Scott Glenn, Vice President of Asset Protection for The Home Depot, explains how a long-term, data-driven AP strategy, combined with leadership stability, cross-functional partnership, and a culture that rewards curiosity and full-business understanding, reduces shrink, protects people, and strengthens ROI.
How The Home Depot and CAP Index Collaborated to Build an AP Strategy That Reduces Risk and Strengthens ROI
In this episode of Conversations with CAP, Walter Palmer, Senior Advisor at CAP Index, and Scott Glenn, VP of Asset Protection for The Home Depot, walk through the company’s multi-year journey to stabilize shrink, rebuild consistency, and create one of the most data-driven AP operations in retail.
Scott describes himself as a “data geek,” and that mindset has shaped a program that depends on high-quality internal and external data. Through their partnership with CAP Index, Home Depot integrates loss statistics, sales data, incident trends, supply chain signals, crime risk, and dozens of additional variables into tailored risk models. These inputs allow the AP team to identify the next risk they need to be ready for — not just react to the last one.
TAILORED SOLUTIONS
Dr. Casey Harris, CAP Index’s VP of Crime Risk Modeling, emphasizes the collaborative dynamic:
“The Home Depot team pushes us to be better. They bring tough questions and new challenges that expand what our models can do.”
These consistent back-and-forth exchanges fuel models that stay relevant, adaptable, and aligned with real-world conditions — a necessity in today’s fast-moving threat landscape.
Leadership Consistency and Long-Term Planning Power Long-Term AP Success
Home Depot committed to a multi-year roadmap and avoided the common industry temptation to chase quick fixes. Leadership alignment gave Scott’s team the time and support needed to let the data work — and the results show that the discipline paid off.
Even COVID-related delays ultimately strengthened the strategy. Once implementation resumed, performance accelerated, further validating the long-term plan.
Experimentation, Precision, and High ROI
Scott highlights the importance of testing “different versions and different algorithms” — an experimental mindset that CAP Index supports through flexible modeling approaches. Together, the teams refine and recalibrate models so they reflect current realities while remaining adaptable to tomorrow’s challenges.
This precision directly shapes how resources are allocated. Despite perceptions that retail giants have endless budgets, Scott notes that Home Depot’s AP team is lean and must justify every investment. The data provides that justification.
Their success has been strong enough that the AP organization has been publicly recognized in corporate earnings calls:
“Our CFO says we are one of the best investments. If he gives us money, we give him money back.”
That level of ROI is possible because data — both internal and CAP-provided — guides smarter, more targeted decisions.
Don’t miss this episode of Conversations with CAP!
Walter Palmer sits down with Mary Gates, President of GMR Security Services and Mary talk about moving beyond crime data to achieve comprehensive security risk management.
It’s worth a listen…check it out here!
Cross-Functional Partnership Made the Strategy Possible
Scott stresses repeatedly that AP cannot operate in a silo. The turnaround required collaboration across:
- Operations
- Merchandising
- Supply chain
- Finance
- PR and government relations
- Store design and construction
Peer retailers and law enforcement also played key roles, particularly around ORC. The company strengthened its investigative capabilities, redesigned select store environments, and contributed to broader industry efforts to create an “all-of-government” response.
Developing the Next Generation of AP Leaders
A major portion of the podcast focuses on culture, mentorship, and career development — themes Scott revisits weekly in his Coffee Chats with new employees.
Performance Is the Starting Point — but Not Enough
Scott advises early-career professionals: excel first. High performance earns visibility, but long-term success depends on qualities like adaptability, curiosity, and business acumen.
Be a Great Partner
Because AP influences every corner of retail, relationships matter. Scott encourages his team to intentionally build a wide internal network — well beyond traditional AP touchpoints.
Understand the Business from End to End
Scott urges AP practitioners to “open their aperture.” To meaningfully impact shrink and profit, they must understand:
- Procurement and vendor relationships
- Transportation and supply chain
- Store operations and merchandising
- Pricing, promotions, and POS systems
- Returns and reverse logistics
AP is often the first stop when fraud occurs — whether rental, online, gift card, vendor, or other schemes — so understanding the broader retail loss model is essential. At Home Depot, this is known as profit trade, a more holistic view than shrink alone.
Intellectual Curiosity Drives Innovation
Scott values curiosity above all. People who consistently ask “why?” uncover exposures, improve processes, and think differently. He credits his own instinct back to childhood, recalling how he used to take apart light switches just to understand how they worked — the same instinct that fuels his data-driven approach today.
A Final Word on Industry Growth
Scott and Walter close the conversation with a call for continued knowledge-sharing across the retail sector. Scott has long been active with RILA, NRF, LPRC, and LP Magazine, and he encourages AP professionals to engage in the broader community. Industry collaboration — much like the partnership between Home Depot and CAP Index — is essential for staying ahead of evolving risks.
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