By Amber Bradley

APEX is an in-person, executive-only event that brings together asset protection leaders from across the country and abroad. Designed to be intimate in size to encourage more consequential interaction, participants have the opportunity to foster meaningful dialogue and conceptualize actionable strategies. APEX ensures high levels of collaboration and engagement through interactive sessions driven by expert facilitators. Attendees can expect educational sessions, idea exchanges, vibrant debate, and collaboration geared toward enhancing executive skill sets and strengthening long-term relationships.

Focused on Top Industry Challenges

APEX is specifically tailored for asset protection professionals looking to take on the highest-priority challenges in the industry. Tackling timely industry topics, conference attendees gain a firsthand look into how other retail executives from across the industry are addressing similar challenges. Executive attendees can expect a three-day collaborative event, in early fall, that provides insights and knowledge through fresh, relevant content.

APEX provides a platform for leaders in the security and asset protection industry to effectively tackle their most pertinent challenges. With meetings spanning the hottest topics like cutting-edge technology, new trends, and relevant methodologies, there is something for everyone.

Each year, asset protection and operational executives gather in Nashville for an in-depth look into a plethora of topics that affect day-to-day operations, such as shrink reduction, customer and employee safety, operational challenges, and executive leadership. Each APEX attendee can take advantage of relevant panel sessions, led by industry experts that feature the practical application of the latest technologies, trends, and methodologies. In addition, APEX provides valuable insight on finding smart solutions for organizations of all sizes.

The APEX conference maintains an Executive Advisory Council comprised of retail executives to help create the most valuable content for discussion and the exchange of ideas. Executive Advisory Council members consist of top asset protection leadership representing a variety of retail and food service verticals from across the industry to help provide both unique and collective ideas and

loss prevention and asset protection leaders by connecting through the collaborative agenda. The goal is to bring people together in hopes of developing long-lasting partnerships. There is no need to do any exceptional planning when preparing for the APEX event. Whether it is hotel bookings, breakfast, lunch, dinners, or a signature networking event, it’s all included in the planned programming itinerary. Plus, attendees can earn continuing education units at the same time by simply participating in the different sessions included in the event.

Beyond the Conference

perceptions to best serve the needs and interests of conference attendees. This helps ensure the APEX conference assembles the most forward-thinking asset protection executives and solution providers to create a powerful platform of learning, networking, collaboration, and innovation. Attendees describe the experience as remarkable, educational, eye-opening, inspiring, and peppered with surprise celebrity appearances. With insights on solutions, this is clearly the place for those looking to bridge the gap between what’s now and what’s next.

APEX refuses to follow the same path as traditional exhibit hall formats. Instead, they want to provide a more impactful experience for solution providers and attendees alike. Solution providers have the opportunity to foster relationships with influential

From major conferences to individual virtual events, APEX provides a platform for leaders in the security and asset protection industry to effectively tackle their most pertinent challenges. With meetings spanning the hottest topics like cutting-edge technology, new trends, and relevant methodologies, there is something for everyone.

APEX Women creates a space particularly tailored toward women in asset protection and loss prevention. Here, attendees join forces with their professional peers to gain beneficial insights and resources. Ultimately, APEX strives to foster meaningful connections while allowing professionals the opportunity to stay on top of emerging threats.

Register Now for the Invitation-only Event

APEX is an invitation-only event. This year’s conference will be held in Nashville, September 13–15, 2023. For more information or to request an invitation, email amber@calibrationgroup.com.

Ultimately, APEX strives to foster meaningful connections while allowing professionals the opportunity to stay on top of emerging threats.

The Restaurant Loss Prevention and Safety Association

By RLPSA

The Restaurant Loss Prevention and Security Association (RLPSA) is an exclusive community of loss prevention, risk, and safety professionals focused on helping its members keep their employees and customers safe while minimizing losses and reducing liabilities. With a vision to serve as the premier organization and resource for valuable content, powerful networking, and professional growth for loss prevention, risk, safety, and security professionals within the food service and restaurant industry, RLPSA’s industry leaders are dedicated to sharing their collective expertise, knowledge, and solutions to the challenges faced across the industry every day.

