Anti-shoplifting training

Shoplifting And The Law

April 25, 2017 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

Law changes across the United States dealing with shoplifting are always changing. Police departments across states work among businesses to protect them from shoplifting and other illegal activities. Businesses need and demand harsher sentences to deter shoplifting. Businesses dealing with shoplifting are inarguably in accordance with the police force, and want solutions to protect their business and ultimately their bottom line. When training your loss prevention personnel, what is allowed and what is prohibited according to the law, must be addressed with them and with the management of your company. A well trained loss prevention officer can be the difference between a law suit or not.

For more about this topic, follow the links below.

Civil Demand Letters After You Are Busted For Shoplifting

Shoplifters who were caught and released are getting an additional scare in the mail after the event occurs. You may have been caught lifting a pack of gum, or a shirt from a local store. When you were caught you may have just been asked some questions and let go on the spot. However, a letter might come in the mail to scare you after the fact even if you aren’t arrested.

Typically when you are caught shoplifting in Illinois, the store gets their merchandise back undamaged, on the spot. There are no damages incurred by the store, as they are free to sell that t-shirt or pack of gum. However, some law firms are coming after shoplifters in an attempt to gain monetarily for the event. A letter arrives, from a law firm claiming damages and back legal fees they claim a shoplifter owes. This is called a civil demand letter. This letter does not mean any charges have been filed against the shoplifter and the person who receives the letter probably shouldn’t pay. In my opinion, making the payment admits guilt.

Know Your Rights if a Store Detains You for Shoplifting

Being detained by a store or mall security office under suspicion of shoplifting is an experience no one wants to have. Often mall security will try to pressure you into signing a statement admitting your guilt (often threatening to call the police if you don’t) or force you to pay restitution for your offense, but in some cases things can escalate. If you’re detained for shoplifting—regardless of whether you’re innocent or guilty—you have rights. Here’s what you need to know.

This post is part of our Evil Week series at Lifehacker, where we look at the dark side of getting things done. Knowing evil means knowing how to beat it, so you can use your sinister powers for good. Want more? Check out our evil week tag page.

What Has to Happen for a Store to Detain You

The first thing you need to know is what a store has to have or has to see in order to exercise their right to detain you. First, a witness or employee needs to establish probable cause.

Shoplifting offenses are fairly common, but that doesn’t mean shoplifting crimes aren’t taken seriously.

Shoplifting offenses are fairly common, but that doesn’t mean shoplifting crimes aren’t taken seriously. Every state’s penal code includes provisions that apply to shoplifting (usually under the umbrella of theft or larceny statutes), and penalties can be harsh — especially when the dollar value of the merchandise is high, or the offender has a criminal record.

What is Shoplifting?

Shoplifting is typically defined more broadly than the simple removal of merchandise from a store without paying for it. You can also be charged with shoplifting (or retail fraud) for things like:

altering a price tag
removing (or even just trying to remove) security tags and other theft-prevention
“secreting” an item on your person while still in the store (putting merchandise in your pocket or purse), and
removing an item from its packaging and concealing it in or among other merchandise.

Filed Under: Shoplifting Prevention Tagged With: Alpha 2 Alarm, Alpha High Theft Solutions, Alpha Jewel Lok, Alpha Security, Anti-shoplifting alarm systems, Anti-shoplifting training, anti-theft devices, combating shoplifting, EAS Devices, employee background checks, Employee Theft, Georgia shoplifting prevention, Illinois shoplifting laws, Loss Prevention Seminar, Loss Prevention Seminars, Loss Prevention Workshop, Management and shoplifting prevention, mobile POS loss prevention, Prevent Shoplifting, racial profiling, Retail Anti Theft Devices, retail security and monitoring, shoplifting and police, Shoplifting and prosecution, shoplifting and the law, Shoplifting Prevention, Shoplifting rights, Shoplifting state laws, shoplifting statistics, shoplifting violence, surveillance, What is shoplifting?

Improving Loss Prevention Training For Your Employees

April 21, 2017 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

Training your personnel well on how to handle shoplifting incidents, can be an asset for any company. Excellent training is an asset. Prejudiced training is a liability for the business plus it’s bad for business. The loss prevention team and management of the store that receive training and are constantly educating themselves through out their careers, become indispensable in any company.

For more about this topic, follow the links below.

