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Acquire the necessary skills to survive an active shooter incident.

Acquire the necessary skills to survive an active shooter incident.

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Frank Costa, President Nexgen Protection Services – 

The A.L.I.V.E. Active Shooter Survival Training Program is a comprehensive training program designed to provide individuals with the necessary skills and knowledge to survive an active shooter incident. Its emphasis on situational awareness and decision-making makes it a practical and effective approach to active shooter situations. By empowering individuals to take proactive measures to protect themselves and others, the program can help prevent tragedies and save lives.

A.L.I.V.E. stands for Assess, Leave, Impede, Violence, and Expose. These are the steps that anyone can take to more effectively respond should you ever be confronted with an active shooter situation, terrorist attack, violent attacker in the workplace, and other potentially deadly events.

 

SOURCE: 

Lasky, S. Staying A.L.I.V.E. During Active Shooter Incidents with Michael Julian, Security Info Watch Magazine, 112/27/2024.
#protectionservices #securitystandards #publicsaftey  #mobilesecurity #securitythreats

 

Mitigate the Risks Associated with Seasonal Hiring

Mitigate the Risks Associated with Seasonal Hiring

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Frank Costa, President Nexgen Protection Services – 

Businesses increasingly rely on temporary employees to meet fluctuating demands, particularly during peak seasons. However, the pressures of economic instability and reduced organizational resources make this workforce particularly vulnerable to unethical behaviors, such as theft and fraud, which can have significant financial and reputational repercussions for businesses.

Seasonal hires are particularly prone to engaging in employee crime or counterproductive behaviors due to several factors, including a lack of commitment to the organization, insufficient training, and limited supervision. 

To mitigate these risks, retailers can implement several strategies:

  • Ensure that background checks are completed even during rapid hiring phases to identify individuals with a history of criminal activity or connections to ORC.
  • Pre-employment screening assessments that measure job‑related integrity, nonviolent attitudes, safety orientations, drug-avoidance tendencies, service orientations, and tendencies to avoid collusion with ORC organizations can be instilled.
  • Provide all employees, including seasonal workers, with robust training on loss prevention and the consequences of ORC to raise awareness and deter participation in illegal activities.
  • Enhance supervision and monitoring of seasonal workers, particularly in high-risk areas, to help detect and prevent potential collusion with ORC groups.

 

SOURCE: 

Jones, J. W. Safeguarding Seasonal Success: Psychology-Informed Loss Prevention with Temporary Employees, Loss Prevention Magazine, 11/25/2024.
#protectionservices #securitystandards #publicsaftey  #mobilesecurity #securitythreats

 

Why Local Businesses Should Build Strong Relationships with Law Enforcement

Why Local Businesses Should Build Strong Relationships with Law Enforcement

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Frank Costa, President Nexgen Protection Services – 

Building strong relationships with law enforcement has always been crucial to a successful loss prevention program. Historically, the relationship between retail stores and local law enforcement has been a part of both community safety and retail performance, reinforcing the critical elements of security and well-being.

Trust and respect are essential, along with a general understanding of how we can work together to keep our communities safe and our businesses successful.

SOURCE: 

Brittain, J. Fostering Next-Level Partnerships That Make a Difference, Loss Prevention Magazine, 11/20/2024.
#protectionservices #securitystandards #publicsaftey  #mobilesecurity #securitythreats

 

Shrink From Theft Significantly Impacts Small-To Medium-Sized Retailers

Shrink From Theft Significantly Impacts Small-To Medium-Sized Retailers

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Frank Costa, President Nexgen Protection Services – 

SMB retailers operate on narrow profit margins, they typically don’t have the budget or resources to invest in the training, security systems, and personnel to combat theft like larger retailers do. Offenders might also be more familiar with SMB retailers’ store layouts and know they lack specific security measures. If smaller stores with weaker security are located near larger stores with more robust protection, there might be an issue of displacement in which offenders pass by the big box shop for the mom-and-pop.

A low cost solution to theft prevention for SMB retailers is partnerships. Many law enforcement organizations have community policing units, where officers are specially trained to interact with local businesses and citizens to help them solve problems. SMB retailers can connect with this unit or a liaison and invite them to the store to dispense free crime prevention advice.

 

SOURCE: 

Fritsky, L. For Small- to Medium-Sized Business Retailers, Thwarting Theft Needn’t Come with High Effort or Costs, Loss Prevention Magazine, 10/09/2024.
#protectionservices #securitystandards #publicsaftey  #mobilesecurity #securitythreats

TSA Final Rule Enables Continued Acceptance of Driver Licenses at Airport Security Checkpoints

TSA Final Rule Enables Continued Acceptance of Driver’s Licenses at Airport Security Checkpoints & Federal Buildings

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Frank Costa, President Nexgen Protection Services – 

Consistent with the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) efforts to enhance the passenger experience, TSA published a final rule in the Federal Register that would allow passengers to continue using mobile driver’s licenses (mDL) for identity verification at TSA airport security checkpoints once REAL ID enforcement begins on May 7, 2025.

The final rule, effective November 25, 2024, allows states to apply to TSA for a temporary waiver of certain REAL ID requirements written in the REAL ID regulations. Once approved, those state mDLs will continue to be accepted at TSA airport security checkpoints. TSA will publish on its website a list of states where mDLs are approved for federal acceptance. After emerging industry standards and federal guidelines are finalized, TSA intends to issue a future rule making to set more comprehensive requirements for mDLs that will eventually replace the waiver provisions established by this rule.

