LP- Let Feedom Ring !

So here we are,  4th of July 2009.  The worst economic times many of us have ever seen, more LP professionals out of work than ever before, and a retail environment that continues to contract.

Many of us will embark upon some snappy celebrating today with, family, beverages, barbecue, and rockets…..  We will take a moment in time and think about how lucky we are to live in a country that allows us freedom of speech, religion, thought etc…..

I have always found that our industry tends to not only be close knit, but actually is full of professionals who are full of pride for their country..

For me my Loss Prevention career has been my American Dream.  It allowed me, raised in a lower middle class city, where most of my friends either went to jail, were killed or became Policeman, to work hard and enjoy a 25 year career.

Our profession is filled with true leaders and unsung heroes, people that not only go above and beyond to reduce losses at their specific companies, but our leaders have all taken responsibility to developing a next generation of Loss Prevention Professionals.

While we reflect and celebrate our freedom, make plans to begin next week with a new enthusiasm for our profession.  Focus on your own development, your teams development and all those dedicated Loss Prevention executives who have not found a place to land after being displaced.

Lets not forget to have fun safely and thank the men and women of our Armed Services who have sacrificed a great deal to keep us safe and protect our freedom.

Happy 4th of July 2009- Let Freedom Ring!!!!

 

This blog represents my personal views as a 25+ year LP professional.  This does not represent the views of my current or past employers or any organizations I may belong to.

LP – Thoughts- Pay it Forward

As many have experienced this has been a tough year in the Loss Prevention world for budgets, staff and expense reductions.  There are far too many quality Loss Prevention leaders out of work.

Our community has always been generous and supportive of our colleagues and there is no other time more important than this moment.

Thought???-  Who do you know that is currently still not working?

When is the last time you called them to offer support, advice or share your contacts with them?

Do you have roles within your company in other functional areas that results focused Loss Prevention executives could excel at?

Too often we are so busy with putting out fires and doing more with less that we don’t take a minute to check in with our colleagues who are out of work, frustrated and need a job to provide for their families.

Pay it forward- Take a minute to help an out of work colleague tomorrow.

 

This is my personal blog and does not represent the thoughts of my present employer or past employers.

eBay- Paypal- Anonymous or not???

Before joining eBay I had the opinion that there was very little information that eBay or Paypal had on their buyers and sellers.

I have been pleasantly surprised, in fact I believe we have more information on sellers and paypal users than I had on associates oin my retail stores when leading a Loss Prevention fucntion.

So anonymous to an outsider does not mean anonymous is a fact….
Here is an article that I came across today.

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/06/19/why-paypal-wants-to-know-where-everybody-lives/    

If your a retailer and want to work with eBay in a collaborative manner to reduce stolen goods, please email me at pajones@ebay.com

This blog is my personal blog written from the persepective of a 25 year Loss Prevention Executive. I have paid my dues in our industry and am entitled to my opinion. I have no misconception that my opinions are always correct or the only opinion. I am always open to learning more and reflecting on my position.

NRF LP 2009 Recap- Final show

This year’s NRF  LP Conference was the last conference ever under the banner of the NRF.   In the last year I have learned that there is a lot to planning and running a conference and many people don’t realize that the venues are selected and negotiated several years ahead of time.

5 years ago when NRF selected Los Angeles as the venue no one would have anticipated we would be in the economic shape we are in as a nation.  The NRF team had to play the cards they were dealt and make the best of our troubled economy, contracting retail landscape and reduced budgets.

I have attended many of these conferences since I was a regional in the late 80’s.  I believe the Boston NRF was my first show, does anyone remember what year that was??  I also think that my personal favorite NRF conference was the last one held in San Diego, which is a more costly destination in my opinion than LA and they had record attendance that year.  My point here is we all were riding a really high wave with no visibility to what is now our reality.

My conference adventure began following dinner on Sunday evening near the Staples Center when I and other LP friends found ourselves caught in the middle of the disturbance that was covered widely in the news.  The Police blocked the area off contained everyone and did a very professional job of managing the situation in my opinion.  I joked with many that I came to LA and got caught in a riot, but truth be told it looked a lot worse in the media than it did live.  For those who are with me on FB see the pics and video.