How Organizations Can Impact Loss Prevention with Improved Associate Knowledge

Four takeaways gathered over the course of transforming the way Bloomingdale’s approaches LP and safety training:

Prior to 2012, Bloomingdale’s was doing what most retail organizations do when it comes to lossprevention and safety training–relying on a number of standard training approaches like posters, classroom training, huddles, and pre-shift morning rallies. But these approaches just weren’t working.

As I contemplated this situation, I realized we weren’t focused on the right thing. We were concentrating on simply delivering training, when we should have been focused on building knowledge. Simply plastering posters on the wall or using all those other one-off approaches weren’t making our associates smarter or getting them to do the right things on the job. This dearth of knowledge was impacting our loss prevention and safety numbers.

We sought out and eventually discovered an employee knowledge platform that aligned with the organizational vision. The platform’s methodology, which was rooted in brain science principles, and its use of gamification techniques to keep associates interested, succeeded in building employee expertise over time. Since implementing the platform, we’ve reduced safety claims by 41 percent and saved $2.2 million per year, which is a $10 million savings overall.

Here are a 20 ways to make more money and boost your profit margins by minimizing loss in your business: – Modest Money (press release) (blog)

There’s an old saying that “you have to spend money to make money,” but it’s also true that one of the best ways to make money is to avoid spending money in the wrong places. If your business is spending too much money on unnecessary business expenses – or worse, if your business is losing money due to theft by customers or employee fraud – you are letting good money go out the door. And this makes it harder for your business to be profitable because you have to work that much harder.

Here are a 20 ways to make more money and boost your profit margins by minimizing loss in your business:

Reduce Administrative Errors: Many businesses make seemingly simple mistakes in their pricing, paperwork or bookkeeping that lead to big losses over time.

VIDEO: What police told last night’s West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting about recent gunfire incidents, and more

Despite the overnight gunfire spree hours earlier, turnout was low at last night’s West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting, so we recorded highlights on video. Above is what precinct commander Capt. Pierre Davis told attendees; below, special guest Officer James Ritter, talking about the SPD Safe Place program, which has now been adopted by more than 50 cities across the country.

Toplines: Capt. Davis said a multi-city/multi-agency task force is working on the gunfire situation, which has seen recent incidents in South Park as well as West Seattle (SP also is part of the SW Precinct’s jurisdiction). None of the WS incidents have resulted in injuries – so far; the precinct is working with special teams including the Gang Unit and SWAT and trying to get more officers out on patrol to try to get ahead of the problem. They are working to identify potential suspects who might be from out of the area – he mentioned Kent, Renton, Federal Way – but spending time with family in this area.

Filed Under: Shoplifting Prevention Tagged With: Alpha High Theft Solutions, Alpha Nano Gate, Alpha Security, Anti-shoplifting alarm systems, Anti-shoplifting training, anti-theft devices, anti-theft tags, anti-theft training, anti-thefts devices, Boost profit margins, EAS Devices, employee background checks, employee training, Georgia Alarms systems, Georgia shoplifting prevention, Georgia shoplifting systems, Loss Prevention Seminar, Loss Prevention Seminars, Loss Prevention systems, Loss Prevention Training, Loss Prevention Workshop, minimizing loss, Prevent Shoplifting, prevent shrinkage, preventing shoplifting in your store, Retail Anti Theft Devices, retail security and monitoring, security devices, shoplifting statistics, smart anti shoplifting training, surveillance

The Advantages of Hiring and Training Good Employees

April 11, 2017 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

A study done by the University of California at Berkley found that hiring a new employee costs an approximate $4,000 dollars per employee and in hiring for higher positions-professionals and management level employees-the figure increases to $7,000. If you are a small business, then the figure increases per every new employee you are trying to hire. If you are a small business that offers other benefits to their employees, the cost increases considerably. The importance of hiring quality employees, or training the employees you already have, are an economic advantage many businesses cannot pass. Hiring and training new employees is expensive, why not do it right the first time? Background checks, and recommendations from other employers are not something you can take lightly. Checked them before you hire, and it would likely paid dividends.

For more about this and other stories, follow the links below.

Loss Prevention Management Must Focus on Quality Recruitment and Retention

Loss prevention management has the power to improve understanding, morale, and workplace inclusion.

