Policies: Shoplifting

[Bootstrap]

I would like to have a discussion of POLICIES that might affect shoplifting.

First, a definition:

https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/di ... ish/policy

A policy is a set of ideas or plans that is used as a basis for making decisions, especially in politics, economics, or business.

Request: Please do not mention any of the following in this thread:

1. Names of politicians or other people you want to blame
2. Names of political factions or parties

What POLICIES do you suggest for improving the situation with shoplifting?

[Bootstrap]

When I talk to people who work in local stores in North Carolina and in Kentucky, they keep telling me:

1. Shoplifting is through the roof right now
2. Some of it is very organized, with drivers and careful planning
3. Trying to interfere with it is too risky for employees, it can get them hurt

Security guards are one measure. So are video cameras. But I don't have a lot of great ideas for solving shoplifting. Do you? If so, what?

[temporal1]

Before crafting more law, identify which laws opened the floodgates to crime, REVERSE them, ASAP.

[mike]

I assume you are talking about government policies, not business policies.

In my state, I am told that the first three convictions for retail theft are a misdemeanor. The fourth offense is a felony. These convictions remain on record for life, and result in such things as someone going to jail for stealing a small snack item (this recently happened in my area because it was a fourth or higher offense).

This policy seems reasonable to me. There is a lot of discretion about how a person is charged, both on the part of the victim and the local police and prosecutors, and in reality a lot of people don't get charged as severely as they could be. Some of this depends on the person's prior record and how much the victim really wants to go after the offender.

This sort policy gives people some leeway to change direction before it puts heavier penalties on them.

But, the shoplifters do have to be caught, and there has to be evidence of a crime. When those things are brought to authorities and the laws are not enforced, I can imagine it is pretty disheartening to the business that is the victim.

If there is an area with much higher than average incidents of shoplifting, it would make sense to make these policies less forgiving. But that's not my business.

[Bootstrap]

I assume you are talking about government policies, not business policies.

I'm interested in both, actually.

Home Depot's current policies in my area and in Kentucky involve locking up a lot of things so they don't get stolen and tolerating rather a lot of shoplifting in order to avoid putting employees at risk. They also have guards and cameras. The guards are armed, and they are authorized to stop people.

Armed guards are probably not an option for Mennonite businesses, though ... I'm also curious about how Christian shopholders should handle this.

[Szdfan]

Before crafting more law, identify which laws opened the floodgates to crime, REVERSE them, ASAP.

Do we actually know that the increase in shoplifting is because of changes in law or are there other factors contributing to it.

[Bootstrap]

But, the shoplifters do have to be caught, and there has to be evidence of a crime. When those things are brought to authorities and the laws are not enforced, I can imagine it is pretty disheartening to the business that is the victim.

And catching shoplifters requires time, effort, and money. If you have only so many police, do you direct them toward violent crime or shoplifting? Do we need more police? If so, should the businesses they are policing pay for that, perhaps via taxes? Or should they pay for private guards instead? If we flood the courts with shoplifters, how does that get paid for?

[Bootstrap]

Before crafting more law, identify which laws opened the floodgates to crime, REVERSE them, ASAP.

Do we actually know that the increase in shoplifting is because of changes in law or are there other factors contributing to it.

The same answer would deal with both your questions. Which laws? What evidence is there that they are contributing to shoplifting?

[mike]

When I talk to people who work in local stores in North Carolina and in Kentucky, they keep telling me:

1. Shoplifting is through the roof right now
2. Some of it is very organized, with drivers and careful planning
3. Trying to interfere with it is too risky for employees, it can get them hurt

Security guards are one measure. So are video cameras. But I don't have a lot of great ideas for solving shoplifting. Do you? If so, what?

Oh, so you were thinking of business policies. I think that high definition cameras are essential, and lots of them. It's the most crucial evidence a business can have, and the footage is often useless if it's not HD. They are a preventative measure if shoplifters know they exist, and they are evidence for when a shoplifter is caught and charged. Businesses reporting shoplifting, providing evidence to police, the shoplifter being actually identified and caught, and the police moving forward to prosecute the crime is probably the only real way to deal with the problem.

[Bootstrap]

When I talk to people who work in local stores in North Carolina and in Kentucky, they keep telling me:

1. Shoplifting is through the roof right now
2. Some of it is very organized, with drivers and careful planning
3. Trying to interfere with it is too risky for employees, it can get them hurt

Security guards are one measure. So are video cameras. But I don't have a lot of great ideas for solving shoplifting. Do you? If so, what?

Oh, so you were thinking of business policies. I think that high definition cameras are essential, and lots of them. It's the most crucial evidence a business can have, and the footage is often useless if it's not HD. They are a preventative measure if shoplifters know they exist, and they are evidence for when a shoplifter is caught and charged. Businesses reporting shoplifting, providing evidence to police, the shoplifter being actually identified and caught, and the police moving forward to prosecute the crime is probably the only real way to deal with the problem.

Can you flesh this out a bit? I'm afraid I am neither a retailer nor a shoplifter nor a policeman, this is not my world.

You have high-definition video of a robbery in progress. Where are the cameras pointed? Do they capture the vehicle in the parking lot as well? Can you get the license plates? Are there cameras in the bathrooms? How do you prevent people slipping things into their clothes in the bathrooms?

How does this video get linked to the identities of the people who did it?

Who decides whether the shoplifter gets prosecuted? Can the store decide whether to press charges, or is this up to the police?