Have Fun With Shoplifters, Yeah Really!

April 30, 2017 by Leave a Comment

Okay we know that shoplifters are one of the lowest forms of life. Stealing from people is not noble or right in any situation. I believe that shoplifters are a strong competitor for the oldest profession in the world. After all, I bet a cave man was able to steal a rock from another before prostitution even existed and politicians didn’t even exist yet. Even though some in Congress seem to have been around much too long.

So if we can’t get rid of them, we might as well have a little fun with them. In the process make them very frustrated and uncomfortable. All the while your staff is being entertained. This provides a great break to the normal retail grind for your folks, ultimately sends the shoplifter packing with an empty bag and the best part of all saves you money. And let’s not forget this sends a signal to the shoplifting community to go elsewhere and leave your store alone.

So what’s the secret????? Customer Service! Once you know how to spot a shoplifter customer service them to death, overtly and openly. If you don’t know how to spot shoplifters even before they steal, contact us, we can teach you how to do that.

You see the one thing that all shoplifters need is privacy or at least the perception of it. If you or your staff is customer servicing them, they can’t do the dirty deed and they get the message. Typically they simply go elsewhere and don’t bother you further.

Entertainment is great but try to avoid getting the popcorn and 64 ounce drink out and watching. That would just be rude.

CC Intro:

I bet you never thought that shoplifters could be a form of in-store entertainment did you? Why not! These bottom feeders are not exactly the sharpest tools in the shed so let’s drive them crazy and have some fun at the same time. That is what our Feature Article is all about this month. ENJOY!!!!

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Theft And Fraud Can Bankrupt A Business; Contact Us For Training Seminars That Will Help You Reduce Shortage And Remain Profitable

April 30, 2017 by Leave a Comment

 According to the Jack L. Hayes Annual Retail Theft Survey, released June 2016:

  • 1,170,056 shoplifters were apprehended in 2015 resulting in over $150 million recovered from apprehended shoplifters
  • 75,947 dishonest employees were apprehended in 2015 resulting in over $55 million in recoveries
  • One out of every 38 employees was apprehended for theft from their employers in 2015.

This survey was based on information from 25 large retail companies with 21,228 stores and over $700 billion in retail sales (2015). Combine this with information from the 2015 Global Retail Theft Barometer (GRTB) Report that placed shrinkage in North America at 1.27% or $36.79 billion dollars (pg. 50) and you have some scary statistical data if you are a small business owner. The 2015 GRTB also reported that shoplifting was the cause of 36% of retail shrink and dishonest employees were responsible for 45% of shortage (pg. 53). According to statisticbrain.com 37.5% of employees have stolen from their employer at least twice. The same website reports 33% of all business bankruptcies are the result of employee theft. THAT is a lot of theft! What is an employer supposed to do? If the 25 large companies surveyed by Jack L. Hayes are being impacted like this and they have access to Loss Prevention resources, how can a smaller retailer prevent this kind of theft? Is there a way for small to medium stores to address theft and fraud, reduce shrinkage and improve profitability?

     The answer to the question is yes, there is a way for small businesses to reduce shrinkage due to shoplifting and employee theft. Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. has training seminars available that will provide information on various forms of employee theft and the real impact they have on a business. The seminars don’t simply instruct on how the activity occurs but also on how it can be prevented. Additional seminars are available on shoplifting and the methods you can use to protect your merchandise and your profits. How do you detect shoplifters? Do they all act the same? Should you approach them and attempt to get your merchandise back? All of these questions will be answered by Bill Bregar, President of Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. 