Let’s face it—the bottom line to any corporate organization is the profit margin. However, those in executive loss prevention management should always be mindful that quality of service drives the margin. Factors that lead to high-quality service are often the result of well-retained employees. Specifically, all management levels need to be mindful of what policies work, what don’t work, and what looks promising.

Recruitment and Training

Think back to when you first joined your company. What was your initial impression of the first few people you met when you went in for the initial interview? Do you remember their general attitude about the company?

Chances are that your initial impression was positive. Perhaps this is why you stayed. Do you think the same attitudes are being conveyed to new recruits today? If not, you might consider those colleagues who left the company. What was it about their experiences that differed from yours, that made them leave?

Oxford Square Alliance Meets To Combat Rise In Shoplifting

The Square Alliance met this morning to discuss ways to combat the increase in shoplifting in the hub of Oxford’s shopping. Business owners had a Q&A with OPD investigator Chris Case about how to prevent shoplifting and deal with those who are caught in the act.

Case provided tips in shoplifting prevention such as a more visible security system, keeping an eye out for suspicious activity and more. Business owners voiced their opinions and discussed certain tricks and trends that they’ve noticed shoplifters using to attempt to steal merchandise. Case mentioned that shoplifters will usually work in pairs rather than alone to attempt to distract workers while they commit the crime.

A heavy importance was placed on figuring out how to deal with shoplifters when they are caught in the act to find the balance of ensuring security but not overstepping the boundaries. Businesses and workers have the ability to recover stolen merchandise and keep the violator in the store until the authorities arrive, as long as they have probable cause. It is also unlawful to lock them in a small space such as a closet or use force.

Wal-Mart has a unique way to cut down on shoplifting

Wal-Mart has taken the law into its own hands.

No, the company has not started its own jail, and any employee who wears a cape and fights crime must still do so on his own time. Instead, the retail chain has taken a new approach to fighting shoplifting that requires less involvement from the police. The retailer has been using a “restorative justice” program in 1,500 of its stores, according to The Gainesville Sun. That’s a program in which people deemed low-risk, first-time offenders are given the choice of paying to take an anti-shoplifting course rather than facing arrest and prosecution.

The effort is in its early days, but the results have been good so far. The company has seen a 35% reduction in calls to law enforcement nationwide since restorative justice programs were first implemented, Wal-Mart spokesman Ragan Dickens told The Sun in an email.

“No retailer is immune to the challenge of crime. We recognize the importance of this issue at the highest levels of the company, and we are investing in people and technology to support our stores,” he wrote, noting that police are not being cut out of the loop.

Filed Under: Shoplifting Prevention Tagged With: Anti-shoplifting training, Background checks, combating shoplifting, employee background checks, Employee retention, Georgia shoplifting prevention, Georgia shoplifting systems, hiring, loss prevention management, Loss Prevention Seminars, Loss Prevention Workshop, pre-employment background check, quality employees, quality recruitment, recruitment, Retail Anti Theft Devices, retail security and monitoring, security devices, shoplifting, Shoplifting Prevention, shoplifting statistics, shoplifting violence, small business hiring, surveillance, theft prevention, training, Wal-mart, Wal-mart shoplifting prevention, workplace inclusion, workplace morale

Fighting Shoplifting Locally

April 4, 2017 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

Across the United States, local governments are passing legislature to combat and punish shoplifting and employee theft. The harsher sentences are supposed to deter the shoplifter while sending the message of severe persecution if caught shoplifting. Now, small business owners are taking a new initiative. They are uniting to fight retail theft, and being able to provide information about shoplifters and shoplifting among retailers in the area.In some areas, the increase of shoplifting is hitting businesses hard and according to them “We are fed up.”

For more about this and other topics, follow the links below.

East Coast supermarket chain finds talent in former drug dealers

PHILADELPHIA

When Jeffrey Brown looks to promote employees within his 13-store supermarket chain, he looks for people with hustle, ability, commitment, all that.

There’s another unlikely attribute that has turned out to be a predictor of success at Brown’s ShopRite and Fresh Grocer stores.

“What we realized is that a lot of the people we hired were in the drug trade,” said Brown, founder and chief executive of Brown’s Super Stores Inc. “We were surprised that some of the people we hired have fairly good business skills. The drug trade is a business. It’s an illegal business. You are buying. You are selling. You have inventory. You have some of the common problems that any retailer has. A lot of them are accelerating into management.”

