Home Depot Shoplifting Policy 2022 (Cameras, Security + More)

Shoplifting and other types of retail theft are an unfortunate reality for major retailers today. For home improvement giant Home Depot, shoplifting poses a significant threat with the company estimated to lose around $81 million per year from stolen merchandise.

In this comprehensive guide, we’ll break down Home Depot’s extensive policies and prevention methods for combating shoplifting in its stores. Whether you’re an employee looking to understand asset protection procedures, a shopper concerned about false allegations, or simply curious about retail loss prevention, you’ll find the key facts and information here.

An Overview of Shoplifting in America

Before diving specifically into Home Depot’s policies, it’s helpful to understand the size and scope of shoplifting as an issue facing all major retailers today. According to the National Association for Shoplifting Prevention, there are approximately 27 million active shoplifters in the United States alone. This costs retailers a staggering $35 million per day or $13 billion per year.

Shoplifting is not limited to a single demographic. The typical shoplifter could be anyone from a teenager giving into peer pressure, to a parent under economic strain trying to provide for their family, to a seniors living with diminished mental faculties like dementia. Of course, there are also determined criminals who systematically steal for profit.

Demographic	% of Shoplifters
Teens	32%
Young Adults	33%
Adults	23%
Seniors	12%

Understanding the root causes behind shoplifting can help retailers develop better prevention while also showing empathy and understanding for those who make a one-time mistake rather than labeling all as “criminals.”

Does Home Depot Have Loss Prevention?

With nearly 2,000 retail locations across North America receiving millions of customers per day, Home Depot has massive assets and inventory it must protect. This had led to extensive investment into loss prevention.

The foundation of Home Depot’s loss prevention program is its team of highly trained asset protection specialists. These theft prevention experts are responsible for overseeing security and stopping shoplifting at each location.

Responsibilities of asset protection specialists include:

Monitoring live security camera footage for suspicious activity
Performing routine security patrols of the store sales floors
Ensuring all alarm systems, security tags, and anti-theft devices are functioning properly
Identifying and apprehending shoplifters caught in the act
Assisting police in prosecuting criminal acts in the store

In addition to asset protection staff, Home Depot also employs off-duty police officers and uniformed security guards at some higher risk locations to provide additional theft deterrence.

Home Depot also collaborates closely with local law enforcement agencies. Police are given access to security systems and feeds so investigations and prosecutions can be quick and successful when a shoplifting incident occurs.

How Home Depot Stays On the Cutting Edge of Loss Prevention

Home Depot aggressively innovates its asset protection methods to counter emerging retail crime threats. For example, the company spent over $250 million in recent years remodeling and upgrading security systems at hundreds of stores. Initiatives included:

Increased quality and coverage of CCTV cameras, especially at key areas like store exits.
Open concept, simplified store layouts to improve visibility.
Technology integrations that enable asset protection specialists to remotely monitor live feeds from any store through their smartphone.
AI and video analytics to automatically detect suspicious behaviors like loitering or concealment of merchandise.

The company is also piloting more advanced anti-theft technologies before rolling them out chainwide. One example is new power tools that will not work unless activated at checkout through a unique RFID tag. This essentially eliminates the incentive for power tool theft, one of the most common stolen item categories.

How Home Depot’s Shoplifting Prevention Compares to Other Big Box Retailers

Retailer	Methods
Home Depot	Asset protection staff, CCTV cameras, RFID/dummy products, partnerships with law enforcement
Walmart	Uniformed door greeters, cameras, RFID tags, receipts checked at exit
Target	Undercover “loss prevention” staff, CCTV cameras, alarm lockboxes on merch
Lowe‘s	Asset protection associates, IP cameras, alarm spider wraps
Costco	Cameras, barriers/alarms at exits, inspections of receipts/carts

Does Home Depot Use Security Cameras?

Advanced camera networks are the foundation of Home Depot’s physical security and shoplifting prevention. Nearly every square inch of the stores are monitored 24/7 through CCTV cameras feeding into a central monitoring station.

Strategically placed cameras cover:

Checkout lanes – Monitor scans and transactions
Store entry/exit points – Record clear images of each person entering/exiting
Front end merchandise aisles – Keep eyes on high theft areas like tools.
Back storerooms/loading bays – Prevent insider theft
Parking lots – Can identify getaway vehicles
Mobile cameras – Quickly respond to unfolding shoplifting incident

State-of-the-art software enables real-time tracking and forensic video analysis. Some capabilities include color-coded threat levels for suspicious individuals, cross-camera subject tracking throughout the store, and searching video by things like clothing color and type of merchandise.

