Employees at some TJ Maxx, Marshalls, or HomeGoods stores may be wearing body cameras to deter thieves, according to a recent earnings conference call by parent company TJX Companies.
TJX Chief Financial Officer John Klinger said security guards began wearing the cameras in stores nationwide late last year.
“When somebody comes in, it’s sort of … like a de-escalation where people are less likely to do something when they’re being videotaped,” he told Wall Street analysts during the May 22 call.
In a statement to the media, a TJX spokesperson said employees sporting the cameras have been thoroughly trained and that footage is shared with law enforcement only upon request.
“Body cameras are just one of the many ways that we work to support a safe store environment,” the spokesperson said.
Beyond shoplifting, law enforcement agencies in California have increased efforts to tackle organized retail crime in recent months, a growing issue for many cities.
With statewide efforts more than tripling the number of “proactive operations” targeting organized retail theft since 2022, arrests increased by 109 percent in the first 11 months of 2023 alone, according to an end of the year report by California Gov. Gavin Newsom, citing the most recent data.
Since January, the state’s Organized Retail Theft Prevention Grant program has provided $240 million to city and county police departments statewide to fight increasing crime.
The grant has helped California Highway Patrol’s organized retail crime task force conduct 185 investigations, arrest 474 individuals, and recover more than 160,000 stolen items worth $4.2 million, according to officials.
