Shealy, new Eckerd vp, is loss prevention maven - Lewis Shealy

Shealy, new Eckerd vp, is loss prevention maven

CLEARWATER, Fla. - Eckerd Drug has named Lewis Shealy, former loss prevention chief at the Marshall Field company, as vp-loss prevention. Shealy is reputed in the security industry for his aggressive programs at the Chicago-based department store chain.

Shealy is likely to develop at Eckerd a more centralized security department, which would play down the regional security managers' accountability to regional operating vps, security industry sources predicted. "My guess is, he'll want the [regional] people reporting to him," said one.

Security directors sometimes have dotted line responsibility for setting policies and standards for security managers to follow in the field. On a day-to-day basis, though, they report to the regional vice presidents, several loss prevention officers said. Eckerd declined to specify its plans for the department.

Shealy will join Mickey Carter, who has built a strong loss prevention program at Eckerd over the past five years. Carter will be director of technical operations.

"It's going to be an awesome combination," said one security industry source.

Shealy named Operation Alert as an initial project in a prepared statement. It is a pilot program to promote education and awareness of store associates, plus merchandising, operations and audit staff, involving 200 "opportunity stores."

Go out and catch 'em

Shealy was described at Marshall Field as a "go-out-and-catch-'em type of guy." He emphasized internal theft prevention, and used closed circuit television systems and radio-guided store patrols, said one security professional.

A recent "20/20" television program showed Marshall Field's "Trojan Horse," wherein a security officer is concealed in a one-way-mirrored column through which he can observe shoppers. The column can be moved to critical store areas.

While some techniques used in the department stores might not be suitable for the drug store environment, others would be.

One Eckerd program it seems likely Shealy will retain is civil recovery. Carter has built an in-house program operating in five states, that has reportedly been successful. In states with civil recovery laws, the retailer can often bypass the court system and send letters asking for restitution from persons caught shoplifting.

Marshall Field has historically enjoyed a 90 percent recovery rate on letters sent to offenders in its civil recovery program, Shealy was quoted as saying in a security industry newsletter in 1988.

Carter, an Eckerd pharmacist, was enlisted to build the loss prevention program after Eckerd did its leveraged buyout. Security professionals praise his efforts, which besides civil recovery, have included an emphasis on electronic article surveillance.

"Mickey has been sharp and innovative, though he's had no specific background in security. He's probably learned more in two years than a lot of people learn in 20," said one.

One area in which Eckerd has looked for experience and in which Shealy will contribute is in distribution center security, which requires a different approach from the stores, one source said.

Kerry Carney, director of analysis and control, remains as another member of the loss prevention department.

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