Risks of the Loss Prevention Investigator – Atlanta Georgia

January 13, 2011 by

The job of Loss Prevention Investigator can often be a dangerous one. We deal with sections of society that are often desperate and potentially violent. Therefore, one must always be prepared for the worst when attempting to apprehend a shoplifter. Most of the time the shoplifter who lashes out or begins to fight is simply trying to get away, but occasionally you’ll find those who have some sort of point to prove. In certain cities it is part of gang initiations, and some subjects are so impaired by drugs or alcohol that they barely know what they’re doing. A loss prevention investigator must keep all of these possibilities in mind.

In 2004 one of my detectives spotted an entire family (mom, dad, teenage daughter) concealing merchandise in several large bags that they were carrying. As they prepared to exit the store we positioned ourselves to apprehend them. My detective stopped the mother and daughter with little incident, however the father ignored him and kept walking. I approached the man and calmly tried to get him to stop and return with me inside to discuss the incident. Suddenly he turned to me brandishing a 5” knife and lunged at me. I managed to quickly sidestep the attack.

Due to the foolishly high level of testosterone that usually runs through my body I briefly thought about retaliating. However, becoming a human shish kabob has never been a dream of mine so I simply stepped away and allowed the man to escape. I immediately contacted the police, giving them his description and his vehicle’s license plate number. Within minutes he was arrested and taken to jail. In court I learned that the docile-looking family man was a diagnosed paranoid schizophrenic with a history of violent criminal activity. Who knew? The loss prevention investigator must remain ready for anything.

For more information about loss prevention agent or loss prevention consultants contact us at: Loss Prevention Investigator or call 1.770.426.0547

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What are Loss Prevention Consultants? – Atlanta Georgia

January 5, 2011 by

 If you’re like most people you know very little about what loss prevention consultants are and what they do. Don’t feel bad, I’ve been in the loss prevention field for over a decade and had to brush up a bit on what exactly the job of a consultant was versus the everyday detective, investigator or LP supervisor. In short, loss prevention consultants are individuals who work with one or more companies to provide evaluation and assistance with various loss prevention issues.

These consultants use procedures that can include anything from mystery shopping and running background checks on potential employees to investigating occurrences of theft and performing employee interrogations. While major corporations and larger companies typically have dedicated loss prevention associates and have employees who work full time in loss prevention, other smaller companies cannot often afford to pay for loss prevention on a full-time basis. Loss prevention consultants will typically work with these types of companies to provide the protection and services of a loss prevention department without the need for ongoing, full-time pay.

The methods used and services provided by loss prevention consultants will typically vary from company to company, and are based on the needs of the business looking to hire a consultant. A good company will work with you based on your individual needs rather than simply having a kind of cookie-cutter formula mapped out for everybody. Do your research and find out what company works best for you. Loss prevention consultants can be a cost effective way of keeping your company’s shrink under control.

For more information about loss prevention consultants or loss prevention investigator contact us call 1.770.426.0547 – Atlanta Georgia

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Loss Prevention Agent – Recovering your Loss – Atlanta Georgia

January 3, 2011 by

A loss prevention agent can be an employee of your business that is out on your sales floor, watching for shoplifters.  They can be a valuable resource in your efforts to reduce shrink.

Agents should be trained to know what specifically to watch for when they are looking for suspicious activity.  Agents should never profile based on the way a customer looks, their gender, race, etc.  Shoplifters do not fit into a specific category and can be anyone – young or old, wealthy or poor, male or female.

Some customers that come into your business may not realize that their actions appear suspicious.  I have seen customers put $100 worth of small merchandise right on top of their open and empty purses, just to go to the register and pay for it all.  Some customers will conceal items in their coat pockets, then later take it out and pay for it at a register.

These customers know that they are honest, so they do not take into consideration that their actions appear dishonest.  A loss prevention agent will encounter this type of behavior, and must learn how to differentiate between it and the actual shoplifters that will come into your business.

