Tis The Season To Be……Robbed

November 6, 2014 by Leave a Comment

shoplifting1It is getting darker outside earlier. The season brings more than that to us. The pressure on everyone including the bad guy’s increases. This coupled with drug addictions, personal problems and more will make retailers a tempting target. After all you tend to have a lot of cash around or at least the perception of more cash in the drawer is there.

We really don’t care why it happens the real concern is how do we keep it from happening to us? You can reduce your risks with a few simple, cost effective and for the most part common sense measures:

  • Drain your Cash Drawer – Your drawers start out the day with a set amount usually in the neighborhood of $100+/- in cash. Set up a schedule and make it someone’s responsibility to drain the drawer of cash every few hours. An easy way to do this is to pull out the all the large bills such as $50’s and $100’s. Leave only enough of the others to make change. DO NOT think that by hiding them under the cash drawer that no one will notice. Everyone knows this. Pull the money out and seal it in an envelope. You do not even need to count it at this point. Put the sealed envelope in the safe. If you have more than one POS then write the POS number on the envelope. An even easier way to do this is to invest into a simple drop safe that costs around $100 (we can point you to a great vendor for this). You can install a drop safe yourself. It simply bolts under the POS in the Cash/Wrap. They have a slot that you can drop envelopes or just loose bills into. I think the best ones are the ones that use a padlock. Inexpensive and easy to keep up with. Then at the end of shift you simply pull that money out and take it to the back with the till. WHY are we doing this you ask? Most robbers come in and look at your drawer before they hit you that day or another. Having a drawer full of succulent cash is like waving tax money in front of a politician. They simply can resist.
  • Lighting – Get your lighting both inside and outside up to speed. Replace burned out bulbs and ballasts. If your landlord is responsible for any of this then now is a good time to send him an email (finish this article first though as I have a few other tidbits for you). Dark attracts the bad guys.
  • Observe and report – If you see someone suspicious then ask the police to drop by. Speaking of that, do you have a relationship with your local Police Department or are you just another store in the crowd? Granted this is sometimes easier in smaller communities. But large departments will also respond with the right incentives. Make it known that you like their presence there. Coffee and a warm place to write a report helps. Call and ask for a supervisor to drop by (non-emergency). Ask the Sargent what is going on in your area. What suggestions does he or she have for you? Their opinion counts to you, let them know that. Can they have an officer come by as your folks are closing to make sure that everyone is safe? Being a former Police Officer I know that the Police would rather do that then deal with a robbery.
  •   Deposits – I strongly recommend that you do not take deposits to the Bank at night or closing. All the bad guys need to do is see who is showing up at the night deposit. Again it is like candy to a baby. Instead lock your deposit in your safe and take it late morning or lunch time. That is a good reason for you to get away for a few minutes anyway. Instead of that frozen meal in the microwave you can actually recharge your brain battery for a few minutes. Speaking of deposits. Conceal them by putting the deposit envelope or bag into something else. Don’t be obvious.
  • Discuss with Staff – Your people need to be in the loop. Many people treat this as something that will never happen to them. And of course we hope it won’t. But although a nice thought that is like expecting that world peace will really happen someday. I have a list of simple discussion points that I will be happy to send you free of charge, obligation…. just send me an email or call. I also see Managers and Owners that think they will scare their employees by discussing it up front. People including that 18 year old first time employee are tougher than you think. Remember, this is really about their safety not the money.
  • Give Freely! – Last but not least, if someone presents you with the business end of a gun, knife, hand grenade, tank…. (You get the picture) then give them the money and get them on their way as soon as you can. Your duties are the protection of yourself, employees and customers. The money is a small mater when a robbery occurs. As soon as they leave lock the doors, THEN call the police. Robbers have been known to come back when they did not think that they got their fair share of your profits. Do not open the door for anyone except a uniformed police officer. You need to protect and keep your employees and customers there. This will also help to insure that these witnesses are there when to police are on site.

Again contact us if we can help.

Let’s have a profitable and safe holiday selling season!