     Bill’s extensive background in Law Enforcement and Loss Prevention gives him the expertise to ensure you and your staff receive solid training that can make an immediate impact on shortage reduction in your store(s). Bill’s career in investigations began when he served in the U.S. Army as a Military Policeman and in the U.S. Army Reserve as a Military Intelligence Officer. He worked for 2 years as a Police Officer for Central City Colorado. Bill has held positions of increasing responsibilities starting as a Security Manager for a grocery store chain, advancing to two different Regional Loss Prevention Manager positions, working as a Director of Loss Prevention for two different companies before becoming the President of Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. Bill’s professional competencies include being an “Expert Witness,” a Licensed Private Investigator in the State of Georgia and a Private Detective and Security Agency Training Instructor since 1998. Bill also holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Criminal Justice and Criminology, Private Security Administration & Management from Metropolitan State College, Denver, Colorado. Finally, as someone who has conducted over 2300 employee theft investigations, Bill has the proven field experience that is a testimony to his ability to speak on issues of retail theft and fraud.

        If you want your business to be successful you have to ensure you are prepared to address all areas of shrinkage, especially those areas that impact you the most, employee theft and shoplifting. Ignoring these factors or trying to manage them without the proper knowledge and training is a recipe for disaster and you may find your store(s) in that 33% that declares bankruptcy due to employee theft. Contact Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. and schedule your training seminars with one of the premier experts in the industry today. 

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Cash Handling Tips That Can Prevent Cash Losses

April 30, 2017 by Leave a Comment

Have you ever noticed that when a convenience store robbery takes place the crook never demands all of the credit card slips? I have never heard of a bank robber pulling out a gun and yelling for the teller to give them all of the checks in the drawer. What is it the bad guys are always trying to get their hands on…CASH! While Loss Prevention departments do work on credit card and fraudulent check cases our bigger concern is cash theft and fraud. It has been my experience that in many incidents involving a stolen credit card or check, I have been able to work with bank investigators and police detectives to identify and in some cases resolve those crimes. In those situations there is usually a victim as well as a perpetrator of the crime. When it comes to cash loss cases it becomes another matter altogether, the victim is the store. While we may have video of the crime there may not be any other means of tying in additional information. Another issue with cash losses is that the stolen money cannot be tracked further. Stolen credit cards tend to leave a trail of locations where they are used which can lead to greater opportunities to pick up on additional evidence. The same can be true with fraudulent check writing cases. With a cash loss case, once it’s gone you don’t see it again, money is not traced.

     What kind of situations can lead to cash losses? The first thing that comes to mind is internal employee theft. A cashier may steal directly from a register till and pocket the money. You could also have a cashier stealing from customers by short-changing them. I recall at least one case I had in which the employee was keeping back a dollar every so often from a customer’s change they were due back. Until a customer complained to the supervisor rather than going back to the cashier, I had no idea it was taking place.

     External causes of cash loss can include:

  • Robbery
  • Short change artists
  • Till Tappers
  • Counterfeit and fraudulent cash (fraudulent bills may be a $1 bill with two $100 corners pasted over two of the $1 corners. The other two corners are pasted on another $1 bill giving the bad guy $200 of value for a $100 bill and yes, it does happen when a bad guy tries to hurry a new or young cashier).
  • Grab and Runs

In all the cases of external cash losses there are cash handling tips that any store can use to minimize the risk of loss or the amount of exposure to loss:

  • Be sure to do daily bank deposits. Preferably contract with an armored car service to pick up money or drop off change orders. If you choose to conduct your own deposits vary the time of day and the route to the bank. Storing excess money in your cash office only increases the amount you could lose in a robbery.
  • Train cashiers to call a manager or supervisor for any transaction that is $20 or less and the payment is a $100 bill.
  • Train cashiers to never allow someone to put their hand in the till. Slam the drawer closed if necessary. If a customer is taking too long to look for change, the drawer should be closed.
  • Have cashiers place all large bills under the till and call for a pick up when the transaction is complete or have a cash drop at the register that can only be opened by a supervisor. This keeps bills from being seen by customers when the drawer is opened and prevents a grab and run.
  • Use locking till covers for registers. When a register is not in use but has money in it, the till cover prevents someone from getting to the cash even if they have a register key to open the drawer.
  • Cashiers should each have their own till. When multiple employees work from one register it is more difficult to pinpoint who may be causing cash shortages and dishonest cashiers know it.
  • Conduct register skims when they are over a pre-determined dollar amount. There is a temptation for dishonest employees to feel that the more money in the register the less likely a $10 or $20 bill will be missed. Lesser amounts in a register drawer also take away incentive for a potential robber.

