Retail Violence Has Outgrown Siloed Responses
Rising Retail Violence Highlights Urgent Need for Cross-Department Collaboration

By the D&D Daily staff

As retail violence continues to escalate across the country, industry leaders are calling for stronger coordination between loss prevention, operations, HR, and store-level teams to keep associates and customers safe.

According to the National Retail Federation’s 2024 Retail Security Survey, 88% of retailers reported an increase in violence and aggression in stores over the past year. Incidents range from confrontations over theft deterrence to random acts of aggression against employees. In some cases, associates have been physically assaulted while attempting to de-escalate disputes or prevent shoplifting.

Traditionally, the responsibility for handling these incidents has fallen primarily on loss prevention teams. But the complexity and frequency of retail violence has outgrown siloed responses. Experts now emphasize a whole-company approach — one that leverages the strengths of multiple departments to both prevent and respond to violent incidents.

"LP is still on the front lines, but they can’t do it alone," said a senior safety executive at a national apparel chain. "We need HR to help with training and trauma support, operations to assess high-risk store layouts, and communications teams to ensure everyone’s aligned when incidents occur."

Retailers are also reevaluating their safety protocols. Some are redesigning store entryways to reduce high-speed exits, while others are increasing investments in de-escalation training and panic alert systems. Technologies like remote monitoring and real-time communication platforms are playing a larger role in empowering staff to act quickly without putting themselves in harm’s way.

Still, challenges remain. Staffing shortages can leave employees feeling vulnerable, especially in late-night or understaffed locations. And inconsistent policies on how to engage suspected shoplifters can lead to confusion — and danger.

Industry groups stress that prevention is only part of the equation. Supporting affected employees in the aftermath of incidents is equally critical, both to retain talent and maintain a culture of safety.

With violent incidents showing no signs of slowing, retailers face mounting pressure to treat violence mitigation as a business-wide priority — not just a security issue.
 

New York Retailers Implement New Workplace Safety & Violence Law
NYSDOL's Model Guidance for Workplace Safety + Violence Prevention Gives Retailers a Starting Point

New York’s Retail Worker Safety Act is now in effect; employers with at least 10 retail employees in New York State must adopt a retail workplace violence prevention policy and provide interactive retail workplace violence prevention training to all employees upon hire.

The New York State Department of Labor (NYSDOL) has launched the much anticipated guidance website on the New York Retail Worker Safety Act (RWSA). The guidance answers retail employers’ questions regarding implementation of the RWSA effective June 2, 2025.

The guidance also provides a Model Policy and Training employers can use as a starting point to create their own policy. Retail employers who use this Model Policy and Training are to include their own store-specific information, such as worksite emergency exits, meeting locations in an emergency, and instructions regarding emergency and security-related devices utilized in the workplace. The guidance also dictates that training take place during paid work time.

The RWSA applies to all New York State employers with at least 10 employees working at their retail store(s). Retail stores include any store that sells goods directly to the public at retail. They do not include businesses that primarily sell food to be eaten at the location, such as restaurants.

Workplace Violence Prevention Policy

The NYSDOL allows employers to develop their own workplace violence prevention policy or adopt the Model Policy after customizing it for their workplace.

Employers wishing to develop their own workplace violence prevention policy must include:

1. Workplace violence risk factors;

2. Prevention methods;

3. Relevant state and local laws; and

4. An anti-retaliation statement.

Employers revising the Model Policy to suit their needs will likely want the advice of counsel. jacksonlewis.com
 
  
National Model for ORC Legislation?
US Senator pushes for federal laws to combat rising retail theft with stricter penalties
U.S. Senator Ashley Moody is pushing for federal laws to fight retail theft, suggesting stricter punishments for organized theft groups.

Moody seeks to provide federal prosecutors with additional tools to combat and penalize organized theft rings, especially as retail theft rates have surged. “Retail theft has increased dramatically,” said Senator Ashley Moody, emphasizing the need for federal action.

