The LPM “Founders’ Awards” offer a means to celebrate industry accomplishments on an ongoing basis. They recognize loss prevention professionals, teams, solution providers, law enforcement partners, and others who demonstrate a stellar contribution to the profession. The ability to influence change is a product of drive, creativity, and determination. It also requires a unique ability to create a shared vision that others will understand, respect, support, and pursue. Each recipient reflects that standard of excellence, representing the quality and spirit of leadership that makes a difference in our lives, people, and programs. Please join us in celebrating the accomplishments of our latest honoree.
“Protecting businesses and the consumer makes for better, healthier communities,” says David Williams. “You have to meet people where they are—and listen. Go out and see what they do, understand their challenges, and find common ground. Law enforcement and the private sector may sometimes have separate goals, but we have common missions. By working together to make stores safer and allow businesses to flourish, we make for a safe and secure community.”
Founder and current leader of the Cook County Regional Organized Crime Task Force (CCROC), Williams is the supervisor of the Special Prosecutions Bureau of the Cook County Assistant State’s Attorney’s Office, where he leads the Public Corruption, Financial Crimes, Consumer Fraud, Insurance Fraud, Election Fraud, Money Laundering, Vehicular Crimes, and Intellectual Property Crimes units. David also founded and leads Cook County Response to Hate Crimes (CRASH) and is an executive board member of the Joint Terrorist Task Force and the FBI Cyber Crimes Task Force. Previously, he was part of the elite Gang Crime Unit that focused on long-term investigations and prosecutions of gang-related homicides. David is a former assistant chief counsel with the US Department of Homeland Security. He is also an adjunct professor at the University of Illinois Chicago, and as a Fulbright Scholar, he taught at the Zhejiang University Guanghua Law School in Hangzhou, China.
“It’s always important to show up, listen, have integrity, and be a team player,” he says. “Treat people with respect. Listen to other opinions, but form your own and don’t be afraid to share them. Have the intellectual curiosity to learn from others and the self-awareness to learn from your own mistakes. Always be willing to support your partners and team. Build them up and share in the successes and failures. Keep in mind it’s never just one investigation or case—it’s a career that marks success.”