A loss prevention agent must be completely sure of the acts that they have witnessed fall within your policy of detaining shoplifters.  The agent must know that the merchandise is from the store, is unpaid for, and is not going to be paid for.  A loss prevention agent should detain a shoplifter only past the last point of sale, to rule out the possibility that the customer will pay for the merchandise.  The agent must also maintain constant surveillance of the suspected shoplifter after he or she has concealed the merchandise.  If the agent does not, there is the chance that the customer actually went to a register and paid for the concealed merchandise.

A loss prevention agent can be a valuable asset to reducing shrink in your store, as long as policies and guidelines are followed so customers are not unlawfully detained.

For more information about loss prevention consultants , loss prevention investigator contact us: loss prevention agent or call 1.770.426.256 – Atlanta Georgia

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A Loss Prevention Investigator for your major case – Atlanta Georgia

December 30, 2010 by

If your business is experiencing a major loss, of merchandise, assets, cash, or all of the above, you may need the expertise of a loss prevention investigator .

A loss prevention investigator is a trained professional that knows how to look at the various aspects of your business and figure out what the loss is that you are experiencing.  The first step in an investigation of this type is to determine if there is an issue, and what specifically that issue is.

Once the type of loss has been identified, research can be conducted to figure out the extent of the loss your business is experiencing.  More often than not, there is an initial red flag that alerts you to a shrinkage issue in your business, and then once research is conducted it is discovered that the extent of the loss is much more far reaching.  This is not what a business owner would like to hear – that the problem is even worse than originally anticipated.

This is why a loss prevention investigator is an excellent resource to utilize in these types of investigations.  The investigator is trained to dig deep into your business and document the shrinkage issues into a workable case file.  Once the investigation is complete, the investigator can refer the case to the proper authorities for prosecution, if that is desired.

A loss prevention investigator , after identifying the problem, will interview witnesses and other employees to gather more information.  Once this is complete, the investigator will interview the suspected employee. 

Investigators are trained to conduct these types of interviews and interrogations that are appropriate for a retail environment.

When your business experiences an employee theft case, bring in an expert – a loss prevention investigator .  Your business’s profits will thank you and grow as a result.

For more information about loss prevention consultants, loss prevention consultants contact us: loss prevention investigator or call 1.770.426.256 – Atlanta Georgia

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Bringing in the experts: A Loss prevention investigator for your major cases – Atlanta Georgia

December 6, 2010 by

A few years ago I conducted a large internal theft investigation that ended up involving eight employees and had resulted in a loss of over $8000.

When a business experiences a case as complex as one like that, it can be time consuming and may require the expertise of a loss prevention investigator .

I was able to dedicate the time needed to thoroughly investigate this case, but many smaller businesses may not have the time or the loss prevention knowledge necessary to tackle this type of large theft investigation.

And often, when it comes to employee theft cases, they can be much bigger.  Employee theft is the cause of more shrinkage than shoplifters because the dollar amount per instance is usually much higher.

A loss prevention investigator can come into your business and conduct the necessary research to identify the cause of the loss, develop a case, and refer it to the necessary authorities.  By employing an expert, successful prosecution can be sought and recovery of the loss, in the form of restitution, can occur.

To prevent the types of theft I mentioned above from occurring in the first place, loss prevention consultants can analyze a business and its security measures and help the business establish a loss prevention program.

Often loss prevention consultants can see problems in security and loss prevention measures that the business owner or managers overlook.  By utilizing theft prevention measures, the opportunity for employee theft, as well as shoplifting, can be reduced.  The opportunity is what you want to reduce or eliminate.

While it is good to prevent shrink, we also have to be able to react appropriately when shrinkage does occur. Loss prevention consultants as well as a loss prevention investigator are trained experts in the field of shrinkage prevention or shrinkage reaction.

For more information about loss prevention investigator or loss prevention consultants contact us or call 1.770.426.256.

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Why contract a Loss Prevention Investigator – Loss Prevention Agent

December 2, 2010 by

Smaller to mid sized retailers may not have full time staff and benefit from contracting a loss prevention investigator – loss prevention agent to keep on top of issues and keep overhead low.

A primary function of the loss prevention investigator – loss prevention agent is to fist assess the current state of the business.  Observing daily procedures for receiving and inventory practices, cash drawer open and closing as well as daily operation and shortage policies are a few areas of focus.  Other areas looked at are clock in and clock out practices, inventory and cycle counting procedures and practices, alarm system / CCTV (camera) system operation & usage and safety issues.