As a member-run organization, the mission of RLPSA is to educate members on topics that benefit companies by:

■ Helping provide a safe and secure environment for customers and employees,

■ Identifying and mitigating risk by leveraging best practices with innovative solution providers,

■ Protecting companies from the erosive effects of crime,

■ Addressing public and governmental concerns about safety and security, and

■ Serving as an advocate for the industry. RLPSA strives to make members more efficient and successful in their jobs by serving as the “go-to” resource for restaurant industry loss prevention and security expertise. This is accomplished by connecting a network of peers who understand the unique challenges of the job, sharing information about industry trends, and working together to find the next best solution. A forum for discussion and problem-solving has been established so members can benefit from shared expertise. Professional development opportunities designed to meet the specific interests and concerns of restaurant and food

industry professionals are offered, while advocating for policies and regulations that make their workplaces safer and more secure.

RLPSA is governed by a board of directors comprised of loss prevention, risk, and safety professionals from across the restaurant and food service community. Each year, the board of directors establishes goals and strategies to help elevate career objectives, expand the knowledge base of members, and provide additional access to important industry resources. With a focus on being responsive to members’ needs, this creates a forum for the exchange of ideas, strategic alliances with vendors and other professional organizations, and additional value through the delivery of other relevant industry information and education.

The association also supports East, Central, and West regional chapters that promote RLPSA’s vision at the local level, providing valuable content, powerful networking, and professional growth opportunities for loss prevention, risk, safety, and security professionals in the restaurant industry. This further helps build relationships with local law enforcement while supporting the exchange of industry trends and information designed to improve safety and security protocols in restaurant and food service organizations.

The Conference Experience

With an event typically held in the spring, asset protection, risk managers, and safety professionals in the restaurant or food service industry can expect a collaborative conference experience that delivers cutting-edge insights aimed at supercharging their organizations. RLPSA conference attendees only need to come prepared to learn and hopefully share their challenges and opportunities as well as their successes. After all, RLPSA’s motto is, “Smarter. Together.”

The dynamic speakers and breakout sessions are designed for learning from each other’s experiences—so together, we unlock new ways of achieving success.

And while the focus provides the most relevant and timely information and education to support members in the field, the networking opportunities can kindle ongoing alliances while opening doors to new partnerships that add real value and build lasting relationships. Attendees may also earn continuing education credits by attending the RLPSA conference.

Rather than your traditional exhibit hall, at RLPSA the exhibit halls are interactive. There is always a fun and engaging theme that allows attendees to enjoy the exhibition hall experience while engaging with new solution providers and long-term partners as we learn more about the latest technologies and cutting-edge solutions.

Beyond the Conference

Outside of the conference, RLPSA also offers free webinars and other virtual events designed for industry professionals to discuss and solve their most relevant challenges. Additionally, RLPSA facilitates “RLPSA CONNECTs,” which are regional in-person events held throughout the year in various parts of the country. Members not only enjoy these benefits, they also have access to information and tools housed on the RLPSA website that allow them to get ahead of trending opportunities.

This year, RLPSA’s annual conference will be held at the Downtown Sheraton in Denver, CO April 2 – 5, 2023. For more information on the RLPSA or to register for the annual conference, visit RLPSA.com.

RLPSA strives to make members more efficient and successful in their jobs by serving as the “go-to” resource for restaurant industry loss prevention and security expertise.

Tom Meehan, CFI

Meehan is retail technology editor for LP Magazine as well as president of CONTROLTEK. Previously, Meehan was director of technology and investigations with Bloomingdale’s, where he was responsible for physical security, internal investigations, and systems and data analytics. He currently serves as the chair of the Loss Prevention Research Council’s (LPRC) innovations working group. Meehan recently published his first book titled Evolution of Retail Asset Protection: Protecting Your Profit in a Digital Age. He can be reached at TomM@LPportal.com.

