Strengthen Retail Security & Enhance Workplace Safety with
Off-Duty Law Enforcement

Discover how off-duty law enforcement enhances safety and deters crime while protecting employees and assets.

Retailers are under more pressure than ever to prevent theft, ensure employee safety and maintain business continuity across stores. Criminal activities are on the rise, and they can severely disrupt operations, leading to financial losses and a tarnished reputation. Workplace security not only safeguards assets and sensitive information but also protects employees and visitors, fostering a safe and productive environment.

Hiring off-duty law enforcement is a proven way to level up your retail security strategy. Off-duty personnel are uniquely positioned to deter criminal activities, respond swiftly in emergencies and provide an added layer of protection. By integrating off-duty law enforcement into your security strategy, you can create a safer, more secure workplace environment.

Protos Security's workplace security blog explores ways that off-duty law enforcement can benefit retailers and increase workplace safety.

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Inflection Point for Retail Crime-Fighting Facial Recognition?
Australia’s Bunnings Ruling Signals Turning Point for Retail Facial Recognition

By the D&D Daily staff

A recent legal ruling in Australia is being closely watched by retailers as a potential inflection point in how facial recognition technology can be used to address rising theft, repeat offending and in-store violence.

Australia’s Administrative Review Tribunal has overturned a prior privacy finding against Bunnings, concluding the retailer was reasonably entitled under Australian law to trial facial recognition technology as part of its efforts to prevent crime and protect employees. While the tribunal said Bunnings could have done more to notify customers about the data collection, it ultimately found that the use of the technology itself was lawful and justified within the country’s existing privacy framework.

For Australian retailers, the decision provides meaningful regulatory clarity. It affirms that facial recognition can be deployed as a targeted loss prevention and safety tool when it is narrowly focused on serious criminal behavior rather than broad customer monitoring.

The ruling comes as retailers continue to report increases in organized retail theft, repeat offenders and aggressive incidents involving store employees. Many retailers say traditional loss prevention measures — including standard CCTV, security personnel and post-incident investigations — are increasingly ineffective against coordinated theft groups that operate across multiple locations and return repeatedly.

Facial recognition technology offers retailers the ability to identify known offenders in real time, allowing for earlier intervention and reducing reliance on reactive enforcement after losses have already occurred. Supporters argue this capability is particularly relevant in combating organized retail crime, where speed, coordination and repeat activity are defining characteristics.

While the decision applies only under Australian law, industry observers say it carries broader implications. The ruling signals that regulators may be increasingly willing to accept facial recognition as a legitimate crime-prevention tool when accompanied by clear governance, transparency, limited data retention and defined safety objectives.

For U.S. retailers, the decision does not provide legal clearance to broadly deploy facial recognition, given the country’s fragmented patchwork of state and local biometric privacy laws. However, it does offer important validation for retailers exploring pilot programs, limited deployments and policy engagement in jurisdictions with clearer regulatory standards.

The Bunnings case highlights a growing reality for the retail industry: as organized retail crime becomes more sophisticated and disruptive, pressure is mounting for regulators to recognize advanced identification technology as a necessary component of modern loss prevention strategies. For retailers balancing privacy concerns with employee safety and asset protection, the ruling may mark a turning point in how facial recognition is evaluated — not as an experimental option, but as an increasingly essential tool in a layered approach to retail security.


Cold Weather Impacting Crime
Is Cleveland’s cold snap freezing crime? Here’s what the data says
Cold weather in Cleveland doesn’t just freeze pipes and roads. It also chills crime rates, according to criminology experts and recent analysis of local crime data.

Research continues to show a correlation between weather and crime, with violent offenses rising during warmer months and dropping when temperatures fall.

“There is a lot of research that’s been done over the years that shows particularly when things get hotter, violent crime, including things like homicides, aggravated assaults and robbery tend to increase, and then when things get colder, they go down,” said Daniel Flannery, Case Western University professor and director of the school’s Begun Center for Violence Prevention.

A cleveland.com and Plain Dealer analysis of FBI data shows that from 2021 through 2025, Cleveland saw an average of about 514 aggravated assaults in January and February of those years. However, in July and August of those years, the average jumped to 746.

A similar pattern emerged in the summer. During that five-year span, Cleveland saw an average of 17 homicides in January and February, and nearly 28 in July and August, according to the data.

Police calls may also rise with heat. During this year’s cold snap from Jan. 23 through Feb. 1, Cleveland police responded to 3,427 calls, according to police data. Last year, during a particularly hot stretch from June 20 through 29, officers responded to 7,132 calls — a 108% increase in total 911 calls. That summer period included some of the most sweltering days in 2025.

Researchers point to “routine activities theory” as one explanation for the weather-crime connection. Warmer temperatures bring more people outside, creating more opportunities for crimes to occur. cleveland.com


Less than 14% of those arrested by ICE have had violent criminal records, document shows
Less than 14% of nearly 400,000 immigrants arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in President Trump's first year back in the White House had charges or convictions for violent criminal offenses, according to an internal Department of Homeland Security document obtained by CBS News.

The statistics show ICE has dramatically increased arrests since Mr. Trump's return to office. Nearly 60% of ICE arrestees over the past year had criminal charges or convictions, the document indicates. But among that population, the majority of the criminal charges or convictions are not for violent crimes. cbsnews.com


Australia: ‘Crisis level’ retail violence sparks calls for laws to protect workers
Threatening behaviour against retail staff has surged 26 per cent as violent incidents involving weapons rise, with one in 10 crimes now involving violence.

ICYMI: Tesco trials new crime reporting platform to deter retail crime and keep colleagues, customers and local communities safe

Violent crime dropped in Charlottesville prior to COVID, data shows