Shoplifting.

[aquariuscsm]

One of our dept managers followed a welfare rat out of the store who'd just stolen a ton of housewares and the welfare rat got into her car and ran her over! Of course the trash was never found and luckily our employee wasn't killed.

 

[GiveMeAVowel]

Originally Posted By: qwerty1234
Someone here thinks that lethal force is justified for a store security guard to stop a shoplifter?


Yes, WE do.

 

[qwerty1234]

I feel the anonymity of the internet allows people to express themselves in different light. I use to do the same sitting at the bars pounding down beers all day.I doubt some of you would say these things in a real social setting.

 

[Jarlaxle]

Originally Posted By: GiveMeAVowel
Originally Posted By: qwerty1234
Someone here thinks that lethal force is justified for a store security guard to stop a shoplifter?


Yes, WE do.


We? Got a mouse in your pocket, dude?

 

[3for3]

Originally Posted By: qwerty1234
3for3, well at least you tried the job out. I assume if a shoplifter became physically aggressive then you let them go? Call me a chicken but I wouldn't want to risk my well being stopping some guy from walking out with a few DVD's.



I will defend myself if the shoplifter/s makes physical contact first. If the thief starts swinging but does not make contact with any of the LP agents, then we are instructed by the company to let the subject go without further attempt to reclaim our merchandise. But, we will call the police immediately with a description of the subject/s. If they just get verbally confrontational, we use verbal judo to try and calm them down, and get them back into the store and into our LP office. Ideally we want to catch them and bring them into the LP office without any other customers knowing whats going on, or feeling like there is a dangerous situation.

I am in no way allowed to touch anyone first. I can step in front of them and use voice commands, approach them from the side, or if they have a bag that they used conceal stolen merchandise I can grab the bag. And of course, I always identify myself as a LP agent first before I begin my verbal judo. One problem is that many of the shoplifters we deal with don't understand English, or at least pretend they don't. Then I have to find an employee that can translate for me, which puts the employee in harms way, too, because the situation can get hostile without notice as some shoplifters flip-out once they get in the LP office.

If I am faced with a shoplifter at the exit door, and they act like they don't understand English, then I have to show my LP badge and use my body to kind of steer them back into the store. Once inside I have to find an employee to translate.

I don't want to get hurt either, as I am no tough guy and I have a family at home. I do what I can to deter crime. I enjoy the adrenaline rush of stopping shoplifters at the exit door.

 

[qwerty1234]

3for3, I know in Chicago one of the only Walmarts on North & Cicero will hold the shoplifter for up to 1 hour and than if the police still haven't showed up they them go.

 

[PandaBear]

Originally Posted By: qwerty1234
Someone here thinks that lethal force is justified for a store security guard to stop a shoplifter? That is disturbing. Do you now how many shoplifters a large big box retail store gets per day? Isn't a persons life worth more than a bag of stolen goods? I don't think Walmart will even press charges if the stolen items are less than $25 bucks. Is it worth it for the security guard to go to court multiply times to get a small time thief convicted?


Exactly.

It is purely a business decision to let those go before they get caught in a safe situation next time. An injured staff cost way more than a few items, and if items get stolen too often they will be tagged or packaged differently (large blister pack, or larger package so it is harder to hide), or not being carried in the targeted store because of the lost.

 

[3for3]

Originally Posted By: qwerty1234
3for3, I know in Chicago one of the only Walmarts on North & Cicero will hold the shoplifter for up to 1 hour and than if the police still haven't showed up they them go.


That's right. Any longer than that and it's an unreasonable amount of time, and the company can be sued for unreasonable duration detainment. That's what I was told during training. I know that applies for a Terry Stop, but my company said it applies on citizens arrests for shoplifting busts,too.

But, the clock does not start ticking until we make the phone call to the police. That's the catch. So, we bring the subject/s into the LP office, and we begin questioning the subject/s about why they shoplifted from us, how often they steal, where they live, check their ID's cards, etc. Then we add up all the items dollar value. Then we contact their family if they are minors. Then we type up our reports. After all that, we then place a call to the police and at that point the one hour clock begins to tick away. That's the way it works at my store, whether it makes sense or not. I don't know about other store locations or companies.

 

[qwerty1234]

3fo3, I find the Walmart greeter demanding to see my receipt when I leave with oil intrusive. I usually just ignore the person and walk past. Could I get in trouble for that? I figure I paid for the items and don't want to be "hassled".

 

[aquariuscsm]

Originally Posted By: qwerty1234
3fo3, I find the Walmart greeter demanding to see my receipt when I leave with oil intrusive. I usually just ignore the person and walk past. Could I get in trouble for that? I figure I paid for the items and don't want to be "hassled".


