4/15/26

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Interface Systems Releases 2026 Retail
Loss Prevention Benchmark Report

Annual study of 1.6 million monitoring events across 18,258 U.S. retail locations shows AI-powered technologies and interactive remote video monitoring deliver measurable results for retail loss prevention teams

St. Louis, MO – April 14, 2026 – Interface Systems, a leading provider of AI-powered security and expert remote video monitoring for restaurants, retailers, and commercial businesses, today released its 2026 Retail Loss Prevention Benchmark Report, an annual study based on 1.6 million remote monitoring events across 18,258 U.S. retail locations and 51 brands throughout 2025.

The report provides operational data at a scale to help retail loss prevention leaders understand when risk peaks, which threats escalate fastest, and which intervention strategies prove most effective across thousands of monitored locations.

"Loss prevention teams are under more pressure than ever to protect people, reduce shrink, and justify every dollar spent on security. This report gives them the data and the confidence to make those decisions," said Brent Duncan, CEO of Interface Systems.


Key Data and Findings

Location Theft/Loss, Disturbances, and Loitering/Panhandling are the top retail threats by volume. Other threats tracked included criminal events, battery/assault, theft, property damage, robbery, and medical emergencies.

Retail risk is predictable. Store opening times recorded a 363% spike in security incidents and peak volume of incidents are recorded between 6 and 8 PM. Sundays and Mondays combined account for 30% of weekly incident volume, while Thursdays carry the highest police dispatch rate of the week.

Interactive remote video monitoring reduces escalation. 62.4% of high-priority security events were resolved without police dispatch when interactive remote video monitoring was deployed. Voice-down intervention, where a trained intervention specialist communicates in real time through on-site speakers, resolved 99.7% of employee assistance requests without law enforcement involvement.

Video verification eliminates false alarms. 95% of alarm events were identified as false alarms through live video verification and resolved without dispatch.

Employee vulnerability peaks at transitions, not peak hours. Of the 1.1 million employee assistance requests logged in 2025, demand was highest at 10 AM (97,432 requests) and peaked at 7 PM (146,672 requests), aligning with store opening and closing times.

Loitering and disturbances have higher rates of escalation. Loitering and disturbances have a consistently high dispatch rate ranging from 65-82%. Both categories peak daily between 6 and 8 PM, the same window as overall incident volume.

The day before a holiday carries more risk than the actual holiday itself. Pre-holiday days averaged 148 incidents versus 138 on actual holidays, representing a 5.5% incident drop on holiday.


AI-Enabled Perimeter Protection Resolves 96.1% of Perimeter Threats Without Human Intervention

The report also includes performance data from Interface's Virtual Perimeter Guard, an AI-powered perimeter security solution that combines autonomous detection with expert human monitoring from Interface's Interactive Security Operations Centers (iSOCs). Across 29 distributed locations, Virtual Perimeter Guard Units were activated 23,810 times, resolved 96.1% of perimeter threats automatically through a staged voice-down protocol, and escalated 4% of the events to a live intervention specialist. Just one police dispatch was recorded across all 23,810 activations. The full breakdown of the activation stages and resolution rates is included in the report.

Amazon Warehouse Death
Amazon workers forced to work around dead coworker and told to ‘turn around and not look’

Some of the Amazon workers allegedly tried to step in and help give the man CPR, but were told to get back to work

A highly disturbing incident is alleged to have occurred at an Amazon warehouse last week. A new report says that an Amazon worker lay dead in the facility in Oregon for over an hour, while his colleagues were told to get back to work and to "not look".

While the workers were instructed to continue working, the man lay lifeless on the ground, and people were allegedly discouraged from helping him. One worker said that a manager told them to "Just turn around and not look. Let's get back to work," according to The Western Edge, which broke the story.

The investigation by the outlet alleged that Amazon tried to keep the death of a worker, who passed away on April 6, at its distribution center in Troutdale, Oregon, from being publicized. Western Edge later learned of the incident and reported it one week later.

An employee, pseudonym Sam, revealed that despite seeing a "body form laying lifeless" at his place of work, his supervisor told him and his coworkers to "please get back to work."

Witnesses say a woman ran over to the individual, upset, and began performing chest compressions on him. At that point, Sam, who is trained in CPR, said that they should help the woman. He added that his supervisor, who had tears in his eyes, told him, "It has to be management or safety team," and to "just turn around and not look. Let's get back to work."

First responders later attended the scene, and the area was eventually closed off. The incident sent shockwaves through employees at the facility, and some blamed middle management for responding coldly to the situation.

The report highlights growing concerns over the treatment of workers at large retail companies. Amazon, in particular, has had to fight off accusations of being responsible for a series of deaths at its distribution centers across the U.S. When these lawsuits have gone to court, they have so far overwhelmingly landed in Amazon's favor. themirror.com


AI Shopping & Trust
75% of Americans say they would lose trust in AI shopping if results were sponsored

Consumers increasingly tap agentic AI to shop, but brand trust remains strongest in physical stores.

“The New Rules of Retail Trust in the Age of AI” survey, a continuation of the 2025 “Return of Touch” report, indicates that price-conscious consumers are using AI for convenience and to reduce uncertainty in a rapidly changing shopping landscape but still have concerns about trust and data transparency. According to the research, shoppers continue to have high confidence in in-store experiences, especially regarding item quality and pricing.

“Consumers are scrutinizing value more closely and questioning who, or what, is shaping their purchase decisions,” said Heidi Waldusky, Quad’s Vice President of Brand and Integrated Marketing. “AI offers real promise for efficiency and personalized service to make life easier, but any hint that AI shopping is quietly steering users toward paid influence could confirm a fear that the system isn’t on our side.”  quad.com


US' The Children's Place FY25 sales fall amid e-commerce woes

Hialeah, FL: Video shows off-duty cop stopping armed Advil, Tylenol thief in Hialeah
Newly-released surveillance and body camera video shows an off-duty state wildlife officer confronting an armed shoplifter at a Hialeah supermarket ― and the suspect’s subsequent arrest, authorities say. Police said it happened in September at the Publix at 1585 W. 49th St., next to the Westland Mall. According to police, the off-duty Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission law enforcement officer saw Edwin Soto, 43, stuffing items into a book bag. Authorities said he had stolen “six bottles of Advil and three bottles of Tylenol” worth a little less than $190. Video shows the FWC officer showing his badge to the suspected crook, wearing a backpack. Police said Soto stormed out of the store while looking over his shoulder. Just after the officer returns with the bag, so did the suspected shoplifter, who police said threatened to kill the officer while armed with a knife. He then rode off on his bike. Authorities said they later caught up to Soto. In body camera footage, a Hialeah police officer is heard telling Soto, “An officer approached you and showed you a badge and you pulled out a knife and you said ‘I’m going to kill you, motherf---er.’” “Oh, he beat me up,” Soto claimed in response. But Soto was the one arrested on charges of aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer and petit theft. Soto, who has a lengthy criminal history, remained on house arrest as of Tuesday.  local10.com


St Albert, AB, Canada: Lululemon bandits: Alberta retail crime blitz leads to 65 arrests and $40K-plus in recovered goods

London, England: More than 1,000 phones seized in raid on London shop in theft crackdown
 

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