Taskforce aims to reduce organized retail crime across US communities

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A taskforce including law enforcement, local governments, retail organizations and more will focus on reducing organized crime in communities across the United States.

The Alliance of Companies and Communities to Enhance Safety and Security (ACCESS) Taskforce represents a collaboration between LiveView Technologies (LVT) and the Paducah and Opelika Police Departments, local government and retailers in Paducah, Kentucky and Opelika, Alabama. The collaboration launches with the mission to improve community safety and reduce organized retail crime one city at a time.

The taskforce aims to enhance communication between municipalities, law enforcement and retailers such as JCPenney, Lowe’s, Walgreens and Walmart so customers may have positive shopping experiences. The participating cities of Paducah and Opelika will use LVT mobile surveillance units and software capabilities to deter and detect behavior commonly associated with shoplifting and other crime.

“Paducah is a regional shopping hub with numerous national and local retailers,” said Paducah Police Chief Brian Laird. “We are constantly working to improve the quality of life and decrease crime in Paducah. We believe that deploying LVT’s security units in partnership with local retailers will improve our ability to diminish crime and care for not only our citizens, but also visitors to Paducah.”

“The influx of shoppers ahead of the holiday season creates additional complexities at brick and mortar locations,” said Opelika Chief of Police Shane Healey. The ACCESS Taskforce will aim to reduce retail crime during the busier winter months at stores in the city.

Editor's note: As of January 13, 2022, the City of Paducah saw a 33% reduction in property and violent crime from 2021 on Black Friday 2022, with the City of Opelika seeing a 39% reduction after just one month.

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