5 Things Target Is Doing To Deter Crime At Its Stores

MINNEAPOLIS — Target will close nine stores across four states next month because of overwhelming theft and crime at those locations, the Minneapolis-based retail giant said Tuesday.

But Target said it remains committed to serving customers in its over 150 other locations and will partner with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to combat retail theft.

Here are five other measures that Target is taking to deter theft and other crime at its stores:

1. Locking cases

Target says that on "a limited basis," it is implementing tools such as locking cases for merchandise categories that are prone to theft.

2. Deescalation training

The company is investing time and resources in training its store leaders and security team members to "protect themselves and de-escalate" situations associated with organized retail crime.

3. Cyber security

Target is building custom cyber tools that prevent and detect criminal activity and integrating them into online and in-store processes.

4. Government partnerships

The company is partnering with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Homeland Security Investigations division to combat retail theft. It's also creating "Organized Retail Crime Task Forces" at the state and local levels "to promote inter-agency efforts and cooperation."

5. Resources for community members

Target's "Our Outreach Coordinator team" connects customers "experiencing hardship" to community resources.

Nine stores closing in October

The stores that are closing are located in New York City, Seattle, Portland, and the San Francisco area. All nine locations will be shuttered on Oct. 21.

Before making the "difficult decision," Target officials said they invested heavily in strategies to prevent and stop theft and organized retail crime in our stores, such as:

• Adding more security team members
• Using third-party guard services
• Implementing theft-deterrent tools across our business

"Despite our efforts, unfortunately, we continue to face fundamental challenges to operating these stores safely and successfully," the company said.