The goal of professionalizing an industry that is for the most
part undereducated and under trained is both overdue and
badly needed. The loss prevention industry, like most others
in the retail community, has been downsized and stretched to
such a point that individual training and development has not
just taken a back seat, it is virtually nonexistent beyond the
core interviewing training seminars available, such as through
Wicklander-Zulawsky.

Lack of Formalized Education

     According to our data, only about 20 percent of our industry
have college degrees, with another 35 to 40 percent having
attended college, but not completed a degree. This lack
of formalized education has negatively impacted us from a
perception, performance, and financial standpoint.

     In the last few years alone, we have seen a number of senior
LP positions and a few select retailers now requiring college
degrees. So the need for increasing the educational levels in our
industry is vital if we expect to increase performance, decrease
the number of senior LP positions filled by non-LP executives,
and increase our value.

     Up until this point the Certified Protection Professional (CPP)
program offered by ASIS International has been the only generic
industry standard. But it, quite frankly, does not address the
retail industry in any detail nor has it been widely accepted by
senior management across the U.S. as an absolute requirement
of all security executives and certainly not in the retail world.
Therein lies the challenge for all certification programs.

     Certainly every profession has the responsibility and
obligation to require certain levels of education and establish
industry standards in order to deliver professional, cost-effective
services that drive value to their clients. It is through programs
such as the one The Loss Prevention Foundation is creating
that will hopefully ensure that this industry can do just that by
educating and developing the industry population.

     Increasing the performance of a specific population group is
a large task and one that will take an incredible amount of time,
energy, and capital. This writer would like to commend all of
those involved and solicit those who aren’t to become involved
or to at least offer their support, because this certification
process will benefit not only the individual LP professional’s
career, but the LP industry and the retail community as a whole.

Questions Yet to be Answered

     For decades now the retail LP industry has been crying for its
own academic identity. Only within the last few years have we
seen loss prevention-specific programs offered at the university
level. Now we have a certification program.

     So the journey begins for our industry, which desperately
needs standardization, continuity, and increased performance
levels. There are questions that remain to be answered. Will
this evolve into a regulatory arm similar to the American Bar
Association? What will happen to those who do not pass the
certification process? Will senior management teams recognize,
accept, and demand it as a pre-employment requirement? Will it
become a legal standard and, therefore, fall under its scrutiny?
Only time will tell.

     Our industry is facing a new era and the individuals involved
with and leading this effort will be the ones forging the
expectations of tomorrow for our entire industry. I for one
support and respect their mission, and wish The Loss Prevention
Foundation the best of luck.