Thx for the story. One problem I have is that cameras in a parking lot do no good if they are not monitored. We are reading a post-mortem analysis of what happened. That poor victim may still be alive had Walmart security notified the police at the time of the abduction.
>>One problem I have is that cameras in a parking lot do no good if they are not monitored <<
I doubt any store has someone actually sitting there monitoring a camera 24/7. Would cost more money, ya noe, to hire such an employee! Cutting the bottom line in essential areas is not good. And even the "security loss person" isn't always that reliable when viewing a tape.
Case in point: At the local Home Depot, I had some returns (brought in in a paper grocery sack with handles). Made the returns, folded the sack flat and then proceeded to shop from my list. At the self-serve checkout, a kindly gentleman I know from shopping there helped when the "self-serve" wasn't scanning the items. He even helped me sack some of my items .. some I put in a the paper sack. Went my merry way but didn't know I'd not gotten home with that sack until I went to use something I'd bought. Searched the house and car over. Back to Home Depot asking if the sack had been left at the register. OH NO! was immediate reply before EVEN LOOKING! Their "loss prevention specialist" had to view "the tape" and they gave me "the benefit of the doubt" and gave me the items I was missing ... a mere $40 worth. I was rather incensed to have such an issue made over $40 like I was trying to pull off a scam. I asked to see the tape and I told both the store manager and loss prevention "expert" that it SURE LOOKED TO ME like a bag was at the register as I walked away with my cart. They were polite but said nothing was left behind from their observation of the tape. They "gave" me the items at no cost. Still perplexed, a few weeks later I asked a cashier I frequent if a bag had been left at one of the registers ... she pointed me a few registers over and THERE WAS MY BAG! According to her, someone had found it and put it at one of the registers thinking it belonged to "an associate." I was assured when I first asked about a "left-behind bag" that it had been a few weeks and they most certainly WOULD BE at the customer service desk.
Just proves what rocket scientists we're dealing with sometimes if the loss prevention guy and manager both view the tape and say nothing is left on the checkstand and I say it looks to me like there IS A BAG THERE and I'm walking away leaving my bag. The tape proved it as well as the appearance of the bag containing the exact items missing.
Wonder why no one in the parking lot witnessed the incident. At close to midnight, it's hard to believe that no one was entering or exiting the store. Those Wal-Mart parking lots are very big tho!
Express your concerns to the store manager, Darryl Flynn.
903-597-2888