Loss Prevention professionals love to talk about being misunderstood.
We’re the department that “doesn’t get enough credit.”
The team that “only gets noticed when something goes wrong.”
The function that “protects the business but never gets invited to strategy discussions.”
I’ve said all of that myself. Many times.
But here’s the uncomfortable question I want to put on the table:
What if LP isn’t underappreciated?
What if we simply haven’t earned the level of influence we think we deserve?
Before you fire off an angry email, hear me out.
Being Busy Is Not the Same as Being Valuable
LP teams are some of the busiest groups in retail. We investigate cases, review video, respond to incidents, write reports, attend calls, chase shrink, and manage compliance. The calendars are full. The inboxes are overflowing.
But activity is NOT value.
From the outside looking in, much of what we do still feels reactive, tactical, and backward-looking. We explain what happened after it already hurt the business. We measure success by how much loss occurred — not by how much opportunity we preserved.
Executives don’t reward motion.
They reward outcomes.
If our primary contribution is telling leadership why things went wrong instead of helping them understand how to prevent it next time, we shouldn’t be shocked when we’re not viewed as strategic partners.
We Still Talk Like Cops in a Boardroom
Let’s be honest: many LP leaders still speak a language rooted in law enforcement.
Cases. Apprehensions. Subjects. Charges.
Bad guys. Good guys. Wins and losses.
That language resonates inside our own echo chamber, but it often falls flat with merchants, operators, finance leaders, and CEOs. They aren’t wired to think in terms of “bad actors.” They think in terms of margin, growth, friction, and risk tradeoffs.
When we walk into executive meetings focused on theft counts and ORC incidents instead of sales impact, customer friction, or operational failure points, we shouldn’t be surprised when our seat at the table feels wobbly.
We may understand the business.
But do we sound like it?
We Say “Partner,” But Often Mean “Enforcer”
LP loves the word partnership. We say we want to partner with stores, operations, and supply chain.
But too often, partnership in practice looks like audits, findings, and corrective actions — delivered after decisions have already been made.
True partners show up before the damage is done.
They influence design, not just compliance.
They help leaders avoid mistakes, not just document them.
If our involvement consistently feels like oversight instead of insight, the resistance we feel from other departments isn’t personal. It’s predictable.
The Results Haven’t Matched the Spend
Here’s the point that hurts the most.
Retailers have poured billions into security investments over the last decade — more people, more technology, more barriers. Yet shrink keeps climbing, stores are harder to shop, and employees feel less safe, not more.
Fair or not, executives connect dots.
If LP investment goes up and performance metrics don’t materially improve, credibility erodes. At some point, leadership stops asking for more ideas and starts asking harder questions.
That isn’t a perception problem.
That’s a performance problem.
The Harder Standard We Need to Accept
If LP wants more influence, we have to accept a tougher standard for ourselves.
We need to prove that we:
- Protect sales, not just assets
- Reduce friction, not just incidents
- Improve execution, not just compliance
- Enable stores, not just police them
And yes, that means letting go of some familiar comfort zones.
It means fewer war stories and more business cases.
Fewer rearview-mirror metrics and more predictive insight.
Fewer “told-you-so” moments and more “we helped you avoid this” wins.
So… Change My Mind
If you believe LP is already delivering measurable business value at the level executives should recognize — if you think the profession has earned every ounce of influence it’s asking for — I want to hear your perspective.
But if we’re honest with ourselves, maybe the path forward isn’t demanding more appreciation.
Maybe it’s earning it.
Change my mind.