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Hammond, LA \u2013 In today\u2019s world, organized crime takes place not only in alleyways and behind closed doors, but in local department and appliance stores, where powerful shoplifting organiza- tions are creating an estimated annual retail deficit of more than $30 billion.

Southeastern Louisiana University business professor and radio frequency identification (RFID) specialist David C. Wyld, investi- gators of organized retail crime are actively researching how RFID technolo- gy can be used to track the in-store whereabouts of products and reduce shoplifting incidents.

Wyld\u2019s evaluation of RFID\u2019s advan- tageous impact on organized shoplifting appeared in a recent issue of \u201cRFID News,\u201d a magazine focused on new radio frequency identification technology for use in security, retail, transportation and government agencies.

As director of Southeastern\u2019s Strategic e-Commerce/e-Government Initiative in the College of Business, Wyld specializes in RFID and informa- tion technology, and frequently con-

\u201cThe \u2018five-finger discount\u2019 has become an all-too accepted part of the American

said. \u201cShoplifting is fast-shifting from a crime carried out by individuals to the focus of criminal enterprises. And these organ- ized shopping gangs cause more eco- nomic damage to retailers than tradition- al shoplifters.\u201d

Wyld said RFID technology allows retailers, via radio frequency antennas placed inside product packaging or on the product itself, to track the placement, movement and status of store merchan- dise \u2013 making shoplifting a more difficult task.Organized shoplifting gangs often

use large groups of trained shoplifters to steal thousands of dollars worth of mer- chandise in a single day. Popular items like electronics, pharmaceutical drugs, and infant formula are then sold to stores that intentionally buy stolen goods -- online, on the streets, or in ille- gal underground transactions.

retailers with better business intelligence on what\u2019s in the store and what has left the store through shoplifting,\u201d Wyld said. \u201cIn this economy, the criminal and economic trends are intertwining, mak- ing leading retailers concerned that they may see acceleration in shoplifting.\u201d

Unlike conventional security meth- ods such as closed-circuit cameras and electronic article surveillance that are limited to certain areas and supported by on-floor employees, RFID products can be monitored quickly from a central loca- tion. RFID tags can be read at a rate of 100-200 per minute and are expected to replace traditional product barcodes that can be easily blocked by \u201cbooster bags,\u201d aluminum-lined bags that prevent detec- tion by ordinary anti-theft devices.

Wyld said retail use of RFID would eliminate the need for product tagging and provide dual functions by acting as an item identification device as well as an anti-theft tool.

\u201cThe specificity of theft information provided by RFID can enable retailers to improve visibility, which allows them to not only update their inventory more

accurately and replace stolen items more quickly, but to also spot trends in theft,\u201d he said.

\u201cThere is already excitement about the prospects for RFID. In Europe and the United States, we are seeing exciting in- store application in bookstores, electron- ics and grocery stores that are bringing about new possibilities for customer service, business intelligence and inven- tory management.\u201d