2 Glendale residents arrested in alleged $300K Nordstrom refund scheme
Police arrested two Glendale residents accused of scamming Nordstrom out of roughly $300,000 through a long-running return fraud operation. Investigators say the suspects purchased high-end items and returned counterfeit versions to receive refunds. The scheme dates back several years and involved hundreds of transactions tied to luxury goods. The case began after a vigilant employee flagged a suspicious return, ultimately uncovering a broader pattern of fraud.
Shoplifting Call Turns Deadly When Suspects Crash After Fleeing
A shoplifting incident escalated into a fatal situation after suspects fled from police and crashed during the pursuit. Authorities say the incident began as a routine theft call before turning into a high-speed chase. The crash resulted in a death, highlighting the risks tied to fleeing suspects and pursuit situations. The case underscores how quickly low-level retail incidents can escalate into life-threatening events.
Organized crime driving global cargo theft
A growing wave of global cargo theft is being driven by increasingly sophisticated organized crime groups. The article highlights how criminals are targeting supply chains, exploiting vulnerabilities in logistics networks, and using advanced tactics to move stolen goods. Losses are rising worldwide, impacting retailers, insurers, and transportation providers. The trend signals that cargo theft is evolving into a more coordinated and international threat.
Dashcam video shows spike strips stop shoplifting suspects after police pursuit; 2 arrested in Fort Worth
Dashcam footage captured Texas police deploying spike strips to stop suspects fleeing a shoplifting incident. The pursuit began after a theft call and escalated into a high-speed chase before officers used the tactic to disable the vehicle. Authorities were able to bring the situation under control and take suspects into custody. The incident highlights how retail theft cases can quickly require advanced law enforcement response tactics.
Apple Store Among Locations Targeted in $16.2 Million Counterfeit Device Scheme
Authorities say Apple stores were among the targets in a $16.2 million counterfeit device fraud scheme. Investigators allege the operation involved returning fake or altered electronics in exchange for legitimate products or refunds. The scheme spanned multiple locations and relied on deception to bypass verification processes. The case highlights the scale and complexity of modern retail fraud involving high-value electronics.
C-Suite & Sour
Albertsons and its CEO face a ‘make or break’ 2026
Lululemon CEO hire from Nike fails to impress investors, shares sink
Target stores face deeper issues than new CEO realizes
Bed Bath & Beyond CEO: AI will lead to ‘significant reduction in headcount’
Your First 5 Prompts gives you a fast, practical way to start using AI in your Loss Prevention role. Let’s face it — AI is everywhere, and the sooner you learn how to use it, the more valuable and efficient you become. These simple, high-impact prompts will help you save time, work smarter, and get comfortable using AI for everyday LP tasks. Download the Cheat Sheet today and get ahead in your career.
The Dollar General VP of AP on the Career Mistake Most LP Directors Make
Amber Bradley
Editor-in-Chief TalkLPnews
[email protected]
Eight years into hosting this podcast, one of the questions I get the most from regional and director-level LP folks is, “What’s the best path to get promoted to VP?” It’s a good question – I mean, why else are we doing all this every day other than to excel and provide a better life for our families? And look, let’s be clear – one of the reasons I stepped out of the corporate grind 15 years ago was to be in control of my own ‘promotions.’ It’s not an easy road to the top. Especially in loss prevention.
So one of my goals in speaking with the industry’s top brass is to ask them if they have a roadmap, a playbook, a step-by-step guide to the top. Tim Bartlett, the VP of Asset Protection at Dollar General, would tell them they're asking the wrong question.
Tim has been in retail for 22 years. The first 11 were at Target, where he started in store operations, moved into HR, and then into loss prevention. He joined Dollar General in 2016 and repeated almost the exact same arc. Operations first. Then an HR director role. Then asset protection. He's been in the VP of AP seat at Dollar General for about two years. He'll tell you that 10 years at Dollar General feels closer to 70 because the pace is that intense.
I asked Tim what leadership lessons he'd give to people who are trying to get to where he is. His first answer was a sentence that I think every aspiring AP leader needs to read twice. Career growth and promotion are not the same thing.
Tim's argument is that career growth comes from development, and development is a deliberate mindset of seeking out chances to learn and stretch yourself in the role you're already in. Promotion is a side effect, not the goal (that’s a tweetable…or an X-able?). He believes the bulk of someone's development happens in their daily work. The shortage meeting nobody wants to go to. The cross-functional project nobody volunteered for. The store visit that exposes you to a problem you've never had to solve. The people who treat those moments as developmental are the ones who get noticed. The people who treat their job as a holding pattern between promotions are the ones who don't.
That framing changes how you should approach the job you have right now. If your mindset is what can I learn here, what can I stretch into, what can I build that didn't exist before I got here, you're going to look very different to the people above you than the regional manager who runs the same plays for five straight years and waits for someone to notice.