Three years prior, Florida legislators enacted laws classifying repeated retail thefts as second or third-degree felonies. This state-level approach could serve as a model for federal legislation, as suggested by Moody. wftv.com


Soaring Cargo Theft in Q2 2025
ICYMI: Cargo theft losses surpass $61 million in second quarter of 2025
Cargo theft numbers continued to climb in the second quarter of 2025, according to a recent report.

On Thursday, July 17, New Jersey-based logistics security firm CargoNet released its 2025 Second Quarter Supply Chain Risk Trends Analysis. According to the company, cargo theft incidents increased 13% compared to the second quarter of 2024 – up 10% from the first quarter of this year.

In total, CargoNet recorded 884 cargo theft incidents from April through June, with an “acceleration in theft activity” noted throughout the quarter. The company said incidents rose by 14.6% in April, 4.4% in May and by a substantial 21.9% in June. According to the report, there was a total reported loss value of $61.6 million in the second quarter.

In terms of where those thefts were most prevalent, the big three – California, Illinois and Texas – were atop the list. According to CargoNet, those three states accounted for 53% of all reported thefts in the second quarter of 2025. landline.media


New data shows crime is down for Memphis, just not to pre-pandemic levels

NM US Rep sponsors legislation targeting organized crime in border communities
 

Workplace Safety Rules Rolled Back
Trump administration aims to roll back more than 60 workplace safety rules

Critics warn the changes could increase risks for workers, especially women and communities of color.

The U.S. Department of Labor has unveiled a sweeping plan to eliminate or revise more than 60 workplace safety and wage regulations, part of a broader effort by President Donald Trump’s administration to scale back federal oversight in the name of economic growth.

The proposed changes span a wide range of industries, from home health care to agriculture, construction, and mining. The agency says many of the regulations are outdated, overly burdensome, or duplicative. But labor advocates and public health experts say the rollbacks could jeopardize worker safety, slash pay, and leave vulnerable populations—especially women and people of color—more exposed to harm.

"The Department of Labor is proud to lead the way by eliminating unnecessary regulations that stifle growth and limit opportunity," said Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer. She described the plan as "the most ambitious proposal to slash red tape of any department across the federal government."

The regulatory overhaul includes proposals that would reverse or weaken Obama-era protections for millions of workers. fox32chicago.com


'Retail Therapy' Remains Popular
Will Retail Therapy as a Form of Self-Care Become Even More Popular in the Future?
It’s a tale that’s been told for generations: If you’re feeling a touch of the blues, perhaps opening your wallet to go on a shopping spree could turn things around. That seems to the mantra for many contemporary Americans as well, according to LendingTree survey data, with a few surprising twists on the pre-existing take.

The most striking pair of results: Nearly half (47%) of U.S. consumers polled indicated they take part in retail therapy to improve upon their mood, and an even greater cohort (54%) indicated a belief that doing so was a form of self-care.

“That doesn’t mean it’s something that should be encouraged, but it’s something that most of us have done at one point or another,” said Matt Schulz, chief consumer finance analyst for LendingTree. retailwire.com


Caution is Key in Choosing an AI Model for Your Business
What Businesses Should Ask When Choosing an AI Model
Business leaders evaluating artificial intelligence (AI) solutions should be cautious about assuming that larger generalist models such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT will always deliver better results than specialist models, according to an analysis published this week by Harvard Business Review.

While large language models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini perform well in general tasks that call for getting information from a wide variety of sources — such as customer service — they don’t do as well as AI models customized for specific industries in domain-specific tasks.

Choosing the right Gen AI model is crucial to getting optimal business outcomes. The critical difference to understand between generalist and specialist models is this: Specialized AI models know not just what data to retrieve but also “how that information operates within a specific domain’s decision-making framework,” the authors wrote. pymnts.com


Grocery chain shutters multiple locations as industry struggles continue to mount
A prominent southern grocery store chain is shuttering some of its locations due to poor financial performance as the industry faces growing challenges with rising competition, increased costs and shifting consumer preferences.

Tractor Supply to ramp up store openings, with plans for 100 new locations next year

Back-to-school shoppers avoiding price hikes by reusing supplies, buying cheaper brands

UK’s Warm Summer Fails to Rescue Weak Quarter of Retail Sales