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Court Room Drama

November 6, 2014 by Leave a Comment

law-3If you have never been in court before, it can be a very eye opening experience. There are similarities between TV courtroom proceedings and real life, but the overall experience is very different. If you are planning on prosecuting shoplifters or employees for theft, it is important to understand this step in the process.

Working within the court system is essential to ensure the employee or shoplifter has an official record of their wrongdoing. This criminal prosecution provides concrete evidence against an employee or shoplifter of their alleged acts. This record makes it easier for potential employers to understand an applicants past history, an indicator of their future reliability.

Here is how the process generally works. At the time of a shoplifter’s apprehension, or the completion of an employee theft interview, local law enforcement will be called in. This could be the city police, county police, or even the local sheriff’s department based on your individual store’s location and jurisdiction. If you have multiple locations, understand the jurisdiction might be different for each one. Specifically knowing which department to call ahead of time will simplify the process during an actual incident.

The responding law enforcement will ask a few questions from you. They will take a statement from both sides, and usually ask to see any video available. This is the initial opportunity to present your evidence against the suspect. This is not a time to hold back actual evidence you may have, or give unsubstantiated opinions as evidence.

Law enforcement will take the suspect into custody (if applicable) and file a police report. You may need to go down to their station to fill out additional paperwork depending upon the local protocol. From there papers will be filed with the court system. You should receive a subpoena stating the time, date and place of the court case for your suspect. Understand that it might take a few weeks to several months for this to happen. It is all based upon your local court’s current caseload.

During this downtime, you should ensure that you have created a case report with statements explaining each step of the shoplifting incident, any statements made by the suspect, any paper evidence, a detailed listing of merchandise stolen (size, style, UPC or SKU, color, quantity) photos taken of the suspect, their ID or the merchandise, employee ID, and any video evidence. This case report needs to be kept in a private, locked file cabinet or other place that eliminates contact or access by other employees. Any deviation may allow the defendant’s attorney to question the integrity of the chain of evidence and speculate that it has been tampered with.

When you are set to go to court on the specific time and date given, make sure you show up early and bring your case report with you. Law enforcement may have requested copies at the time of the arrest, but it is better for you to not rely on law enforcement to bring it with them. They have so many cases on a daily basis; they may not remember months later what they were given. It is your responsibility to prove the suspect guilty based upon your evidence. If you show up with nothing, the suspect may be found innocent. Bring the report and file with you.

When you show up, find the prosecuting attorney. They are the ones presenting the case on your behalf. Show them your file, your video, and answer their questions. They are not trying to pick your case apart; they just need to have a full understanding of what they can present to the defense attorney and the judge. Arriving early allows you enough time to best prepare your case with the attorney and have better end results.

While you cannot dictate that a suspect is charged with a specific crime (felony theft vs. misdemeanor theft) you are allowed to let the attorney know that the suspect is not to return to any of your store locations. If so, they will be charged with trespassing.

At this point the attorney will confer with the defense attorney. They will try to work out a plea bargain, which the suspect hopefully will take. They may not stick with the original charges, but a plea bargain will save you countless hours and trips back and forth to the courthouse for an actual trial.

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What You Should Be Auditing

November 5, 2014 by Leave a Comment

theft (11)When you work for yourself, you often spend a lot of time inventing the wheel. There is no corporate policy already in place for your stores to adapt. No one is there looking over your shoulder and telling you what records to keep and for how long. Sure, you probably have an accountant somewhere helping you with some record retention requirements. There are other IRS and tax records that you keep for a certain period of time. Overall, it is up to you to make these decisions and have a standard in place.

One area that can be difficult to make your own standard is having an internal audit. While it is a chore to come up with the questions and audit points, the payoff of having a better standardization and in store accountability will far exceed the trouble you put into to establish an audit.

One of the best places to start is by researching Sarbanes- Oxley. The Sarbanes- Oxley act of 2002 is a set of legal requirements that all organizations, regardless of size, must comply with. It basically regulates financial practices, after several companies were found guilty of falsifying their own financial records. The company’s biggest fallout was that they ended up devastating thousands of their own employees financially.

The ultimate point of the act is that companies are required to provide accurate and truthful information as to the company’s financial status. Over inflating sales, inventory, amongst other practices, to give a deceitful impression of a company’s success is now illegal. Companies must retain records of their financial status to ensure accuracy at all levels.

