Dillon's security staff gets new look

SBJ Staff

For those thinking about shoplifting, or even smoking, inside a Dillon's store, store officials are hoping the black-jacketed security guards standing nearby will deter them.

"Our hope is that the bad guys will move on down the road. That's really what we're trying to do to keep that kind of activity out of our stores," said Tim Bellanti, a spokesman for Dillon's stores.

The retail chain began converting many of its plain-clothes security guards into uniformed guards about two months ago, Bellanti said. Many of the guards are former police officers or aspiring police officers. They are to be a physical presence inside the stores, and, of course, are to be on the lookout for shoplifting and other illegal activity.

"They are looking for anything from shoplifting to smoking in the stores," Bellanti said.

The security guards are wearing jackets, badges and Dillon's insignia, and are simply more visible now, Bellanti said. Plain-clothes guards will continue to work inside the stores, also, and the stores are all equipped with security cameras that are monitored from a central location inside each store, he added.

"We've had security in our stores all along, but this new effort is to let the bad guys know we've got people keeping an eye on the stores," Bellanti said.

The stores didn't have any statistics or data on increased incidents inside the stores, Bellanti added.

"This isn't a panic reaction. We want to be ahead of things," he said.

The number of hours uniformed guards work and when they are on duty varies from store to store, but the uniformed guards are a "permanent element" of the Dillon's stores now, Bellanti said.

Kevin Stahler is a uniformed security guard at the Dillon's store on the corner of National Avenue and St. Louis. A former Marine, Stahler hopes to complete training at Drury College to become a police officer. His background in the Marines was what made him a good candidate for the job, he said.

Stahler has been in the job for about a month. He works at both the Dillon's on National and at at the Kearney store. "My job here is basically to be a physical presence," he said. "I cover the entire store during the evening while I'm on duty and try to be aware of what's going on."

The guards' presence is comforting to the customers, Bellanti said.

"I'm not sure our customers felt unsafe in our stores to begin with, but this is just a little added presence," Bellanti said.

Consumers stores have not yet seen an advantage to adding uniformed security guards to their ranks of plain-clothes guards, said Consumers President Dave Miller.

"If there is an outward cry from the public, and there becomes a lot of theft and vandalism going on, then we might consider taking stronger action," he said.

The security guards now in Consumers stores are, like the Dillon's guards, there to watch for shoplifters and danger to customers. In his four years with Consumers, Miller said, he has not seen a significant increase in crime in the stores.

The Dillon's security guards are trained on the job, primarily, but usually have experience from law enforcement or the military, Bellanti said.

Security guards at the Battlefield Mall, most of whom are uniformed, complete an "extensive training" period, said Karen Geary, Battlefield Mall general manager. Like the Dillon's guards, mall security guards are not armed, and they do not usually enter the retail space of the mall's tenants, Geary said.

They often help with shoplifting incidents once the alleged offender has left the store and heads into the mall common area, Geary said.

Hats and yellow windbreakers have been added to the security guards' uniforms in recent months to heighten awareness of the guards, Geary said. The awareness is effective both in preventing crime and making customers feel secure.

"Primarily our security guards are there to assist the customers. We want customers to feel secure while they are here," Geary said.

Bellanti echoes that sentiment, adding that Dillon's officials hope the uniformed guards will send a clear message that "the bad guys should move on down the road."

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