2007 NRF loss prevention conference honors leaders

These individuals have helped pave the way for other loss prevention executives and have demonstrated excellence in their community as well as in the industry.

NRF Law Enforcement Retail Partnership Award:
NRF's Law Enforcement Partnership Award is given each year to individuals in the law enforcement industry who have gone above and beyond the call of duty to support the retail industry in combating fraud and other types of losses. This year's award was presented to Supervisory Special Agents Eric Ives and Brian Nadeau of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Major Theft Unit for their work with retailers in developing the Law Enforcement Retail Partnership Network. LERPnet, which was launched on April 9 after more than two years of development, is the only national database designed to bring local, state and federal law enforcement agencies and retailers together through its unique information-sharing capability. LERPnet now boasts a total of 45 member companies, including five of the nation's top ten retailers.

Working closely with retailers and retail trade groups, Ives and Nadeau spent countless hours educating other retail and law enforcement professionals about the professional criminals and organized retail gangs that plague the retail industry every day.
Supervisory Special Agent Brian Nadeau is currently assigned to the FBI's Major Theft Unit and oversees all major theft violations in the northeast region of the United States. He is also the program manager for their Organized Retail Theft Program and the Jewelry and Gem Program.

Eric Ives is also a Supervisory Special Agent for the FBI's Major Theft Unit and is based in Honolulu, Hawaii. He is responsible for a squad that monitors major theft, organized crime, gangs, drugs and violent crime.

NRF Loss Prevention Case of the Year Award:
NRF's Loss Prevention Case of the Year recognizes an LP professional whose investigation made a positive impact on his or her company, the community and the industry. This year's award was presented to Richard Cubbage, Loss Prevention Analyst for the Army and Air Force Exchange Service. Cubbage was honored with the award because of his work on a case in which he identified and documented a customer service associate who was using the retail point of sale layaway and customer service refund data to obtain customers' names and social security numbers to process fraudulent refunds. As a result of Cubbage's investigation, the associate admitted to stealing $114,000 worth of cash during an eight-month period and pled guilty in Federal Court.

In his role, Cubbage identifies and conducts remote investigations of various types of theft and fraud against AAFES operations throughout Europe and the Middle East utilizing point of sale exception reporting software.

Ring of Excellence Inductees:
In addition, the NRF Awards and Recognition Committee created the Ring of Excellence as a way to recognize pioneers in the retail loss prevention industry. This year, NRF selected five individuals who have contributed lasting value to the field and have played an integral role in the development of programs and technologies designed to help retailers fight crime. Their contributions helped build the foundation upon which many retailers rely today.

Inductees include:
John H. Christman, Retired
Dr. Richard C. Hollinger, Professor of Criminology, Law & Society at the University of Florida
David Myers, Vice President, Business Development, Se-Kure Controls, Inc.
King Rogers, Retired
Lew Shealy, Retired