Patent ID: 8587662

Claim:
A computer-implemented method of theft detection and response for a plurality of stores in a first geographic area, comprising: receiving by a computer theft reports containing data concerning thefts at a plurality of stores in a first geographic area or other thefts in the first geographic area; providing an investigation center having a computerized theft trend analysis system to analyze the theft reports containing data concerning thefts at a plurality of stores in the first geographic area or other thefts in the first geographic area; determining a theft trend for a second geographic area based on the theft reports containing data concerning thefts at the plurality of stores in the first geographic area or other thefts in the first geographic area, the second geographic area is smaller than the first geographic area and within the first geographic area, the second geographic area includes a plurality of stores; alerting a plurality of stores within the second geographic area of potential for future thefts; automatically initiating a review and analysis, at the investigation center, of video data from each of the stores in only the second geographic area to determine if a person of interest is present at any of the stores in the second geographic area, the person of interest is a person that was involved in a theft forming at least a portion of the theft trend; and, sending an alert from the investigation center to a store in the second geographic area notifying the store in the second geographic area that the person of interest is present at the store in the second geographic area.