For the record- I do not hold  LA- the NRF-The Lakers-The Magic, or LAPD responsible for this, although it was funny to joke about it.

  I landed and arrived at my hotel where they were having a closing party for the Erotica Convention & an opening gathering for a Cannabis Convention.  I head to dinner and get caught in the middle of a “mini riot”.  You can’t make this stuff up!!

It was really pretty cool that  Chief Bratton spoke the next morning after he was all over the press the evening before.  His department performed well and he should be proud.

The LP show like any LP show had some great sessions and some not so great ones.  I think that is the conference business.  For the purposes of tonights blog let me highlight my favorites and focus on the positives.

LP leaders- Bill Titus Sears -Randy Meadows Kohl’s & Keith White Gap inc participated in a forum lead by Walter Palmer and discussed our industry and gave their candid advice and thoughts.  This session was my all time favorite breakout of any conference.. 

ORC session with Nelson Harrah- and other Law Enforcement officials another favorite…

Dr Hollinger’s town Hall was also among my favorites.

In surveying folks as we spoke it was clear there were many good sessions.

The attendance in general was off, but that is to be expected with our current economic state and a West Coast venue only adds to that.`

I had many exhibitors initially express concern at this, but I think that by the conclusion of the show most felt things picked up a bit but traffic was down over LY . 

The best part of this and other conferences is the networking and relationship building that occurs during the day and in the evenings.  The senior leaders in our industry should be commended as they showed up, particpated and ensured that this last LP show will be memorable.  I also saw many of them going out of their way to engage the exhibitors and new attendees.

I felt a real energy in the after hour conversations as colleagues got together to  share stories, tell jokes, exchange ideas and just have some fun.  It seemed like our industry truly needed a gathering to reconnect and get energized.  It has been a tough year for all.  I was surprised the networking was so strong as many of us were in different hotels but it appeared that the WESTIN became the spot.

Other Highlights:

USS Surveillance announces a new concept LP 4 LP with a new President to be named soon.  It was shared with me but ( it was way after last call) so for now it is a secret (stay tuned).  USS also announces to much fan fare their new concept that detects Eas jammers and booster bags as well as it functions as a traditional EAS tag.  They also hosted a charity golf tournament which my new company was happy to support. 

Fusion Center- This was a concept introduced several years ago and has turned out to be first rate

Expo Hall presentations- This is very hard to pull off correctly, but it seemed to work well for all

Secure Store- Great concept and was always my first stop when I attended as a retailer.

Mr Rhett Asher-  I have seen Rhett function in several different environments and I believe he is at home and a natural in this world.  I was able to watch him buzzing around engaging exhibitors and LP professionals alike-  Good Job and hats off.

It also clearly takes a team to pull an event of this size off and the support of an entire community of professionals.  To the NRF team congratulations on your event.

For those that follow & use Twitter with me- I have made the decision to end my Twitter experiment.  I have worked at it for 4 months have 1000+ followers but I don’t get a lot of value from it.  I will focus more time on my LinkedIN- My Blog and my friends.

eBay continues work with Retailers

eBay continues to work with retailers and assist them with addressing their needs. eBay continues to expand enrollment in their free program Proact.

Over the last few weeks we have had a lot of positive feedback from retailers about our current program and have some great ideas surfaced for future programs.

Just today we assisted two companies in closing two major cases..

Retailers and Loss Prevention professionals are tired of hearing negative rhetoric. They need solutions to assist them with shrink today!

If you are a Loss Prevention Professional who would like to partner with eBay to address any of your issues, feel free to email me for more information..
pajones@ebay.com

P Jones- Global Director Retail Partnerships-eBay

Retail Loss Prevention Expert Paul Jones Joins eBay Inc. as Global Director of Retail Partnerships

WASHINGTON, May 14 /PRNewswire/ — eBay Inc. (Nasdaq: eBay) today announced that Paul Jones, former vice president of asset protection at the Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA), has joined eBay as global director of retail partnerships. Jones will work with eBay’s team of more than 2000 Trust and Safety professionals to bolster eBay’s ongoing efforts to prevent the sale of stolen goods through vigilance and strategic partnerships with law enforcement and retailers.

