Douglas Florence: Changing the face of surveillance at The Mirage Hotel and Casino

Sep 1, 2000 12:00 PM, CAREY ADAMS

Douglas Florence has a knack for catching thieves in the retail and gaming industry. Florence, the director of surveillance for The Mirage Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, has been credited with catching more than 1,000 shoplifters in more than 10 years working in the loss prevention departments of retail stores such as Broadway, Dillard's, Macys, Bullocks, Neiman-Marcus, and Grand Central stores.

"I guess you can say that I specialize in catching crooks," says Florence. He lives by the motto that if you keep honest people honest all the time, you will not have to catch them committing crime.

Florence's propensity for catching thieves in retail led him to the gaming industry, though it wasn't a direct path. After leaving retail in 1990, Florence moved to California to start his own private investigative firm. He primarily handled stalking cases and occasionally checked up on a suspected cheating spouse. With video and photographic surveillance in hand, Florence developed a good reputation of catching people in the act.

"I took pride in the fact that I wasn't detected. The people I watched never knew I was around," says Florence.

Years walking and monitoring from the overhead catwalk of major department stores in the late 1970s through the 1980s had developed stealthy skills for Florence. He has even gone as far as to hide in a tree to catch someone committing illegal acts.

In 1993, he received a phone call from officials of the Rio Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. According to Florence, the casino security department had been trying for six months to catch a man stealing buckets of coins from players at the slot machines. At least 25 of the casino's patrons had reported theft valued up to $200.

Within an hour and half of Florence setting up surveillance in the hotel and casino, he had spotted the crook and made an arrest once the man attempted to steal again.

"Rio's management was impressed, and they asked me if I would lead their people," says Florence.

He accepted the position of helping direct the Rio's security surveillance. The move to the Rio allowed Florence to move back to the town where he had grown up.

In three years, Florence increased the Rio's surveillance equipment from 20 video cameras to more than 700 cameras.

He also developed training initiatives and investigations' organizations for the security department that are still in place at the Rio today.

But Florence left the Rio and his hometown in 1996 to work in corporate security for KPMG in the northeast. Priding himself on being able to accept varied challenges, Florence decided it was time to add corporate security to his diverse resume.

Florence stayed in the corporate security side for two years, before getting a phone call from The Mirage. Security officials with the hotel had learned of Florence's work at the Rio. The hotel needed someone to manage its security surveillance department, and word had spread that Florence knew how to manage equipment - and to manage people.

In December 1998, Florence moved back to his hometown of Las Vegas to manage The Mirage's security surveillance. Florence needed no time to adjust to his new surroundings. Working for the Rio had given him the foundation in the gaming industry to know what he needed to know.

"I knew about the table games and I went to dealing schools, so I was ready to watch for anything people had to throw at me," says Florence.

Priority one was to upgrade staff training. Florence says he thinks everyone should get as much training as they need. He encourages his security staff to enroll in classes offered through the company, and he supports on-the-job training for his staff.

"I pride myself in being a role model. I think you have to mentor people and they will learn from you," says Florence.

Florence sends his staff to dealer school to learn what tricks people play to cheat the casino and how games, such as blackjack, should be played. He also sends them to seminars outside of The Mirage.

With more than 25 years of experience in the security field, Florence has developed an attitude that everyone can learn, but they must be willing.

The Mirage surveillance assistant Maria-Luisa Y. Martina says Florence not only believes in mentoring, but he believes that everyone is part of a team.

"His belief is that you are only as good as your staff," says Martina. "He surrounds himself with good and knowledgeable people. It lets you know that he has a lot of integrity."

Martina says Florence is also a good team leader, displaying an impartial disposition and making decisions with confidence.

"Management is all about letting the team and staff have a role in the job," says Florence. "You have to give people life-skills. I hope that I have helped empower them."

Florence is also in the process of renovating The Mirage's security surveillance equipment. He plans to replace all the current equipment with new, state-of-the-art surveillance equipment.

Besides empowering his staff, Florence has worked to empower the gaming industry. He founded the Standing Committee on Gaming and Wagering Protection for ASIS and is a guest lecturer for the Casino Management Association (CMA) certificate program. He has helped start CMA chapters in other cities to build a voice for the CMA.

Florence, a certified protection professional (CPP) and an associate member of the Certified Fraud Examiners Association, was selected in 1997 as ASIS Standing Chairman of the Year.

Florence has made many leaps in his career, from retail security to corporate security, to private investigative service, to gaming security. He thinks that gaming may be where he settles in for the long haul.

"I really enjoy the security environment. I can get exposed to something different everyday," says Florence.

When Florence was growing up in Las Vegas in the 1960s, the city only had 50,000 residents. Now the city population is approaching one million. Florence says he has seen lot of change in the city, and even more change in the gaming industry.

"We have to do our part in staying ahead of the criminals by keeping up with their skills and tricks."

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© 2008 Penton Media Inc.

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