That’s the kind of human capital insight that Brown would never have imagined in 2008, when, at the urging of an outspoken customer, he decided to make it his company’s mission to hire people coming out of prison.

Research Findings from Employee Theft Articles

Peer-reviewed employee theft articles can stimulate discussion and reassessment of policies among LP professionals.

As many of you know, I have been researching employee theft, occupational crime, employee dishonesty, and workplace deviance for more than 30 years. I peruse scholarly journals and academic publications regularly for relevant research studies that can help us all better understand this phenomenon. This column features a couple of employee theft articles that may shed some light on this continuing problem. I have included the full citations so you can find these publications online or in your local library to read and share with your staff. If you do not have direct access to a major research library, try using Google Scholar.

“Workplace Theft: An Analysis of Student-Employee Offenders and Job Attributes”

The first of the two employee theft articles is authored by Elizabeth Ehrhardt Mustaine (University of Central Florida) and Richard Tewksbury (University of Louisville) and published in the American Journal of Criminal Justice 27:1 (pages 111 – 127, 2002). This employee theft study surveyed a large population of college students attending a number of major universities. Since existing research suggests that many dishonest employees are younger, part-time, untenured, and dissatisfied, these two researchers concluded that college students would make an ideal sample of employees to survey about their occupational criminal behavior.

Filed Under: Shoplifting Prevention Tagged With: Alpha Spider Wrap, Anti-shoplifting training, anti-theft devices, Businesses and shoplifting, dishonest employees, employee background checks, Employee Theft, Georgia shoplifting prevention, Georgia shoplifting systems, Illinois shoplifting laws, juvenile shoplifters, Local business fighting shoplifting, Loss Prevention Workshop, Management and shoplifting prevention, Prevent Shoplifting, prevent shrinkage, preventing shoplifting in your store, racial profiling, Retail Anti Theft Devices, Retailers and shoplifting, security devices, Shoplifting Education Programs, Shoplifting Prevention, shoplifting statistics, shoplifting training, shoplifting violence, surveillance, workplace theft

Defective Hiring

March 31, 2017 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

Would you knowingly buy a car with a defective engine? Of course not! So why would you hire a “defective employee”?

My definition of a defective employee is one with a criminal history, horrible credit history, has lied on their application and more.

Getting this kind of problem child in your business is asking for trouble you don’t need or have time for. On top of that, do you really want someone who has stolen, committed violent acts or worse in the environment you are trying to build? That person then wastes your hard earned resources including payroll, training and time by causing the same aggravation they have for others. But this time you have to deal with them.

Do you know what the most lied about item is on an application? It is not pay, experience or even that they really do not have a sunny disposition. It is the dates of employment from their previous jobs. Let’s say they have had three previous jobs. They got fired from number two so they stretch the dates of number one and three and whoosh job number two never existed. As employers we want to have it all including the good, bad and especially the ugly. This allows us to make better hiring decisions.

We can find this out for you. The criminal acts, thefts, assaults, DUI’s, rapes, illegal drug convictions and more. Oh yes, we can even find those jobs they are not telling you about and get the dates of employment.

You do not want a car that breaks down as soon as you drive it off the lot. Why would you want the same thing in an employee? Contact us today; we can start pre-employment background checks for you right away. In most cases we have same or next day results.

Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: Alpha 2 Alarm, Alpha 3 Alarm, Alpha High Theft Solutions, Alpha Jewel Lok, Alpha Nano Gate, Alpha Security, Alpha Spider Wrap, Anti-shoplifting training, anti-theft devices, anti-theft tags, anti-thefts devices, Background checks, employee background checks, employee hiring, Employee Theft, employment training, Georgia shoplifting prevention, Georgia shoplifting systems, Loss Prevention Workshop, pre-employment background check, Prevent Shoplifting, prevent shrinkage, racial profiling, retail security and monitoring

