Solution providers offer a wide spectrum of mission-critical products and services designed to help meet the rising demands of the asset protection function and the retail business in general. We use these resources to increase efficiencies, improve performance, enhance productivity, support safety, lower costs, and discourage theft.
By the same respect, our vendors can offer much more than simply providing mission-critical products and services. They have become an extension of our team and partners in the success of our department, our program and our company. They work with us to find solutions to both the simple and complex challenges we face on a daily basis. These relationships have become an essential factor in the success of today’s loss prevention programs, and it is more important than ever that we effectively manage all aspects of our vendor relationships—from selecting the right vendor to achieving optimal results that best meet our business objectives.
Blue Line Technology has designed, developed, patented, and successfully brought to market a facial recognition and artificial intelligence software product called First Line that provides a non-intrusive, real-time identification verification. It is designed to be teamed with other security systems and measures, advancing the application from a surveillance solution to a proactive prevention solution that has the capability to:
• Deny masked intruders’ entry
• Detect threats with alert notification
• Provide the ability to take precautionary measures
• Offer a scalable product for multiple applications
• Interface with any locking mechanisms
• Address the 4 “Ds” of security (Detect, Deter, Delay, Deny)
Founded in 2013, the roots of the Blue Line Technology are seeded deep in law enforcement. Four of the original founders have held extensive, distinguished careers with the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, with one also a veteran of the United States Army where he served as an award-winning code developer. These experienced application experts joined with proven business leaders to validate product capability and vet product performance, ultimately becoming primary investors in the company. Together, they have dedicated their time and energy to bring this exceptional access control solution to market.
The idea was simple—provide a way to recognize a repeat offender prior to a negative event and time to take preventive measures to protect the safety of employees and customers and the security of the premises. The business earned early award recognition in 2014 and 2015 for the unique and superior design and performance capabilities for access control applications, concepts the company continues to build on today.
Retail Application:
The Blue Line Technology solution provides localized analytics with a Dell appliance partnered with Axis cameras and the patented Blue Line Technology software to create a robust solution with distinctive capabilities designed to protect the privacy the client desires. The solution gently reminds the customer to look at the camera to gain entrance. Once a human face is detected the door is actuated and opens freely. If the individual is determined to be a bad actor, the recorded face can be entered for future alerts. If they do not commit a crime, they will never be in the system. The end user maintains their own database and the analytics are completed locally, addressing concerns of privacy.
The following is actual footage from an attempted armed robbery of a store where a clerk had been killed just months earlier, prior to the deployment of the First Line system. The armed bandits approached the store at 1:20am but were refused entrance:
The global reach of the retail world drives us to stay current in all aspects of the business. It takes a diverse and collective effort to accomplish our goals and objectives, expanding our knowledge and our resources when necessary in order to accomplish critical tasks and improve results. We must carry the ability to continually upgrade our knowledge and skill sets, building a professional plan that drives us forward to meet the changing needs of our current position—and the one after that.
We encourage you to take the steps to learn more about our solution provider partners and improve your awareness regarding the products and services available to support the loss prevention industry. The time spent reviewing these brief summaries can add new perspective to the products and services that help shape our industry, and long-term value to your career development.
For more information on our industry solution providers, visit LP Magazine’s Business Directory.
