THERE ARE A FEW PLACES IN THE STORE WHERE SURVEILLANCE MONITORING, MIRRORS, AND STORE DETECTIVE'S EYES CANNOT FOLLOW. THIS IS WITH GOOD REASONING. THE LAW IS DESIGNED TO PROTECT THE INNOCENT FROM PEEPING TOMS AND OTHER PEOPLE THAT USE THEIR JOB AS STORE SECURITY TO DO NOTHING MORE THAN GET A THRILL FROM WATCHING PEOPLE IN PRIVATE AREAS. THE LAW STATES THAT SURVEILLANCE CANNOT BE USED IN FITTING ROOMS, BATHROOMS, OR ANY AREA OF THE STORE WHERE A PERSON SHOULD HAVE REASONABLE GROUNDS TO BELIEVE THEY ARE IN PRIVACY. IF A STORE, OR AN AGENT OF A STORE VIOLATES THIS LAW, IT IS A FELONY AND IS A HEFTY PRISON SENTENCE. THAT IS, OF COURSE, IN ADDITION TO CIVIL LITIGATIONS WHICH DEFINITELY WILL ARISE OUT OF THIS VIOLATION OF PRIVACY. OCCASIONALLY SOME GUARDS HAVE TRIED TO VIOLATE THIS LAW BY USING CEILING MIRROR TILES, COVERT CAMERAS AND CAMERAS DISGUISED AS SOMETHING ELSE SUCH AS A SPRINKLER HEAD. THOSE EAVESDROPPERS EVENTUALY FOUND OUT THAT THE CHEAP THRILL THAT THEY RECEIVED FROM THAT WAS HARDLY WORTH THE REPERCUSSIONS.
HOW DO WE CATCH THE SHOPLIFTERS???
SHOPLIFTERS OFTEN HAVE A COMMON MISCONCEPTION THAT BECAUSE THEY CANNOT BE WATCHED IN THESE AREAS, THAT THEY CANNOT BE CAUGHT. THIS IS VERY MUCH WRONG. SHOPLIFTERS AREN'T THE ONLY PEOPLE WHO KNOW THIS....STORE DETECTIVES ARE TRAINED TO HANDLE SHOPLIFTING IN FITTING ROOMS AND THEREFOR WILL OFTEN MONITOR THEM CLOSELY, BUT WITHOUT VIOLATING A PERSON'S PRIVACY.
TO CATCH A SHOPLIFTER IN A PRIVATE AREA, ALL AN AGENT IS DOING, IS LEAVING OUT THE "CONCEALMENT" STEP IN THE 6-STEP RULE. OBVIOUSLY IF WE CANNOT WATCH THEM IN THE FITTING ROOM, THEN WE CANNOT SEE THEM HIDE THE MERCHANDISE. YOU STILL SEE THE PERSON SELECT THE MERCHANDISE AND TAKE IT INTO THE FITTING ROOM OR BATHROOM. THE SHOPLIFTER IS STILL IN A CONFINED AREA AND THEREFOR, IF THEY DO NOT LEAVE THE FITTING ROOM WITH THE MERCHANDISE, AND IT'S NOT IN THE FITTING ROOM, THEN OBVIOUSLY THEY HAVE THE MERCHANDISE CONCEALED ON THEIR PERSON. IT'S REALLY NOT AS HARD AS IT SOUDS TO CATCH A THIEF IN A PRIVATE AREA. SOME FITTING ROOMS ARE DESIGNED WITHOUT A LOWER WALL ON THEM. THIS MAKES IT EASY FOR A STORE DETECTIVE TO STAND IN THE VICINITY OF THE FITTING ROOM AND WATCH AS SHOPLIFTERS LAYER PANTS OVER PANTS OR STUFF THINGS IN A BAG. SHOPLIFTERS THINK THEY ARE SMART, BUT SO ARE STORE DETECTIVES. THIS IS A GAME OF CAT AND MOUSE. CAN THE MOUSE MAKE OFF WITH THE CHEESE, OR WILL THE CAT GRAB THEM AS SOON AS THEY GET OUTSIDE.
TO BREAK ALL OF THIS DOWN IN TO A SIMPLE TECHNIQUE, CATCHING A SHOPLIFTER IN A PRIVATE AREA MEANS THAT YOU HAVE TO SEE THEM GO IN WITH THE MERCHANDISE, SEE THEM COME OUT WITHOUT THE MERCHANDISE, CHECK THE PRIVATE AREA FOR THE MERCHANDISE TO BE STASHED AND THEN MAKING THE STOP AND QUESTIONING THE SUSPECT........