Tuning Up Your CCTV To Maximize Safety And Security

March 31, 2017 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

When do closed circuit television malfunctions occur? I’m sure you can guess, it is always at the point when you need it most. I can’t recall the number of instances when I had a cash shortage I needed to look for and when I attempted to pull video through the DVR the video was already dropped or the camera wasn’t functioning. I remember having to look for an image of a suspect in a shoplifting incident and the picture was too grainy to be of any use due to a dirty camera lens or dome. One slightly embarrassing situation that stands out in my mind involved robberies that were taking place behind our store. I had developed a great working relationship with our local police department and they knew the quality of our camera system. Investigators came to me seeking assistance with outdoor camera footage to try to identify the criminals conducting the robberies. I pulled up video of the date and time in question and much to my chagrin the camera had a great shot of the ground directly underneath it. A power surge had impacted the programming of the pan/tilt/zoom (PTZ) camera and placed it in a default position. I had not noticed the problem in a timely fashion and could not recall how long it was before I did catch the issue. The good news was I was able to re-program the camera and eventually we did provide footage of an incident a little later that led to an arrest.

It is important to do a spring cleaning of your Loss Prevention tools, and especially a tune up of your closed circuit television (cctv) equipment. As a Loss Prevention Manager for a big box retailer, each spring we would have what we referred to as a bounce back checklist. The checklist covered a number of housekeeping items, including cleaning and checking CCTV components. Doing so helped to ensure we were getting maximum video retention, quality camera pictures, clear public view monitor images and we would identify equipment needing repairs.

I used to train my team to look at CCTV equipment from the eye of a shoplifter. If there is a public view monitor it is supposed to be a deterrent to crime. When the bad guys see their picture on a monitor the idea is that they will be less inclined to do what they intended whether it is shoplifting, stealing purses or robbing the business. I would emphasize that a filthy monitor or poor quality picture indicated to the bad guys that the store didn’t take Loss Prevention seriously and diminished the deterrence value.

CCTV equipment maintenance is not just for stores with a Loss Prevention Department. Many stores do not have a security department but there is equipment that is a precaution against crime. Often a camera system with a digital video recorder, computer and or multiplexer is housed in a small office recording activity. It can be easy to forget about it if there is not someone assigned to check on it daily. Sometimes it is neglected until a robbery takes place or money is missing from a register and then a manager goes to review footage and finds the system is not functioning. Using a spring checklist helps managers ensure equipment will be functioning when it is needed.

So what should be included in a cctv tune-up checklist?

Dust digital video recorders, keyboards, computers and multiplexers with canned air and good quality dusters
Check all connections and ensure nothing has come loose and no wires are frayed
If equipment is maintained in a small office, ensure the room is properly cooled
Review each camera and picture, is it positioned to see what you need it to see?
Clean every camera lens
Wipe down all camera domes (even dummy domes)
Clean Public View Monitors. If a monitor has a burned picture, replace it. Look at it during different hours of the day is there a time when too much glare hits it? If so, you may want to try repositioning it.
Check your video retention. If you aren’t getting at least 30 days follow up with your vendor to see about clearing space or optimizing recording. You may be able to set recording zones or sensors that will only record when movement in an area happens.

No one wants to think about a robbery, employee theft or shoplifting taking place in their store but it is something you have to be prepared for. Take care of your cctv by tuning it up so that IF the time comes when you need it you will have the video necessary to help police in their investigation to put the criminals away.

Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: Alpha 2 Alarm, Alpha 3 Alarm, Alpha High Theft Solutions, Alpha Jewel Lok, Alpha Nano Gate, Alpha Security, Alpha Spider Wrap, Anti-shoplifting training, anti-theft devices, anti-theft tags, anti-thefts devices, Background checks, CCTV, CCTV cameras, CCTV equipment, CCTV monitors, EAS Devices, employee background checks, Employee Theft, Georgia shoplifting systems, Loss Prevention Seminar, Loss Prevention Training, Retail Anti Theft Devices, Robbery, shoplifting violence, surveillance

Spring Cleaning Should Include A Review Of Evidence Held For Shoplifting And Employee Theft Cases

March 30, 2017 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

When I was a Loss Prevention Manager we would catch a shoplifter or a dishonest employee and recover merchandise. Depending on the type of case we would sometimes hold the evidence for a few days until the court hearing other times it could be much longer. If a shoplifter refused to plead guilty or requested a jury trial cases could be held up for months if not longer. I had several cases that went on for more than a year. Felony shoplifting cases and juvenile cases in our jurisdiction often meant lengthy wait periods depending on caseloads in the court. I also recall at least one shoplifting case in which the lawyer for the defendant requested extensions three separate times hoping that I would not appear for the hearing and the case would be dropped. No dice, I showed up for each hearing and finally the lawyer entered a guilty plea. The problem with the lengthy cases was that we would have to hold the evidence until the cases were settled. In some situations the police department held the recovered merchandise, such as when they stopped the suspect after the suspect fled the store. When merchandise has to be held for long periods it is possible for it to sit in evidence and be forgotten about. For stores that are too small to have security or Loss Prevention Departments management may be storing that evidence and no one is thinking about following up on cases with their police department or court.

