At the recent Retail Asset Protection Conference, Walgreens shared best security practices with other retail industry leaders.
At the event, Hal Friend, Director, Physical Security & Fire Prevention and Tim Mueller, Manager, Physical Security Operations, for Walgreen Co. explained how the company utilizes a risk-based strategy for creating a safe and secure environment for both employees and customers.
With the risk-based approach, Walgreens has improved its process for providing physical security resources to its store locations. As part of this, the company’s Security Operations Center (SOC) – a UL-listed, 24/7 central monitoring station – serves as the nerve center for the organization, providing information to support both store team members and field asset protection management to ensure “they send the right people, to the right place, at the right time,” said Hal Friend. “Video is a critical part of the SOC, which uses it to support overall enterprise security, alarm verification, emergency management, and to verify store-related information coming in over social media. We’ve saved a significant amount of dollars in false alarms fines by verifying intrusion alarms with video,” continued Friend.
