Hourly retail workers are now wearing police-like body cameras
Criminal justice expert John Eck sees body cameras as fact finding resource
Security workers at the large retail operation TJX — the parent company of TJMaxx, HomeGoods and Marshalls —will soon be wearing body cameras, much like those used by law enforcement, says a CNN article.
The extra “eye” in the store is meant to deter shoplifting, but some employees and retail crime experts see it as redundant since there are already cameras in most retail stores — which criminals already know.
John Eck, a professor of criminal justice at the University of Cincinnati, says the cameras could provide a way to settle disputes about what occurred in the store.
Body cameras in retail, he told CNN, “can help sort things out” when there are customer complaints over issues like racial profiling in stores or wrongful arrests for shoplifting.
TJX is the first retail operation to publicly announce the use of body cameras, but many other, unnamed retailers are on board with the idea, the article states.
Feature image at top: iStock/erstik
The University of Cincinnati is leading public urban universities into a new era of innovation and impact. Our faculty, staff and students are saving lives, changing outcomes and bending the future in our city's direction. Next Lives Here.
Related Stories
Law.com: UC criminologist explains risk assessment tools
July 24, 2020
Helping to shed light on the seeming discrepancy in risk assessment tools is University of Cincinnati criminologist Ed Latessa, a professor of criminal justice in the College of Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services.
PBS: Can use of force restrictions change police behavior?
July 24, 2020
To help understand the factors and issues involved in police use of force, PBS turned to University of Cincinnati criminologist Robin Engel, a renowned expert in policing policy.
Scientific American: Police violence calls for measures beyond de-escalation training
July 23, 2020
UC's Robin Engel tells Scientific American that while there lacks systematic studies on de-escalation use in policing, accountability and supervisory oversight are necessary with any de-escalation policing policy.