Over 350 attendees converged on the University of Florida Gainesville, FL, campus October 1-3 for the 2018 Impact Conference of the Loss Prevention Research Council (LPRC). The group included 142 retailers representing 61 brands and 159 solution providers representing 72 companies along with others from manufacturing, media, and academia.
The focus of the annual gathering is to hear findings from LPRC research projects, multiple keynote presentations on evidence-based tactics and strategies, and collaborate in smaller working groups to define projects and objectives for future research.
The keynote talks included Renee Mitchell, PhD, president of the American Society of Evidence-Based Policing, who discussed her research on “hot people, hot places, and hot property.” Deputy Chief Joseph Dowling of the New York Police Department presented statistics related to a reduction in property crimes from the department’s use of research findings from Dr. Mitchell.
Other keynote presentations included:
- The effects of situational crime prevention on offender behavior by Read Hayes, PhD, managing director of the LPRC.
- Fighting violent crime in metro areas by Basia Pietrawska, vice president, crime intelligence with CAP Index along with Mike Brenton, asset protection manager at Giant Food and David Bray, chief strategy officer with MapLarge.
- Combating organized retail crime with big data by Abe Gonzales, fraud mitigation manager at Bloomingdale’s, and Dean Takacs, founder of Detective Analytics.
A series of 16 learning labs on a variety of topics ranging from lessons learned from Hurricanes Harvey and Irma to what makes opioid offenders unique to parking lot safety included presentations by retailers, suppliers, and LPRC researchers in smaller break-out sessions over the two days of seminars.
One of the highlights for senior loss prevention executives was a private luncheon with three University of Florida scientists who discussed research into omni-channel retailing, the effects of fear of crime on shopping behavior, and reducing corporate digital threats. The first-time offering billed as STRATEGY@ included 45 retail executives who participated in a moderated discussion with the UF professors and their asset protection peers.
Multiple networking opportunities throughout the three days were centered around a welcome reception at the LPRC Innovation Lab just off campus, an evening meal and entertainment at the Champions Club atop the UF football stadium, and a golf outing that raised over $1000 for a charity that provides assistance to troubled youth.
For more information about the LPRC and its annual Impact conference, visit LPresearch.org.