 

For more information on REAL ID, please visit TSA.gov/real-id. For more information about TSA’s use of digital identification, please visit TSA.gov/digital-id.

 

SOURCE: 

Anderson, L. TSA final rule enables continued acceptance of mobile driver’s licenses at airport security checkpoints, federal buildings, Security InfoWatch, 10/25/2024.
#protectionservices #securitystandards #publicsaftey  #mobilesecurity #securitythreats

Body Cameras Deliver Enhanced Security and Accountability

Body Cameras Deliver Enhanced Security and Accountability

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Frank Costa, President Nexgen Protection Services – 

Retailers seek effective solutions to the growing issues of theft and violence, the adoption of body cameras has emerged as a promising way to enhance security and accountability. This technology offers not just a way to record events as they unfold but it also serves as a preventive measure by visibly demonstrating that customer behavior is being monitored.

Body cameras can be strategically implemented to address these challenges, providing both immediate and long-term benefits to retailers. The operational, technological, and strategic advantages of integrating body cameras must be carefully considered. It’s important to ensure that all stakeholders are equipped with the knowledge to make informed decisions.

SOURCE: 

Wolfe, C. WHITEPAPER: Top 10 Points for Retailers to Consider Before Purchasing Body Cameras. Loss Prevention Magazine, 06/21/2024.
#protectionservices #securitystandards #publicsaftey  #mobilesecurity #securitythreats

Organized Crime and Shrinkage are on The Rise

Organized Crime and Shrinkage are on The Rise, Security Protection Is Essential to Offset Losses.

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Frank Costa, President Nexgen Protection Services – 

The final stage of the supply chain process in retail, is getting products off trucks and into stores. Retailers face rising security threats, such as theft, shoplifting, internal fraud, vandalism, and even violence. Matters are intensified by self-checkout systems and the complexities of post-pandemic retail environments. 

Whether managing day-to-day retail operations or responding to disasters and large-scale events, retailers must be prepared for the unexpected. Nexgen Security offers scalable solutions to meet these challenges head-on, enabling businesses to enhance security, reduce losses, and maintain operational integrity.

 

SOURCE: 

Wolfe, C. WHITEPAPER: The End-of-Sale Process in the Retail Supply Chain. Loss Prevention Magazine, 10/20/2024.
#protectionservices #securitystandards #publicsaftey  #mobilesecurity #securitythreats

Businesses should partner with law enforcement officers to develop safeguards for their businesses to prevent criminal activity.

Businesses Must Partner with Law Enforcement to Develop Safeguards

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Frank Costa, President Nexgen Protection Services – 

 

Small businesses typically don’t have the budget or resources to invest in the training, security systems, and personnel to combat theft like larger organizations.

Businesses should partner with law enforcement officers to develop safeguards for their businesses to prevent criminal activity. Helping businesses reduce and prevent crime is both a police and community effort.

Given limited resources, critically assess problem areas with solutions that will have the greatest impact on your bottom line. 

 

SOURCE: 

Fritsky, L. For Small- to Medium-Sized Business Retailers, Thwarting Theft Needn’t Come with High Effort or Costs. Loss Prevention Magazine, 08/01/2024
#protectionservices #securitystandards #publicsaftey  #mobilesecurity #securitythreats

 

Personal Identifiable Information: What You Need to Know

Personal Identifiable Information: What You Need to Know

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Frank Costa, President Nexgen Protection Services – 

 

Smartphone apps collect data on us and our behavior, tracking shopping habits and browsing history. These apps can also obtain data regarding a user’s personal identifiable information: gender, age, and—importantly—geographical location. 

Many consumers are not aware that app publishers enhance their revenue by granting access to in‑app advertisers, which use the data collected to target prospects with precision. Their efforts are greatly enhanced by the ability to monitor the prospects’ movements.

Law enforcement and other agencies can legitimately access a person’s cell phone data after obtaining a search warrant. In that regard, the data is considered like any other personal property—subject to privacy rights unless there is “probable cause” of criminal activity.

 

SOURCE: 

Meehan, T. Cellphone Tracking: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. Loss Prevention Magazine, 09/25/2024
#protectionservices #securitystandards #publicsaftey  #mobilesecurity #securitythreats

 

Advanced AI Technology Enables Security Real-Time Monitoring to Mitigate Crime

Generative AI Technology Enables Security Real-Time Monitoring to Mitigate Crime

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Frank Costa, President Nexgen Protection Services – 

Many organizations are investing in generative AI solution, Incident + ORC Intelligence, that automatically links incidents of theft, fraud, and abuse, enabling the seamless creation of comprehensive cases to help dismantle Organized Retail Crime (ORC) syndicates.

The technology enables real-time searches across millions of incidents and provides investigators with sophisticated tools to process, summarize, and analyze related criminal activities.

This solution is specifically designed to identify connections between incidents, using key details such as suspects, narratives, vehicles, and other critical case information. This targeted approach significantly enhances the investigative process, helping investigators quickly pinpoint related cases.

 

SOURCE: 

Appriss Retail introduces AI and shared investigative reporting to fight ORC. Security InfoWatch, 09/06/2024.
#protectionservices #securitystandards #publicsaftey  #mobilesecurity #securitythreats