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The Importance of Parking Lot Security During the Holiday Season

The Importance of Parking Lot Security During the Holiday Season

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Frank Costa, President, Nexgen Protection Services

The holiday season brings increased activity to shopping centers, office complexes, and other public spaces, making parking lots prime targets for various security threats. Understanding these risks and implementing effective countermeasures can help reduce threats to both individuals and property.

With large crowds and busy lots, personal safety risks such as assaults, robberies, and carjackings become more prevalent. Criminals often target individuals carrying cash, credit cards, or valuable items. To counteract these threats, mobile security cameras equipped with motion sensors and two-way communication can provide an added layer of safety. These cameras enable security personnel to monitor isolated areas more closely. The ability to relocate cameras based on real-time data and activity trends ensures that security coverage can adapt to shifting risks, providing a more comprehensive safety strategy.

To mitigate these security threats, parking lot owners should invest in enhanced lighting, permanent and mobile surveillance systems, increased security patrols, and emergency call stations. Mobile security cameras, in particular, offer a versatile and dynamic solution for monitoring parking lots. These cameras can be repositioned as needed, provide real-time surveillance, and serve both as a deterrent and a responsive tool for addressing security issues.

Additionally, patrons should practice personal safety measures, such as parking in well-lit areas, staying vigilant, and securing their belongings. By combining strategic security technologies like mobile cameras with proactive safety practices, property owners, managers, and patrons can work together to create a safer and more secure environment during the busy holiday season.

 

SOURCE: 

Survey: Parking lot safety influences holiday shopping habits, Security Magazine, 2024.
#protectionservices #securitystandards #publicsaftey  #mobilesecurity #securitythreats

 

Retailers Must Leverage Technology That Goes Beyond Thwarting Theft to Predicting It

Retailers Must Leverage Technology That Goes Beyond Thwarting Theft to Predicting It

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Frank Costa, President, Nexgen Protection Services

Violence remains a major concern for the retail industry. Retailers and solution providers must collaborate to develop and implement technology that goes beyond simply thwarting theft. Efforts must focus on predicting and preventing theft. By doing so will proactively reduce the risk of violence and mitigate crime.

Retailers have reported an increase in both the average number of shoplifting incidents and the amount of dollars lost due to shoplifting over the past year (National Retail Federation, The Impact of Retail Theft & Violence 2024).

Protecting store associates and customers, while reducing today’s levels of violence and retail crime, requires a whole-community approach and collaboration across all stakeholders.

SOURCE: 

Wolfe, C. New Study Shows Shoplifting Is Up 93% Since Before the COVID-19 Pandemic, Loss Prevention Magazine, 12/19/2024.
#protectionservices #securitystandards #publicsaftey  #mobilesecurity #securitythreats

 

Recruit, Retain, and Lead Your Security Team with the Best

Recruit, Retain, and Lead Your Security Team with the Best

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Frank Costa, President, Nexgen Protection Services

When it comes to leadership, there’s one quality that most of us can recognize but few of us point to when deciphering what it truly means to be a leader.

What is it that makes us excel at what we do? There are many qualities we might identify: intelligence, experience, ambition, flexibility, and the mountain of intangibles that describe talent.

Follow These Rules When Building Your Security Team:

  • The past is something to learn from, not live in. Old habits, ideas, and routines don’t always work when taking on new roles and responsibilities. In a constantly changing world, looking back should only serve as a guide to moving forward.
  • Don’t be afraid of failure. We all strive to perform well, but it’s equally important to learn from our mistakes. If you’ve never failed, chances are you’re not reaching your full potential.
  • Don’t be afraid of success. Recognize your strengths and limitations, set realistic but challenging goals, and don’t hesitate to push yourself beyond your comfort zone.
  • Look for ways to apply new information to your everyday tasks. This helps spark innovative ideas and opens doors to new opportunities.
  • Your title doesn’t make you a leader—your people do. Be a servant leader. Trust your team and provide them with the opportunity to learn, grow, and succeed on their own merits.
  • See the big picture, but focus on individual steps. Moving toward the future is important, but we must also appreciate the journey. Every small step counts.
  • Working smart is just as important as working hard. We all understand the need to work hard to achieve our goals, but hard work alone isn’t enough. It takes patience, planning, and strategy to find the most efficient path forward.

