Recently, I was at my teenage son’s lacrosse tournament when I noticed something flying overhead… something that definitely wasn’t a lacrosse ball (or an F-bomb… boy dads, you get it). Every 10 minutes or so, a drone zipped across the field and toward a nearby parking lot. But this wasn’t your typical Amazon Deal of the Day. This drone had swagger. It had purpose.
So, naturally, I started my investigation.
Turns out, it was delivering lunch orders to hungry parents. Many from restaurants miles away. These drones would drop, zip, vanish, and come right back again. Over and over. Uninterrupted. Unapologetic. Unmanned.
And it got me thinking…
If drones can deliver pho to field-side folding chairs, why aren’t they circling our stores?
We’re living in an age where drones can, and should, do more than just drop off burritos or snap real estate photos. Across the globe, technologies are being deployed with high-tech capabilities: facial recognition, GPS mapping, license plate readers, and thermal imaging. Most of these gadgets are already operational in law enforcement and public safety. Others are still in pilot programs or tangled in policy reviews. But make no mistake, none of this is science fiction. These use-cases are real, happening, and accelerating. The only real question is whether we’re bold enough to take the tech we already trust on walls and poles – and let it fly.
So here’s the question…
Why are we still treating loss prevention like it’s stuck in 2015?
Threats have evolved. Our response hasn’t.
Retailers are dealing with a level of theft and violence that looks nothing like it did a decade ago. Policies around apprehension have changed. Hands-off has become the rule, not the exception. Staff are told not to chase. Police response times vary. And criminals? They’re not exactly shy about testing the limits.
So maybe it’s time we started testing some limits.
Imagine drones that monitor retail stores, track known offenders across town, patrol rooftops, monitor blind spots, or circle high-theft zones after hours. Combine that with face matching, automated alerts, or even coordinated law enforcement data sharing. That’s not just a camera with wings. That’s next-gen asset protection.
We’ve spent years investing in walls, gates, guards, and cameras. But at some point, the question flips.
Are we still hiring security professionals? Or are we hiring pilots?
Because if retail crime has learned to scale, fly, and disappear into the distance… maybe we should too. Yes, there are challenges. FAA regulations. Privacy concerns. Tech limitations. But these aren’t walls. They’re speed bumps. Solvable ones.
Cities, police departments, emergency services, and even retailers outside the U.S. are already proving this isn’t some sci-fi fantasy. The tech is here. The need is real. What’s missing is boldness. If we keep playing defense while criminals go aerial, we’re not just behind. We’re grounded.
This is where we go against the grain. Not with a gimmick, but with a gutsy pivot. One that asks: Will our next LP hire need boots on the ground… or eyes in the sky? Maybe it’s time to stop waiting for the future to arrive. Maybe it’s time to start flying toward it.
Email your thoughts, named or anonymous, to comments@talklpnews.com and we just might feature it in the next issue of The Retail Rundown.