“I look forward to working with eBay’s outstanding team,” said Jones, who will add his decade of experience managing loss prevention efforts for RILA, as well as such keystone retailers as Limited Brands and Sunglass Hut International to eBay’s team of former law enforcement and retail professionals. “eBay has demonstrated real leadership with its robust work to confront challenges related to retail theft and the sale of stolen goods. It is clear to me that eBay is committed to working with both retailers and law enforcement to address this issue head on.”

As Vice President of asset protection at RILA, Jones developed strategies for the associations’ hundreds of member companies and worked closely with the Department of Homeland Security and Federal Bureau of Investigation to address emerging issues. Prior to his work with RILA, Jones managed loss prevention strategy at Limited Brands, recognized as one of the top five Loss Prevention Departments in the world, as well as Sunglass Hut International, where Jones was responsible for loss prevention efforts across the company’s 3,400 stores. Jones is the current vice chairman of the Loss Prevention Foundation, president of the Loss Prevention Magazine Editorial Board and his successful efforts have been featured on ABC’s Good Morning America, Fox News and in the Harvard Business Review.

Leaders from the retail industry who have worked with Jones also praised this addition to eBay’s team. King Rogers, the former vice president of assets protection at Target Corporation, said, “The move of Paul Jones from RILA to eBay is the best news for both the retail industry and for eBay I have heard in the last eighteen months. I applaud eBay for its wisdom in taking this dramatic step forward. My respect for Paul has grown even greater for having the courage to tackle this challenge. And my counsel to the retail community is to now embrace this initiative, refrain from just being critical and work closely with Paul to ensure success for retailers and for eBay.”

Tod Cohen, vice president and deputy general counsel for government relations of eBay Inc. said, “We are excited to welcome Paul to our team and know he will bolster eBay’s existing efforts to combat the sale of stolen goods, including our special PROACT investigative unit dedicated to working directly with retail loss prevention personnel to investigate case referrals. His experience and deep roots in this field will further strengthen our anti-fraud capabilities while enhancing our valued relationships with retail and law enforcement partners.”

***For additional quotes from loss prevention and retail industry experts, please see the list below.
About eBay Inc.

Founded in 1995, eBay Inc. (Nasdaq: EBAY) connects hundreds of millions of people around the world every day, empowering them to explore new opportunities and innovate together. eBay Inc. does this by providing the Internet platforms of choice for global commerce, payments and communications. Since its inception, eBay Inc. has expanded to include some of the strongest brands in the world, including eBay, PayPal, Skype, StubHub, Shopping.com, and others. eBay Inc. is headquartered in San Jose, California.

Retail Loss Prevention Expert Paul Jones Joins eBay Inc.

Quotes from Leaders within the Retail Industry

“The move of Paul Jones from RILA to eBay is the best news for both the retail industry and for eBay I have heard in the last eighteen months. I applaud eBay for its wisdom in taking this dramatic step forward. My respect for Paul has grown even greater for having the courage to tackle this challenge. And my counsel to the retail community is to now embrace this initiative, refrain from just being critical and work closely with Paul to ensure success for retailers and for eBay.”

– King Rogers, the retired Vice President of assets protection at Target Corporation

“Paul joining eBay is a good sign that the company is serious about working with retailers to find solutions to the ORC issues plaguing the industry.”

– Dennis Klein, Vice President of loss and prevention at Abercrombie & Fitch Co. and Chairman of the RILA loss and prevention steering committee

“Paul Jones is a talented leader and experienced practitioner in the retail loss prevention profession. I have known Paul for over a decade, and as such, have developed a good appreciation of his personal skills and strengths. I predict that his appointment to this new position at eBay will have a profoundly positive effect on both crime prevention for this company and the more difficult task of reducing organized crime in the entire retail industry.”

