Publix Joins Database Aimed at Fighting Retail Crime

MICHAEL GARRY

WASHINGTON — Publix Super Markets, Lakeland, Fla., is one of the latest food retailers to join the Law Enforcement Retail Partnership Network (LERPnet), according to Joseph LaRocca, vice president of loss prevention for the National Retail Federation here. Launched in April by NRF, LERPnet is a national crime database designed to unite law enforcement agencies and retailers in the fight against organized retail crime. Retailers can share information with each other and law enforcement via the database. Speaking in a conference call with reporters Friday, LaRocca said that LERPnet now has 52 participating retail companies accounting for 80,000 stores. Other food retailers in the program include Albertsons, Wal-Mart Stores, Safeway and the Army & Air Force Exchange Service. “We’re still collecting data, and so far we have 10,000 incidents recorded in LERPnet,” he said. Publix was not available for comment.

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