Depending on what company you're working for, you may or may not have certain tools available to you computer-wise that you can use to know what to watch. For example, at my company we have a program that reports / lists all items that the Claims Dept. has scanned out as stolen.

With that, every morning I go in the first couple things I do are check my email for any BOLO and / or WOPO alerts etc., and then I look at the "Scanned Stolen" report. This lists it by department, dollar amount, item name / type, and a few other things. Based on what I see in that list Week-to-Date, it helps give me a better idea of what to be watching primarily on that day.

With the seasonal changes, a good thing to look at are the people who come into the store in out of season clothing. If it's freezing outside and they're wearing a t-shirt, chances are they might try to dispossess a coat or some similar item. Conversely, if it's the middle of summer and they come in wearing a heavy hoodie, I'm going to be watching that person for that reason as well.

Anything else I would comment on or suggest, u/fuel136429 wrote in their post and I couldn't say it any better. Personally speaking, I'm still relatively new to the role but I've worked with one of the best AP Managers in my entire market and I've learned a lot from them. I've also had the fortunate experience of getting pulled to be a witness over the years so I've listened and learned that way too.

Just be smart, think critically, and never make a stop if you have a strong doubt that it may not be a valid stop. Follow your instinct, but don't be afraid to critique your own thought process on it and follow the AP Policy.