I had the honor of receiving CLEAR’s 2025 ORC Advocacy Award this week, and it was incredibly humbling to be recognized by ORC leaders from across the country for nearly 20 years of work. I’d also like to thank CLEAR leadership including specifically Ben Dugan, John Clark, Rich Rossman, and Jason Davies.
In a conference full of fantastic ORC content, what really hit me was listening to Sheriff Wayne Ivey talk about his leadership philosophy. He calls it “standing around leadership,” and once you hear what he means, you realize it’s exactly what our industry needs more of.
Sheriff Ivey is a pretty no-nonsense guy. He explained his leadership style as standing behind his people when they need that swift kick in the butt for messing up. But he also leaves the light on at the end of the tunnel so they know one mistake isn’t career ending. He stands beside them in the trenches, riding patrol, backing them up on calls, being in the fight with them even though they don’t need him there. He stands in front of them when anyone takes a shot at his team, whether that’s a literal threat or someone talking trash on social media. And he stands back and watches them do amazing work, giving them the tools and support they need without micromanaging.
That in your face, no-nonsense approach isn’t just necessary in law enforcement. It’s what the loss prevention community desperately needs too.
When we started TalkLPnews, we wanted to build something that stands beside our industry professionals in the trenches, telling the real stories about what’s actually happening. I wanted to stand in front of this community when it comes under attack or gets dismissed as “just shoplifting” or “just some security guards.” And I wanted to stand back and let the incredible work happening every day shine through without sanitizing it or wrapping it in corporate speak.
Being recognized for that approach means everything, not because I need validation, but because it confirms this community values real talk over polished PR. The investigators, retailers and law enforcement who’ve supported TalkLPnews over the years, they get it. They understand that our industry deserves leadership and journalism that doesn’t stand around waiting for permission (or sponsorship dollars) to address the hard stuff.
We need more leaders in loss prevention who stand beside their teams doing the work, stand in front of them when they’re under fire, and stand back to let them do what they do best. That’s the standard Sheriff Ivey sets every day, and it’s the standard I’ve tried to hold TalkLPnews to every day.
I’m grateful and honestly humbled by this recognition. I’m also proud we’ve built something that stands beside our industry in the trenches, stands in front of them when they need a voice, and stands back to let their incredible work speak for itself. That’s the leadership Sheriff Ivey embodies every day. And that’s exactly what this community deserves from all of us. Trust me, you can count on TalkLPnews to be there standing around.