Retail Gangs: A New Breed of Thieves

Washington Post ^ | Jul 31, 2005 | Margaret Webb Pressler

[Drew68]

Retailers say rings of habitual shoplifters are proliferating nationwide, but particularly in urban areas such as Washington, where retailers and malls are packed close together and there is easy access to highways.

Um, that's not really the reason.

[badfreeper]

"Too bad they can't lock onto the perp's jacket and hold him 'til police arrive!"

Why can't they? I'm in Canada and the way it works here is that the store/mall security guard would make a citizen's arrest as the perp exited the store and then call police. I thought something similar happened in the US. (The caveat here is that if the suspect did not shoplift he will have an open and shut damages case against security and the store for false arrest.)

[rahbert]

what prevents the perp from telling the rent-a-cop
to get effed and leaving the scene?

[since1868]

Um, that's not really the reason

You got it.

[brwnsuga]

Wow. I live in VA. Never experienced that. But I live in the burbs. I did, however, visit a shopping center in Portmouth and a majority of the stores refuse personal checks. I notice that in urban areas they also restrict the use of restrooms as well. Who ever heard of a McDonald's with a locked bathroom.

[caver]

You got that right. Our small city of 40,000 has pre-paid gas pumps all over. I hate em. When I get gas, I want to fill it up. I have to prepay but I don't know what it cost to fill it up so I never get the tank full. The debit card usually stops pumping at $50, so you can't fill it up with the debit either.

[badfreeper]

"what prevents the perp from telling the rent-a-cop to get effed and leaving the scene?"

If the guard has already told the perp he is under arrest and the perp doesn't comply he can be charged with resisting arrest even if he didn't steal.

[Drew68]

Don't forget the judicial system that either doesn't punish or simply slaps on the wrist.

From the article:

"I'm going after a guy right now that's been arrested 56 times," Walgreen's Biggs said. "I've got to put together a case that can show this isn't your typical little shoplifter."

The day after making that statement, Biggs called back to say he had just arrested the same shoplifter for the 57th time.

[Drew68]

bttt