The Coalition of Law Enforcement and Retail (CLEAR) has announced the election of its newest president, Brendan “Ben” Dugan. Dugan was elected by a unanimous vote at the CLEAR board of directors meeting held during the 9th annual training conference in Myrtle Beach, SC. Dugan will succeed outgoing president Curt Crum, Manager, Special Services – Criminal Investigation Division, Boise Police Department.
In announcing his successor, Crum stated, “I have served the last 4 years as president of CLEAR, and it has been an outstanding experience. It has given me an opportunity to work with amazing loss prevention and law enforcement professionals from around the country. With plans to retire from Boise Police after 32 years of service next year, I believe it is time to pass the baton as CLEAR president as well.”
Crum went on to say, “The CLEAR board wanted to make sure we found that one person with the experience, desire, drive and commitment to continue to make CLEAR a valuable resource to its members. We believe Ben is that person. Ben has been in this industry many years, and is well respected by both law enforcement and loss prevention leaders nationwide… Ben has served well on our board for the last few years, and understands the mission of CLEAR.”
With more than 25 year’s retail loss prevention experience ranging from big box, catalog, pharmacy and specialty retailers, Dugan is currently a manager for the organized retail crime unit at CVS Health. He started in the criminal investigations division of the US Army’s military police and has served in multiple business and police settings throughout his career. Dugan is certified as an expert in organized retail crime and diversion by the US Department of Justice and holds additional certifications as a law enforcement instructor, certified forensic interviewer (CFI) and e-commerce investigative methodologies
As CLEAR’s newly elected president, Ben will be responsible for the management and leadership of CLEAR’s board of directors, Board governance and developing strategic initiatives to advance the organization into the future. During his 25-year career in loss prevention and complex crime investigations, Dugan has represented and served the industry through various roles with both CLEAR as well as several other state level public-private partnership organizations.
In response to his nomination and subsequent election as president of CLEAR, Dugan stated, “I have been involved with CLEAR and its members since 2013. My primary objective has been to support the organization in its effort to deliver current, relevant information to investigators on the front lines in the fight against retail crime and large-scale fraud.”
Dugan added that he is looking forward to broadening the focus of CLEAR beyond just investigations. “Our future conferences will be aimed at addressing the major challenges shared by both retailers and law enforcement at a national level. These challenges include reducing violent crime and positively impacting the communities where we serve and do business.”
“We are very excited to have Ben join the CLEAR Board of Directors. Both he and CVS Health have been champions of CLEAR for many years, with CVS Health supporting our efforts since the very beginning. We welcome his leadership and diverse retail background, which will only aid the organization’s mission of encouraging and promoting mutual cooperation, collaboration and education” said Richard Rossman, CLEAR vice president of law enforcement and sergeant with the Broward County Sheriff’s Office. “I have worked with Ben on a professional level for over a decade. One of Ben’s greatest attributes is his forward thinking, Ben is always looking for new innovative ways to better our profession”
The Coalition of Law Enforcement and Retail provides a forum for public and private sector members, with experience in a wide variety of public safety initiatives, to aid and support the establishment of collaborative efforts that are focused on improving the safety of our communities and advancing the profession of its members.
John Clark, member of CLEARs board, stated, “We recognize that there are many challenges to establishing collaborative efforts that support the safety of our communities and believe that, through public-private partnership arrangements, we can have a significant positive impact on our communities.”
With regard to the election of Dugan as CLEAR president, Clark said, “Ben has shown his commitment to improving both the loss prevention and law enforcement professions through his partnership and support. The Coalition’s Board is comprised of many great leaders in both the public and private sectors and we welcome Ben as a thought leader as we continue to grow CLEAR as a leading public-private partnership organization.”
