How can retailers team with local police departments to combat organized crime rings? What can store operators do to reduce gift-card fraud? How can retailers combat counterfeit goods bearing their brand names?

These topics and others took center stage at the National Retail Federation’s Loss Prevention Conference and EXPO in San Diego, June 11-13. This year’s agenda included sessions and forum speakers from Sears Holding Corp., Target, Gap Inc., Abercrombie & Fitch, Starbucks, Beall’s Inc., Walgreen Co., Saks Fifth Avenue and Limited Brands, among others.

The conference, held at the San Diego Convention Center, offered two sessions on how retailers can work with local law enforcement agencies to combat organized crime rings. The first, entitled “From East to West, Law Enforcement Support at its Best,” featured detectives from Montgomery County, Md., and the Mesa, Ariz., police departments. The second, “Success: Partnering with Law Enforcement,” featured Bob MacLea, vp, loss prevention, The TJX Cos.; Anthony Heredia, director, asset protection, Target Corp.; Brian Nadeau, supervisory special agent, FBI; and Eliot Green, assistant vp, The TJX Cos.

Other sessions and forums at the conference included:

Legal and Regulatory Trends: What Loss Prevention Executives Need to Know

Moderator: Michael Liberatore, vp, loss prevention, Macy’s Florida

Speakers: Frank Muscato, ORCI/LP legislative coordinator, Walgreens Co.; Maureen Riehl, vp, government and industry relations, NRF

Counterfeiting, Brand Protection and the Impact on Retail

Speaker: Shane Berry, senior director, brand protection, Abercrombie & Fitch

Joint Organized Retail Crime Task Force Update

Speaker: John Talamo, vp, loss prevention, Limited Brands

Gift Card Fraud

Speakers: Paul Cogswell, vp, loss prevention and risk services, Comdata Stored Value Systems; Don Burkett, director, investigations and systems, Sears Holding Corp.

Business Continuity and Recovery for Loss Prevention Executives

Speaker: Andrea Schulz, commercial facilities sector team lead, Office of Infrastructure Protection, Department of Homeland Security.

Pandemic Overview and Planning Information

Speaker: David Theno, senior vp, quality and logistics, Jack in the Box Inc.