Social Media’s Effect on Asset Protection

Community-oriented websites offer a straightforward way for criminals to connect, share information, and coordinate activity.

Social media has drastically changed the job of asset protection. The job, which traditionally involved securing physical spaces, now has a digital element that adds a layer of complexity that can’t be ignored. The effect social media has on asset protection is complicated. It is neither good nor bad. On one hand, it can be an invaluable tool for gathering information, active threat monitoring, weather events, and conducting investigations. On the other hand, it is a digital meeting place for criminals to case businesses and plan coordinated crimes. The invention of social media dates back all the way to 1997 with the launch of Six Degrees—a website where users could create a profile and send out friend requests. This was followed by Friendster in 2002, MySpace in 2003, and finally, Facebook took off like wildfire in 2004, eventually becoming ubiquitous and changing the course of communications forever. Although social media is not “new,” its increasing prominence over the last few years has made it hard to imagine life without it. Even if we are not actively using social media, the

Sites like Reddit (430 million monthly active users), Discord, (140 million monthly active users), and 4chan (22 million monthly active users) thrive off connected users with common interests. When those interests are illegal activity, it creates an information sharing hotbed where criminals can share vital information for conducting crimes and brag about their past crimes.

dissemination of information throughout society is taking place on these platforms.

The New Town Square

Around ten years ago Bill Gates said, “The Internet is becoming the town square for the global village of tomorrow.” What was an astute observation ten years ago, seems like an obvious statement now. These social media platforms are no longer fringe websites people visit to look at cat photos, they are integral parts of our society. Considering the societal and political impacts of social media, it’s surprising that it is still largely anonymous, which means that criminals can operate online with little fear of their social media activity raising any flags. We are seeing an alarming rate of

like Reddit (430 million monthly active users), Discord, (140 million monthly active users), and 4chan (22 million monthly active users) thrive off connected users with common interests. When those interests are illegal activity, it creates an information sharing hotbed where criminals can share vital information for conducting crimes and brag about their past crimes. From a Washington Post article in 2021, Fran Clader, director of communications for the California Highway Patrol was quoted as saying, “…social media is increasingly playing a role in the organization and promotion of such events. Several recent store robberies in the San Francisco area, including at Burberry, Bloomingdale’s, Yves Saint Laurent, Walgreens, and Fendi, were likely organized on social media apps.” Traditional loss prevention tools are proving to be ineffective in stopping the rise of social media coordinated smash-and-grab sprees. A single security guard, surveillance cameras, and electronic article surveillance systems do a good job at deterring or catching one or two thieves attempting to steal from a store but do very little against a mob of thirty masked people rushing into a store and leaving with goods in under two minutes.

their job. As an asset protection professional, you have the tough task of having to face potential shoplifters while knowing that at any moment your reactions could be broadcast on social media. It can feel like a burden and often it’s hard not to think about how what you say or do when dealing with these situations is going to end up being portrayed online. To ensure success in this line of work, comprehensive training must be provided emphasizing proper techniques for both interacting with customers as well as handling possible sousvelliance.

Intense Political Climate

Asset protection professionals have been put in a challenging situation with the rise in smash-and-grab crimes, coupled with a growing acceptance of these otherwise criminal acts. Every week we seem to be served news of the latest looting or theft from stores and trains, but even more fascinating is the public reaction; people along with some politicians increasingly sympathize with the perpetrators and view their actions as an outlet for frustrations that run much deeper than simple larceny. This puts asset protection professionals in a hard spot because we can be

criminals using different types of social media to spread and receive vital information used for nefarious purposes. The big platforms, like Facebook and Twitter, do a decent job of cracking down on the sharing of this information but with the vastness and prevalence of the internet, it’s nearly impossible to get ahead of it.

