CNN – “…Retail giant TJX, the parent of TJ Maxx, Marshalls and HomeGoods, said it’s equipping some store employees with body cameras to thwart shoplifting and keep customers and employees safe. TJX finance chief John Klinger disclosed the body-camera initiative on an earnings call last month. “It’s almost like a de-escalation, where people are less likely to do something when they’re being videotaped,” he said. TJX isn’t alone. In a survey of major chains by the National Retail Federation last year, 35% of US retailers said they were researching body cameras for employees. The manufacturer of Taser devices and other security companies are now designing and marketing body cameras specifically for retail workers….The retail industry is responding to theft in stores and violence against workers. Many retailers report they have seen an uptick in organized theft, which typically involves groups of thieves who steal items at stores. About 90% of asset protection specialists surveyed last year by the National Retail Federation said the crime had become more of a risk over the prior three years and that shoplifters have become more violent. Precise national data on organized retail crime is lacking, however, and some analysts say the threat of shoplifting to retailers is overblown. Body cameras are just the latest in a slew of security measures retailers have taken, such as locking up products behind glass cases and removing self-checkout stations. Retailers are also working more closely with law enforcement and devoting more internal resources to investigating theft. In the UK, Tesco, Lidl and other grocers have issued body cameras to employees. Bakery chain Greggs gave employees body cameras after a rise in sausage roll thefts and threats from customers. Axon Enterprise, which owns Taser and primarily develops technology and products for police, launched a “Body Workforce” camera this year for retail and health care workers. These cameras are lighter than ones Axon develops for police offers because they don’t record for as long and require as much a battery life, Axon President Joshua Isner said at an analyst conference last month. They are also a more “inviting product, instead of more of like a militaristic” camera worn by police, he said. “We think retail is an emerging market for body cameras,” he said. “We think this is a logical extension of where our business is headed.”