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Shrink, comprised of shoplifting, employee or supplier fraud, and administrative errors, continues to plague many retailers in the U.S.According to the most recent Global Retail Theft Barometer, the annual cost of shrink to U.S. shoppers, as absorbed or passed on from retailers, averaged $615 per household.And while shoplifting is the biggest cause of retail shrink in 18 of the 24 countries surveyed, in the U.S., employee theft ranked first at 45 percent, with shoplifting next at 36 percent. The primary reasons for employee theft were weak pre-employment screening procedures, reduced associate supervision, an increasing part-time workforce and the easy sale of stolen merchandise.Shoplifters and dishonest employees in the U.S. primarily t...

Retailers lost more than $33 billion to theft last year according to a recent annual survey conducted by the University of Florida with a funding grant from ADT Security Services. The National Retail Security Survey (NRSS) preliminary results show a slight decrease in the rate of theft as a percent of sales from 1.51 percent or $36.5 billion in 2008 to 1.44 percent or $33.5 billion in 2009.

It looks like a very tough economy made loss prevention efforts for retailers even more important in 2009, according to Joe La Rocca, senior asset protection advisor for the National Retail Federation. "The decrease in the rate of theft is evidence of continued efforts by retailers to protect inventories and hold on to merchandise," he said. "This last...

A physical security information system brought together a variety of local and regional agencies.

When a city has a special event that draws a significant crowd, what can the city do to ensure the safety and security of not only the dignitaries but the public as a whole, especially when it comes to transportation?

Simple problems like moving large crowds to and from venues quickly and safely, protecting dignitaries as they travel around the city, assuring standard services continue to operate (including fire, trash collection, police response, etc.) are coupled with increased concern for terrorist attacks or weather related problems. In any scenario, the smooth operation of the transportation system, and its coordination with other city ag...

Churches and Places of Worship welcome people in with open doors, but that could be the window of opportunity that leaves them vulnerable to someone with bad intentions.Case in point: the shooting at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal (AME) church in downtown Charleston, SC where an attacker took the lives of nine individuals, and now, the shooting at the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, which as of this writing, left 26 individuals dead and 20 wounded.Each church and place of worship is unique and has its own challenges and there are many factors to consider. We can’t do a cookie cutter here because based on the age of the church, the size, the design, and even the location makes a big difference as to the types...

The skip steer caught Coba Palmer’s eye. One of two construction trucks sitting in a Northside Chicago lot, the $48,000 piece of equipment was Palmer’s prey. Many such trucks – left unguarded on sites throughout the U.S. – have universal ignition keys. No wonder construction site managers often dangle expensive gear high above the ground from high rise cranes.

As luck wouldn’t have it for Palmer, Chicago police officers arrived as the thief was attempting to start up the unit.

Such theft has been all too common on construction sites over the years. More recently, with the slowing American economy, juxtaposition with the rise in the value of resold metals, especially aluminum and copper, there has been escalati...

Apparel, children’s toys, electronics and electronic accessories are expected to be the most stolen items this holiday season in the U.S., according to the 2016 Retail Holiday Season Global Forecast.The study was carried out by Ernie Deyle, a retail loss prevention analyst, and provides an analytical view of business risks that major retailers face during this holiday season. The 13 markets covered in the report span North America, Europe and Asia, and include the U.S., Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, UK, Australia, China, Hong Kong and Japan.In addition, the retail cost loss burden for the retailers surveyed in the U.S. for 2016 is expected to be $132 per person, of which $50, about twice as much as ...

Prevention
Simply having a security guard present is a great deterrent to crime. Thieves will think twice about targeting a business that has uniformed protection. Professional guards are trained to look for suspicious activity on the spot. They can assess a situation and react to security breaches. A guard is a greater visual deterrent than just camera surveillance or a standard security system. It sends a message to potential criminals that you are serious about the security of your business.

Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) are growing more and more popular in office buildings and public facilities where large groups of people gather. As more people learn about the benefits of AEDs, the number of devices in a given community is likely to keep growing.

AEDs are used on individuals who have suffered sudden cardiac arrest. Sudden cardiac arrest is the immediate and unexpected cessation of a productive heartbeat. According to the American Red Cross, 300,000 people fall victim to sudden cardiac arrest each year. Of that number, only one in 20 people survive. These deaths potentially could have been prevented if someone had initiated the Cardiac Chain of Survival.

Cardiac Chain of SurvivalThe Cardiac Chain of Survival consis...

Security awareness at its most basic level is the act of applying technical security knowledge to programs and activities that raise the awareness -- and diminish risky behaviors -- of employees within a given organization. This includes everything from phishing and password test programs, to community engagement with educated practitioners teaching less security savvy users how to change their behavior to better secure protect themselves or their companies.

It's long been stated that security is not convenient, and for many years cybersecurity teams were challenged with addressing the human element of security risk (patch your systems! change your passwords! no, that is not a real email from George Clooney!) while also trying to create a...