Spring is the perfect time to look through cases and see if there is merchandise that can be returned to inventory. Before you just go in and start looking through evidence closets or lockers that you may have in your store take some things into consideration. Just as police have chains of custody, a store should have a similar program in place. No one should be able to open a security cabinet and start digging through it. A proper evidence locker will have a listing of evidence that is associated with a case number, date and suspect(s) name. This enables the store to track the progress of a case. It also gives reference information so that a call to the Clerk of Court can help their employees find the status of a case. When the locker is opened, there should be a signature sheet with a date and time entry showing when it was accessed. There should also be an evidence release form in the event police have to take custody of property (be aware that they will have their own chain of custody form for you to sign too).

Why is it so important to go through and review for evidence that can be cleaned out? From an inventory standpoint the product could be losing value. I did have merchandise sit in my evidence locker and some SKU’s went clearance as the merchandise had to be held while the case was in limbo. In a few instances merchandise completely dropped from the books and I had to take financial sheets and account for the products. Occasionally police would come by with merchandise from cases I had forgotten about and let me know that they were cleaning out their evidence lockers and a case had been dismissed or adjudicated without any follow up with our store. Again, this was infrequent as most cases were disposed of with me present or a call from the Clerk of Court letting me know the defendant had entered a guilty plea. Our store was large enough that we could absorb some of these lost markdowns or the items dropped from the system without making a major impact on our stock shortage. For smaller stores this could be problematic. Every dollar and piece of merchandise should be accounted for whenever possible at inventory time. The lower the annual sales the more impact each lost or uncounted piece of merchandise has on overall shortage.

What is the solution to potential losses because merchandise is in evidence? Use spring as the time to review what you may have in your evidence locker from shoplifting and employee theft cases. If there are cases that have been sitting for a month or more, place a call to the court that is responsible for the case and ask about the status. If it has been closed on their end you should be able to release the goods back to the store. If it is still awaiting trial or disposition continue holding it in evidence. One final piece of advice, some jurisdictions will permit photos of evidence to suffice for court. Contact your local police department or court to find out their rules and guidelines.

Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: Alpha 2 Alarm, Alpha 3 Alarm, Alpha High Theft Solutions, Alpha Jewel Lok, Alpha Nano Gate, Alpha Security, Alpha Spider Wrap, Anti-shoplifting training, anti-theft devices, anti-theft tags, anti-thefts devices, clearance, employee background checks, Employee Theft, inventory, loss prevention, Loss Prevention Workshop, mobile POS loss prevention, Perpetual Inventory, Retail Anti Theft Devices, Shoplifting Prevention, surveillance

Avoiding A Lawsuit Due To Shoplifting Prevention

March 29, 2017 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

Macy’s, Barneys, CVS, Victoria Secret and many other retail stores have been sued during the last year. From racial profiling to unlawful arrest and defamation, these big chains are dealing with costly legal representation due to shoplifting. To prevent shoplifting these stores spend millions of dollars every year hiring, training, and buying technology to help them combat shoplifting in their stores. Trained personnel that know the policies and rules on how to apprehend and deal with a shoplifter can be an instrumental asset to the store. It can possibly save you millions of dollars from lawsuits.

For more about this and other topics, follow the links below.

Preventing Shoplifting Without Being Sued: Practical Advice for Retail Executives

Practical, clear advice on what you can do to prevent shoplifting in your retail establishment, and how to go about recovering damages from shoplifters.

Retailers offered new, free online course to prevent racial profiling

HALIFAX — The Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission has launched a new online course aimed at preventing racial profiling at retail outlets.

The free, 20-minute education program — described as the first of its kind in Canada — has already attracted attention from businesses in other provinces and the United States.

The commission says racial profiling is a serious issue in Nova Scotia, where visible minorities are significantly more likely to be followed, searched and ignored than other customers.

