Welcome! Town of Duck Police Department Business Crime Prevention & Safety Seminar

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1 Welcome! Town of Duck Police Department Business Crime Prevention & Safety Seminar

2 First Sergeant Jeffrey E. Ackerman Town of Duck, NC Police Department

3 What elements must be met before a suspect can be charged with shoplifting?

4 SHOPLIFTING NCGS A PERSON IS GUILTY OF THIS OFFENSE IF HE/SHE: (1) Willfully conceals goods or merchandise of a store (2) Without authority (3) Without having purchased the goods or merchandise (4) While still on the premises of the store LARCENY NCGS A PERSON IS GUILTY OF THIS OFFENSE IF HE/SHE: (1) Takes property belonging to another (2) And carries it away (3) Without the consent of the owner, and (4) With intent to deprive the possessor of it s use permanently (5) Knowing that the taker was not entitled to the property.

5 HOW MUCH DO RETAILERS LOSE ANNUALLY AS A RESULT OF SHOPLIFTING? $13 BILLION (That s $35 Million Per Day!!!!)

6 Shoplifters are caught an average of ONCE every 48 times they steal!

7 USE THE ACRONYM CRAVED TO DETERMINE YOUR HOT PRODUCTS CONCEALABLE REMOVABLE AVAILABLE VALUABLE ENJOYABLE DISPOSABLE

8 OTHER STATISTICS Shoplifters are only turned over to police 50% of the time. 89% of kids say they know other kids who shoplift. Only 3% of shoplifters are professionals. Habitual shoplifters steal an average of 1.6 times per week.

9 Who s stealing from me? What do they look like? ANYONE! ANYONE! ANYONE!

10 Stores with greater risk include those with Many exits, particularly where they are accessible without passing through or by a checkout; Passageways, blind corners, and hidden alcoves; Unregulated restrooms and changing rooms; Tall displays that conceal shoppers (and shoplifters) from view; Crowded areas around displays of high-risk items; Aisles that staff cannot easily survey from one end.

11 POLICE/COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP WORKING TOGETHER TO ACHIEVE GREAT THINGS

12 Improving Store Layout & Design Reduce the number of exits, blind corners and recesses; Carefully place mirrors; Provide good, even lighting; Eliminate clutter and obstructions; Keep goods away from entrances and exits; Create clear sight lines in aisles and reduce the height of displays; Reduce crowding near displays of high-risk items; Move high-risk products into higher security zones; Speed up checkout to reduce congestion and waiting, which provide the opportunity for concealment.

13 TIGHTENING STOCK CONTROLS

14 UPGRADING RETAIL SECURITY Restricting the number of unaccompanied children allowed in small neighborhood stores. Establish clear rules for the use of changing rooms in clothing stores. Displaying only the CD, DVD, or video cases in music and video stores and only one pair of shoes in shoe shops. Keep high-value items in locked displays, or secure them through cable locks and security hangers. Encourage the use of supermarket-type carts for purchases. Sealing bags of legitimate purchases. Giving receipts where there is a high risk of shoplifting, and checking them against goods on exit. Require receipts for refunds.

15 HIRING THE RIGHT STAFF CAN YOU REALLY AFFORD TO HIRE WARM BODIES?

16 Lights Camera Action SHOULD I INSTALL CAMERAS?

17 MAKE SURE THEY SEE YOU, WHILE YOU SEE THEM!

18 I ve seen the suspect, now what? CALL 911

19 CAREFULLY OBSERVE THE SUSPECT Note the time Suspect Description Suspect Actions Specific Merchandise

20 APPROACH THE SUSPECT ONLY IF COMFORTABLE IN DOING SO Minimum of two employees Maintain polite and professional demeanor Request suspect wait until police arrive

21 DO NOT PURSUE OR DETAIN AN IRATE SUSPECT Step away Confirm suspect description Obtain suspect vehicle description (and direction of travel) Notify police of suspect information

22 AM I GOING TO BE SUED? North Carolina General Statute (c) A MERCHANT WHO DETAINS; A SHOPLIFTING SUSPECT; SHALL NOT BE HELD CIVILLY LIABLE; IF IT OCCURS ON THE PREMISIES OF THE STORE; IN A REASONABLE MANNER; FOR A RESONABLE TIME; AND THE MERCHANT HAD PROBABLE CAUSE TO BELEAVE THE SUSPECT DID COMMIT THE CRIME OF SHOPLIFTING.