Tim's other point is one I've heard from other executives – but he puts it plainly. He thinks the operations and HR experience he carries into the AP role is what makes him effective, and he doesn't think AP people give that experience enough weight. AP at most retailers is a support function. You're leading without authority. You're influencing without authority. The job is making value connections with people who don't report to you. If you've never run a store, you don't know what motivates a store leader. If you've never sat in HR, you don't know how to build a business case that stands up to legal scrutiny. Tim has done both. So when he walks into a meeting with operations or HR leaders at Dollar General, he's speaking their language because he used to be them.
He pushed back on a stereotype I hear a lot. AP and HR get cast as natural enemies. AP wants to fire someone for theft, HR wants to retain headcount. Tim's view is that most of that friction is built on assumption. HR doesn't want bad people in the stores either. HR has a responsibility to make sure the firing process is fair, consistent, and legally defensible, which is not the same thing as wanting to protect the bad actor – although it can feel that way sometimes. AP people who walk into HR with that assumption already loaded poison the conversation before it starts. AP people who understand HR's actual responsibilities can build a case the HR partner will help them carry.
If you feel stuck in your current role – maybe it’s you. I’m interpreting Tim's last point that hits to the core of who we are as people and why we come to work every day. He believes you can find motivation and meaning regardless of where you are in your career, as long as you have a real sense of personal mission. He's seen people stall out chasing the next title and stop being good at the job they have. That's a hard cycle to recover from because the executives above them can see it. Tim's view is that being great at where you are is what opens the next door. Being checked-out in pursuit of the next door is what closes them.
The full conversation covers his transition from Target to Dollar General, why he thinks the operations background was the single most valuable part of his career, and how he thinks about loyalty to a single organization in an industry where most people job-hop. Worth a listen for anyone trying to think clearly about the next decade of their career.
Dollar General manager helps police stop gift card scam targeting elderly veteran
A Dollar General store manager in Beaumont prevented an elderly, disabled U.S. Navy veteran from losing an additional $500 or more to a gift card scam Wednesday after alerting police and stalling the transaction while officers were on the way, the Beaumont Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Thursday.
The manager at the Dollar General in the 7300 block of Hwy 105, identified by police only as "Edith," became suspicious on Wednesday, April 29, when she observed an elderly customer purchasing gift cards. She called police and took steps to delay the sale until officers could respond.
Officer Courts arrived and quickly identified signs consistent with a fraud scheme. An investigation revealed the victim had already lost approximately $15,000 to an ongoing scam after being told she had won a large cash prize. She was in the process of sending additional money through gift cards when the intervention occurred.
Thanks to Edith's actions and the officer's response, the additional $500 loss was prevented, police said. [12News]
Nine arrested in 6-hour retail theft enforcement
Detectives made multiple arrests during a retail theft operation last Thursday, the Eugene police Department said.
From 4 p.m. until 10 p.m. on April 23, a team of Property and Financial Crimes Unit detectives conducted a retail theft operation at the Fred Meyer location at 3333 W. 11th Avenue.
EPD’s retail theft enforcement operations receive funding through the 2025-2027 Oregon Criminal Justice Commission (OCJC) Organized Retail Theft Grant, which was received in January 2026. The grant provides EPD with $84,776 in funding for organized retail theft enforcement operations, training, and administrative costs.
Man accused of setting fire in Walmart before stealing
A man is accused of setting a fire in a Cecil County Walmart on Wednesday night, according to the Maryland State Fire Marshal's Office.
Customers at the Elkton store were surprised to drive up on Thursday afternoon and see the entrance blocked with caution tape.
In a statement, Walmart said, "We appreciate the fire department and law enforcement for their swift response and will continue cooperating with them as they investigate."
The State Fire Marshal's office is looking for the man who they say is responsible for committing not just one major crime at the store last night, but two.
Door Dash Driver Shoots, Kills Alleged Carjacker at Nashville Walgreens
A Door Dash driver was shot and wounded by an alleged carjacker Saturday at a Nashville, Tennessee, Walgreens before using his own gun to shoot and kill the suspect.
WSMV reported that the Door Dash driver parked in the Walgreens to walk next door to pick up a Chick-fil-A order. When the driver returned to his car, 40-year-old Brandon Phillips allegedly tried to carjack his vehicle.
News Channel 5 noted that Phillips allegedly “pulled a gun and demanded the car.”
When the Door Dash driver responded by grabbing his own gun, Phillips shot him. The Door Dash driver then opened fire, killing Phillips.
