Florida retailers strict on shoplifter prosecution www.privateofficer.com
Stuart Fla. Dec. 24, 2007
Attention, Wal-Mart shoplifters: There's a blue-lighted patrol car waiting for you in the parking lot, complete with a back-seat prisoner cage and custom-fitted handcuffs.
"It's always important to steal that perfect gift for the person you love," Stuart police Sgt. Marty Jacobson joked of the holiday spike in shoplifting calls and arrests.
Attention, Wal-Mart shoplifters: There's a blue-lighted patrol car waiting for you in the parking lot, complete with a back-seat prisoner cage and custom-fitted handcuffs.
"It's always important to steal that perfect gift for the person you love," Stuart police Sgt. Marty Jacobson joked of the holiday spike in shoplifting calls and arrests.
The new Stuart Wal-Mart is by far the busiest spot in Martin County, with 106 shoplifting calls for 2007 through the first week of December. Sears at the Treasure Coast Square mall had the second-highest number of calls, 73.
That doesn't mean Wal-Mart and Sears have more shoplifters than stores of comparable size, Jacobson said. It just means their in-house security staff and technology are very good.
"They give us good cases. They give them to us signed, sealed and delivered," Jacobson said.
And while some people try to play the Christmas card when they are caught, claiming they can't afford presents or food for their kids, police and sheriff's investigators said it's rare to find a thief who is truly needy.
Churches, private charities and social service agencies have programs to help needy families with meals and gifts over the holidays. They may not put a Wii under the tree, but no one will go hungry or giftless.
"There is no reason in this community to shoplift for your family," Stuart police Sgt. Dan Pantel said.
Many of those caught with an item tucked in a purse or shoved in a pocket have cash or credit cards in their wallets, police say. Some steal for the thrill of it and some have convinced themselves they are entitled to a little thievery to compensate for "corporate greed."
Retail groups estimate more than $30 billion is lost nationally each year to shoplifting, employee theft, vendor fraud and administrative errors.
That translates to higher prices for consumers on everything from food to plasma televisions.
Jacobson said he recalls being called out on a case where a shopper ate a bag of pistachio nuts as he walked around a store and then refused to pay for it.
"It was $4.99. But $4.99 is $4.99," Jacobson said.
Those tend to be what security experts call opportunistic shoplifters. Those are people who see something they want and take it on the spur of the moment without much, if any, planning.
On the other end of the spectrum are what experts call professional shoplifters, who use special boxes and bags to conceal merchandise and use elaborate diversions to distract loss prevention officers.
Self-service checkouts are popular with the big-ticket shoplifters, who may switch the price codes on expensive items to have them ring up as low-cost merchandise.
Others conceal stolen items in diaper bags and strollers, hoping security officers will be reluctant to disturb a baby to check for contraband.
Professionals don't seem to be hitting Martin County, although they tend to come in waves from other counties, officials said.
More common is the third category of shoplifter: teenagers.
The Treasure Coast Square mall in Jensen Beach sees more teenagers than do the retailers in Stuart, and shoplifting calls for the Martin County Sheriff's Office spike in June, the end of the school year.
Spencer Gifts, which carries novelty items and other merchandise popular with young people, is aggressive in catching shoplifters. Claire's Accessories, which carries inexpensive jewelry and accessories popular with teens, also is high on the call list.
"A lot of times these are first-time offenders," said sheriff's Detective Stephen Leighton.
The mall is a popular gathering place for teenagers for shopping, movies and the food court. It has strict rules on loitering, and most stores take a hard line on shoplifting.
But Leighton said there seems to be an increase in thefts when a new CD, fashion item or electronics device becomes the must-have item for teenagers.
A shoplifting arrest typically comes with a warning against trespassing. Those warnings also are strictly enforced, meaning a kid caught stealing a cool key chain from Spencer won't be able to enter the store until the warning is lifted.