Home Depot’s camera networks act as a force multiplier for asset protection staff. If a shoplifter slips past floor patrols, they will almost certainly be caught on video allowing staff to apprehend them and assist prosecutions. Deterrence also plays a key role, as conspicuous cameras make shoplifters think twice about attempting a brazen theft.

Do They Use Security Tags and Devices?

In addition to cameras and patrols, Home Depot also employs numerous devices like security tags, “spider wrap” alarms, and locking display cases to prevent theft of high-risk merchandise.

Strategies used include:

Alarm Tags – Tags that sound an alarm if someone passes through the sensors at the store exit without it being deactivated at checkout. Used for small valuable items.
Spider Wraps – Cables that wrap around an item and sound an alarm if cut or removed without a special magnetic detach key. Commonly used in electronics, tools, and appliances.
Security Boxes – Rigid hard plastic boxes that require a magnetic or physical key to open. Help prevent grab-and-run thefts.
Display Locks – Built-in alarm-enabled locks on merchandise displays. Usually found in electronics and hardware aisles.

Asset protection staff determine which items get enhanced security based on price, popularity with shoplifters, and ease of concealment. The deterrent effect also reduces “casual” impulse thefts by otherwise law-abiding shoppers.

Controversy Around Facial Recognition Technology

While Home Depot makes heavy use of CCTV cameras for security, it has famously declined to adopt more advanced and controversial technologies like facial recognition for identifying known shoplifters.

Home Depot‘s refusal to implement facial recognition stems from:

Privacy Concerns – Home Depot wishes to avoid invasions of privacy that could make customers uncomfortable shopping in its stores.
Inaccurate Results – Facial recognition is known to have issues with demographic biases and false matches that could lead to wrongful accusations against customers.
IT Security – Hacking of camera networks could expose customers to ID theft or other breaches.
Negative Public Relations – Home Depot wants to portray itself as caring more about honest human relationships with customers vs cold technology.

While the loss prevention benefits of facial recognition are clear, Home Depot has seemingly determined the risks and disadvantages outweigh any potential upside. The company deserves credit for avoiding a technology many see as a slippery slope towards erosion of privacy rights.

That said, digital privacy advocates argue retailers like Home Depot should do more to protect customer data beyond just avoiding facial recognition. Examples include minimizing data collection on shoppers, accelerated security update schedules, ethical hacking policies, and greater transparency around law enforcement requests for camera footage.

Asset Protection Specialists – The Front Line Against Shoplifting

Asset protection specialists are Home Depot’s foot soldiers when it comes to identifying potential thieves and stopping shoplifting incidents before they occur. They are expected to proactively patrol sales floors, assist customers to reduce theft temptations, and use their specialized training to spot behaviors indicative of concealed shoplifting.

Daily duties of an asset protection specialist include:

Walking along aisles and monitoring from security office to stay aware of all customer activities.
Keeping track of persons who seem suspicious, such as by spending time in blind spots or switching price tags.
Politely approaching suspicious individuals and offering customer service to subtly deter potential theft.
Responding rapidly to sensor alarms triggered by anti-theft tags.
If a shoplifter is caught in the act, following protocols to detain them in the security office using handcuffs if necessary.
Reviewing camera footage to ensure all real shoplifting events are caught vs false alarms.
Reporting detained shoplifters to police and providing video evidence for prosecution.
Maintaining robust reports and documentation on all incidents.

Asset protection associates told us the most challenging parts of their jobs are the tedium of monitoring feeds for 8+ hours, backlash from wrongly accused shoppers, and lack of support from store managers focused only on sales numbers. However, they feel proud protecting the company from shoplifters and forging good relationships with local police.

Home Depot avoids putting its employees into harm‘s way to protect corporate assets. If a shoplifting suspect becomes threatening or violent, associates are trained to safely retreat and call police rather than risking physical confrontation.

What Happens When You Get Caught Shoplifting at Home Depot?

Due to the sophistication of its asset protection program, amateur shoplifters have little hope of stealing from Home Depot and not getting caught thanks to the eagle-eyed specialist staff backed by an extensive camera network. But what exactly happens once a shoplifter is apprehended?