Crime-Oriented Communities

Community-oriented websites offer a straightforward way for criminals to connect, share information, and coordinate activity. Most of these platforms have large traffic numbers, but drastically smaller teams than the tech giants like Twitter and Facebook, which make it very hard to adequately police. Sites

Sousvelliance

Along with the rise of social media has also been the rise of sousvelliance. Sousvelliance is the recording of an event or activity by a member of the public rather than a person representing an organization. Like social media, sousvelliance is also a double-edged sword. Through individuals recording police officers making stops and arrests, it has created an additional level of accountability for law enforcement personnel, ensuring citizens’ rights are respected. By sharing these negative interactions, which remain a vast minority of police interactions, it has created a hostile environment which has made it hard for good law enforcement officials to do

villainized for just doing our jobs. Even with the new technology available for retail security, the job of an asset protection professional is not getting easier. It continues to get more complicated and social media is just one force driving the change. It’s hard to know what social media or the internet will be like in twenty years, but we can prepare ourselves by trying to stay up to date as best as we can.

Along with the rise of social media has also been the rise of sousvelliance. Sousvelliance is the recording of an event or activity by a member of the public rather than a person representing an organization.

As an asset protection professional, you have the tough task of having to face potential shoplifters while knowing that at any moment your reactions could be broadcast on social media.

Traditional loss prevention tools are proving to be ineffective in stopping the rise of social media coordinated smash‑and grab sprees.

PEOPLE ON THE MOVE

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.

Professionals Advancing Their Careers

Abel Alvidrez, LPC is now community engagement and asset protection market manager at 99 Cents Only Stores.

David Almasi was promoted to vice president of US retail sales at 3SI Security Systems.

Cristian Candido has taken on an additional role as director of security at Abrappe (Brazil).

Matthew Harper, CBCP was promoted to loss prevention manager of global security, risk intelligence and crisis resilience at Ace Hardware.

Nira Lee was promoted to senior program manager, global security academy; Mike Aldridge, LPC was promoted to senior program manager of seller investigations; Dustin Diamond was promoted to senior program manager, global investigations, data centers; Patrick Lajoie, PSP, CPTED was promoted to senior security program manager, central Americas region (Canada); Lucy Fenner was promoted to senior investigations manager, EMEA (United Kingdom); Natalia Merino Macedo was promoted to investigations manager, EMEA (Spain); David Fontana was promoted to regional manager, EMEA, data center investigations; Drew Welch, APCIP was promoted to security and loss prevention senior program manager (United Kingdom); Lisa Albers was promoted to senior manager, supply chain loss prevention;

Martin H. Lisitza, CFI is now an investigations specialist, physical retail investigations; Chris Dunne, CPP is now a regional loss prevention manager, NACF; and Diego Perazzo was promoted to cluster loss prevention manager (Spain) at Amazon.

Corey Runt was promoted to senior manager of reporting, analytics, and investigations at American Freight, Furniture, Mattress & Appliance.

Petrônio Albuquerque is now a regional loss prevention coordinator at Americanas Entrega (Brazil).

Amanda Pritters is now global head of retail security at Apple.

Daniel Lee is now Australia loss prevention manager at Apple.

Brittney Kotteles is now senior manager of brand and asset protection at Arc’teryx Equipment.

JoAnna Povich, CFI and Aki Moore, CFI are now senior managers of retail risk at Aritzia.

Cristiane Teixeira Lopez Franco is now general manager of loss prevention and asset security at Asun Supermarkets (Brazil).

Fabricio Ferreira is now corporate security and loss prevention at Autonomo (Brazil).

Tora Harris, CFI is now a district loss prevention manager at Beall’s.

Steven Ren is now national security director at Beijing Hualian Group (China).

Ben Johnson is now associate vice president of asset protection operations for Bath and Body Works.

Lesley Lage was promoted to senior manager of asset protection operations at Bath and Body Works.

Michelle Barton was promoted to regional asset protection manager at Belk.

Jonathon Burris, LPC is now director of risk management, safety and asset protection at Belle Tire.

Jake Harris, CFI is now a regional asset protection manager at Big Lots.

Mirsha Maza is now regional asset protection senior manager at Bodega Aurrera (Mexico).

Mark Perkins is now vice president of strategic markets development, and Derek Nilsen is now director of marketing at Boon Edam USA.