Eh,that never bothers me. It's always a little old lady who does that here. If I just blew her off and walked past her I'd feel bad Sam's Club does this too.

 

[Doog]

Originally Posted By: 3for3
I do not have loss prevention experience. I would be trained. The manager said they will train individuals with criminology degrees, law enforcement backgrounds, or military. I have at least one of those requirements.


Come to Cleveland....you'll have a PhD in 6 months...

 

[Doog]

Originally Posted By: qwerty1234
3fo3, I find the Walmart greeter demanding to see my receipt when I leave with oil intrusive. I usually just ignore the person and walk past. Could I get in trouble for that? I figure I paid for the items and don't want to be "hassled".


In my Walmart they put a really hot looking blonde checking receipts....she had a waiting line...

All 55+ guys

 

[3for3]

Originally Posted By: qwerty1234
3fo3, I find the Walmart greeter demanding to see my receipt when I leave with oil intrusive. I usually just ignore the person and walk past. Could I get in trouble for that? I figure I paid for the items and don't want to be "hassled".


What usually happens in these cases is that the door greeter will sometimes notify LP of the situation. LP can sometimes track down when the subject entered the store, then review video footage of the subject's actions in the store. If things look suspicious we will post a BOLO region wide on the subject. We can then be on the lookout for the subject next time they enter one of our regional stores, and they will be watched continuously while they are in the store. If they are stealing we will detain them. If they are just regular paying customers that don't like to be harassed, we do not bother them, at all. My team only cares about shoplifters. We have no authority or interest or time to hassle innocent people.

 

[qwerty1234]

I assume you get some training in "racial profiling"? Maybe you can join a police force? I heard Chicago is always hiring.

 

[GiveMeAVowel]

Originally Posted By: qwerty1234
I assume you get some training in "racial profiling"? Maybe you can join a police force? I heard Chicago is always hiring.


Even so the DoJ and FBI stats indicated that with regards to % of pop blacks have a much higher incidence of arrests and convictions with regard to almost any crime you can think of. Racial profiling IS justified in many cases but it is NOT politically correct.

 

[bubbatime]

Originally Posted By: qwerty1234
3for3, well at least you tried the job out. I assume if a shoplifter became physically aggressive then you let them go? Call me a chicken but I wouldn't want to risk my well being stopping some guy from walking out with a few DVD's.


Most every retailer nowadays has a policy in place to let violent/aggressive people go and to just call the cops. Its just not worth it for the employee to get seriously injured/stabbed/killed over a little bit of merchandise.

When I did store security 15 years ago, it was way different. We almost wanted the people to fight, because it was game on, a lot of fun, and we always won. Of course, I was a rock solid ex-football player, 6'2", 230 pounds of solid muscle and my coworkers looked like Hells Angles bikers. One guy took a swing at me and he "accidentally" put his head through a wall. Oops. Another guy punched a female manager and than went ape crazy. He was hogtied and carried that way all the way from the garden center to the front of the store. His head was used to open the doors along the way (oops, forgot you have to turn the handles before that door moves). But yeah, due to litigation, the industry is drastically different today than it was 15-20 years ago.

 

[bubbatime]

Originally Posted By: qwerty1234
3fo3, I find the Walmart greeter demanding to see my receipt when I leave with oil intrusive. I usually just ignore the person and walk past. Could I get in trouble for that? I figure I paid for the items and don't want to be "hassled".


No you can't get in trouble for that. Once you have paid, that merchandise belongs to you. You dont have to "prove" to any employee that you own the merchandise. They have to be able to prove, without a shadow of a doubt that the merchandise you are leaving with does not belong to you. And the only way they can do that is to have complete and full surveillance on you via camera or a person watching you walk around the store.

 

[Mr Nice]

Bubbatime,

As a former cop, how often did a criminal take a swing at you ?

 

[bubbatime]

Originally Posted By: Mr Nice
Bubbatime,

As a former cop, how often did a criminal take a swing at you ?


Not very often, as a cop. Most people don't want to attack cops, they just want to get away.

 

[grampi]

Originally Posted By: qwerty1234
Someone here thinks that lethal force is justified for a store security guard to stop a shoplifter? That is disturbing. Do you now how many shoplifters a large big box retail store gets per day? Isn't a persons life worth more than a bag of stolen goods? I don't think Walmart will even press charges if the stolen items are less than $25 bucks. Is it worth it for the security guard to go to court multiply times to get a small time thief convicted?


It's your exact point of view that's causing criminals to become more brazen in not respecting authority...why should they not do what they're doing when they KNOW nothing is likely to happen to them...and no, I don't think low lifes who have no respect for laws are worth $25...they're a cancer to society and we'd be doing society a favor by exterminating them...