The LPM “Magpie” Awards offer a means to celebrate industry accomplishments on an ongoing basis, recognizing the loss prevention professionals, teams, solution providers, law enforcement partners, and others that demonstrate a stellar contribution to the profession. Nominate your peers at excellence@lpportal.com.
Excellence in Partnerships
Sergeant Richard Rossman, Broward County Sheriff’s Department
“Partnerships are built with mutual respect, trust, two-way communication, and understanding we can achieve much more working together rather than as separate entities,” said Rossman. “Differing opinions need to be valued, with the understanding that partnerships between the public and private sectors need to respect how each works, supporting one another to achieve our common goals.”
As a third-generation law enforcement officer, there was never any doubt in Rossman’s mind that his career would take him into law enforcement. “With more than 225 years of service between my grandfather, father, uncles, cousins, and myself, our family has always been dedicated to serving the South Florida community,” he said. “I’ve been with the Broward Sheriff’s Office for more than twenty-five years. A majority of that time—twenty-three years—has been in investigations. I’ve been a sergeant overseeing investigations for the past nineteen years, which is exactly where I want to be. I’ve made the choice to remain a sergeant for the duration of my career. I feel it gives me the greatest opportunity to mentor, teach, and have a significant impact with the troops in the field.”
Rossman currently serves as president of the Florida Law Enforcement Property Recovery Unit (FLEPRU) and vice president for the Coalition of Law Enforcement and Retail (CLEAR). When navigating these partnerships, he feels sharing perspective is essential to meaningful success. “Law enforcement agencies must navigate the judicial system, adhering to rules of evidence, search and seizure, and their agency’s policies and procedures to build and successfully prosecute cases,” he said. “By the same respect, law enforcement needs to understand what’s important to retailers. Retailers are looking for transparency, open dialogue, and realistic timelines for case closures. Law enforcement also needs to understand and respect the resources and knowledge their retail partners can offer to investigations, working together to find meaningful results.”