 

SOURCE: 

Brittain, J. Changing the Pace of the Game, Loss Prevention Magazine, 12/19/2024.
#protectionservices #securitystandards #publicsaftey  #mobilesecurity #securitythreats

 

Creating a Loss Prevention Culture: A Thoughtful, Strategic Approach

Creating a Loss Prevention Culture: A Thoughtful, Strategic Approach

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Frank Costa, President, Nexgen Protection Services

Set Up a Loss Prevention/Asset Protection Team

Creating a loss prevention culture requires a thoughtful, strategic approach. Here are four key steps to establish a cohesive and proactive loss prevention framework:

1. Define Your Mission and Scope

The first step in fostering an effective loss prevention culture is to clarify its focus, goals, and priorities. This involves defining the specific areas your company’s loss prevention efforts will address, such as waste management, operational inefficiencies, and workplace safety.

Equally important is determining how the success of your loss prevention culture will be measured. Beyond traditional metrics like shrink reduction, consider tracking waste, gross margin, accident frequency rate (AFR), safety compliance, and other indicators that align with your business objectives.

Establishing these foundational elements helps shape the structure of your loss prevention efforts, guiding leadership, field management, and store-level teams.

2. Assemble a Dynamic Team

A successful loss prevention culture thrives on a team with diverse skill sets. You need a mix of traditional loss prevention expertise and operational knowledge to effectively combat evolving tactics in organized retail crime and other complex loss events. This means having team members skilled in investigations as well as those with deep knowledge of business operations.

Building a robust loss prevention culture is about more than preventing theft; it’s about understanding how every facet of your business contributes to loss. A diverse team ensures you’re prepared to tackle challenges from multiple angles.

3. Foster a Unified Loss Prevention Environment

Building a true loss prevention culture requires teamwork and collaboration. Strong interdepartmental relationships and clear policies are essential for effective decision-making and risk mitigation. These policies provide employees with a framework to minimize errors, ensure proper data handling, and enforce compliance.

By collaborating with sales, operations, and other departments, loss prevention becomes seamlessly integrated into the business culture.

4. Leverage Technology for Scalable Growth

Investing in technology can significantly strengthen your loss prevention culture. While the initial costs may seem high, tools like incident management software and audit platforms with workflow automation can handle increased workloads without proportional increases in costs, making them ideal for scalable growth.

SOURCE: 

Wolfe, C. Why Human Resources and Loss Prevention Should Train Together, Loss Prevention Magazine, 12/20/2024.
#protectionservices #securitystandards #publicsaftey  #mobilesecurity #securitythreats

 

Improve Morale with Easy-to-Use Security Access Control for Employee Well Being

Improve Morale with Easy-to-Use Security Access Control for Employee Well Being

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Frank Costa, President, Nexgen Protection Services

Employee wellbeing extends beyond the four glass walls of the office. To support employee well being, offices need security access control solutions that are easy to use, flexible, and integrate smart technologies.

From hassle-free access to effortless key overrides, when it comes to employee wellbeing, the less friction and the more flexibility, the better. Simplifying security systems and giving employees the freedom to choose how they interact with them can lead to improved morale and, ultimately, increased productivity.

 

SOURCE: 

Welty, M. The Key to Wellbeing in the Office, Security Today, 11/12/2024.
#protectionservices #securitystandards #publicsaftey  #mobilesecurity #securitythreats

Building a Diverse, Resilient Team to Enhance Effectiveness

Building a Diverse, Resilient Team to Enhance Effectiveness

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Frank Costa, President, Nexgen Protection Services

 

Resilient teams possess four key traits that contribute to their success: collaboration, diverse skill sets, camaraderie, and positivity.

In today’s fast-paced and ever-changing business landscape, resilience is essential. It is the ability to respond to events or crises in a coordinated manner, minimizing damage and enabling a sustainable path forward. And it all starts with building resilient teams.

These teams are prepared to navigate disruptive events—or a series of events—with cohesion and precision. As a result, when they emerge on the other side, the need for damage control is minimal, and resuming operations and returning to business as usual is both straightforward and sustainable. That’s the goal.

Don’t avoid conflict—tackle it head-on. Even if it’s as subtle as a silent expression in a meeting, leave no stone unturned when it comes to gauging your team’s sentiments and perspectives. Build a culture of transparency and honesty, and make sure to listen to your people.