– Dr. Richard C. Hollinger, a leading academic in the field of loss prevention

“Paul Jones is a recognized expert in loss prevention and shrinkage reduction programs. Over the years he has been a leader for the profession in developing programs and applications to protect corporate assets. His tenure as Vice President of The Retail Leaders Industry Association was marked with a resurgence of the association’s delivery of loss prevention excellence. As the assets protection executive of the newly created position at eBay we should all expect to see a positive and valuable relationship developed between the retail community and eBay.”

– Jim Lee, CEO of Loss Prevention Magazine and Executive Board Member of the Loss Prevention Foundation

CONTACT: Taj Meadows

202-478-3697,

805-453-1141

SOURCE eBay Inc.

Jones leaves Rila after Conference

NEWSWIRE

Jones says goodbye to RILA

By Rhianna Daniels – 05.12.2009

WASHINGTON–Paul Jones, a loss prevention veteran who served in various roles with Limited Brands, Federated Department Stores, Sunglass Hut and Luxottica Retail Group throughout his career, has left his position with the Retail Industry Leaders Association to pursue new opportunities.

Jones, who has served as vice president of asset protection for RILA since February 2008, spearheaded the promotion and development of RILA’s Loss Prevention, Auditing and Safety Conference, which was held last week in Orlando, Fla. Jones also worked diligently to promote the organization’s loss prevention initiatives, said Casey Chroust, senior vice president of retail operations with RILA, as well as expand RILA’s visibility in the LP community.

“We are sad to see him leave. He knocked it out of the park on the conference,” said Brian Dodge, senior vice president, communications and state affairs. “Casey, who has overseen retail operations here, is going to oversee the LP work for the near time. Casey had also led our LP work prior to Paul joining RILA.”

Chroust said LP issues will continue to be addressed throughout the RILA-NRF merger process and he will work with the LP Steering Committee to make sure initiatives are in line with industry needs.

“We will not leave a gapping hole,” Chroust said. “LP currently is one of our key strategic pillars and it will be in the future as well. LP is not going away; rather, the merger will make it stronger and more united.”

When the NRF-RILA merger is finalized, one person will oversee the LP functions at the combined organization. Right now there are two executives in place at NRF — Joe LaRocca recently stepped back from his role as vice president of loss prevention to serve as senior asset prevention advisor at the organization while Rhett Asher was hired to replace LaRocca.

Rila News Jones exits after Conference

Date: May 1, 2009
To: Loss Prevention Steering Committee
From: Casey Chroust, Senior Vice President, Retail Operations
CC: Liz Benson, Coordinator, Retail Operations
Subject: RILA Loss Prevention Community Update
Dear Loss Prevention Steering Committee members,

I look forward to seeing each of you at the conference later this week. This event is the culmination of your many months of dedication and hard work, and I look forward to enjoying the fruits of your labor with the record number of attendees who will be joining us in Orlando.

In the spirit of dedication and hard work, I would like to publically thank Paul Jones for his tremendous efforts, not only in driving this year’s Loss Prevention Conference, but in growing RILA’s overall loss prevention offerings in size, stature and strength. With Paul’s leadership, RILA has added several new members, increased the participation of our existing members, and expanded RILA’s influence and value in the LP community. His dedication and expertise has produced many tangible results and proven a great asset to the organization.

It is with this thought I share that Paul will be leaving RILA, effective May 7, to pursue another great opportunity. We are fortunate to have had Paul’s talent and expertise here at RILA and are dedicated to continuing the growth and level of excellence in our LP offerings that he achieved during his tenure at RILA. We are organizing a transition plan to ensure the continued quality of service our members expect of RILA in the LP area, at present and throughout the RILA-NRF merger process.

Our best wishes from RILA to Paul in his next endeavor. I look forward to speaking with you at the conference and am happy to discuss any questions you may have about the transition and merger processes. In the meantime, please feel free to contact me on my cell phone (202-657-8660) if you would like to discuss.

Thank you again for all of your efforts in putting together this year’s outstanding program and safe travels to Orlando.