The goal of the loss prevention agent is to save profit from being lost through weak operational practices as well as identify and process the big ones like shoplifting issues and employee theft problems.  These more routine areas where money can fly out the door are often not even on the mind of the retailer when considering the hire of a loss prevention investigator to help solve issues and improve profitability.

Another benefit of an outside contractor is there is no “inside” or internal employee dynamics which can lead to emotional attachments and biases / favoritism etc… You get a truly objective individual with your best interest at heart and no one else’s.

For more information visit: loss prevention investigator / loss prevention agent 

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Protecting profits with the help of a Loss Prevention Investigator – Atlanta Georgia

November 26, 2010 by

A loss prevention investigator works to drive sales by proactively investigating many types of losses. As a retailer in the United States, you face many sales killing challenges including internal or employee theft and the brutalizing affect of Organized Retail Crime outfits.

Working a variety of stores from grocery to high end beauty products, I have seen the negative impacts of these types of losses. It is not a pretty site when a store closes because it simply cannot sustain the losses incurred as a result of poor inventory controls, employee theft and external factors. At times, these losses could have been mitigated simply by bringing loss prevention consultants and spending the money to counter these losses.

If a business is losing money, it is crucial to act fast and acknowledge the “hows” and “whys”. As loss prevention investigator , I was brought in to investigate a store experiencing shrink as high as 25%. This was a chain of about 50 stores, which were small boutique type no larger than 3000 sqft. Looking at other stores in the company, this was not the only one with high shrink, just the highest. I looked into everything starting with their receiving practices. I followed the delivery truck several times; I watched trucks being unloaded and audited the store’s receipts. Matching what I could, I found no issue that would lead to explain the losses.

Further, I conducted night surveillances, watching the closing crews and management. Now, any loss prevention investigator worth his salt could tell you that what I saw was cause for alarm. Management on at least 4 nights was in the store several hours past closing, alone. Not only is this a safety issue but offers ethical challenges. As a result of these poor controls, management took advantage.

Several nights of my surveillance, I witnessed the manager put box after box of merchandise outside the back door, near the emergency exit. As she left the building, she would simply drive around back and pick up here “prizes”.

In the next few days, as the loss prevention investigator , I interviewed the manager. She admitted to taking merchandise daily for the last year and a half. However, my investigation showed losses for more the 2 years, in fact, the same amount of time the manager had been with the company.

Work by loss prevention consultants would have stoped this problem before it started.

For more information about loss prevention consultants visit us at loss prevention investigator or call 1.770.426.0547 – Atlanta Georgia

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A loss prevention investigator working Organized Retail Crime – Atlanta Georgia

November 24, 2010 by

One of the many tasks faced by a loss prevention investigator is that of Organized Retail Crime. Commonly referred to as ORC, businesses everywhere suffer from this nuisance.

Recently, a loss prevention investigator was working a small chain of stores. He received information from 5 different stores of large amounts of merchandise were missing. Starting his investigation, the loss prevention investigator gathered information on the missing merchandise. All of the merchandise taken from the stores was the same, high street resale value and in high customer demand. Looking at several of the merchandise locations, the items were placed in the worst locations possible… in the back aisles of the store where employee view and interaction was minimal.

Further investigation and review of CCTV showed the merchandise being taken by the same group of people. It appeared that 4 males entered the stores, 2 peeled off and spoke with management, while the other 2 cleared the shelf of merchandise and into a black trash bag they carried. Then while the other 2 were distracting management, the trash bag was walked out of the store. Simply, the thieves outside would use their cellphone to communicate with others inside, ending their spree. This operation took no more than 5 minutes each time.

The loss prevention investigator , having a solid partnership with local law enforcement and other retailers, reached out for help. He sent out video, and screenshots of the suspects. Luckily, another local retailer had experienced the same suspects recently. The investigator put together the case. The word was out. The hunt for these “boosters” was on.

A phone call came in to the investigator at about 8pm that a loss prevention agent apprehended one of the suspects. The loss prevention agent , working undercover, observed one of the suspects clear a shelf of merchandise and head for the exit. The loss prevention agent apprehended him, while the other suspects fled.