There is always going to be risk of loss when cash is an accepted form of tender for your business. Minimizing that risk can be done through training and a few commonsense security measures.

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Shoplifting And The Law

April 25, 2017 by 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.

 

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Improving Loss Prevention Training For Your Employees

April 21, 2017 by 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:

  1. 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.

 

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The Advantages of Hiring and Training Good Employees

April 11, 2017 by 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?

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.

 

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Fighting Shoplifting Locally

April 4, 2017 by 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.

Drug dealing.

“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.

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Physical Security Inspections Can Help Impact Sales While Keeping Customers And Employees Safe

March 31, 2017 by Leave a Comment

Daylight savings time is over and for most of us in the U.S. (yes, there are a few exceptions) we have moved our clocks and groaned at the loss of a precious hour of sleep. We have to adjust and get used to the change and eventually we do. For our personal lives there isn’t a lot of impact, once we are used to it we do benefit from the additional daylight and get to enjoy more outdoor activity. The time change is useful as a reminder for changing batteries in smoke detectors. You may even use it as a point when you will start planning your summer vacations. For business owners daylight savings time can be a reminder that it is time to conduct a store physical security review. Time changes may not impact us much individually but for retailers there is an impact for the building, employees and your customers.

     How does daylight impact your business? With more daylight you may want to take a look at your parking lot lighting. Are the lights on the exterior of the building set to timers? If they are it would be appropriate to set them to the new hours of dusk. Lights turning on too early wastes energy and drives up electric expenses. Having lights come on when it is already dark makes a parking lot feel unsafe and will keep shoppers away from your store. In an article from Buildings.com titled “4 Parking Security Essentials” by Jennie Morton, 11/30/2012, the author states, “Give your lighting a hard look stresses Geary Robinson, parking and transportation services director for Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) and a member of IPI. Dark shadows that can conceal aggressors, reduced visibility for pedestrians and vehicles, and inadequate color rendering all chip away at safety.” The article continues, “Not sure if your parking area has a lighting problem? Look at the behavior of visitors. If people feel compelled to use their headlights in your garage or cars are grouped in your lot closest to light poles, these activities indicate that users may be uncomfortable with the level of darkness.” (Emphasis mine). If lighting is not adequate or if lamps are out, this is the perfect time to get them replaced. If you lease your property a call to your property management company is in order to get lights repaired or replaced.

     Since we are talking about a thorough physical security review of the building I would recommend testing fire exit push bars. Are they alarming properly? Do the doors open easily? I once had a set of fire doors that would not close properly after testing the push bar and we could not reset the alarm. What if the opposite had been the problem? What would have happened had the doors not opened properly in an emergency situation? You cannot assume that systems will work simply because you want it to be so. While you are at the fire doors, check the fire exit lights, make sure they are lit. This can be difficult with some lights. While they may seem dim to you, some are designed this way. Ask the fire department to come to the store and test the lights to ensure they meet code requirements. By auditing and testing you identify potential issues and get them repaired so you can depend on them in the event you need them. You could also avoid hefty fines for safety violations in case of an inspection by the Fire Marshall.

      Include testing of your burglary and fire alarm systems at this time. Your alarm system company should be able to walk you through a test of the burglary alarm system. Testing door alarm points and any motion sensors your store may have. You may also need to do a break glass test to be sure your system will pick up front door and window glass breaks. Fire alarm tests and sprinkler riser tests can be conducted through a third party vendor. You don’t need to be the expert in how to conduct the tests, just be sure to get them done.

     Many people associate spring with a fresh start. Give your business a fresh start annually, use this time of the year as a reminder to check your safety measures. Keep your customers and employees safe while protecting your business from unnecessary fines or lawsuits.

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Tuning Up Your CCTV To Maximize Safety And Security

March 31, 2017 by 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.

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

March 30, 2017 by 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.

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