Kind regards,
Casey Chroust
Senior Vice President, Retail Operations

RILA Report: Asset Protection: Volume 3 – Issue 2

 

Volume 3 – Issue 2   April 7, 2009
Letter from Paul As a seasoned loss prevention professional, the shifting world around us never ceases to amaze me, and my peers never cease to challenge and teach me. Moving forward, I continue to settle my thoughts on the importance of harnessing the ideas of innovation and reinvention. In today’s tremendously challenging and ever-changing business environment, it is important to remain focused and tap into our creativity when it comes to maximizing effectiveness and utilizing every resource. This is a time for leadership, vigor, determination and teamwork. RILA Loss Prevention, Auditing & Safety Conference 2009 As the RILA Loss Prevention, Auditing & Safety Conference approaches, my team and I have evaluated the landscape and we see the importance in supporting the industry in both the here-and-now and in the long term. It has been our goal from the outset to foster an inclusive environment for this year’s LPAS conference, one in which all loss prevention executives can come together as a community to discuss best practices and seek productive and valuable industry solutions and ideas relevant to the present environment as well as the future. In the spirit of unity and cooperation, we have worked to create a feasible pricing model that not a single conference out there can beat. One that stays both within a reasonable budget and still includes all of the incredible offerings we have found to be valuable to loss prevention executives - both retailers and solution providers! Understanding that many of us are in transition we have worked to ensure our LP colleagues seeking new and different opportunities and wishing to stay engaged are able to attend this conference. This year for the first time we are offering the LP executives in transition rate. We understand how important it is to continue professional development and stay connected with the LP community, and we want to help our colleagues continue to build relationships and broaden their knowledge. Additionally we have been sure to incorporate offerings to our valued solution provider partners, by way of providing to them a better ratio of retailers to service suppliers and ensuring that there is more time for networking and time to participate in sessions, breaks and other functions along with retailers. We have also been working to draw in the next generation of talent by opening this conference up to local students and academia at a special rate. We want to ensure that all who wish to learn alongside of us can! We are particularly excited this year about a new training we are offering to your team that has been brought to you for free by our friends at LossPrevention Magazine. The Wicklander-Zulawski Telephone Interviewing Seminar, being held the last day of the conference, will provide invaluable on-site training at the conference in telephone interview and interrogation! We in the loss prevention community understand the growing success of interview and interrogation via the telephone, and we have heard feedback from some of our member companies that their cost-saving effectiveness has not only risen when utilizing telephone interviewing but also their admission rates. We are also pleased to have added an additional cutting-edge general session featuring co-speakers Dr. Richard Hollinger, professor of criminology at the University of Florida, and Jim Lee, chief executive officer and executive editor of LossPrevention Magazine. Through the session entitled “Managing in a Down Economy,” they will present an industry-wide benchmarking study of current crime trends. The results of this study are that of the RILA Current Crime Trends Survey, which will compare data gathered in December 2008 to current data from April 2009. By re-mapping the crime trends that the retail loss prevention industry is seeing, we will have a better sense of what is happening in our space and the best way to combat it. In a town hall setting, attendees will be able to interact with one another, offer thoughts, ask questions, and learn from those around you! This is the opportunity to learn about what is happening in the current economic climate and how it is affecting retail today! Other interactive sessions being offered this year include the Audit Open Forum and Safety Open Forum which will allow attendees to discuss best practices and current trends in a round-table setting. Sessions like Jill Evans’s “Self Scanning: Profit or Loss?” that will give you the opportunity to hear recent survey results regarding self-checkout systems and current shrink-combating methods. Mark Hilinski and Libby Rabun’s “Unlocking the Value in Returns,” will place you in a room with audience response devices that will capture audience feedback in real time and the speakers will directly respond to these trends! There is much to learn and discuss through all of these interactive sessions, and as you continue to lead and support your companies, we plan to support your efforts through great educational content. Finally, with all the events happening in the world around us, it is a good time to sit in on Dr. Larry Barton’s general session on threat assessment. “Retail Threat Assessment: How Teams Evaluate Threats by Employees and Customers” will help you understand how to approach and prepare for threats in your workplace. As loss prevention professionals, we understand the importance of being proactive and prepared for situations. And we will of course, be featuring our esteemed speakers, Marvin