Aleksandra

Kellie Mather is now loss prevention operations inventory lead, and Jana Da Silva was promoted to loss prevention advisor NSW at Bunnings (Australia).

Nicholas Elwell, SEM is now manager, Burlington Response and Investigations Center; Ash Warren, MBA, ARM, CFI and Stacey Klug are now regional asset protection managers; Martha Coler, Julianne Wickline, and Cassie Ashcraft are now district asset protection managers; Matt Della Torre is now asset protection construction project manager; Javis McKarry is now an asset protection field investigator; and Nick Johnson, LPC is now a field investigator at Burlington Stores.

Taniums Kopti was promoted to national manager of losses and risks, convenience group at Carrefour Brazil (Brazil).

Adeilton Leão was promoted to national manager of loss prevention and risk, supermarkets at Carrefour Varejo (Brazil).

Mark Stinde, LPC is now vice president of asset protection at Casey’s General Stores

Anton Williams was promoted to group director, asset protection corporate at Chanel.

Caleb Prater was promoted to senior director, safety and loss prevention at Chewy.

Michael Segreto is now managing director of fraud prevention at City Furniture.

Kyla Palmer was promoted to senior regional security manager, and Garrett Waletzki was promoted to manager of investigations at Comcast.

Ewa Field is now a profit protection analyst at Compass Group (United Kingdom).

Ignacio Romero De La Fuente is now an internal auditor at Correos (Chile).

Tom Meehan, CFI has been promoted to president at CONTROLTEK

Brian Gross has been promoted to chief operating officer and Kim Scott has been promoted to vice president strategy and marketing at CONTROLTEK

David Bruno is now a regional loss prevention manager at Cracker Barrel.

Dave Berkland CFI, LPC is now a regional assets protection manager and Joel Haynes is now an asset protection senior manager at Dollar General.

Darrell Rose, LPC is now a regional asset protection manager at Dollar Tree.

Henry Montoto, CFI is now a regional safety and loss prevention specialist at Domino’s.

Myeesha People was promoted to area asset protection supervisor at DSW.

Juan Guerrero, CFI, LPQ was promoted to senior regional security manager, Americas and Simon Bremer was promoted to profit protection analyst (United Kingdom) at Dyson.

Steffen Steudte is now a regional asset protection manager at Family Dollar.

Phil Morley is now national loss prevention manager at Farmers Trading Company (New Zealand).

Parker Griebel, LPC, LPQ was promoted to market asset protection manager at Festival Foods.

Elizabeth Spoden is now a regional asset protection manager at Follet Higher Education.

Kevin Santelli is now vice president, commercial and national accounts business at Guardian Protection.

Tripp McMillan and Jeff Mclain, LPC are now regional loss prevention managers at Gabes.

Katie Rieken is now an e-commerce fraud specialist at Gametime.

Justin D’Aigle was promoted to director of asset protection operations, Wanda Barnes-Lake is now a brand protection manager, Artin Tahmasian is now an internal asset protection coordinator, and Matthew Tracy, CFI, Michelle Southworth, Shan Lawson MBA, David Carreno, Conrad Nelson, CFI, LPC, and Charles Justice are now area asset protection managers at Gap, Inc.

Vince Giacinto, CFI was promoted to deputy officer and director of security operations (Southern Wisconsin), William Crist was promoted to asset protection security systems specialist (Central and Northern Arizona), and Chip Ward is now a regional asset protection manager (Arizona) at Goodwill Industries.

Joseph Yannes, Jr., MBA, LPC is now manager of asset protection solutions at Green Thumb Industries.

Matt Yount is now a regional security manager, and Zakaria Ayyad is now security manager (Germany) at Gucci.

Ariadne López Riojas is now a loss prevention coordinator (Mexico), and Roman Medina is now an area loss prevention manager at H.E.B.

Jose Montoya, CFI, CBCI is now senior manager of asset protection at HelloFresh.