Called “Serving All Customers Better,” the course is for front-line security and service staff.

Christine Hanson, CEO of the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission, says the goal is to promote inclusive and welcoming environments for consumers.

The course was developed with the help of the Retail Council of Canada, and is meant to complement existing training.

Green Bay, retailers brainstorm to stop shoplifters

GREEN BAY, Wis. (WBAY) – Retailers and police teamed up in Green Bay on Tuesday for a summit to crack down on retail theft.

ITcame one day after Green Bay police arrested a woman for shoplifting, who had six previous shoplifting charges and eleven warrants — highlighting the importance of this meeting.

While shoplifting may sound like no big deal, police say it is.

Green Bay’s police chief says they see more complaints of retail theft every week than any other crime.

Police brought retailers from across Brown County together to brainstorm ways to prevent retail thefts.

As Action 2 News has been reporting over the last year, police have been trying new initiatives like sending people to jail, charging them in circuit court, or posting pictures of chronic offenders on Facebook.

While they say that’s working, they’re asking retailers to take steps, too. They suggest things like posting signs saying if you’re caught for retail theft, your car will be towed.

They’re also encouraging upgrades to surveillance cameras to get higher-quality images and make it easier to identify shoplifters.

Filed Under: Shoplifting Prevention Tagged With: Anti-shoplifting training, anti-theft devices, anti-theft tags, anti-thefts devices, Background checks, EAS Devices, Employee Theft, Georgia Alarms systems, Loss Prevention Seminars, Loss Prevention Workshop, Prevent Shoplifting, racial profiling, Retailers and shoplifting, shoplifting and police, Shoplifting Education Programs, Shoplifting Prevention, shoplifting violence, surveillance

How to Tackle Employee Theft and Shoplifting

March 13, 2017 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

The big retail stores and thousands of convenience stores across the country try to find solutions to tackle shoplifting and employee theft. The retail industry losses account to $42 billion every year, and it doesn’t seem to be stopping anytime soon.

Security measures implemented and adopted by many retailers have given these stores some small wins, but overall the losses are staggering. Inventory adopted by these small stores that are done in real time, and are working in conjunction with software that displays results to the management of these stores instantly, are invaluable to the operation and profitability of the stores. As a deterrent to shoplifting and employee theft, these operative measures are of tremendous help to the management as well.

CCTV cameras that provided a grainy image of the customers or perpetrators are a thing of the past. Now, CCTV cameras provide a clear image of the individual that is easier for police officers and management of these stores to get a clear view of these people. Facial recognition software now provides solutions to these stores that were not available to them before. And although trained personnel has to work in conjunction with these technological advances, the results have greatly improved over the years.

For more about this and other topics, follow the links below.

To stop a thief: Shoplifting is a daily battle for retailers

On any given day, more than $35 million worth of merchandise is stolen from retail stores across the country by shoplifters – amateurs and professionals alike – who steal clothing, jewelry, electronics and a host of other items, including food.

Some sneak quickly and quietly with the merchandise, others make bold getaway attempts.

In Tupelo, the retail and financial hub of Northeast Mississippi, the Tupelo Police Department gets hundreds of reports each year.

In 2014, TPD took 483 reports related to shoplifting, according to TPD Public Information Officer Chuck McDougald. Last year, that number fell to 260. So far this year, the department has taken 162 calls.

“Higher shopping volume days correspond to more shoplifting calls,” he said. “Those include weekends and holidays.”

As for the timing of when shoplifters are busiest, apparently they’re not early risers.

“Afternoons see an increase over mornings,” McDougald said. “Generally, it looks like the busier a store is, the more opportunities there are for someone to steal.”

For retailers like Reed’s, which has four department stores in the region, the key to cutting down on shoplifters is to make sure customer service is prioritized.

Are You Doing Enough to Secure Your Stores?

Theft and robbery continue to rise, but new technology and planning can deter.

NATIONAL REPORT — Whether it’s violent crime, robberies, shoplifting or employee theft, convenience stores have been dealing with store security issues for years. New technology is allowing operators to amp up prevention and react faster to incidents, but in many cases — in c-stores and the entire retail industry — the situation continues to worsen.

