Norman Miller can be reached at 508-626-3823 or nmiller@wickedlocal.com. For up-to-date public safety news, follow him on X @Norman_MillerMW or on Facebook at facebook.com/NormanMillerCrime.

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FRAMINGHAM — It's not unusual for a police department to equip its officers with body cameras. But how about a Fortune 500 retailer?

"We hope that these body cameras will help us de-escalate incidents, deter crime and demonstrate to our associates and customers that we take safety in our stores seriously," the spokesperson said.

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"The use of body worn cameras is a fairly new approach, but it clearly falls within the national trend of investing in technology to address this problem," he said. "Whether it serves as a direct deterrent against crime, or simply facilitates criminal investigations after the fact, this technology provides retailers and their teams with another tool in their fight against retail crime."

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"A recent survey conducted by the National Retail Federation found 88% of retailers reporting that shoplifters are somewhat more or much more aggressive and violent compared to a year ago," Kearney said. "And those that specifically track the number of violent shoplifting incidents reported they saw their number of shoplifting events involving violence increase by 35% on average."

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Kearney said many retailers are investing more into the loss prevention aspect of the business, including hiring more loss prevention personnel and investing in technology.

Jon Hurst, president of the Retailers Assocation of Massachusetts, thinks TJX may be the first retailer in Massachusetts to deploy bodycams.

The footage from body cameras will not be publicly available. It will be available only to law enforcement or in response to subpoenas.

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Ryan Kearney, general counsel for the Retailers Association of Massachusetts, said the retail industry is experiencing "unprecedented levels of crime, including thefts, acts of violence and illegal onsite drug use."

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"I don't know of any other companies, but this sounds like a timely, important step to protect employees and consumers alike," he said. "Given state law changes on felony larceny penalties (going from $250 to $1,200 in Massachusetts), inconsistent enforcement and prosecutions, more organized criminal theft and fencing operations — all leading to low risk/high return crime — this makes sense."

"Body cameras are currently being used by certain loss prevention associates, who have gone through training on how to use cameras effectively in their roles," the spokesperson wrote.

The TJX Companies Inc., an off-price apparel and home goods seller whose brands include T.J. Maxx, HomeGoods, Marshalls and others, recently announced that "certain employees" have begun using body cameras inside its stores.