Sean Browne was promoted to senior manager, asset protection investigations, Jeremy Fincher was promoted to senior manager of business intelligence asset protection, Rob Pope was promoted to director of supply chain asset protection governance and analytics, Taylor Maupin was promoted to senior manager of asset protection supply chain, and Lindsay Patton is now a market assets protection manager at The Home Depot.

Georges Mouralian is now director of safety and security at IKEA (Canada).

Joshua Rakes and Ryan Rasor are now organized retail crime field investigators, and J Rakes is now a market field investigator at JC Penney.

Tom Gledhill Dip, CSMP was promoted to senior territory asset profit protection manager JD Sports Fashion (United Kingdom).

Laura Swinburne is now a profit protection area manager at John Lewis Partnership (United Kingdom).

Andrea Buckles is now division asset protection manager at King Soopers.

Jacob Rothrock was promoted to loss prevention market investigator at Kohl’s.

Troy Harding, LPC was promoted to vice president of 0perations at Kroger.

Diana Bispo is now a loss prevention leader at Le Biscuit Stores (Brazil).

Mahsa Mojaradeski was promoted to senior asset protection manager at Louis Vitton (Canada).

Tiffany Martin is now a regional asset protection director at Lowe’s.

Kathlene Basile and Santo Zenone, LPQ are now senior security and risk specialists at lululemon (Canada).

Djalma Junior was promoted to regional manager of loss prevention and asset security at Grupo Mateus (Brazil).

Adam Luna is now corporate asset protection/compliance manager at Mavis Tire.

Hector Coronado Navarro is now head of security operations, Latin America at Mercado Libre (Mexico).

Dermot Fitzsimons, CFI is now senior manager of organized retail crime and William Ziarkoski is now a senior investigator at Macy’s.

Tomas Negron is now southern US market loss prevention business partner at MadRag.

Erica Leite and Rafael Barreiros are now senior regional loss prevention analysts at Mercado Livre (Brazil).

Ben Duster is now chief financial officer, Allen Auchenpaugh is now senior vice president global services, and SK Panda is now senior vice president of global sales at Mobile Technologies.

David Johnston is now vice president of asset protection and retail operations at the National Retail Federation.

Danielle Decena was promoted to senior internal investigator, Hamid Naibi was promoted to field investigator, and Adam Rutkowski, CFI, Adam Whitley, Jarrell Wilson, Ricky Chavira, Stevenson Fils, and Aubree Mori are now area asset protection managers at Nordstrom.

Justin Vuylsteke, CPP is now asset protection director at Nouria.

Adam Stern was promoted to senior manager of loss prevention, and Travis Beggs is now a loss prevention analyst at PGA Tour Superstores.

Alessandro Calabrese is now security consultant, Italy and Central East Europe at Primark (Italy).

Laura Skrlec was promoted to loss prevention manager, national accounts at Purolator (Canada).

Thomas Jones is now manager of fraud risks and controls at PwC Australia (Australia).

Abhishek Pandey was promoted to area loss prevention manager at Reliance Jio (India).

Tadeu Santos is now a loss prevention coordinator at Grupo Ri Happy (Brazil).

Victor Wichi, MBA, CFI, LPC was promoted to divisional asset protection leader, and Brian Gross, CFI, LPC and Steven Bedi are now regional asset protection leaders at Rite Aid.

Robério Alves is now a regional loss prevention supervisor at Roldão Atacadista (Brazil).

Leticia Keppy and Juan Estevez were promoted to regional loss prevention directors; Burkely Bitaraf was promoted to senior manager, LP intelligence; Sarkeis Tomeh was promoted to senior area loss prevention manager; Shaun Dudney is now an area loss prevention manager; and Mario Howell is now manager of market investigations at Ross Stores.

Christine Mocherniak is now a corporate investigations analyst at Saks Off 5th.

Melissa Ryan, LPC was promoted to loss prevention field manager at Sally Beauty.

David Quinton, Jennifer Mendoza, Alejandro Badillo, and Maria Plascencia-Avina are now area loss prevention managers at Sephora.

Richard Mathers, CFI is now a retail loss prevention consultant at Selfridges (United Kingdom).

