by Charles A. Sennewald CMC, CPP

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People who had been accused or arrested came crying-out for information as to what to do, where to go, were they treated legally, etc. It became clear there was no real body of information or resource available to the general public about one of the most common and frequently committed crimes in our society. It also became clear that many retailers (and their staff) didn't have a clue as to what they should do and should not do in their dealings with customers suspected of shoplifting, such as: If a detainee says he or she needs to go to the bathroom, what do you do? Or, if the person claims someone is waiting outside in the car, should the store attempt to locate that party in the parking lot? When the reader understands approximately 5,400 persons are arrested every day for shoplifting, the magnitude of this societal problem tends to come into focus. There's a belief among experts that the vast majority of Americans have stolen from a store, or knows someone who has. Six professionals, including the former Director of Security for Neiman Marcus and former Security Director of Macy's West have endorsed this interesting book and their comments are on the back cover. One states, "It almost reads like a best-selling novel." Besides various definitions of words and terms commonly associated with shoplifting, and the Dos and Don'ts that should be followed by the merchant, the book contains 20 actual scenarios of suspected or actual shoplifting events, from the perspective of the customer and the store agent, followed by my analysis. This is different and interesting reading!