Full Biography
An innovative asset protection and security professional with three decades of experience, Joseph LaRocca is a nationally recognized leader on loss prevention, organized retail crime, and emerging technologies.
As the former Director of Loss Prevention for The Disney Stores (the Walt Disney Company’s Retail Division), LaRocca directed strategic and tactical loss prevention, crisis management, and business continuity programs. His team twice received the President’s Award and the Team Excellence Award for improving company profits through innovative programs while ensuring the safety and continuity of revenue streams during crisis events.
In 1998, he created a premier industry networking and information sharing tool. In 2005, the National Retail Federation (NRF) acquired the platform to expand their Loss Prevention portfolio of services.
Joining the NRF formally in 2005, LaRocca became a central figure in the industry’s fight against Organized Retail Crime (ORC) and e-fencing. In partnership with the U.S. government, he played a direct role in several critical safety initiatives, including the publication of the national Active Shooter program through the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). LaRocca authored a dedicated loss prevention column for STORES Magazine for over a decade.
He was a founding member of the DHS Commercial Facilities Sector Coordinating Council and the ICE-HSI S.E.A.R.C.H. program. Additionally, he served as a subject matter expert to the National Infrastructure Advisory Council regarding pandemic outbreak prioritization and advised the Department of Commerce on multi-site crisis communications.
LaRocca is an expert witness who has testified multiple times before the U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security. His testimony has addressed the Cyber-Security Enhancement Act, the Organized Retail Crime Act, and the E-fencing Enforcement Act. His legislative work extends to the state level in collaboration with ALEC and the National Council of State Legislatures (NCSL).
Working on broad industry initiatives, Joseph spearheaded institutional research cited globally, including surveys on return fraud and crowd management. Furthermore, he fostered the NRF Investigator’s Network into one of the largest specialized committees in the country.
LaRocca’s contributions have been recognized with the Chain Store Age "40 Under 40" Award and three commendations from the FBI (2005, 2006, 2010) for outstanding assistance in investigative efforts and public safety. He also supported the creation of major recognition programs, including the NRF Ring of Excellence Award.
From 2009-2020, he served as a Reserve Specialist with the Los Angeles Police Department's, Commercial Crimes Division and was a Founding Member of the Los Angeles Area Organized Retail Crime Association.