Rant

[Defensive tactics]

Hello all
I dont like to complain but I figured I must rant, I am an LPO all across my city and I was at a certian location where the employees completly ignored me, I wouldnt care if they ignored me during my shift (actually I prefer because I am watching people) but they ignored me during the start of and end of my shift. It just seems a bit selfish on there part, am i over reacting or do store employees just dislike loss prevention (granted we do internal investigations) ? On another point it ticks me off to no avail when employees get in my way or go and talk to the suspect I am watching, it is like holy crap buddy get out of the way, anyways end rant

sorry to waste time
Stay safe
Ben

[N. A. Corbier]

Hello all
I dont like to complain but I figured I must rant, I am an LPO all across my city and I was at a certian location where the employees completly ignored me, I wouldnt care if they ignored me during my shift (actually I prefer because I am watching people) but they ignored me during the start of and end of my shift. It just seems a bit selfish on there part, am i over reacting or do store employees just dislike loss prevention (granted we do internal investigations) ? On another point it ticks me off to no avail when employees get in my way or go and talk to the suspect I am watching, it is like holy crap buddy get out of the way, anyways end rant

sorry to waste time
Stay safe
Ben

This is normal. You are the enemy.

[Defensive tactics]

Humour

N.A. Corbier
as always well put,The irony of the situation is the employees complain that I am not making enough arrests, if they got out of my way and stopped offering my suspects assitance then I would make a lot more.

thanks for responding
stay safe
Ben

[Big Bulldog]

Did the job for eight years before moving into corporate security.

Yes, the staff will resent you and treat you as an outsider. You are the enemy. Take notice of those who treat you really really friendly and those who treat you really really badly. There usually is a very good reason for both behaviours.

If staff are approaching your "suspects" they are performing basic loss prevention. They are actually doing their employer a great service as they will be far more effective at preventing loss that a floor walker (No offence meant.)

I used to have one employee who would alert shoplifters that I was watching them and then when I called him on it would argue that I was so obvious they would have figured it out by themselves. I responded several months later by arresting him and his aunt (the store pharmacist) for stealing drugs from the store and selling them. Guess I wasn't as "obvious" as he thought I was, eh? What comes around goes around!!

Remember too that only 25% of shrinkage is generally determined to be from "external" theft. Almost 60% is "internal" employee theft and the rest being supplier and process failures. Martin Gill compiled a book called "Managing Security" which provides a lot of good research into shrinkage causes and prevention.

When things were quiet in the store I would take a few minutes to watch the staff. You'd be surprised what you can see when you're not tunnel visioned on the customers coming through your doors.

Good luck!

[1stWatch]

I shall state this bluntly. In general, people are idiots. The majority of them have a superiority complex in the workplace and they view anyone in the position of security as "lowly", so they act with pseudo-nobility to try to belittle you. The key here is to use role reversal. You are the superior one, the special agent if you will, who is above them when they act in such a manner. Don't socialize with them because you don't need their approval. Instead, look for any sign of them stealing from the company. When you show up to arrest them, then they'll know the truth.
This psychology may sound pretty arrogant, but it certainly helps put a certain perspective on things.

[N. A. Corbier]

Indeed. When I worked in retail, for a whole year, I always had one extremely obvious LP agent hanging around me, trying to talk to me, etc. I realized immediately that he was casing the department because the shrink was so high (for store, not for district, we had the lowest shrink in the district).

9 times out of 10, there was no LP in the store. When there was, before this guy rotated out, he would wear a SPJC Law Enforcement Academy t-shirt, or a polo shirt... He screamed "I am a CJ student" by his dress. He had cop mannerisms, as well.

One of my supervisors was like, 'Why does he keep coming around?' I had the happy joy of telling the supervisor that the LP person thought we were all thieves, and he was attempting to watch us.

Idiot left. We had a much better LP person (professional LP, not LP going to LE) who blended in, was not overly friendly, would ask for back-up from some of us when he needed it, worked with us to decrease shrink (If he said "put a lock on it," the store manager had to put a lock on it. We put locks on everything Electronics owned, as well as cameras...)

The best LP person is someone who the average associate does not know is LP. Once they know, they fear you. And if they fear you, they don't like you.

[T202]

1stWatch is right. If it's a them against you type atmosphere, they don't want you around to catch them stealing.

[Mr. Security]

1stWatch is right. If it's a them against you type atmosphere, they don't want you around to catch them stealing.

I agree. There must be some stealing going on and they see you as a threat to their operation. See if you can figure out who the ringleaders are. Act like you're blind, incompetent, etc., so that they drop their guard around you.

[Defensive tactics]

Thanks guys

Now that I think of it *no names mentioned of course*
but they did get very testy when I was around the cash, I will look farther into the possibility of internal theft (as that is one of my orders), thank you for all the kind words, I appreciate it

stay safe
Ben

[Serpico]

I agree. There must be some stealing going on and they see you as a threat to their operation. See if you can figure out who the ringleaders are. Act like you're blind, incompetent, etc., so that they drop their guard around you.

I dealt with mostly teenagers and 20 somethings. Most of the time there was no ringleader, per se. Just a group of unorganized idiots stealing DVDs and food.

One reason employees don't like LPOs is because they think we're out to catch them up for every minor infraction. Granted, stealing is something that you can't turn the other way on. They also do things like talk on their cell phone, go on unauthorized smoke breaks, etc. That, for the most part, is what employees are worried about.

You're never gonna get them to like you, but you can earn their respect. The easiest way of doing so is to catch one up stealing or "sweethearting" a fellow employee (not ringing up all the items another employee has). Do that and hold an arrest over their head, even if it doesn't fall into the protocol for an arrest. Do that and you'll get names of others who are stealing. I was lead investigator for a district wide internal theft investigation and the store I was based out of yielded 10 terminations and over a grand in restitution.

Suffice to say, I had their attention.

[Guest]

I get ignored, I am the area badass.

If they get in your way just tell them "Look I got two hands, a right, and a left, I can slap you with either one of them. Just let me know which one you want."

[robvancamp]

Not just LP!

I don't do LP per se, but it is always the case that you are the enemy unless they need you, and then they compliment the great job you did. That lasts about ten minutes.