The easiest way to do this is to perform self-audits in key areas. These audits should be done daily, weekly, monthly and yearly, depending upon the task. Hiring a consultant can provide you with the legal specifics to keep your company on the up and up. Understanding the basics ahead of time can help you decrease those consultation costs, as you will already have some practices in place.

The first place to start is with your inventory. Understanding a cradle to grave approach to your product will not only help you with accuracy in your auditing, but keeping a closer eye on your product will help you decrease your shrink over the long term. Your starting point is with your receipt of goods.

Each shipment of inventory you receive should be documented and a bill of lading retained and filed by month. On each BOL should be the signature of who received the items, the date and time received, and a check mark or tally of what was received- either by piece, box or pallet.

Next, you should maintain listings and reports of items that are taken out of your inventory for a specific reason. If they are damaged and thrown out, sent back to a vendor for credit, used in the store, stolen, etc. There needs to be a paper trail attached to where these items have gone and why. A signature, or employee ID or who reallocated the products disposition should be included with these document (also retained and filed by month).

If you are still using paper sales receipts, including paper journal tapes, those records need to be filed by date, and then month. This is your listing of what merchandise has left your stores and is your proof that these sales actually happened and were not fraudulently contrived. If you have an electronic sales tracking system, you still need to have paper documentation of these sales retained somewhere in case of a computer glitch, etc.

Finally, all returns must be retained and spot-checked for accuracy. Since returns are another way for inventory to come back into the store, it is an important process to verify that these returns are accurate. Look for multiple transactions of the same item, or significantly larger dollar transactions. These are the returns that are most likely to have been done in error (over inflating your actual inventory) or can point to an employee’s dishonest activities.

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Profile of A Shoplifter

October 14, 2014 by Leave a Comment

shoplifting1It doesn’t matter if you make 20,000 thousand or a half million dollars a year.  It doesn’t matter if you are Caucasian, black, Hispanic or any other race.  Shoplifters come from all types of life. Some shoplifters have college degrees while some others did not finish high school.  Men, women and children shoplift from all types of stores, and the amounts they steal can vary dramatically. If you think you can spot a shoplifter right away, think again. For more news about shoplifting, follow the links below.

Cowboys RB arrested for shoplifting cologne and underwear
Dallas Cowboys running back Joseph Randle was arrested by police in Frisco, Texas on Monday night on charges of shoplifting a bottle of cologne and underwear from a Dillard’s store at the Stonebriar Centre shopping complex.

Lt. Jason Jenkins of the Frisco Police Department told For The Win that Randle was arrested for stealing a tester bottle of Gucci Guilty Black cologne and a two-pack of Polo underwear.Frisco PD released a statement Tuesday morning with further details:

“Upon arrival at the location, Frisco police officers made contact with Joseph Randle who had been detained by in-store loss prevention. Upon further investigation it was found that Randle had removed items from Dillard’s without purchasing them. Randle was subsequently arrested for theft 50/500, which is a class B misdemeanor. Randle was transported to the Frisco City Jail where he was booked in. Randle was released from custody at 1:20 a.m. after a bond was posted.”

Man charged with habitual shoplifting

HICKORY, N.C. – A man charged with shoplifting – police say he committed the offense at Rugged Warehouse on Monday – was charged with habitual shoplifting Thursday afternoon.

James Maurice Wilson, 44, of Taylorsville, was charged with one count of felony habitual shoplifting, according to an arrest report. He was given a $5,000 secured bond.

Wilson was charged with misdemeanor shoplifting Monday after officers said they found items stolen from Rugged Warehouse on him in a search.

Wilson was convicted on nine larceny charges – five felonies, four misdemeanors – between 1987 and 2003, according to the North Carolina Public Offenders website.

Amanda Bynes allegedly tries stealing from NYC boutique 1 hour before being accused of shoplifting at Barneys

The actress has returned to New York City and supposedly tried to swipe merchandise from Pookie & Sebastian before heading to the high-end department store where she attempted to leave wearing a $200 hat.

Amanda Bynes has sticky fingers.

