FYI

from SHOT Business November / December 2022

EDITOR’S NOTE

Cameras placed at strategic locations in and around a store can help deter theft.

Inside Operation Secure Store

Security expert Bill Napier explains the value of this key NSSF program.

espite major advances in security technology, theft remains an ongoing challenge for retailers. Across virtually every industry, retail stores of all sizes face the constant threat of burglaries, robberies, shoplifting, employee theft, and cybertheft. However, thanks to the NSSF, firearms retailers have a powerful theft prevention tool at their disposal—Operation Secure Store. This self-assessment security program provides no-cost risk evaluations and solutions for FFL dealers and others working in the firearms industry. Developing Operation Secure Store Bill Napier, LPC was part of a small group of security consultants who, along with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), helped NSSF develop Operation Secure Store. Napier has accumulated more than 30 years of retail loss prevention experience, including serving more than two decades in law enforcement. A charter member of the Loss Prevention Foundation (LPF), he became one of the first to receive Loss Prevention Certified (LPC) credentials. As a security consultant, Napier has assisted businesses, ranging from mom-and-pop retail stores to Fortune 500 companies, and educated thousands of business owners and operators.

“One of the big things we talk about is not how much money you can spend. It’s about little things like ‘I’ve got a burglar alarm. Do I need to make sure it’s working? Do I test it on a regular basis?’” Napier says. “Another line of thought is ‘I’ve got a nice camera system, but do I make sure that the cameras are working properly and the lighting is proper and it’s recording?’” Rings oF Influence Napier often focuses on the “rings of influence,” a.k.a. zones of influence. It’s a term used by the Loss Prevention Research Council at the University of Florida, a group Napier works closely with, to describe telltale signs that customers observe before entering a retail store. It’s a concept similar to broken-window policing, where vandalism often leads to burglaries, robberies, and other serious crimes.

“You don’t realize you’re doing it, but as a customer you’re looking at lighting. You’re looking to see if the parking lot is clean. Does it have potholes in it? Does it look safe for me to come in?” Napier says.

The bad guys look at the same signs in a slightly different manner. “If you don’t take care of the lighting or the parking lot, it makes you look like an easy mark,” he says. “To them, such signs might mean you’re ripe for exploitation.” Testing in the Field Napier helped the NSSF field test Operation Secure Store with firearms retailers, ranging from small, home-based operations to large retail chains. They also tested the program with manufacturers and distributors—some of the largest in the firearms industry.

“We wanted to make sure that what we were talking about made sense and wasn’t going to be a waste of time for the FFLs. The last thing you want to do is give someone one more thing to do that doesn’t add value,” Napier says. “It was a labor of love for myself and two other consultants to go out and be able to get it up and running. The support we got from NSSF as well as the ATF was fantastic.”

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Bill Napier is an experienced security expert who now specializes in protecting retail firearm operations.

Benefits of Operation Secure Store NSSF and the ATF jointly launched Operation Secure Store in January 2018. According to data from the ATF, the number of FFL burglaries decreased more than 18 percent from 2018 to 2019. The number of FFL robberies decreased nearly 28 percent during the same period.

Then 2020 happened, and the number of FFL burglaries skyrocketed.

“We think that was due to the lockdown and COVID and then the civil unrest that went on where there were riots in several cities. People just weren’t ready for that level of unrest. Guns got stolen,” Napier says. “Then the program found its legs, so to speak, and got going again after that.”

The number of FFL burglaries dropped 44 percent from 2020 to 2021. The number of FFL robberies also continued to decline in 2021. Napier believes both are a result of the resumption of Operation Secure Store training sessions.

“We partner with the ATF and the FBI to do education sessions with FFLs. The FBI presents on the NICS background checks. The ATF presents on regulations, new laws, and so forth. Then we present on Operation Secure Store, suicide prevention, and Don’t Lie for the Other Guy, so we’re able to impact FFLs that way,” Napier says. “We get in front of those groups every chance we get. If we get an opportunity, and we can affect some change in a positive way, we’re there. It’s like, ‘please give us a chance. Let us come out and help.’”

To learn more about Operation Secure Store, visit OperationSecureStore.org. Editor’s Note: Additional research for this article conducted by Miles Hall.

Robust door locks (and sturdy doors) are effective theft deterrents. The number of FFL burglaries decreased when store owners increased security measures.