Committing to Robbery Investigations Pays Off

Aggressively committing internal investigation resources to robberies pays off, especially when law enforcement has limited resources to commit. Take a look at the effectiveness such a robbery response protocol can have.

Problem Statement:

Here in our local area it is common for patrol officers to respond to robberies, take statements, request forensic evidence collection, and depart the scene. The detective responsible for investigating the robbery is then assigned some time later. It could be days, weeks, and it may not be investigated if there is minimal evidence. This was disappointing to me as I came from the DC Metro area and was used to working alongside detectives during the initial investigation.  Shortly after my arrival at the company, I established a formal documented loss investigation process. As it related to robberies the key points were:

1. Respond - be there, be supportive, preserve evidence, conduct liaison with law enforcement (ask if 'we' can continue our own investigation to avoid a later finding of "obstruction of justice")
2. Stabilize - Help sort out the situation, coordinate assistance
3. Investigate - Collect follow-up evidence (video, statements, etc.)
4. Support - Organize all staff meeting next morning, coordinate with HR, EAP, and Safety; At least a week of armed presence

Some details include:

1. Ensure Loss Prevention has copies of all statements made
• Ask store management to request copies of any statement law enforcement collects (while it's easy & next to the copier)
• Keep two concurrent sets of identical documents (master & working)
2. Determine what internal system data is available (video, alarm logs, POS journals)
3. Make initial list of potential external system data 
• Traffic video
• Walking camera canvass (neighboring businesses, schools, apartment complexes, homes)
• Contacting adjacent businesses for access to interior video
4. Request follow-up statements from all involved prior to departing
5. All staff meeting at the next opportunity (next morning)
• Offer EAP services and support
• Ask if anyone saw anything out of the ordinary at all in the previous days
6. Ongoing Presence - Armed uniformed contract security at the affected site and all nearby stores for one week [more or less as appropriate]

Resolution:

The following day during the camera canvass an adjacent property owner identified video of the fleeing robber, and an accomplice. Evidence was recovered from a dumpster including the till tray from the register, a blank job application, a t-shirt, and the backpack.  DNA and fingerprints were recovered. During the all staff meeting an employee mentioned seeing the cousin of a friend of a friend in the store, which they felt was weird because he lived more than an hour away from the store. The employee also stated he was wearing a white t-shirt on his head "like to absorb sweat." The employee later identified the individual in a photo lineup, and the fingerprints and DNA were matched to them as well. The pistol was never recovered. The detective made it very clear he would not have been able to close this case without our efforts and likely would not have been assigned to the case for a week preventing the recovery of most of the evidence.