Understanding the Language of Law Enforcement

Douglas Horsting, Manager of Organized Retail Crime & Special Investigations/Law Enforcement Liaison at Rite Aid, entered the NYPD auxiliary police at the age of 17. During that time, gangs were slicing people with box cutters as an initiation process. The city of New York mandated that an individual must be 18 years of age in order to purchase a box cutter in an attempt to mitigate the situation, and at 17 years old, Horsting was tasked with working undercover to determine who may have been supplying box cutters to underage individuals. Horsting recounts this time as a pivotal moment inspiring him to join the field of security, stating, “I would say I had a calling.”

Horsting has taken on several roles thorough his career, including a Senior Security Supervisor at St. John’s Riverside Hospital and a School Safety/Security Agent at Hastings-On-Hudson Public Schools. He also served as a both an Armed and Unarmed Patrol Officer for various organizations, where he conducted routine patrols and responded to emergency calls.

Eventually, his career path led him to join Rite Aid as an Organized Retail Crime Investigator/Law Enforcement Liaison. There, he started by covering six Rite Aid store locations and spearheaded programs to combat organized retail crime. To achieve this goal, Horsting got in touch with local law enforcement agencies.

“I immediately connected with law enforcement to achieve our goal, which was to combat external theft. I reached out to the NYPD 44th Precinct in the in the Bronx, New York, by Yankee Stadium, which is where I started,” Horsting says. “I explained the situation that we’re having with organized retail crime, and I asked for his assistance.”

By collaborating with local law enforcement, Horsting began to run operations to arrest offenders and charge them accordingly. It began with Horsting’s investigations, where he would identify repeat offenders. Once offenders were identified, Horsting would partner with the NYPD to arrest the individuals in question, and with the support from the District Attorney’s Office, have the offenders charged appropriately.

Humility is a big part of success. To humble oneself and to ask for help is vital, because we can’t do this alone.”

“The operations were a great success,” Horsting says. “The program was so successful that we did it and continue to do it with the Yonkers Police Department, the Rochester Police Department, Ardsley Police Department, Greenburgh Drug & Alcohol Task Force, and the Syracuse Police Department, and many more.”

The success of these operations led to Horsting being promoted to his role as Manager of Organized Retail Crime & Special Investigations/Law Enforcement Liaison at Rite Aid.

Partnering with Law Enforcement Successfully

Effective collaboration is a skill to be honed, especially when working with partners outside of the private sector.

“I believe that there is a communication gap between law enforcement and retail,” Horsting states. “I think that law enforcement speaks one language, and retail speaks a totally different language.”

Horsting elaborates on the challenges, stating, “A lot of times, the officers don’t understand what the store teams have to go through, and the store teams don’t understand what the officers have to go through. In retail asset protection, what I do is bridge that gap and speak both languages. I’m blessed to have the best of both worlds — experience in retail as well as the experience with the NYPD. So, I’m able to talk both languages.”

Horsting describes how he successfully facilitated communication between his retail program and the local law enforcement for a collaborative project, stating, “I started by going to the law enforcement agencies and asking them, ‘What can we do as asset protection to make things better?’ Then, I spoke to Rite Aid store managers and asked, ‘What can we as law enforcement to make things better?’”

With suggestions and ideas from both law enforcement and retail, Horsting was able to devise a plan that has led to nearly 7,000 arrests in three years.

Horsting has been recently recognized for his work by NYS Senator Majority Leader Andrea Stewart Cousins, several Westchester County NY Legislators, Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano, Business Improvement Districts, LPM, & The NYPD just to name a few. He is also a member of the NYC Mayor’s Retail Theft Task Force.

For security professionals partnering with law enforcement, Horsting’s greatest piece of advice is to be humble.

“Humility is a big part of success. To humble oneself and to ask for help is vital, because we can’t do this alone. Whether it’s private security, asset protection, loss prevention or whatever term you want to put on it, we need to work hand-in-hand with law enforcement. We need their help,” Horsting asserts. “And oftentimes, law enforcement will say the same thing: they need the help from us. Successful collaboration between the private sector and law enforcement requires people to sit down at the table and be willing to talk.”