Back in New York City and the troubled star is already wreaking havoc.

Just one hour before trying to steal merchandise from the upscale department store Barneys on Wednesday, Bynes reportedly tried to swipe items from the clothing store Pookie & Sebastian, reports TMZ.

The “Hairspray” star was being followed by the store’s employees due to suspicious activity, sources told the gossip site.

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Who Are You Really Hiring?

October 2, 2014 by Leave a Comment

theft (13)So you run an ad to fill a position you have available. You receive some really good resumes and you move to step two, screening them. With the intense competition for employment, how do you know if what you have before you is real or maybe…a bit over inflated? There are a couple of things that you can look at to help you to spot potential problems.

I view resumes and applications as a “test” to see if the candidate can spell, write properly and comprehend the questions and information requested. After all this person wants the job, you have the job, you would think they would want to put their best foot forward in their first impression. Integrity is one of those.

In the years that I have been a hiring manager I have found a few items to look at that help me sort good from bad.

Dates of Employment: I have found this to be one of the most lied about items on a resume or application. Let’s say the candidate has had three jobs. They were fired from job number two and do not want you to know about it. Instead of listing job number two, they simply stretch the dates of jobs one and three to cover. So, verify the dates of employment.

Over- Inflated Titles: Many times when you look at the resume you will find that a title does not fit the experience or even the age of the candidate. The resume shows a string of titles like this: Dock Worker then Dock Lead then Dock Supervisor then Dock Manager then Director, Central Intelligence Agency, then Dock Manager, Central Intelligence Agency. The candidate is 24 years old. Okay, maybe this was a bit of a silly example but you get the idea. Pay attention to titles and age.

Resumes That Are Too “Slick”: Most of us are not the greatest writers. Look at me. But we can get across our experience in basic form. Someone whose resume reads like an advertisement for a new car company probably had some serious help which could mean a professional resume writer put it together. This may be all right for some companies. But you have to ask yourself is this the person I am really hiring. It could also mean that the professional writer, in some cases to make their customer happy, over inflated the candidate’s experience. Does the resume seem too good to be true? Then it probably is.

All Candidate’s Should Fill Out An Application: This is in addition to their resume. Compare the two. You will be surprised in some case when you actually compare the two. They may not remember the lies they told on the resume. Always require both and compare them.

If they lied at this point in the application process what do you think they will do when they work for you?

Bill Bregar is the CEO of Loss Prevention Systems. He can be reached at 770-426-7593 x101 or at www.LossPreventionSystems.com

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Managing and Reducing Shrinkage

October 1, 2014 by Leave a Comment

theft (11)The retail industry according to some reports was a $2.5 trillion in 2012 with a predicted increase of 3.4% for the year 2013. As the busiest season for the retail industry is fast approaching, retail stores and businesses will be busy keeping inventory on the shelves as avid customers shop at their stores. While many retail stores prepare for this time, retail security and surveillance should be part of their strategy to keep this year the best profitable yet.

For more information about shrinkage follow the links below.

Reducing Retail Shrinkage: How to Beef Up Security and Prevent Loss in Your Store

Shrinkage (aka: Public Enemy #1 for most retailers), can eat up a significant amount of your profits. According to the National Retail Federation, retail shrinkage amounted to $34.5 billion in 2011, and a big chunk of that was due to theft or fraud.

That’s why it’s critical to constantly stay on top of protecting your store. Keep your systems up-to-date, be vigilant about spotting fishy behavior, and see to it that your staff is adequately trained to deal with security issues.

To help you do all that, below are some of the most common causes of retail shrinkage along with security tips to help you prevent them.

Shoplifting

A common problem among retailers, you can prevent shoplifting with the following steps:

1. Recognize the signs – Educate yourself and your staff on how to spot shoplifters. Keep an eye out for people who:

Survey: Retail shrink translates into $57 billion loss; cash theft jumps 20%

New York — Shrinkage levels average 1.27% of sales, which translates to a $57 billion loss to the industry, according to the U.S. Retail Fraud Survey, which is based on research into the systems and strategies used by 100 leading North American retailers.