Ellison, executive vce president of The Home Depot and Chief William Bratton of the Los Angeles Police Department. For more information on these sessions and more than 40 other education-packed sessions, visit www.rila.org/lp/. Organized Retail Crime The push to fight organized retail crime (ORC) is continuing on Capitol Hill. On February 25, 2009, RILA and the Coalition Against Organized Retail Crime (CAORC) were happy to participate in the re-introduction of three federal bills to combat this growing problem. We have high hopes here in Washington, DC that these bills will be passed this year and look forward to continuing the charge toward achieving this goal. Please help inform your community and those outside the LP space about ORC, and visit www.orcawareness.com to sign up and write your local congressmen and fight ORC. RILA Horizons Committee Meeting Our continued battle against ORC does not just end on Capitol Hill. The RILA Horizons committee met in February to discuss the future of reducing shrink and improving loss prevention methods. The group met at RILA headquarters in Arlington, Virginia, to learn from such guest speakers as those from SRI International and Digital Harbor. These leading thought developers provided our loss prevention executives with the tools that they need to approach the technology that is on the horizon for our industry. From systems and programs that track unusual behavior to improved technology sensing systems, the RILA Horizons committee is eager and energized to seek out and adopt the frontline of technology to deter and prevent losses in the stores. See You in Orlando! In closing, as the 2009 Loss Prevention Auditing Safety Conference in sunny Orlando, Florida, inches closer, we continue to grow excited with the great educational content that the conference will provide our attendees, knowing the value they will find in every experience that they have there! We look forward to continuing all of our efforts to meet the challenges and opportunities ahead, understanding that the perspective we gain and the innovation that is possible when we are asked to rise to the occasion is often when we do our best work. Through education, continued collaboration and invention, we look forward with enthusiasm at all we can accomplish. Paul Jones Vice President, Asset Protection   2008 NRSS Questionnaire Link The 2008 National Retail Security Survey questionnaire is available. RILA is a sponsor of the study. If you are the principle loss prevention officer, vice president or director for your retail firm, please print out the questionnaire, fill it out completely, and physically mail it to the postal address on the last page of the document. All questionnaires must be received by the end of April. The information submitted on your questionnaire is completely anonymous and the data is strictly confidential. A final report will be available in late June. Any questions about this survey should be directed to Richard Hollinger, PhD, at rhollin@crim.ufl.edu. Security Registers at Retail By Scott Goldfine, Editor-in-Chief You may not think 1.44 percent sounds like much. But if you’re a retailer or an electronic security company serving the retail market, 1.44 percent is a very big number and incentive. How big? According to the 2007 University of Florida National Retail Security Survey (NRSS), it adds up to nearly $35 billion in shrinkage for the nation’s major retailers. To combat those losses, research and consulting firm The Freedonia Group reports retailers were expected to spend in excess of $2.7 billion on loss prevention (LP) technologies in 2008, including video surveillance, electronic article surveillance (EAS), intrusion detection and access control systems. Continue to read this article from Security Sales & Integration.   Featured Articles  The Straw that Broke the Camel’s Back By David E. Zulawski, CFI, CFE and Shane G. Sturman, CFI, CPP We were trying to make a decision and someone said, “that’s the straw that broke the camel’s back.” It makes one wonder whether there ever really was the straw that broke a camel’s back? One little piece and snap? We all know what it means, that moment when weight overcomes the strength of resistance. There must be many moments in our lives where there is a tipping point, a moment, where a decision is made based on the weight of an argument, or life situation. What must it be like to make that decision to do something dishonest? Certainly, there are pressures and opportunities which place people in that situation every single day. Read more. Maximizing Business Intelligence By King Rogers, Principal, King Rogers Group, LLC In the last article I wrote for this newsletter, I talked about one of those special moments in one’s career when you could prove a direct positive impact on shareholder value through a contribution made by loss prevention. Sort of staying with that theme, and especially in light of these very trying economic times, this time I’d like to address the multifaceted impact opportunity of maximizing the use of business intelligence (BI) on the performance of the retail business. Read more. Fact or Fiction? Maintaining Credibility By Walter E. Palmer, Chief Executive Officer & President, PCG Solutions, Inc. I was recently browsing various websites when one particular news ticker caught my eye. It reported that “the top 10 in-demand jobs in 2010 did not exist in 2004.” Wow, that was a pretty shocking statistic! Ironically, I was reading the March edition of HR Magazine the very next day when I ran across an article titled “Where the Jobs Are.” The article included a sidebar “Top 10 ‘In-Demand’ Occupations.” Naturally, I was curious to see what these jobs are that, according to the ticker, did not exist in 2004. Here was the list: Registered Nurses General and operations managers Physicians and surgeons Elementary school teachers Accountants and auditors Computer software engineers Sales representatives and managers Computer systems analysts Management analysts Secondary school teachers Since this list was completely incompatible with what I had read the previous day, I decided to investigate. Since HR Magazine is produced by the highly respected Society for Human Resource Management, my first suspicion lay with the web news ticker information I saw. Read more. Community Collaborates to Address Growing Number of Shoplifting Offenses By National Association for Shoplifting Prevention (NASP) To help address the growing number of youthful and consumer shoplifting offenders, one progressive community has engaged in a collaborative Shoplifting Prevention Community Action Plan. The goal of the Orange County New York Community Action Plan is to effectively handle the growing number of adult and juvenile shoplifting offenders (without overburdening retailers, law enforcement and the courts) while simultaneously reducing future shoplifting offenses. Key to the success of their Community Action Plan is involvement by all stakeholders in the shoplifting issue – from parents to local retailers, to law enforcement, to the district attorney and the courts. Read more. Investing in Tomorrow, Tending to Today By Gene Smith, President, Loss Prevention Foundation The Loss Prevention Foundation’s primary mission is to support, nurture and develop the entire loss prevention community. Working with industry leaders, solution providers and the academic community, it is vitally important that we increase awareness, build programs and provide opportunities that foster the growth and development of the loss prevention leadership of tomorrow. But in these challenging times, it is just as critical that we uphold our focus on the loss prevention leaders of today; supporting their efforts and their contributions in any way that we can. That is a commitment that all of us must share as mentors, colleagues, partners and friends. We have to carry the vision and foresight to help those that are just launching their careers, while maintaining the encouragement and fortitude necessary to support those of us that are facing difficult times in a struggling economy. Read more.   Coach’s Corner: What’s Your Stimulus Package Look Like? By Steve Lundeen, Executive Consultant & Coach, Dream Engineering Wouldn’t it be nice if we could get just a sliver of all that bail-out money going around? Hey, a fella can dream, right? Well, yes we can all dream, but we shouldn’t be spending too much time with our heads in the clouds . . . or buried in the sand right now. Are you finding yourself wandering the internet? Spending too much time on facebook? Caught up twittering? For me, my stimulus package is (1) another cup of coffee and (2) how should I be looking at my business right now. What’s my current perspective and is there another way to look at what seems to be a sound business model? Read more. Analyzing “The Loss Prevention Landscape” in your Target Store Program By David Johnston, Director of Business Development, LP Innovations, Inc. As many retailers finalize their year end inventories and post shrink numbers, the results will undoubtedly trigger the assessment and assignment of target store locations. Different approaches will be used by retailers to assigning the “target store” classification to individual locations. Some may base it solely on unacceptable shrink percentages or dollars, while others take a more analytical approach and include a variety of factors. Read more. Hurricane Preparedness By The Commerical Facilities Sector, U.S. Department of Homeland Security As recent years have shown, hurricanes can be devastating to our communities, businesses and our nation. Historically, the Atlantic hurricane season starts in June and lasts through November, with peak hurricane activity occurring between mid-August and late October. In preparation for the season, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) would like to remind businesses that Hurricane Preparedness Week is May 24 through May 30, 2009.  Read more.                   Don’t forget to visit our newest exhibitors  at LPAS!	For more information, please visit www.cdc.gov/niosh. See you at Booth #207 at RILA’s Loss Prevention, Auditing & Safety Conference! Inside this issue: - Letter from Paul - The Straw that Broke the Camel’s Back - Maximizing Business Intelligence - Fact or Fiction? Maintaining Credibility - Community Collaborates to Address Growing Number of Shoplifting Offenses - Investing in Tomorrow, Tending to Today - Coach’s Corner: What’s Your Stimulus Plan look like? - Analyzing “The Loss Prevention Landscape” in your Target Store Program - Hurricane Preparedness   RILA Events Loss Prevention, Auditing & Safety Conference May 3-6, 2009 Orlando, FL Supply Chain Security Committee Meeting May 14, 2009 Arlington, VA Trade Committee Meeting May 19. 2009 Washington, DC RILA/Deloitte Tax Conference June 2-3, 2009 Washington, DC Government Affairs Committee Meeting July 8, 2009 Washington, DC Financial Leaders Council Meeting July 14-15, 2009 Arlington, VA Environmental Sustainability & Compliance Conference October 5-7, 2009 Dallas, TX Loss Prevention Partners Be sure to visit our colleagues in combating organized retail crime at the International Association of Chiefs of Police. www.idsafety.org www.investigateid.org

