catching shoplifters?

[J_B]

I hooked more than a few shoplifters in my time for 459. No money / credit cards on person or not nearly enough money to pay for what was taken = entering the store with intent to commit a theft, as far as I am concerned. And that is a burglary and I can easily articulate that on paper. And the DA can do with it what they think best.

HA! I tried that a few years ago. He even admitted under Miranda that he had no money etc and his purpose was to go in there and steal about $300 worth of electronics. I had articulated it and left it to the DA.

My Sgt wrote me up for not knowing the elements of PC 459. Seriously. I caught a 2 year, that's right, 2 year documented counseling. He even told me I couldn't write in my report that he had ordered me to 849b him.

Of course, the watch commander was behind it until it went to the CO & XO. I was cleared of it but it was a joke and I will truthfully say, I never listened to a thing that Sgt said after that. They had to seperate us after that.

[J_B]

They have to leave the store completely. Beware of false arrest!

And I believe if they grab something and do not have enough funds on them to pay for it then you can argue for burglary.

A few of the local LP's are smart. They wait till the subject(s) walk out the front door then they confront them. There's been some pretty good fights and since a few are "former" LEO's, the fight is short on the subject's end.

[BigDogatPlay]

My Sgt wrote me up for not knowing the elements of PC 459. Seriously. I caught a 2 year, that's right, 2 year documented counseling. He even told me I couldn't write in my report that he had ordered me to 849b him.

Just wow.... makes you wonder from the ordered report doctoring that someone had a hunch he was caught being a prick and knew he was a little bit less than right on the deal.

Well that and he needs time spent in his PC with a highlighter.

[Steve G]

I've seen a shop keeper stabbed with a 2.5" pocket knife trying to stop someone stealing a shirt. Stupid is as stupid does, not his goods to protect he is still getting paid no matter what. The stab wounds are his to keep and he still lost the shirt.

[ilikeguns]

I've done Loss Prevention for a few years and have been involved in literally hundreds of confrontations with shplifters/burglers/vandals ect. Lots of runners and liars but almost never a physical confrontation.
When it does come to that, protect yourself. Get out of the situation if possible, but don't just stand there and let them wail on you because of some lousy policy.
Carry some legal form of protection. I have on occasion worn bullet proof to work as well. My stores location demands it (someone was shot in the parking lot of my store and ran through the store bleeding everywhere just last night.)

[Jonathan Doe]

I took custody of a shoplift suspect from a Home Depot once. I took it as citizen's arrest and booked him for the theft. When I went to court for the trial, I discovered that they charged him with a robbery. The suspect apparently try to shove off the store employee to escape when he was caught.

[NorCal*Shooter]

Prior to my LE job, I did LP for a while and will never forget this guy I caught one night.

I was outside and saw a older BMA walk in. Just looked suspect and thought I'd watch him. Sure enough he stuffed some brandy down his pants and walked out without paying. I contacted him outside and he was cool. He didn't have any ID so protocol was to get a unit involved.

The cop got there and started asking questions to determine if it was a 459 or not like, "So, I see you don't have any money. Were you just thinking at home about being broke and figured you'd go steal some liquor?"

The subject said, "Hell no man, I aints tryin to commit no burglary! You think I'm stupid. I didn't plan it before I came here, I didn't think about it before I came here. I hads bofe feets inside tha sto befoe I thoughts, hmm, I needs me a present. I'm gonna gets me dis bottle. It's just a lil petty theft man."

I gotta give it to him, he knew what to say. However, he couldn't avoid pc 666. He couldn't hide those priors.

p.s. those aren't typos, it's his distorted english that makes the story a little more funny.

[dpriddy]

That's a good one. I got a guy yesterday, he was trying to take a surfboard. Don't they ever learn?
Iv been thinking about going into LP or LE. Any suggestions?

[cindynles]

That's a good one. I got a guy yesterday, he was trying to take a surfboard. Don't they ever learn?
Iv been thinking about going into LP or LE. Any suggestions?

You had a guy try and shoplift a surfboard? I hope he didn't try and stuff it down his pants..........

[bombadillo]

I worked for safeway for a few years in high school years ago and I hated it that they wouldn't do anything about shoplifters then. Fast forward a lot of years and now i'm at Costco, we detain and call the police for a full prosecution of the person and we always take it all the way to court. They aren't allowed back in and if caught, they have gone so far as detain again until police get there to make ANOTHER arrest!

[black knife]

I had seen an 18 year old kid get charged with a felony 459 P.C. His life is ruined for stealing a freaking $35.00 video game. He plead guilty to it not knowing what he had just done. When I hooked him up to get booked in I explained to him the ramifications of what he had done and he started crying.....man he had the most stupidest Public Defender. I felt sorry for this kid. Life ruined for nothing.

[bombadillo]

No, life ruined because he made the choice to steal that $35.00 video game. He made his decisions.

[desmark6]

Best one I have had yet was a transient that loaded 13 cases of beer into a shopping cart and walked out like it was the thing to do.


When I asked him the usual questions to see if it was a burglary and why he took the beer he made me laugh with his response.

"Hell yeah I went in to take the beer, I been drinking all day under the bridge with my buddies, ran out of beer and I was still thirsty"

Didn't charge the 459 but the 666 was. He was the friendliest felon I have dealt with.

[Cpl. Haas]

Didn't charge the 459 but the 666 was. He was the friendliest felon I have dealt with.

Homeless and long-time meth addicts are always so cooperative and friendly... never resist arrest... always go out of their way to acknowledge we're "just doing [our] job"... and never all that worried about betting booked. I guess when you've basically hit rock-bottom and are living on the street, jail is just a state-sponsored Motel 6 to you...

[Skunkwrks]

That's a good one. I got a guy yesterday, he was trying to take a surfboard. Don't they ever learn?
Iv been thinking about going into LP or LE. Any suggestions?

It's amazing what people try to shoplift these days. I worked LP for several years, and we had to secure our display LCD TV's with bicycle cables because people would pick them up and walk out the doors .