Adam Obornick and David Toner are now district asset protection managers at Shoppers Drug Mart.

Shawn Tryon was promoted to senior director of security at Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits.

Sara FitzGerald was promoted to regional loss prevention manager, and Kevin Gorman is now a district loss prevention manager at Sportsman’s Warehouse.

Daniel Rodriguez was promoted to director of logistics and asset protection at Stadium Goods.

Frank Torres was promoted to field loss prevention manager at Staples.

Tom Nicholson is now UK security and resilience manager at Starbucks (United Kingdom).

Izzy Ratkoceri is now loss prevention and information security at Swatch Group (United Kingdom).

Justin Martelli was promoted to senior manager, asset protection business reporting; Kevin Kent, CPP, PSP, CPD was promoted to lead business partner, AP safety and security; Michelle Fernandez is now an asset protection operations manager; Aaron Pacheco was promoted to assets protection business partner, supply chain; and Jay Franzke and Andres Orozco were promoted to asset protection business partners at Target.

Michael Leung is now corporate security, senior security investigator at Telus (Canada).

Brogan Lowe, Mohammad Awan, Nathan Hinson, and Tim Popoola were promoted to regional guarding capability Partners, and Tom Colman, ASyI has been promoted to UK security operations manager at Tesco (United Kingdom).

Tom Colman was promoted to UK security operations manager at Tesco (United Kingdom).

John Parent is now a regional loss prevention manager at Toys R Us (Canada).

Phil DeGorter is now vice president of loss prevention at TPC Group.

to national task force organized retail crime investigator at TJX Companies.

Melissa Rodriguez and Chris Marquez are now organized retail crime investigations managers, and Kasi Van Ghle is now an area loss prevention manager at Ulta Beauty.

Patrick Eidinger, CFI was promoted to senior director of loss prevention at UNIQLO.

Bill Penn, CFI is now inventory accuracy manager, loss prevention, and Haaris Iqbal was promoted to area loss prevention manager (United Kingdom) at UNIQLO.

Jim Tanner was promoted to senior manager of loss prevention operations and surveillance at Universal Studios Hollywood.

Jack Halpin is now a regional loss prevention manager at URBN.

Robert Schlegel is now the director of control room sales at Vistacom.

Christopher Kohler is now a global investigator, and Yendrys Gomez was promoted to district asset protection manager at Walmart.

Don Grimes was promoted to asset protection assistant divisional manager at Wegman’s Food Markets.

Lauren Wainwright is now central loss prevention communications and operations manager (Europe); Cornelius Cavitt, CFI and Oliver Niworowski, CFI are now regional loss prevention managers; James Newbury (United Kingdom), Danny Rinaldi (United Kingdom), Dan Goldmann, CFI, John Murphy, Jr., and Eva Shkurti are now district loss prevention managers; and Kiara Coates-MA was promoted

Lisa Kilgore is now regional manager of safety and loss prevention at Wineshipping.

Justin McBride is now a regional asset protection operations manager at Wireless Vision.

Tim Luddington is now national security manager at Yusen Logistics (United Kingdom).

Courtney Wolfe

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.

Popular Articles on the LPM Digital Channels

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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.

Large Fencing Operation Busted in Las Vegas

Home Depot Associate Dies Following Confrontation with Thief

Now That the INFORM Act Has Passed, What’s Next?

There is new content updated to the LPM website daily that is featured in our e-newsletter.

Las Vegas police and retailers had to catalogue multiple 30-foot moving trailers filled with stolen goods recovered from a suspected fencing operation, with the value of the goods estimated at well over $1 million. Retailers helped the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department’s Organized Retail Crime Section unload the trailers of recovered goods at an undisclosed warehouse in Las Vegas.

A Home Depot employee died weeks after confronting a callous thief at a Home Depot in Hillsborough, North Carolina. The disturbing incident, which occurred on October 18, was caught on the store’s surveillance footage.

