Do Shoplifters have Rights?

Shoplifting and shoplifters have been a constant reliable problem the retail industry has had for many years.  The billions of dollars lost due to shoplifting is not a laughing matter.  The millions of dollars the retail industry suffers daily due to shoplifting, cripples local economies and leaves them unable to fund social programs that benefit those communities.  The tax loss from stolen merchandise affects those communities as well.

It is very hard to empathize with a shoplifter. Shoplifting is a crime after all but, we must remember that shoplifters have rights and whether security personnel likes it or not they must follow the law.  The procedures a security employee must take when apprehending a shoplifter are very clear.  Law enforcement personnel must follow procedures as well. Shoplifters have rights, and as a security employee you must follow them.

For more about this and other topics, follow the links below.

LP Interrogation Techniques Can Work as Negotiation Tactics

Negotiation tactics are synonymous with terms ranging from compromise and mediation to haggle and interrogation. It is not difficult to argue the fact that interrogations represent the hardest form of negotiating. When people enter into negotiations or mediations, they understand they may need to sacrifice some of their interests in order to reach a mutual agreement because both parties, at some level, have shared interests.

On the contrary, when subjects enter into loss prevention interrogation, they have no intentions of sacrificing any of their interests. Interrogation subjects are typically motivated to stake themselves to a position of innocence and to vehemently defend that position. Skilled interrogators overcome these obstacles by creating shared interests, reducing their subject’s resistance, and creating perceived benefits for confessing.

Many corporate executives view negotiating tactics and skills as both critical to their success and professional development.

Court rules company extorts money from accused shoplifters

SAN FRANCISCO (KTVU) – A State Superior Court judge has ruled that a “corrective education” scheme for accused shoplifters is considered “extortion.”

San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera filed the lawsuit against Corrective Education Company, which partners with retailers like Walmart, Bloomingdale’s, Burlington Coat Factory, Abercrombie & Fitch, Ralph’s grocery chain and Kroger’s.

Suspected shoplifters at those retailers don’t get handcuffed by police, instead, Herrera says they answer to a private business called CEC or Corrective Education Company.

“They basically would intimidate and get someone they suspected of being a shoplifter and say uh, unless you sign this form and and pay us money, we’re gonna report you to the police,” said Herrera.

The problem with that, Herrera says… it’s illegal.

“The law is clear. This is a textbook case of extortion and false imprisonment,” said Herrera who filed the lawsuit back in November of 2015.

This week, California’s State Superior court agreed.

Burlington Coat Factory Security Guard Arrested After Shooting

​A security guard who shot a man Tuesday during a confrontation over an alleged shoplifting incident in San Francisco has been arrested, police said today.

The shooting occurred shortly after 2:30pm in the area of Fifth and Howard streets at a Burlington Coat Factory store where the guard, a 42-year-old man, confronted a suspected shoplifter, according to Officer Robert Rueca.

A struggle ensued that moved outside of the store, and the guard shot the 33-year-old man in the leg, Rueca said.

The victim was taken to a hospital with injuries that are not considered life-threatening.

The guard, whose identity has not yet been released, was arrested on suspicion of assault with a firearm and shooting at an inhabited dwelling.