Symbiotic Relationships Needed Now More than Ever By: Kevin Lynch

Symbiotic Relationships Needed Now More than Ever

Over the last few weeks I have taken meetings with a host of retailers that have given me pause to think about how this current economy has changed the vendor-retailer dynamic. The conversations more closely resembled the exchange you might hear between a priest and parishioner or a patient and psychiatrist.

Heavy-hearted LP executives have been going through layoffs, severe budget cuts, and in many instances helping close the very stores that provided their family a living. The brutality of the economy has not stopped C-level

management in these companies from demanding that their loss prevention team maintain good shrinkage results or even reduce shrinkage further. They want them to accomplish this with fewer people and less capital.

As I told one LP director, “You should just tell your CFO that you’re changing your name to David Copperfield or Doug Henning,” because LP executives would have to be magicians to accomplish what their company is asking of them given the seemingly impossible constraints they are operating under. The levity may have produced a smile, but the reality is that the problem will not go away. Vice presidents and directors of loss prevention are being asked to perform a “Sophie’s Choice” with their people, their vendors, and the products and services that they purchase from those vendors.

Long-standing relationships will be strained as maintenance contracts turn into “time and materials.” Friendships will be tested as retailers are forced to purchase inferior systems to affect quantity over quality to try to maintain a cohesive security profile in a time where crime is rising. Universally admired loss prevention programs that were

tantamount to respected teaching hospitals are becoming MASH units with the goal of just keeping the patient stable and not letting him “shrink out.”

Vendors who come into town adopting the mantra, “Here’s what I have on the wagon, what would you like?” will be run out on a rail. Companies that espoused to be “solution providers” will have to be creative in putting their money where their mouths are.

Reducing labor costs will be a preeminent variable in helping directors do more with less. One of the major factors

in cutting loss prevention labor without sacrificing productivity will be integrated solutions. The use of handheld PDAs that allow store security managers to maintain the same level of surveillance that took two people in the past is an example of an integrated solution that affects more with less. The luxury of two forty-hour LP professionals in a store at any given time is a thing of the past.

EAS source-tagging programs, video analytics, POS exception monitoring, IP cameras, and RFID solutions that are

integrated into the current compliment of security products are no longer a pipe dream, but a necessity. These concepts that seemed so far off on a director’s radar screen are here today and need to be understood in order to make quality decisions about a loss prevention department’s future.

These tough economic times will test the ability of even the most seasoned and respected loss prevention professionals in “triaging” their departments to get the equitable balance of labor and technology. At the same time, the sales professionals who call on these executives will likely be updating their resumes if they can’t bring to the table a cost-effective solution that passes the litmus test with finance.

If there was ever a time where a symbiotic relationship  was the gold standard for mutual self-preservation, well, it’s

right now.