Lowe’s Unveils Project Unlock

The INFORM Consumers Act, a law that will insert transparency and accountability into online marketplace transactions, takes effect in June 2023. Planning for implementation and ensuring the Federal Trade Commission and State Attorneys General are prepared to enforce the law immediately is now a top priority for retailers.

Episode 1 of LPM’s Inside Scoop with a Fraudster Podcast

Organized retail crime has been on the rise since 2020, and it costs retailers an average of $700,000 per $1 billion in sales. While others are working to tackle this problem, Lowe’s believes there are better ways to curb theft than locking products down. Project Unlock combines low-cost RFID chips and IoT sensors to activate power tools at the point of purchase.

candid conversation about life as a fraudster and specifically, in this episode, self-checkout fraud.

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Jacque Brittain, LPC Editorial Director

Small Steps Can Lead to Remarkable Journeys

How did I end up where I am today? We’ve all asked ourselves that question thousands of times pondering the roads we’ve followed, the decisions we’ve made, and the many ventures of circumstance that led us to where we currently find ourselves. We think back on situations and choices we’ve made and wonder what might have been if things had gone differently.

The truth is, we make thousands of decisions every day from the moment we wake up until the time we go to bed. The sum total of those choices—what we know, where we are, what happened around us, how we responded, and what we’ve learned—combined with the person we were yesterday, is what creates the individual we see in the mirror.

in expensive exercise equipment, it may be better to take a few minutes each day to go for a walk. Sometimes we need a big change or a clean break. But keep in mind there are other times when taking small steps makes more sense. Invest in yourself by learning what’s best for you.

Growth Happens in Steps

We can’t change the past, but we all have the ability to affect our future.

While not every decision has to set the world on fire, we can change routines, alter habits, and make improvements.

Sounds pretty deep, right? Well, for those that think next we’ll start chanting, there is a point. We can’t change the past, but we all have the ability to affect our future. While not every decision has to set the world on fire, we can change routines, alter habits, and make improvements. If we choose, we can stop doing many of the things we know are bad for us and focus more on self-improvement. In just about every area of our lives there are things we can work on if we want to.

It’s the time of year for “New Year’s Resolutions,” where good intensions too often lead to lost opportunities. But for many of us, the reason behind our self-inflicted failures is that we try to take on too much at once. Rather than investing

The same thought process can be applied to our professional development as well. Professional opportunity isn’t typically placed in front of us on a silver platter. A promotion is something we earn over time. A college degree takes time, money, and effort. Building partnerships takes trust, flexibility, and resolve. Building a reputation takes commitment and determination. It’s a journey we earn a little at a time, building on those small steps to create something valued and worthwhile.

There are times when patience and creativity are our most important assets. Don’t feel you have the time or resources to earn a college degree? Take an online course here and there, and invest in yourself a little at a time. Look at the industry certifications, which are eligible for academic credits. There are even scholarship opportunities that can provide that education for free. If the goal is self-improvement, there are different prospects. The opportunities are there if you’re flexible and open-minded.

Looking at all the conferences available each year—maybe you’re not afforded the opportunity to attend. Even so, you can still access many

of the sessions by simply visiting the association web page to learn more. Sessions typically review the most prominent issues facing the industry today. Most associations provide access to the session summaries and other resources. Some offer full video presentations from the key speakers. LP Magazine attends most of these conferences and offers a closer look at the events. The information is there if you want to learn.

Want to get more involved? Want your voice to be heard? Want to make a difference? We can’t complain if we’re not willing to participate. Take part in the industry surveys when provided the opportunity rather than deciding that taking a few minutes is a “waste of my valuable time.” Make comments and ask questions on social media posts regarding industry news. Volunteer to make a presentation, take part in a group project, or help with a company initiative. Ask your supervisor questions. Ask your peers questions. Learn more about the business beyond your current reach. These steps help you grow—and earn attention.

Often it’s the small steps that lead us through our most important journeys. Take a closer look at the little things you can do to stand up and stand out. Recognize the difference between reasons and excuses and put yourself in a position where you don’t need to think back on the situations and the choices you’ve made and wonder what might have been if you did things differently.

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