The biggest area of store loss remains employee theft (38% of shrink), up 3% from last year, according to the study, published by U.K. based Retail Knowledge and sponsored by Volumatic and Kount. It is followed by cash theft (24%), up 20% from last year, administration and book keeping errors (21%), down 9%, and shoplifting (11%), down 15%.

The biggest area of online loss is fraudulent use of credit cards (59% of shrink).

In other survey highlights:

• Return fraud is costing retailers an average of 0.25% of sales this year, compared with an average of 0.4% last year.

• With regards to loss prevention departments, on average, each member of the fraud prevention team is responsible for $103 million of sales.

Managing Loss Prevention

5 Tips for Reducing Shrink

1. Find vulnerabilities: Take a look at your store layout as though it were in a heist film and think, “If I were to steal something, how would I do it?”
2. Determine where to concentrate your resources: Your high value items that can be stolen easily should be of more concern for you when merchandising, as well as protecting with security features.
3. Cameras don’t work unless you use them: Installing cameras isn’t enough to deter employees and serial shoplifters. If you notice discrepancies in the register or on the shelves, look at the tape.
4. Signs deter some, not others: Professional thieves aren’t likely to care much about signs (or cameras for that matter). However, employees and amateur shoplifters can be dissuaded if they know they are being watched.
5. Talk to your team: Employees need to be on the same page as their manager when it comes to a loss prevention strategy. Source: retailminded.com

 

 

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Racial Profiling In the Retail Industry

September 24, 2014 by Leave a Comment

shoplifting4According to The National Association for Shoplifting Prevention “There is no profile of a typical shoplifter. Men and women shoplift about equally as often.” And race does not matter. Men, women, teenagers and children shoplift regardless of their race or economic status. Yet, entering a store race does matter, and profiling takes place immediately. Allegations about racial profiling involving Macy’s is one of the most recent news in this country, but it won’t be the last.

To read more about racial profiling in the retail industry follow the links below for more information.

“There are very few African-American men in this country who haven’t had the experience of being followed when they were shopping in a department store. That includes me.”

                                                                                President Barack Obama

Racial Profiling
How does it make you feel when you hear the President of the United States making these remarks? Is it an accurate statement? Is it a fair statement? Is it a reflection of one man’s opinion, or an indictment of the loss prevention industry as a whole? Regardless of your personal politics, a statement made with such conviction from the leader of our country sends a powerful message—and one that deserves our collective attention.

But when the comments were made by the President and repeated over and over by the press following the Trayvon Martin verdict, the implications were accepted by the general public with very little push-back. Why is that? If it’s a valid assessment, why hasn’t it been addressed more aggressively? If it’s not a valid assessment, why haven’t we been more forward or vocal in our objections? More likely, the general response—or lack thereof—is largely a product of many factors that can complicate the subject and lead us down difficult roads. Have we done enough? Do we need to do more? It is a highly sensitive topic, but it’s one that’s not going to go away or can be buried in the sand.

Macy’s reaches agreement over racial profiling allegations

Macy’s, Inc. today issued the following statement: “Macy’s has reached resolution with the New York State Office of the Attorney General related to allegations of racial profiling in our stores in New York. We also have settled in principle various lawsuits related to these allegations.

“To be clear, our company’s policies strictly prohibit any form of discrimination or racial profiling and any occurrence of such behavior will not be tolerated in our organization.

“Moving forward, our company will be initiating a series of measures including enhanced training and education for our loss prevention and sales associates. We also will be adopting an expanded role for our security monitor to help ensure that we have the right policies and procedures in place, and that we are constantly reviewing our compliance with them.

“We at Macy’s are committed to fulfilling to the ideals of diversity, inclusion and respect that our company aspires to achieve – every day, in every store and office, with every customer and associate.

Racial Profiling

Does Profiling Exist?

The media often asks me if retail store security personnel use “profiling” tactics as a means of determining which customers are most likely to steal. The answer is undeniably, yes.

