Police Equipment Sells: Kroll International, Inc.

By Carol Brzozowski

Uniform dealers who want to significantly add to their bottom line should seriously consider carrying a line of police and public safety equipment to what they already have to offer.

So says Dean Mazzola, director of sales and marketing for Kroll International Inc. in Shelby Township, Mich.

Kroll International is the largest wholesaler of police and public safety equipment and accessories in the United States. While its obvious that Mazzola would promote the idea of stocking law enforcement supplies, he does so with good reason: since the terrorist attacks on United States soil on September 11, 2001, sales in law enforcement accessories have mushroomed at his company. He believes that uniform dealers should avail themselves of the opportunity to increase their product offerings to their customers and, in doing so, increase their own profit margins without much effort.

To support that point, Mazzola notes that there are more uniformed officers on the streets of the United States since the terrorist attacks. Not only is Sept. 11 accountable for the increased police presence in Americas streets, but so too are other factors such as increased drug trafficking.

There are a lot of sales in that area that we just didnt have near the numbers we are doing now because there are so many teams being added, he says. The United States Department of Homeland Security is essentially a law enforcement division of the government that was never there before, so theres obviously a lot of suppliers that have cropped up to fill that demand, too.

Kroll International managers have seen an increase in demand for more tactical equipment and high-tech supplies from customers who have never carried such items in their stores before, Mazzola says.

A lot of uniform stores are carrying the drop leg holsters – the holsters that mount the gun on the officers thighs – and a lot more equipment that SWAT teams would use, where maybe they didnt see a market for it before, Mazzola says.

It seems that every department is adding a SWAT team, and a lot of that gear is selling to people that never bought it before, he adds.

Another trend Mazzola notes is an increase in military gear since the initiation of the war in Iraq.

Once soldiers find out that uniforms are around, theyll check to see if the local store has any military supplies because they dont necessarily like what is supplied by the military, so sometimes theyll buy better products, he says.

Mazzola lists a number of benefits that uniform sales companies can realize through adding law enforcement equipment and supplies to their product offerings:

Dealers can get higher profit margins for law enforcement equipment and supplies than they can get from uniforms.

No alterations are required for supplies and equipment.

Carrying law enforcement supplies enables the dealer to offer a wider range of products to a captive audience of customers who already are in the store looking for uniforms, but also need to get items such as a holster, duty belt and handcuffs. If the dealer offers those items as part of an umbrella approach to law enforcement equipment, the officer will tend to not take that sale to a competitor if he can get his uniform and other supplies in one location.

In setting up a product line of law enforcement supplies and equipment, Mazzola suggests uniform dealers should learn what their local law enforcement agencies are using or wanting to use and stock their stores accordingly. One example hes seen growing in popularity is LED flashlights. Savvy uniform dealers are taking note of that and stocking up on them to meet the demand.

Visit with departments and talk with those who are in charge of purchasing, Mazzola suggests.

Get as much product information as you can and go back to them with it, he says. A lot of the departments are really loyal to people who provide information for them and will give the business to people who show them whats available, not just how to get what they ask for. If you can make that purchasers job easier, many times there is a lot of loyalty built up.

Some of the items uniform dealers may want to consider stocking include batons, concealment gear, defense sprays, duty gear, EMT equipment, firearm accessories, flashlights, form holders, gloves, gear bags, metal and plastic handcuffs, knives, metal detectors, optics and other types of law enforcement equipment.

One other factor that necessitates the expansion of a uniform dealers offerings is competition with the Internet for sales, Mazzola notes.

There are so many options for the purchasers that it has become more competitive, he says. One way a uniform dealer can address that is to stock products. Even though getting things off the Internet is quicker than ever before, people still like to touch, feel, see and walk out the door with what they like. They dont necessarily like to buy something and not know when they are going to get it. If a dealer can stock that product, its still the best way to shop.

As for Kroll International, the company is a wholesaler that sells only to dealers at mostly factory prices and doesnt compete with its customers for municipal bids. In fact, the company will pass along information for bids it receives from municipalities to local uniform dealers to encourage them to bid the job if they are not aware of it.

The company stocks more than 70 top manufacturers product lines, and Mazzola notes that even if a uniform dealer isnt savvy about the latest items, the company will help in that regard.

The company also is unique in that there are no order or re-order minimums, reducing inventory headaches for its clients who may want to order a few items from a variety of manufacturers.

The company does not carry firearms or ammunition and only carries clothing through the 5.11 Tactical line. The company drop-ships orders within 24 hours to end-users throughout the United States on behalf of its customers.

We saw that was what the retailers needed because a lot of the time a cop will come into a store and hell want one item, Mazzola says, adding that many small- to medium-sized uniform dealers do not have the money to invest in stocking a full product line nor the space to carry large amounts of inventory.

The store owner can figure out what his core products are, stock those, and we can ship all the items he doesnt really want to stock but would like to offer his customers. We are the customers warehouse, he says.

Kroll International partners with its manufacturers through an agreement to stock as much product as possible, with the manufacturer buying back discontinued items so that Kroll International is not wasting money carrying dead stock. With the company having the most current products and usually being one of the largest customers for the suppliers, Kroll International is kept abreast of new or discontinued items.

Kroll Internationals product line is the result of customers requesting items the company had not been carrying because management was unaware of the demand for them. The company is open to hearing from its customers what they need and cannot find elsewhere.

The first couple of times you hear a request, you think, Thats unusual. Ive never heard anybody ask for that before. Then you make a mental note, and after a couple of more times you hear people want it you start investigating a product that a lot of times will show up on our shelves, Mazzola says.

Case in point: Uncle Mikes products.

Several years ago, we told people we didnt carry it, then we investigated the line and now its one of our biggest product lines, Mazzola says.

There are other sources of information as well that can guide uniform manufacturers to make the best decisions in stocking law enforcement supplies. One such source is the Web site of the National Institute of Justice, which carries information on how to select personal body armor. That Web site is at www.ojp.usdoj.gov.

The need for police supplies will continue to grow well into the future, Mazzola predicts. It is estimated that as a result of September 11, 2001, thousands of new job openings were created that require persons with civil or military law enforcement experience. That not only includes local police forces getting larger, but more job openings occurring in such agencies as the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Transportation Security Administration (Air Marshals carry police equipment), the U.S. Capitol Police, U.S. Coast Guard, and U.S. Customs.

Cities are adding more and more SWAT teams and the departments are only getting bigger, he says. Security is on everybodys mind since 9/11. Its good public relations for a police department to show a presence of safety.

And its good sense for a uniform dealer to carry the items the law enforcement officers need to assist them in that goal.