The loss prevention investigator arrived and interrogated the suspect. He was able to get more valuable information and the local police department was contacted.

During the course of the investigation, the investigator was able to gather information on this ring that led to the arrest of 15 other accomplices and the recovery of $1.5 million in merchandise.

For more information contact us at loss prevention investigator or call 1.770.426.0547 – Atlanta Georgia

 

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A day in the life of a Loss Prevention Investigator

November 19, 2010 by

As a former loss prevention investigator , I built many positive cases for my employer.

A loss prevention investigator is trained on and with a variety of different tools. Specifically, the investigator uses tools like computer based exception reports and CCTV equipment. Spending time on the exception reports, the investigator can identify any dishonest employee manipulating the register system.

I remember a case I had working for a sporting goods retailer. I decided to visit a store that had very little upper management involvement; it was somewhat of an isolated store. During the visit, I walked around talking with any associates and management I could.

While I was in the shoe department, I spoke with the salesman on duty. I noticed he was wearing a new pair of running shoes. In small talk, I acted as if I were really interested in purchasing a new pair of running shoes and said to him, “I really like the way those look!” , pointing to his shoes. He says to me, “Yeah, these are bad, but we don’t sell them here…”. I knew we didn’t sell those shoes yet, they were shipped to the stores in anticipation of their public release. So I asked him, “How much would a pair of those cost”, he says “Oh, well, I’m the only one that has these; I bought them here at a special price”. I thought to myself, “Does this guy not know that I work for the same company?”

I ended the conversation, went to the office and ran all employee transactions for this store. Being the loss prevention investigator , I went and looked at the stock. We were missing 6 pairs of the $150 dollar running shoes; none had been purchases in this store.

I reviewed CCTV; saw no purchases matching these shoes. Reviewing the back stockroom camera footage, I saw the same salesman put 2 pair of these shoes and boxes in the trash. He then put the bag of trash out back. Later, he picked up the bag and walked away.

Based on this info, I interviewed the employee. He admitted to over $10,000 in merchandise theft over the period of about 1 ½ years. As a loss prevention investigator , my job didn’t end there.

For more information visit us at loss prevention investigator or call 1.770.426.0547 – Atlanta Georgia

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Looking for Loss Prevention Consultants? – Atlanta Georgia

November 17, 2010 by

Are you a business owner looking for loss prevention consultants to help you identify losses?  Let me shed some light on these professionals.

Loss prevention consultants were hired recently at a small chain of hardware stores. The stores had been experiencing some severe shrinkage, as identified through the results of a recent inventory cycle. Wanting to help keep the small company profitable, the loss prevention consultants offered advice.

First, the store was recommended a loss prevention agent . For the past year, the stores have seen an increase in shoplifter activity and in many instances these shoplifters have taken very expensive equipment. The consultants detailed the loss prevention agent program and put together a plan of attack. To help the loss prevention agent increase his/her productivity and to additionally help the stores protect their assets, the recommendations to install CCTV equipment at the point of sale, at entrance and exits and in the receiving department.

Next, the loss prevention consultants reviewed the potential for internal theft. They noticed that in the evenings, the management was less involved with store employees and sometimes seemed to be non-existent on the salesfloor. Knowing that evenings are a very important time in the retail world, the consultants recommended bringing in a loss prevention investigator . A loss prevention investigator would be assigned the task of employee theft investigation. Although the management felt their employees would never steal, the consultants knew employee theft investigation could turn large results.

The loss prevention investigator was tasked with performing store surveillance in the evenings and at odd hours. Additionally, the loss prevention investigator was to report any and all finding to the consultants for documentation. The loss prevention investigator was also given access to the stores electronic journals to review transactions in the store and over CCTV.

The management agreed to the recommendations, and the loss prevention program was rolled out. Immediate results were produced by the loss prevention agent . Shoplift activity slowed. The loss prevention investigator also turned in positive results and uncovered several employees including one manager involved in merchandise and cash theft.

For more information visit us at loss prevention consultants or call 1.770.426.0547 – Atlanta Georgia

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