Profiling is a Tool

The concept of shoplifter profiling is a proven loss prevention tool and is currently being practiced in most major retail stores by trained loss prevention or security staff. Does that seem shocking? It shouldn’t, as long as it doesn’t include the discriminatory practice of focusing on the race of the customer alone. Profiling is used everyday as a method for quickly focusing in on a person, a product line or a section of a store most likely to contribute to shoplifting. All investigative agencies including the police, FBI, and others have used profiling as a tool to narrow the field of possible suspects. Why shouldn’t retail store security be able to do the same? Store and customer profiles are developed during day-to-day operation and by collecting and analyzing inventory data. This data provides both a quantitative and a qualitative basis for determining where, when, how, and by whom shoplifting is likely to occur in the future.

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Loss Prevention and Solutions

September 23, 2014 by Leave a Comment

shoplifting1The Holiday season does not start for some weeks yet, but if you are in the retail industry preparations for the busiest time of year begins months in advance. The retail industry loses billions a year due to shoplifting and employee theft making prevention all the more significant and solutions to decrease shrinkage pivotal in the profits and loss of a store. Read more about loss prevention by following the links below

Taking the Bite Out of Organized Retail Crime   

“Store robbers…always work in gangs of two, three, or four in number, in order that their operations may be quickly conducted… The first thing to be done upon locating in a large town or city is to select the place upon which they design to work… When they finally decide upon a store to be robbed, they are fully posted with regard to everything that pertains to the business…”

A hundred and fifteen years ago, Allan Pinkerton, America’s “first detective” and founder of the Pinkerton National Detective Agency, penned those words in his book “Thirty Years a Detective: A Thorough and Comprehensive Exposé of Criminal Practice of All Grades and Classes”. In 2014, the tenth year that the National Retail Federation (NRF) conducted its Organized Retail Crime Survey, ORC has remained a staple of criminal enterprise in the United States, accounting for known losses in the neighborhood of $30 billion annually.

The Tactics of ORC

Organized Retail Crime (ORC) has been the bane of retailers for years and was first addressed by merchants in the late 1980s. Since then, ORC has grown into a yearly multi-billion dollar business that not only injures the retailer, but also the consumer, who has to pay higher prices. There is another loss — the one to communities in the form of lost tax revenue, which has a direct effect on state and local governments and school budgets causing a direct impact on the quality of life.

Since the early days, when ORC was first recognized, retailers have taken great steps to combat the crime. The most important step was the education of lawmakers who have passed laws across the nation combating Organized Retail Crime. Many of today’s retail trade organizations such as the National Retail Federation (NRF), the Food Marking Institute (FMI), Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA), along with many other organizations have taken up the fight.

BearCom Informs Retailers on How to Use Two-Way Radios for Loss Prevention

BearCom, a nationwide provider of wireless communications equipment and solutions, offered suggestions on how two-way radios can help reduce loss during the busy holiday shopping season and all year round.

Loss, also called shrink, consists of shoplifting, employee or supply fraud, organized retail crime and administrative errors. According to Marianne Wilson at Chain Storage Age, “Growing shrink concerns have put loss prevention high on the agenda of retailers.”

“More than $100 billion worth of merchandise is stolen from retailers every year. That’s about 1.5 percent of retail sales, just in the United States,” said Hugh Johnston, Product & Purchasing Manager at BearCom. “The most effective way to prevent loss is to have a vigilant and visible staff in constant communication.”

Johnston gives some suggestions for basic shrink prevention that are especially important during the hectic holiday retail season:

Inconspicuous communications – When an employee needs to contact a manager or security personnel, they should do it in a way that doesn’t bring attention to the situation. Two-way radios with earpiece accessories enable quiet and discreet communication.

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Shoplifting News

September 18, 2014 by Leave a Comment

shoplifting2The people and the methods shoplifters use nowadays should not come as a surprise for any of us. From the elderly to the handicapped shoplifting is a crime that seems to have no age nor race attached to it. For a retail store, prevention seems the solution that makes sense, and can keep the store from losing its profits.

To read more about this follow the links below.

Shoplifting Suspect Shirley Mason Used Wheelchair Cart For Getaway: Cops

FRUITPORT TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — Police in Michigan say they arrested a shoplifting suspect following her slow-speed getaway in a $1,200 motorized wheelchair shopping cart taken from a Wal-Mart.