A big thank you to Gatekeeper Systems for supporting APEX 2026 in Nashville. Your commitment to helping organizations prevent loss, improve safety, and drive sales continues to make an impact across the industry. We appreciate your partnership and your investment in bringing top asset protection leaders together for meaningful conversations. Events like APEX are stronger because of solution providers who show up, engage, and help shape what comes next.
Join us for the Retail Crime Legal Briefing Q&A Southeast in partnership with ALTO, where we’ll get into the challenges retailers are facing and the legal strategies that matter most right now. Featuring insights from attorney Charles Bowling, Esq., and Ops Lead Counsel Simon Isham from ALTO, this session will explore the topic from multiple angles to give you a well rounded perspective.
Join the Interactive Live Discussion on May 7, 2026 at 2:00 pm to gain actionable insights on navigating retail crime in today’s landscape.
The Biggest Face Matching Myths in Retail are it’s too expensive. Too risky. Too biased. Too hard to scale. Face matching in retail has been buried under myths for years, and many decision-makers are still operating on outdated assumptions.
In this webinar with SAFR, we’ll separate fact from fiction, tackle the biggest misconceptions head-on, and explore what modern, responsible face matching actually looks like in today’s retail environment. Register now and see what the industry may be getting wrong.
March Networks, a leader in intelligent video solutions, today celebrated being recognized as a winner in the 2026 Artificial Intelligence Excellence Awards. Presented by the Business Intelligence Group, the award recognizes organizations, products, teams, and individuals that are applying artificial intelligence to drive real, measurable impact.
The 2026 Artificial Intelligence Excellence Awards honor achievement across a broad range of industries and use cases, spotlighting the companies and leaders moving AI beyond experimentation and into practical, accountable deployment. This year’s program recognized winners across 36 industries and more than 15 countries.
Delivery driver in Amazon vest charged after violent rampage in Woodhaven, prosecutors say
A driver delivering packages for Amazon is accused of going on a violent rampage in Woodhaven, Queens, last weekend, ramming his van into a car full of women and assaulting four men, including three seniors, before being arrested, prosecutors said.
Dauri Batita, 32, of Brooklyn, was arraigned Tuesday on a criminal complaint charging him with multiple counts including attempted robbery, assault, reckless endangerment and leaving the scene of an incident, according to the Queens district attorney’s office.
Three crime-fighting cameras stolen in Auburn; Police looking for at least one suspect
Auburn police are searching for at least one suspect after three license plate reader cameras were stolen early Sunday along Highway 49, a loss officials say could hinder efforts to investigate crime in the area.
Two of the cameras, which belonged to the Auburn Police Department, were later found discarded in a nearby canal and are no longer functional. The third camera belonged to the Placer County Sheriff’s Office.
Police said the cameras were taken from busy intersections at Highway 49 and Nevada Street and at Highway 49 and Marguerite Mine Road.
Mt. Juliet officer stops nearly $2,800 Kroger theft, finds 6 carts stuffed in vehicle
A Mt. Juliet officer stopped a theft worth nearly $2,800 at a Kroger store Wednesday evening.
The officer noticed a man acting suspiciously in the parking lot at Providence Marketplace and found multiple thefts had taken place. Police found six shopping carts full of stolen items packed into an SUV and returned everything to the store.
A 59-year-old Nashville man was arrested. He has a history of theft and is on probation for the same crime. A 53-year-old Nashville woman who helped him was also charged.
Store employees were told about the discovery and thanked the officer.
Develops Enterprise-wide strategy for assessing insured risks across all relevant insurance lines, identifies the need for coverage and limits, determines appropriate risk transfer goals, determines the effective use of the insurance market, self-insured retentions, deductibles, captive insurance programs, and RMIS systems
Guard at Stanford Shopping Center allegedly used security cameras to spy on girls
A security guard at the Macy's at Stanford Shopping Center in Palo Alto is accused of using the store's security cameras to spy on preteen girls and possessing child sex abuse material.
Bernardo Garcia, 20, allegedly used Macy's security cameras to try to see the underwear of young girls walking through the store.
Prosecutors claim Garcia used a hidden security camera to look under or through the clothing of at least two young girls.
Sources confirmed Garcia is no longer working at the Macy's. NBC Bay Area reached out to Macy's to try to obtain more details on how long Garcia worked at the location, but the company didn't provide an answer.
Man hides inside Best Buy after closing ahead of Pokémon card release
A man who hid inside a closed Best Buy store in Pasadena ahead of an anticipated Pokémon card drop was arrested on suspicion of burglary, according to the Pasadena Police Department.
Shortly after 1 a.m. Wednesday, police received a call from Best Buy employees about a man who was walking inside the store. The employees were monitoring a live feed from inside the shop when they noticed the man.
Upon arrival, officers had help from an employee with a key to the store to gain access. Inside, they located 45-year-old Patrick Keys, Pasadena police said.
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