What some would-be shoplifters may not know is that a recent change in Florida law allows retailers to go after thieves civilly, collecting a minimum of $200 and up to triple the cost of the stolen item plus legal fees.
That pack of gum could be very expensive.
And if thieves make it to their car with the stolen goods, they could face forfeiture of the vehicle because it was used to transport stolen property, Jacobson said.
Another little-known provision of the law makes it a separate crime to run or resist when a merchant or security officer tells a suspect to stop.
"When a merchant says, 'Tag, you're it,' you cannot resist," Jacobson said.
That doesn't mean Wal-Mart and Sears have more shoplifters than stores of comparable size, Jacobson said. It just means their in-house security staff and technology are very good.
"They give us good cases. They give them to us signed, sealed and delivered," Jacobson said.
And while some people try to play the Christmas card when they are caught, claiming they can't afford presents or food for their kids, police and sheriff's investigators said it's rare to find a thief who is truly needy.
Churches, private charities and social service agencies have programs to help needy families with meals and gifts over the holidays. They may not put a Wii under the tree, but no one will go hungry or giftless.
"There is no reason in this community to shoplift for your family," Stuart police Sgt. Dan Pantel said.
Many of those caught with an item tucked in a purse or shoved in a pocket have cash or credit cards in their wallets, police say. Some steal for the thrill of it and some have convinced themselves they are entitled to a little thievery to compensate for "corporate greed."
Retail groups estimate more than $30 billion is lost nationally each year to shoplifting, employee theft, vendor fraud and administrative errors.
That translates to higher prices for consumers on everything from food to plasma televisions.
Jacobson said he recalls being called out on a case where a shopper ate a bag of pistachio nuts as he walked around a store and then refused to pay for it.
"It was $4.99. But $4.99 is $4.99," Jacobson said.
Those tend to be what security experts call opportunistic shoplifters. Those are people who see something they want and take it on the spur of the moment without much, if any, planning.
On the other end of the spectrum are what experts call professional shoplifters, who use special boxes and bags to conceal merchandise and use elaborate diversions to distract loss prevention officers.
Self-service checkouts are popular with the big-ticket shoplifters, who may switch the price codes on expensive items to have them ring up as low-cost merchandise.
Others conceal stolen items in diaper bags and strollers, hoping security officers will be reluctant to disturb a baby to check for contraband.
Professionals don't seem to be hitting Martin County, although they tend to come in waves from other counties, officials said.
More common is the third category of shoplifter: teenagers.
The Treasure Coast Square mall in Jensen Beach sees more teenagers than do the retailers in Stuart, and shoplifting calls for the Martin County Sheriff's Office spike in June, the end of the school year.
Spencer Gifts, which carries novelty items and other merchandise popular with young people, is aggressive in catching shoplifters. Claire's Accessories, which carries inexpensive jewelry and accessories popular with teens, also is high on the call list.
"A lot of times these are first-time offenders," said sheriff's Detective Stephen Leighton.
The mall is a popular gathering place for teenagers for shopping, movies and the food court. It has strict rules on loitering, and most stores take a hard line on shoplifting.
But Leighton said there seems to be an increase in thefts when a new CD, fashion item or electronics device becomes the must-have item for teenagers.
A shoplifting arrest typically comes with a warning against trespassing. Those warnings also are strictly enforced, meaning a kid caught stealing a cool key chain from Spencer won't be able to enter the store until the warning is lifted.
What some would-be shoplifters may not know is that a recent change in Florida law allows retailers to go after thieves civilly, collecting a minimum of $200 and up to triple the cost of the stolen item plus legal fees.
That pack of gum could be very expensive.
And if thieves make it to their car with the stolen goods, they could face forfeiture of the vehicle because it was used to transport stolen property, Jacobson said.
Another little-known provision of the law makes it a separate crime to run or resist when a merchant or security officer tells a suspect to stop.
"When a merchant says, 'Tag, you're it,' you cannot resist," Jacobson said.
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