Denton’s Walmart on South Loop 288 is launching a pilot program that equips some employees with body-worn cameras in an effort to mitigate theft and customer conflict.
The Denton Record-Chronicle visited both Denton Walmart stores, located at 1515 S. Loop 288 and 2750 W. University Drive, on Thursday.
A small number of employees were wearing the body cameras at the South Loop 288 store. The employees wearing the devices were located at the self-check-out stations and were greeters, who occasionally check customer receipts.
Other employees throughout the Loop 288 store’s floor were not wearing body cameras at the time.
A sign at the store’s entrances informs customers that there is video and audio recording at the store and that body-worn cameras are in use.
There were not any employees seen wearing body cameras at the University Drive store on Thursday.
Though the stores have in-house asset protection and contracts with the Denton Police Department to provide off-duty officer security, Walmart confirmed it’s looking for additional security measures.
“While we don’t talk about the specifics of our security measures, we are always looking at new and innovating technology used across the retail industry,” Walmart said in a statement to USA Today. “This is a pilot we are testing in one market and we will evaluate the result before making any longer-term decisions.”
An employee at a unspecified Walmart store posted a photo on Reddit of the devices in a charging station.
A poster directs employees to wear the cameras at chest level and activate them if an interaction with a customer is escalating. It tells employees not to wear the cameras in associate spaces or bathrooms.
The Denton Walmart stores have long been hot spots for shoplifting, assault and other criminal behavior.
For example, during the week of Thanksgiving, Denton police arrested a man on an aggravated assault charge for allegedly barricading himself in the Walmart on University Drive and shooting arrows at employees and customers.
No one was injured in that incident. However, multiple Walmart employees from both Denton stores have reported within the past year that they have been pushed, kicked and hit when confronting customers who are suspected of shoplifting, generally causing a disturbance or victimizing other customers.
Other retailers, like TJX, which owns T.J. Maxx, HomeGoods and Marshalls, also equipped employees with body-worn cameras earlier this year.
“It’s almost like a de-escalation where people are less likely to do something when they’re being videotaped,” said TJX Chief Financial Officer John Klinger, according to CNN.
Back on Reddit, reactions from commenters who worked at various Walmart stores were mixed with some feeling the devices were a necessary improvement in employee safety and others worrying that turning on a camera may further escalate a confrontation.