Arlington Police, Walmart recognized for unique loss prevention initiative

 

ARLINGTON, Texas - The Arlington Police Department was selected as a Finalist for the 2016 Herman Goldstein Award for Excellence in Problem-Oriented Policing for the organization’s work on the Walmart Restorative Justice Initiative. This recognition was given during the Center for Problem-Oriented Policing Conference in Tempe, Ariz. on Oct. 26, 2016.

 

“Our partnership with Walmart has added value to our community and has also helped with restorative justice efforts," stated Police Chief Will Johnson. "Through this program, first time offenders have an opportunity to choose a better path."



The Walmart Restorative Justice Initiative is a collaborative partnership between APD, Walmart and Corrective Education Company that has significantly improved the department’s response to property crimes at the three Walmart retailer locations throughout the city. The goal is to reduce criminal offenses and the overall police hours expended responding to calls for service and arrests. And that goal is accomplished in part through CEC, a company that provides corrective education.



CEC is a leader in restorative justice, occupying a unique niche in the loss prevention market. CEC's program enables first-time offenders to correct their mistakes and avoid prosecution. Retailers can reallocate loss prevention resources and law enforcement can focus their efforts in more effective ways for their individual communities. CEC works with individuals, retailers, law enforcement, prosecutors and parents to provide a successful, equitable and more efficient alternative to judicial prosecution.



The Arlington Police Department networked with Walmart executives and helped develop an 8-step approach, designed to shift the loss-prevention focus from apprehension to prevention. In an 12-month period, this approach resulted in a 43% reduction in calls for police service, a 60% reduction in theft and shoplifting arrests and the savings of 5,000 resource hours of police time.