Last updated on June 13th, 2024
The New Jersey Food Council (NJFC), in partnership with the New Jersey Retail Merchants Association (NJRMA), recently hosted the 2018 Loss Prevention Conference and Exhibition at Forsgate Country Club in Monroe Township, New Jersey.
The event tackled all aspects of loss prevention to help security professionals understand all the latest trends in asset protection to preserve and protect company resources.
NJFC President and CEO Linda Doherty said, “Our goal with this conference is to help the retail loss prevention community tackle progressive security issues, share information on the latest security scams and network with law enforcement officials. This year’s conference reflected threats that keep our loss prevention members up at night with a focus on retail activism, organized retail crime, emerging technologies, stronger partnerships with law enforcement and local prosecution of cases.”
The event offered a number of presentations, including an account of the significant threats of organized retail crime, retail activism, an executive’s response to loss prevention, emerging technologies, asset protection, active shooter scenarios and the impact of the Regional Automated Property Information Database (RAPID) on the retail community.
Awards were presented to the following loss prevention leaders and law enforcement agents who implement new strategies to combat retail theft:
- Scott Dougherty, VP of loss prevention for Saker ShopRites Inc., was honored with the NJFC Loss Prevention Professional Award. Dougherty has 28 years of experience in the field of asset protection. He also is active on the Wakefern Loss Prevention, Safety and Environmental committees and NJFC Loss Prevention and Safety and Risk Management committees.
- David Wallace, LP Analyst for Staples Inc., was honored with the NJRMA Loss Prevention Professional Award. Wallace started with Staples as an intern in 2013 working his way up to his current position as field auditor, profit protection analyst. Starting in late 2016, his analyst work identified and brought a successful case against a refund ring that was using numerous altered or counterfeit IDs across 33 states, totaling more than $300,000.
- FBI Special Agent Csapo was honored with the Retail Law Enforcement Achievement Award. Csapo is a special agent with the FBI in the Newark, New Jersey, field office and works primarily on white collar crime investigations that include retail theft and securities and investment fraud.
- Somerset County Detective Jeff VanderGoot was honored with the Retail Law Enforcement Achievement Award. He has conducted and participated in hundreds of criminal investigations. Earlier this year, VanderGoot opened an investigation on a business in Somerset County that was involved with purchasing stolen merchandise and selling the items online. His investigation led to the recovery of more than $24,000 in merchandise.
The NJFC is an alliance of food retailers and supplier partners united to advance the interest of its members. It serves as an advocate on both legislative and regulatory issues on behalf of retail members and the mutual interests of supplier partners, disseminating information in order to educate and inform government, members and the public.
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