Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen. Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger. And of course, Barbie and Ken.
Like the best partners on the court, in the boardroom, and on the big screen, when retailers join forces with local law enforcement, their corners of the world can change for the better. By working together to establish collaborative partnerships, backed by data-driven programs and open intelligence-gathering operations, retailers become strategic crime-fighting allies with police departments and give them the ability to maximize their resources.
These partnerships require innovative technologies, like Lowe’s Project Unlock, and perceptive processes, as well as a close re-examination of retailers’ existing security plans, with an especially keen eye toward leveling up existing parking lot security measures.
A store’s paved perimeter is one of the only areas where high-impact, low-friction solutions do not impede the customer experience. Rather than relying heavily on older technologies like EAS, employing more security guards, or backing proprietary innovations, employing top-notch parking lot security measures should serve as the foundation of a collaborative retailer-law enforcement asset protection strategy.
HOW RETAILERS CAN REDUCE CRIME WITH PORTABLE SURVEILLANCE CAMERAS
Relying on staff to catch shoplifters puts people in danger, so retailers should explore what measures will deter bad actors from entering the store.
One proven proactive parking lot defense? Mobile surveillance cameras from LVT. Our innovative, cutting-edge, compact, and completely mobile units not only fit in a single parking spot but they can also be relocated as required. They are proven to shut down criminals’ ability to steal goods and force them to look for easier access elsewhere.
The results are staggering. When retailers deploy LVT Units to increase safety in their parking lots, they offer better protection for their associates and customers and establish a long-term security solution. It also offers invaluable intelligence and vital evidence for law enforcement when a crime does occur.
LVT Units also can help retailers establish a wider community policing approach to retail security, by allowing them to pool resources to:
- Share intelligence with each other and local law enforcement
- Create a network operations center backed by portable surveillance cameras
The crime prevention numbers speak volumes, as retailers with LVT Units have experienced:
- 70% decrease in parking lot incidents
- 40% decrease in shoplifting
- 43% reduction in trespassing incidents
- 54% decrease in burglaries
- 15% reduction in property crimes
LVT PORTABLE SURVEILLANCE CAMERAS MAKE COMMUNITIES MORE SECURE
With crime on the rise in Opelika, Alabama, and Paducah, Kentucky, business leaders, government officials, and local enforcement needed to enact change. These two communities, with respective populations of 30,000 and 27,000 people, both ranked in the 90th percentile for violent and property crimes relative to other similarly sized cities. In addition, both communities reported a 20% year-over-year increase in retail crime.
Fed up with these statistics, city and police leaders joined forces with LVT and the Loss Prevention Research Council to form the Alliance of Companies and Communities to Enhance Safety and Security, or ACCESS Taskforce. The four-pronged collaborative approach, with local retailers, government, and city police departments, aimed to increase community safety by collecting, sharing, and tracking retail crime data in an effort to reduce it.
“When we first found out about the ACCESS Task Force, it was a very interesting concept,” Paducah Chief of Police Brian Laird said. “We are constantly working to improve the quality of life and decrease crime in Paducah. We believe that deploying LVT’s security units in partnership with local retailers will improve our ability to diminish crime and care for not only our citizens but also visitors to Paducah.”
The six-month trial began with LVT deploying 49 Live Units with 15 retailers across the two cities.
“When I told the team members that we were setting up the camera units outside, there was there was applause. There were a lot of ‘thank yous’ because we’re doing this for not only them, but we’re doing it for our customers as well,” Advance Auto Parts Regional Asset Protection Manager David Walters said. “They feel safe coming in, they feel safe leaving at night. And that's the most important thing for us.”
According to the LPRC’s report, Raising the Watch Tower: Results From The ACCESS Taskforce, LVT Units are an effective deterrent for shoplifters and make a valuable impact in retailers’ efforts to fight crime.
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ACCESS TASKFORCE, BACKED BY LVT UNITS, DRIVE IMPRESSIVE RESULTS
The numbers are striking. In just six months after LVT Units were deployed in both cities, crime decreased across the board.
“It literally takes a village to make a safe environment. So that’s why it's important to us to have those relationships, between the police department, the city, and the businesses,” Opelika Chief of Police Shane Healey said. “We try to help foster good relationships between the businesses so they can help each other out by communicating that this taskforce is in place, the camera systems on site, and that people are seeing that they will help make them criminals decide to go to some other city.”
Criminals considering “doing business” in Opelika, Alabama, reconsidered, as the number speak for themselves with a:
- 40% decrease in shoplifting
- 31% decrease in disorderly conduct
- 15% reduction in property crime
- 10% overall reduction in crime
In Paducah, Kentucky, authorities reported even steeper drops in crime, including a:
- 80% decrease in weapons violations
- 54% drop in burglaries
- 43% decrease in trespassing
- 15% decrease in property crime
LVT UNITS DRIVE RESULTS FOR RETAILERS AND LAW ENFORCEMENT
LVT Units provide context and clarity and give asset protection professionals and local law enforcement officials the ability to work as a team when it matters most. Customized for retail theft prevention, LVT Units ensure retailers have total peace of mind when it comes to security, with live security cameras, intuitive sensors, a cloud-based app, customized alerts, and live agents who monitor surveillance feeds.
Police believe in LVT’s solutions because self-sustaining LVT Units secure all kinds of situations—in different locations as needed. From monitoring crowds to watching Black Friday doorbuster sales, police officers appreciate having “more eyes on the ground” so they are a step ahead of criminals.
The ACCESS Taskforce proved that all these features added up to challenge the status quo and drive change in Opelika, Alabama, and Paducah, Kentucky. When retailers, law enforcement, and government officials worked together to solve retail crimes, there was a cumulative effect, substantially decreasing overall criminal activity in two thriving communities.
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE ACCESS TASKFORCE
For more details about the ACCESS Taskforce and our results watch our webinar.
When security professionals choose LiveView Technologies, they deploy the most advanced security system on the market and reduce crime immediately. Our retail customers know LVT stands apart in providing the best retail security strategy. Contact our team today for a demo.
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