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> Walgreens has security guards, they can't do anything physical. I think this is store policy, not the law. > Shoplifting is a crime as it is a form of larce
by mikem170 4y ago
> Walgreens has security guards, they can't do anything physical.
I think this is store policy, not the law.
> Shoplifting is a crime as it is a form of larceny or theft. Different states may refer to shoplifting in different ways, but a shop owner who suspects someone of shoplifting may detain them until law enforcement arrives if the shop owner has reasonable proof of the crime - either the owner/manager, a loss prevention associate or another employee personally saw the individual take or conceal an item or the store has surveillance showing the taking of an item. Any detention, however, must comport with any store policies and state law. [0]
It is my understanding that they can make a citizens arrest and physically detain the shoplifter if they wanted to. Walgreens and other large companies choose not to do this.
- kjksf 4y agoWhat if a thief resists your citizen arrest and pulls out a knife or a gun? When the fight instinct kicks in you get a very dangerous situation for both. You don't want the security get hurt but you also don't want the security to hurt the thief.
- mikem170 4y agoUnderstood. That's probably how we got to the current situation, given that large stores don't want to have to deal with the liability of thousands of employees having to make these decisions. We have these large anonymous cities and companies, at a scale where personal reputation has become less and less relevant. If we can't rely on enough people voluntarily following the rules do we need different rules, or different enforcement? The police are not currently obligated to stop a crime in progress. They can't be everywhere at once. Should we change that? Or maybe try to electronically enforce the rules, tracking people, cameras, etc? I understand these thefts are upsetting to people, but how far as a society do we go? Hasn't there always been a certain amount of crime? Is there more of this kind of crime today, per-capita, than in the past, or are we just more exposed to it?
- hotpotamus 4y agoHave you considered that the police apply the same thinking?
- rasz 4y agoThis sounds exactly like arguments some people use when talking about current was in Europe. What if the thief pulls out nukes? you get a very dangerous situation for both. You don't want Ukrainians get hurt but you also don't want Ukrainians to hurt invading soldiers. Do you see the moral problem here?