Dec 30, 2008 12:20 am US/Pacific
SF Firm's Technology Helps Catch Retail Thieves
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS 5) ―
More than $35 million in merchandise is stolen from stores nationwide, every day. But there is new technology from a Bay Area company that takes surveillance video to the extreme.
A recent national survey has found one out of every 11 people has shoplifted. In this tough economy, police nationwide are reporting a 10-20 percent increase in shoplifting arrests. Instead of capturing video after the fact, retailers are getting more aggressive about catching thieves in the act.
Whitney Glockner is Director of Customer Advocacy for 3VR Security, a San Francisco firm that created a new surveillance search tool being used by big name national retailers and banks. (3VR is unable to disclose clients.)
In the past, to detect crimes or identify suspects, store managers would have to watch every frame of surveillance video in real time or review hours and hours of tape.
"We allow people to mine that evidence just like you mine information on the internet using search. Think of it like Google for video surveillance," Glockner said. "You can search for people based on their face, you can search for them based on a place or a time."
The computer program scans faces of customers and compares them to a database of people suspected of retail fraud or shoplifting. Using proprietary biometric facial recognition technology, 3VR can also follow a particular subject while they are in the store or search footage dating back to previous shopping days. It also flags suspicious activity like a shopper picking up an item and heading for the return desk to redeem it for cash.
Tis' the season for holiday returns. According to the National Retail Federation, businesses will lose $3.5 billion in bogus holiday gift returns. For the entire year, it's nearly $11 billion. In addition to return desk fraud, there is so-called "sweethearting," when a clerk will skip items at the scanner to deliberately undercharge a customer. There is also "boosting," when a shoplifter stuffs items in a large jacket, bag, or baby carriage. The video search technology looks for these specific things and familiar faces.
"(Retailers) want to know when the repeat fraud offender enters their store and they want to be able to catch him red-handed. We give (retailers) that ability," Glockner said.
The 3VR security video search tool is now being used in major banks, airports, and at least one national retailer. While it may seem intrusive, the technology follows privacy laws here in the United States.
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