New York (CNN) — Hourly retail security employees now wear body cameras similar to those worn by police in major stores.
Retail giant TJX, parent of TJ Maxx, Marshalls and HomeGoods, said it is equipping some store employees with body cameras to thwart thefts and ensure the safety of customers and employees.
TJX CFO John Klinger unveiled the body camera initiative on an earnings call last month. “It’s almost like a de-escalation, where people are less likely to do something when they’re being recorded,” he said.
TJX is not the only one. In a survey last year by the National Retail Federation of major chains, 35% of American retailers said they were considering installing body cameras among their employees. The maker of Taser devices and other security companies are designing and marketing body cameras specifically for retail workers.
Retailers like TJ Maxx are turning to body cameras to keep stores safe. Credit: Eva Marie Uzcategui/Bloomberg/Getty Images/File
Although retailers say they aim to reduce costly merchandise losses and keep stores safe, equipping workers with body cameras may do little to curb shoplifting, according to some criminologists. Worker advocates say better training, increased store staffing and other investments in security will do more to protect front-line workers and reduce theft.
A worker at a TJ Maxx store in Florida claimed that body cameras were “just a decoration” and that their presence did not make employees feel safer.
The job of these security employees “was just standing there with the tactical vest labeled ‘security’ and the camera mounted on the vest,” said the employee, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to journalists.
“It seems that the implementation of this program with the cameras is not intended to achieve anything, but rather it is something that the company can point out” to say that it is improving security.
Loss Prevention Workers
Over the past year, TJX has assigned its hourly unarmed security workers, known as loss prevention associates, to wear body cameras in certain stores.
TJX workers who wear the cameras receive “extensive training on how to effectively use them in their duties,” according to a TJX spokesperson. The company only shares video footage at the request of law enforcement or in response to a subpoena.
“Body cameras are just one of the many ways we work to support a safe store environment,” the spokesperson said.
The company did not elaborate on the training or share the policy on when the cameras are turned on.
TJX is one of the only retailers to talk publicly about body cameras and to post job openings with specific details about the cameras in the job description.
The main responsibilities of a job at a Marshalls in Miami Beach, Florida, are to maintain a “proper and professional posture” at the entrance of the store, act as a “visual deterrent to prevent possible loss or dishonesty” and carry a Body camera provided by the company. The description says the camera is for recording “specific events related to critical incidents for legal, security and training purposes.”
These employees, who wear a company-approved black vest, black pants, and black shoes, are instructed not to stop or chase shoplifting suspects.
Growing trend
The retail sector is reacting to shoplifting and violence against workers.
Many retailers report seeing an uptick in organized theft, which often involves groups of thieves stealing items from stores. About 90% of asset protection specialists surveyed last year by the National Retail Federation said this crime had become a greater risk in the previous three years and that thieves had become more violent.
However, accurate national data on organized crime in retail is lacking, and some analysts say the threat posed to retailers by theft is exaggerated.
Body cameras are just the latest in a series of security measures retailers have adopted, such as locking products behind display cases and eliminating self-checkouts. Retailers are also working more closely with law enforcement and devoting more internal resources to investigating thefts.
In the UK, Tesco, Lidl and other supermarkets have made body cameras available to their employees. Bakery chain Greggs has given its employees body cameras following a rise in thefts of sausage sandwiches and threats from customers.
Axon Enterprise, owner of Taser and leading developer of technology and products for law enforcement, this year launched a “Body Workforce” camera for retail and healthcare workers.
These cameras are lighter than those Axon develops for police offerings because they don’t record for as long or require as much battery life, Axon President Joshua Isner explained at an analyst conference last month. It’s also a more “attractive product, rather than a more militaristic camera” for police, he explained.
“We believe retail is an emerging market for body cameras. “We believe it is a logical extension of where our business is headed.”
The company told CNN that dozens of retailers are testing Axon’s body cameras, including big box chains and specialty retailers. Axon did not disclose specific chains.
One test retailer saw a 53% reduction in incidents with the cameras compared to stores where employees did not wear them, the company said.
A series of concerns
Over the past decade, police departments have equipped their officers with body cameras to improve public accountability.
John Eck, a criminologist at the University of Cincinnati, says body cameras in retail “can help resolve things” when there are customer complaints about issues such as racial profiling in stores or wrongful arrests for shoplifting. .
Despite TJX and Axon’s claims, some criminologists say body cameras are unlikely to be an added deterrent to shoplifters who already know there are cameras all over stores.
“I don’t know to what extent this will stop someone in the act. They are already assuming that they are going to be recorded,” says Ernesto López, a research specialist who has studied theft trends at the Criminal Justice Council.
Body cameras could help retailers or law enforcement identify shoplifters, but doing so would require employees wearing them to get close to the suspect, which could jeopardize their safety.
“I would be very cautious about putting low-paid, poorly trained people in these positions,” says Thaddeus Johnson, senior fellow at the Criminal Justice Council. “We have to be very careful when we talk about body cameras.”
Stuart Appelbaum, president of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, said, “It’s not enough to put a camera on someone and say it’s an alternative to taking more important safety measures.”
The union, which does not represent TJX stores, has advocated for legislation moving forward in New York that will force retail employers to adopt a violence prevention plan and train workers in de-escalation and active attackers. Under the legislation, large businesses will have to install panic buttons in all stores.
Appelbaum also expressed concern about the information collected by body cameras and the possibility of it being used to hinder union organizing efforts. “Employees feel watched,” he said.
— CNN’s Curt Devine contributed to this report.