23 ARE YOU FOR REAL? Fraud Detection and Prevention

24 WHAT CAN YOU DO? Ask for ID Multiple cards attempted? Body Language/Attitude

25 THINK IT WON T HAPPEN TO YOU? In 2012, $11.3 BILLION in reported fraud losses nationwide. $1.9 Billion directly affected businesses (does not include credit card company losses)

26 CURRENCY IDENTIFICATION Counterfeit pens can fail Best practice: visual inspection If it seems suspicious, give PD a call.

27 SECURITY THREADS

28 CURRENCY WATERMARKS

29 TAKING CHECKS? Difficult to identify fraud May be drawn on legitimate account Can call the listed bank, but not all will verify funds over the phone Do not use number provided by customer

30 LOCAL CASES

31 4 subjects from Richmond entered several stores in Tanger Outlet Mall Bought trivial amounts of products and cashed in fraudulent traveler s checks A suspecting business called NHPD to investigate If unsure, AMEX (800) VISA (800) Don t use a number provided by the customer

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33 Female victim likely dropped credit card at a NH business Suspect found the credit card and went on 9 store spending spree from Manteo to Portsmouth Easily avoided if one clerk asked one simple question:

34 Internal Loss Prevention and Cures

35 Think you know your employees? Most occupational fraudsters are first-time offenders with clean employment histories. Approximately 87% of occupational fraudsters had never been charged or convicted of a fraud-related offense, and 84% had never been punished or terminated by an employer for fraud-related conduct -ACFE

36 Good Practices Store policies Open communication, ethical tone set Code of Conduct and Anti-fraud policy Establish your expectations One till per employee Education Larceny by employee *Felony regardless of value! Caveat: must be in care and control of product/department (opinion of 1 st judicial district)

37 Red flags Living beyond their means Known financial difficulties An unusually close association with a vendor or customer Displaying control issues or an unwillingness to share duties A general wheeler-dealer attitude involving shrewd or unscrupulous behavior Recent divorce or family problems

38 Detection 42% business theft is reported by another employee 16% detected through management review 14% detected by internal audit 7% detected by accident 2.2% detected by law enforcement before business (usually large loss by business)

39 Navigating the Justice System; the cops, the courts, & the merchant

40 AGE determines if someone is a Juvenile or an Adult offender?

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42 What happens when an offender is less than 16 years old? 1. Complaint (Juvenile Petition) 2. Intake (Juvenile Court Counselor) 3. Juvenile Court 4. Disposition (Sentence)

43 What happens when the offender is an adult? 1.A citation is issued or a physical arrest is made 2.Offender is transported to the Magistrate s Office 3. Magistrate determines if probable cause exists, and if so, sets a bond 4.The case is heard in District Court 5.May be appealed to Superior Court

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45 Buy the best you can afford! Always use a knob lock and a deadbolt! Install a door lock reinforcer! Know who has keys! Change the locks!

46 Don t forget the windows! Install a secondary window lock -

47 Consider a monitored security system, but understand there are pros and cons

48 Video Surveillance: There are many inexpensive and DIY options available

49 Criminals are lazy! Anything you do to make your business harder to get into will serve as the strongest deterrent.

50 Active Threat; confronting workplace violence. SERGEANT MISSY CLARK

51 ACTIVE THREAT EVENTS BY LOCATION 2000 TO % 12% 19% OTHER OUTDOORS SCHOOL BUSINESS 29% STATISTICS REVEAL THAT RETAIL STORES AND OFFICE BUILDINGS ARE THE MOST LIKELY LOCATIONS FOR ACTIVE THREAT EVENTS

52 Be About Your Business. Success is the new normal. Chief Phillip Ferguson

53 The New Normal

54 Questions?