Home Depot and Lowe’s, like many retailers nationwide, have battled elevated retail theft in recent years. Amid this trend, both retailers quietly rolled out an anti-theft measure that is raising concerns and even pushing some consumers to shop elsewhere.
In 2023, retailers reported a 93% increase in the average number of shoplifting incidents per year compared to 2019, according to a National Retail Federation study.
Home Depot CEO Ted Decker told CNBC’s “Squawk Box” in 2023 that retail theft is “a big problem for retail.”
“This isn’t the random shoplifter anymore,” he said.
That same year, Lowe’s CEO Marvin Ellison said during a Goldman Sachs conference that the company has been leveraging technology to manage theft issues in stores.
“We’ve invested quite a bit of technology at different parts of the business in front of the customer and behind the scenes to help us to manage this, and we take a unique and differentiated way,” said Ellison.
Since then, both retailers have remained targets of large organized crime theft rings. In February last year, 14 people in Southern California were arrested for allegedly being connected to 600 thefts at 71 Home Depot locations in the area, according to an ABC News report.
Losses from these thefts exceeded $10 million. Authorities called it the largest-ever organized retail theft operation targeting Home Depot.
In October, six people were arrested in Connecticut over a yearlong investigation into retail thefts from Lowe’s totaling more than $250,000 in losses, according to WTNH.
Home Depot and Lowe’s roll out controversial security system
In response to these challenges, both retailers have quietly implemented a new anti-theft system in store parking lots last year, and it’s making some shoppers uncomfortable.
Home Depot and Lowe’s have rolled out AI-powered automated license plate reading cameras developed by Flock Safety, an Atlanta-based surveillance company, in their parking lots at multiple locations nationwide.
These are the same cameras police use to detect stolen vehicles and solve crimes. The cameras are mounted on poles with solar panels, scanning cars and people as they enter and leave these store locations.
A report from 404 Media in August last year found that a Texas sheriff’s office had searchable access to data from 173 license plate reader cameras from different Lowe’s locations nationwide and could tap into dozens from Home Depot stores in Texas.
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Home Depot’s website states that “these cameras are used for the purpose of detecting and preventing theft and protecting the safety of our customers and associates.”
“We do not grant access to our license plate readers to federal law enforcement,” the company says.
Lowe’s website also states that it uses these cameras at some of its stores “when allowed by law.”
“These systems use cameras to automatically capture images of vehicles and their license plates, along with the date, time, and general location,” states Lowe’s.
“We use this technology for limited, authorized purposes,” the retailer added. “Personal Information is collected through ALPRs to help ensure security, prevent theft and fraud, assist with parking enforcement, and to help maintain your safety and the safety of individuals and our properties.”
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Shoppers push back against Home Depot and Lowe’s Flock cameras
Some consumers have recently taken to social media platform Reddit to express that the use of Flock cameras at Lowe’s and Home Depot stores is making them uncomfortable.
“Yup Lowe’s near me I’m seeing flock cameras on all exits. We have massive privacy issues and we need to nip this in the bud asap. There is a massive surveillance state being built right now and we should not be accepting this,” wrote one consumer.
“Well never going to home Depot or Lowe’s anymore,” wrote another consumer responding to both retailers using the cameras.
“All my local Home Depot and Lowes stores have multiple flock cameras now,” one customer shared.
“Ace Hardware and Harbor Freight get my business now,” wrote another.
Last month, Home Depot was even hit with a class-action lawsuit alleging the retailer installed these cameras without obtaining customers’ consent or implementing proper safeguards, in violation of California privacy laws, according to the Daily Journal.
“Because Flock works with troves of Americans’ sensitive data, and because Flock’s track record of data security is already questionable, an ALPR operator or ALPR end-user like Defendant Home Depot is obligated to implement and maintain its own security procedures and safeguards to further protect ALPR information from unauthorized access, use, or disclosure,” reads the lawsuit.
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“Defendant Home Depot has not done so. Instead, since at least March 2025, Home Depot has been sharing camera feeds or footage from its Flock cameras with law enforcement.”
In a statement to TheStreet, RTMNexus CEO Dominick Miserandino said Home Depot and Lowe’s are “effectively turning their parking lots into a law enforcement database,” which comes with a trade-off.
“By plugging into the Flock Safety network, people will perceive that they’re treating every weekend customer like a person of interest just to catch the small percentage of professional thieves hitting their margins,” said Miserandino.
“This is a trade-off where the customer unwittingly gives up their privacy to avert the loss to theft,” he continued. “We’re about to find out if the average consumer’s desire for privacy will supersede the theft losses.”
The move from Home Depot and Lowe’s comes after a National Retail Federation report last year found that theft remains a growing problem for retailers nationwide.
How many retailers are battling increased theft:
- Retailers saw an 18% increase in the average number of shoplifting incidents per year in 2024 versus 2023.
- In the 12 months before August 2025, retailers saw shoplifting and merchandise theft climb by 52%.
- Additionally, 67% of retailers reported that a transnational organized retail crime group was involved in thefts against their companies during the past year.
- Also, 48% of retailers said that violence-related theft has forced them to enforce measures that negatively impact the customer experience.
Source: National Retail Federation
“Retailers are contending with rising levels of theft, fraud and violence, while continuing to refine security measures, utilize technologies and partner with law enforcement in efforts to curtail loss across the retail landscape,” said David Johnston, NRF vice president for asset protection and retail operations, in a press release.
“While some progress is apparent, organized theft groups have expanded their scope, taking advantage of retailers’ strained resources and lagging prosecutorial support nationwide,” he added.
“Reliable, industry-wide metrics are critical to addressing these challenges,” Read Hayes, a research scientist and criminologist at the University of Florida, said in the press release.
“Without shared data, it is difficult to fully understand the scope of theft, fraud and violence, or to measure the impact of prevention efforts,” Hayes added. “By establishing clear benchmarks, retailers can begin to identify the most urgent risks and prioritize resources.”
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