“I’ve been involved in the convenience store industry for 40-plus years and the risk of loss has not changed. The most worrisome is robbery, and as c-stores evolved into 24 hours, the violence level increased,” Chris McGoey of McGoey Security Consulting told Convenience Store News.

Robberies are up all-around, specifically in convenience stores, as the latest released FBI statistics show robbery up 16.8 percent in c-stores/gas stations from 2014 to 2015. Rosemary Erickson, researcher, forensic sociologist and president of Athena Research Corp., based in Sioux Falls, S.D., says this is the largest increase she can remember in all the years she has been studying crime. Erickson has helped NACS, the Association for Convenience & Fuel Retailing, develop many of its security resources.

Filed Under: Shoplifting Prevention Tagged With: Alpha 2 Alarm, Alpha 3 Alarm, Alpha High Theft Solutions, Alpha Jewel Lok, Alpha Nano Gate, Alpha Security, Alpha Spider Wrap, Anti-shoplifting training, anti-theft devices, anti-theft tags, Background checks, EAS Devices, employee background checks, Employee Theft, Georgia Alarms systems, Georgia shoplifting prevention, Georgia shoplifting systems, Loss Prevention Seminar, Loss Prevention Seminars, Loss Prevention Training, Loss Prevention Workshop, Prevent Shoplifting, Retail Anti Theft Devices, retail security, retail security and monitoring, security devices, Shoplifting Prevention, shoplifting statistics, shoplifting violence, surveillance

Preventing Shoplifting

March 7, 2017 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

The National Association for Shoplifting Prevention agrees with the retail industry about the effect shoplifting has in all of us. Communities across the country lose the taxes they would otherwise collect from the items being stolen from stores to help social and outreach programs that could benefit those communities in the long run. Shoplifting is a crime that costs the retail industry $45 billion a year, and we as consumers have to pay higher prices to offset the cost shoplifting has in these businesses.

What we, as consumers and retail employees must not forget is that Profiling a customer upon entering a store is not legal, and we must not lose sight of that. Macy’s and CVS stores have had legal suits because of profiling that have cost them millions of dollars. Assuming a poorly dressed person entering your store is a shoplifter, is assuming too much. The NASP states that there is no profile of a typical shoplifter. Men and women shoplift as equally. Poorly or well dressed customers have the capability to shoplift from the store.

A recent article about ways to prevent shoplifting advises to monitor children and poorly dressed people, because they write“Teenagers are the most likely to steal from you. People that are poorly dressed are statistically more likely to be shoplifters as well”. According to The NASP 25% of shoplifters are kids and 75% are adults. Unfortunately they do not post statistics about how well or poorly those people are dressed. If years of research from organizations like The NASP tells you that there is no profile of a typical shoplifter, it is distressing to find articles that tells you to target poorly dressed people with no data to back it up. If kids or teenagers are your main target, then you will be missing out the 75% of adults that actively shoplift.

Preventing shoplifting is not about targeting people of color, how well they dressed, or if they are teenagers or not. People from all walks of life steal, and some of them are repeated offenders with an addiction problem or other types of issues. Preventive measures that allows you to monitor ALL people including employees, is the only smart solution to take for any retail store. Prejudices or preconceived notions of what a typical shoplifter is can be detrimental to stopping shoplifting and employee theft.

Recent research suggest greeting customers as they enter the store is one of the best methods to prevent shoplifting. Employees should also wander the aisles, but that does not mean targeting “poorly dressed” people. A well lit store, or a store that has shelves that are well organized can deter shoplifters from entering the store. Shoplifting is an inevitable part of doing retail business, get to know your store, and offer preventive shoplifting measures without targeting specific people.

Filed Under: Shoplifting Prevention Tagged With: Alpha 2 Alarm, Alpha 3 Alarm, Alpha High Theft Solutions, Alpha Jewel Lok, Alpha Nano Gate, Alpha Security, Alpha Spider Wrap, Anti-shoplifting training, anti-theft devices, anti-theft tags, Background checks, EAS Devices, employee background checks, Employee Theft, Georgia Alarms systems, Georgia shoplifting prevention, Georgia shoplifting systems, Loss Prevention Training, Loss Prevention Workshop, Prevent Shoplifting, prevent shrinkage, racial profiling, Retail Anti Theft Devices, retail security, security devices, Shoplifting Prevention, shoplifting statistics, shoplifting violence, surveillance