 

SOURCE: 

Horton, M. Building organizational resilience for sustainable success, Security Magazine, 10/03/2024.
#protectionservices #securitystandards #publicsaftey  #mobilesecurity #securitythreats

 

Aligning your metrics to key security processes within the organization is what’s really important. The challenge is to measure the right things.

Understand What Security Processes Are Essential For The Business To Succeed

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Frank Costa, President Nexgen Protection Services – 

Aligning your metrics to key security processes within the organization is what’s really important.  The challenge is to measure the right things.

Security managers need to speak to senior leaders in familiar business language, offering measurable results that correlate with investment. Without compelling metrics, security managers and their budgets rely largely on the intuition of company leadership.

Experts agree, saying what’s important isn’t just about the numbers used but how those measures highlight that business story while solving problems to further business goals.

 

SOURCE: 

Randolph, C. Metrics that matter: How security professionals can show value, Security Magazine, 11/05/2024.
#protectionservices #securitystandards #publicsaftey  #mobilesecurity #securitythreats

 

Organizations Must Be Ready to Assess Potential Security Risks to Protect Everyone

Organizations Must Be Ready to Assess Potential Security Risks to Protect Everyone

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Frank Costa, President Nexgen Protection Services – 

Security leaders across environments — spanning retail stores, corporate businesses, residential communities and cities — should prepare for threats that will require fast and informed action. We all have experienced major cultural moments, including the 2020 election, COVID-19 pandemic, and nationwide protests. 

It is critical for organizations to put in place security protocols to preserve employee and public safety while respecting the rights of citizens.  Creating a plan and protocols to address these incidents will help you ensure a coordinated response.

  • Establish communication protocols. Create clear communication protocols that explain how information will flow to key parties, such as store or business leadership, employees, customers, neighboring businesses and law enforcement.

  • Assess physical defense measures. How can you protect your building from damage or control the flow of traffic and people?

  • Promote de-escalation tactics. Reinforce your communication protocols during this training. Ensure that the safety of every employee and customer is the number one priority, reminding them to not get involved if physical violence occurs.

  • Implement safety technology. Cameras, alarms, motion detectors, and motion-triggered lights can all bring visibility to situations, add necessary deterrence if you make the decision to close a location, and gather evidence to help law enforcement pursue bad actors. Revisit your existing security investments to assess their capabilities, and consider whether you need new solutions to cover your gaps.   

 

SOURCE: 

Kelley, M. 3 potential security risks to stay ahead of post-election, Security Magazine, 11/20/2024.
#protectionservices #securitystandards #publicsaftey  #mobilesecurity #securitythreats

 

Diversity & Inclusion In the Workplace – Fostering Understanding and Fairness

Diversity & Inclusion In the Workplace – Fostering Understanding and Fairness

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Frank Costa, President Nexgen Protection Services – 

Federal laws prohibit discrimination based on characteristics like race, sex, religion, and disability. Promoting diversity and inclusion in the workplace encourages innovation, improves morale, and helps attract top talent. Training on bias, cultural differences, and inclusivity helps employees understand and respect their coworkers’ diverse backgrounds.

 

To foster diversity and inclusion in the workplace:

  1. Foster supportive dialogues.
    Encourage your employees to be vulnerable and honest. Don’t pretend that it’s all business as usual in the face of major political events. Instead, set up open, empathetic spaces for people to process and come together.

  2. Reaffirm your commitment to your values.
    Many company leaders talk about diversity, equity, and inclusion, but this is a chance to live up to your commitments and make sure your actions match your words. Take a moment to let your employees know that no matter what’s happening outside company walls, within them, your leaders are committed to fostering safe, inclusive environments where all employees feel empowered to be their best selves and do their best work.

  3. Train everyone in inclusion.
    Make sure all of your team members—not just people leaders, but also more junior employees and individual contributors—understand what it means to foster an inclusive environment and are clear on the role they play in doing so. Provide training and resources that give employees the skills to practice inclusivity at work.

 

SOURCE: 

Ruiz, V. B3 Essential Employee Trainings For Your Company Curriculum, 10/7/2024.
#protectionservices #securitystandards #publicsaftey  #mobilesecurity #securitythreats

 

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