The Muskegon Chronicle (http://bit.ly/1wgjeQT ) says police located 46-year-old Shirley Mason about 2 miles away, riding the cart with $600 in clothing.

A customer called police Monday night to report someone riding a shopping cart from the lot at the store in Muskegon County’s Fruitport Township.

Police say Mason told them she couldn’t find anyone to pick her up from the store and took the wheelchair cart “because she didn’t feel like walking.”

Authorities say Mason told officers she planned to sell the clothing.

Mason is charged with organized retail crime and has a probable cause hearing Sept. 23.

Mason doesn’t have a listed phone number.

Police: Mom and DAughter caught shoplifting

HOOSICK — State Police say a mother and her 23-year-old daughter were caught shoplifting from a supermarket. Vicki Meyers, 43, and her daughter Toni were allegedly seen by employees taking items at a TOPS supermarket and hiding them in their purses. According to authorities, they left the store with more than $70.00 worth of merchandise. The pair have both been charged with petit larceny.

Teacher accused of shoplifting using child

Wesley Chapel, Florida — A Pasco County teacher has resigned from her position, accused of shoplifting and using her young daughter to hide the stolen electronics.

Friday, parents are in shock that a trusted middle school science teacher sits behind bars.

Investigators say Amanda Hammon took her three-year-old on the shoplifting spree and had the child carry her backpack stuffed with the stolen goods from a Walmart in Wesley Chapel.

Hammon was a teacher at John Long Middle School in Wesley Chapel, and now, she’s a Pasco inmate without a job.

Investigators say this wasn’t just a one-time crime. In the past week, the middle school science teacher is accused of stealing electronics from Walmart four times with her daughter in tow.

Arrest records show Hammon confessed she’s been shoplifting to support her drug habit.

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Security and Operational Compliance

September 9, 2014 by Leave a Comment

theft (4)According to the most recent articles from Loss Prevention Magazine, the three major areas where the management or owners have to be vigilant about are internal theft, external theft and operational compliance. These three security areas have to be implemented correctly and to adhere to procedures the management or security team have dictated to be successful. For more information about this and other topics follow the links below.

Security Breaches Trigger Retail’s Big Players to Call for Major Tech Changes

The possible credit card breach at Home Depot Inc. prompted the retailer to speed up its implementation of chip-reading credit card terminals. Major credit card companies, too, have announced they will accelerate efforts to bolster electronic payments security and protect sensitive customer data. These moves could have a large impact on consumer confidence, which has suffered as a spate of cyberattacks hit major companies. But for retailers especially, the implementation of the new systems will take time, and are not a panacea for a company’s security risks.

Home Depot CEO Frank Blake told investors Thursday that the retailer would activate chip-reading technology on its new credit-card terminals by the end of this year. He said the company is “working around the clock” to find a breach linked to stolen credit and debit cards,” the WSJ’s Shelly Banjo writes, but stopped short of confirming an actual breach occurred.

Building A New Defense Team

As technology draws us deeper into a new age of business enterprise, we are continuously bombarded with waves of challenges and opportunities involving those with malicious intentions. These attacks come at us from every direction as the ingenuity of these criminal minds seek new and creative ways to infiltrate our information resources and engage in cyber warfare against our businesses.

In order to survive these reprehensible intrusions, retailers must fight back. We have to defend our ground and take the necessary steps to combat the threat. This requires that we build and recruit the resources that will help us win the battles. We must become cyber warriors in our own right; defending our computer and information systems against those seeking to seize and exploit the lifeline of our business.

Operational Compliance: Inspecting What You Expect (Part 1)

The evolution of the loss prevention profession has required a change in the way that we view what we do and the way that we approach the retail environment.  First and foremost, we have come to recognize that shrink is a much more complicated problem than merely looking at the theft of merchandise.  Shrink is a very complex issue that must take in to consideration a variety of different issues that can lead to losses.  Shrink reduction is clearly seen as a vehicle of profit enhancement, and an integral part of the retail model.  Additionally, we have perspective on how we can influence company profitability in other ways as well, which has allowed us to set our sights on the bigger retail picture.  As a result our shrink management strategies require a multifaceted and broad-based approach in order to successfully design and administer the process.

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