Walmart stores in North Texas are testing a pilot program to improve store safety using employee-worn body cameras.
The test run will occur at select locations in Denton. Signage displayed in the stores notifies patrons of the use of cameras on site.
A company spokesperson told Fox Business that Walmart will evaluate the pilot program’s effectiveness before deciding whether to expand it.
“While we don’t talk about the specifics of our security measures, we are always looking at new and innovative technology used across the retail industry,” Walmart told FOX 4 KDFW.
Walmart joins another major retailer, TJX Companies, which owns brands like TJ Maxx, Marshalls, and HomeGoods, in using body cameras in-store to deter theft.
In a 2022 report from the National Retail Federation (NRF), stores were estimated to have lost $94.5 billion in 2021 because of “inventory shrinkage.” The term refers to the excess amount of inventory listed in the accounting records but which does not exist in the actual inventory, a difference largely attributed to theft.
In 2022, that number climbed even higher, jumping to more than $112 billion.
The NRF says more than nine out of 10 retailers surveyed in the organization’s most recent study indicated that shoplifters are becoming increasingly violent and aggressive compared to 2019.
Like many other cities nationwide, Dallas continues to struggle with theft. Between the first two quarters of 2022 and 2023, shoplifting incidents surged by 73%. Dallas was second only to Los Angeles during the period, which saw a 109% jump, according to statistics from the Council on Criminal Justice.
Earlier this week, The Dallas Express reported that police in Fairview responded to a robbery call just after 11 a.m. on Sunday, December 15. Four suspects had entered Dillard’s department store in a potentially coordinated robbery. Rather than fleeing when confronted, one of the suspects threatened an employee with a gun, an example of the growing threats of violence witnessed in retail theft.