A PROLIFIC shoplifter has been caught by a new anti-theft measure being rolled out across some popular retailers.
Walgreens and Kroger have formed a partnership with a technology company whose product could lead to more arrests.
3
The company Alto has helped stores gather information on shoplifting suspects and pass evidence to the police.
Alto has mixed technology and human resources to collect information that law enforcement can use to arrest and prosecute suspects, according to The Street.
Frontline staff at participating stores have received an app that allows them to monitor self-checkouts.
The technology would also allow workers to report any incidents and then assign a support staff member to collect evidence.
READ MORE ON RETAIL THEFT
This evidence would then be passed onto Alto’s legal which can be passed onto law enforcement.
Alto’s technology was successful when it supposedly caught a prolific shoplifter called “Diaper Guy.”
He had supposedly been stealing weekly from a store but the evidence gathered by Alto led to his arrest, according to Alto’s CEO Cristian Lopez.
Lopez said: “Our Customer Support Specialist (CSS) and attorney organized a Law Enforcement Partnership Meeting (LEPM), during which we aligned the store’s policies with (the local) police department’s expectations, establishing a solid partnership to address the problem.”
Most read in The US Sun
Diaper Guy was later offered rehab sessions by the court and supposedly turned his life around and stopped shoplifting.
Lopez explained how his product helps stores and reduces retail theft.
He said: “Usually, the case breaks down after an incident is reported, because the retailers and law enforcement do not have the resources to dedicate toward building a case around a minor theft/incident.
“However, these minor thefts add up, and offenders are getting more violent.
“Alto is also able to connect the dots between offenders who target different stores it works with (e.g. a Walgreens and a Target), which they could not do on their own.”
The company also claimed that its partner stores have reported a 30% reduction in shrinkage and violent incidents this year.
3