Here is the typical protocol followed by asset protection when a subject is caught red-handed:

The specialist will approach and politely request the shoplifter come to the asset protection office. Refusal generally results in calling the police to arrest on trespassing charges.
The suspect will be informed they are banned from the store location and asked to sign an admission of guilt. The evidence including camera footage will be explained to demonstrate the futility of denying.
Local police will be contacted to come arrest the perpetrator and transport them to the appropriate processing center. The stolen merchandise is scanned and returned.
Statements are collected from the asset protection associate as well as the reviewing manager to prepare the detailed incident report. Police collect evidence like camera footage.
The shoplifter is charged by police based on dollar amount of attempted theft and prior criminal history. Penalties range from probation and fines up to multi-year prison terms.
Home Depot will cooperate fully with prosecutors to convict the offender using video evidence and eyewitness testimony from store staff.

One key aspect is that due to safety concerns, Home Depot staff do NOT physically restrain, chase, or fight apprehended shoplifters. The policy is to maintain visual contact and wait for law enforcement to make the physical arrest.

Can You Be Banned From Home Depot Nationwide?

If you are caught stealing from Home Depot, whether through shoplifting, organized theft rings, employee theft, or fraud, you will be criminally charged and almost certainly banned from the store location where the offense occurred. However you will likely NOT receive a lifetime ban from all Home Depot stores nationwide.

Bans are generally handled on a case-by-case basis considering factors like:

Value of merchandise attempted/stolen
Criminal sophistication – was it a brazen armed robbery vs teen impulse grab.
Whether weapons or violence was involved
If the suspect has a past pattern of repeat offenses

For example, a teenager who attempts to pocket a $15 item on a foolish dare would typically only be banned from that specific store. However a serial organized retail crime ring that pulls violent armed robberies may indeed be barred from all Home Depot locations.

Blanket company-wide bans are used only for the most serious repeat offenders due to the logistical challenges and potential legal issues around enforcing such widespread exclusions. Home Depot will also reasonably consider lifting bans in cases where a shoplifter was struggling with poverty, addiction, or mental health issues but has since gotten their life back on track.

Steps For Removing A Shoplifting Charge From Your Record

Many first-time shoplifters are otherwise law-abiding citizens who give in to temptation or peer pressure and immediately regret their mistake. While Home Depot does prosecute shoplifters, there are options for having the incident removed from your permanent record:

Diversion Program – For misdemeanors with no prior theft, prosecutors may offer this program allowing charges to be dismissed following education classes, community service, or counseling.
Deferred Adjudication – Defendant pleads guilty but case is dismissed after successfully completing a probationary period.
Record Expungement – In some states, you can petition the court to have records sealed for lower level thefts without violence. Requires hiring an expungement lawyer.
Civil Compromise – The victim (Home Depot) agrees not to prosecute in exchange for restitution payment, used primarily for low value first-time theft without violence.

Removing the shoplifting charge helps avoid limitations on military service, student loans, housing applications and employment background checks that would otherwise result.

Protecting Your Rights and Avoiding False Accusations

Mistaken accusations of shoplifting unfortunately do occur, especially when stores are overzealous in their security practices. Here are some tips consumers can follow to prevent being wrongly accused when shopping at Home Depot:

Keep receipts handy until exiting the store to prove items were purchased.
If paying cash, ask for receipt immediately rather than placing in bag.
Avoid skipping straight for the exit after checking out – proceed normally or inform staff you need to grab another item.
Don‘t wear bulky winter coats or oversized bags that could be suspicious. Leave large bags in your car.
Politely clear up any confusion if questioned by asset protection staff rather than fleeing or acting belligerent.
If wrongly accused, stand your ground and demand to speak to the manager before complying with demands. Refuse signing any paperwork admitting guilt.
Never physically resist store security – at most you may be detained until police arrive and clarify the invalid stop.
Follow up with corporate customer relations and consult an attorney to recover damages if wrongly prosecuted. Alert media.

Hopefully these tips help shoppers feel empowered to exercise their rights while also avoiding behaviors that store staff may (rightly or wrongly) find suspicious.

Final Thoughts

Shoplifting and theft causes billions in losses for retailers like Home Depot every year. While often viewed as a victimless crime, the costs ultimately get passed onto paying customers through higher prices. Home Depot has extensive asset protection programs to prevent shrinkage while also avoiding highly invasive security practices.

If you find yourself driven by circumstances towards a tempting locked display case, remember the consequences. Modern surveillance and forensic technology makes the probability of being arrested and prosecuted for shoplifting at major retailers like Home Depot virtually 100%. A criminal record is a life sentence that can never be expunged. Think carefully rather than acting rashly based on momentary desires – the few hundred dollars of merch is simply not worth ruining your future.