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+--- Thread: "Daddy, you get badguy?" (/thread-5448.html)
"Daddy, you get badguy?" - DeeBye - 10-22-2005
I work in a retail store. As such, I am used to spotting and arresting shoplifters. Although it is not technically a part of my job, I like to assist my trusty LPO ("Loss Prevention Officer") whenever I can. My LPO is also known as Tino, and we play Diablo 2 together when we get the chance.
A couple of days ago, while we were both working, Tino alerted me to a noise. He just pointed and said "listen". I listened, and I heard the unmistakeable sound of a plastic bubble casing being cut open. I kept my eye on the direction of the sound, while also performing incredibly polite and helpful customer service to the non-criminal people.
Soon enough the cutter appeared. He was crouched down while cutting open the plastic casing for a crappy pair of headphones. That was the sound we heard. After he was done with the headphones, he came up to me and asked "Where do you keep your CDs?". I put a giant smile on my face and pointed the racks of music out for him. His backpack was hanging low and his overly-large coat spoke volumes.
I flagged down another supervisor to take over for me while I assisted Tino. We were gonna nail this guy.
Tino and I took up camouflaged positions while stalking the thief. We watched him cut open a CD case and pocket the contents. We watched him cut open a couple of cordless shavers. The thief was looking around like a paranoid freak, but never spotted us watching. Tino and I were like ninjas, but not the bad kind of ninjas. We were the good ninjas that give candy to widows and orphans.
This guy was also what Tino likes to call a "tweaker". He was skinny, fidgety, and not-quite-with-it. This is a sign of a shoplifter on some kind of drug. This can be dangerous when the arrest is made, so it's something you need to be made aware of. Tweakers can do all sorts of crazy crap when you arrest them.
The shoplifter decides that he has enough, so he goes to the exit. Tino and I are about 10 feet behind him, looking as casual as can be. He goes outside and we grab him. Tino does his little LPO "I am arresting you" speech while I just grab his left arm. Thankfully he doesn't freak out or try to fight. Those ones can get nasty.
We bring him back into the store and to the security office. Tino reads him his rights and calls the cops. I am checking my watch because my wife and son were going to meet me when I was done working, which was about now.
This shoplifter was a pathetic story. Unless someone is really interested in it I won't go into details. I hung around until the cop appeared (an absolutely LARGE and intimidating man), and took my leave.
My wife and son were waiting for me outside the office doors.
The first thing my 3 year old son said to me was "Daddy, you get badguy?". My wife explained that my son saw the police car outside and that he put 2 and 2 together. I told him, "Yes, Tino and I got the badguy." My son likes Tino, and knows him well. "Tino and Daddy get badguy?" Just then the police officer escorts the shoplifter out the door, handcuffs and all.
My son watched this and said "YAY! Daddy got the BADGUY!".
That felt great. I was my son's hero :)
"Daddy, you get badguy?" - ShadowHM - 10-22-2005
DeeBye,Oct 22 2005, 01:20 AM Wrote:My son watched this and said "YAY! Daddy got the BADGUY!".
That felt great. I was my son's hero :)
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What an awesome feeling, eh? :D We so seldom get a chance to live in that clear-cut world of good versus evil. To have your son witness it and know that his Dad is a hero is a wonderful thing. :) Lucky you, DeeBye.
"Daddy, you get badguy?" - Guest - 10-22-2005
My best shoplifter story.
About 6 years ago I was an assistant manager in a large retail/grocery store.
One day the LP radios for assistance up front when as hes about to make a stop.
I head toward the door and tell the 2 stockers I pass to come with me so we can have 2 people at each door.
As the LP ried to make the stop the guys slips from his grasp and goes running across the parking lot.
All 4 of us take off running after him.
The suspect then brandished a knife and yelled "Ill cut you" as he ran away.
Because we were all stupid young guys(between 18-25) we all started chasing harder.
At this point he ran into the housing lot beside the store and the other assistant manager who happened to live there ran out. The supsect picked up a shovel and waved it at him then ran into the wood.
So we all spread out into the woods. And eventually I see him running through the woods tired and looking over his shoulder. I radio for everyone else to come over and follow him.
We all surround the shoplifter and he picks up a big stick and waves it around in a circle saying "You guys take your job way too serious!" Ar which point one of us tackeled him and the LP called for police.
It was extremely funny, but we all got in trouble later :/
"Daddy, you get badguy?" - Quark - 10-22-2005
Ghostiger,Oct 22 2005, 10:29 AM Wrote:It was extremely funny, but we all got in trouble later :/
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I was wonderin that while reading your story :shuriken:. My sister used to work retail for Target, and she always went on about how after the shoplifter got passed the doors, they couldn't do anything about it.
"Daddy, you get badguy?" - Guest - 10-22-2005
Legally we were fine. The shoplifter was successfully prosecuted.
It was a safety issue with our store though that we shouldnt have went past the parking lot.
"Daddy, you get badguy?" - Artega - 10-22-2005
ShadowHM,Oct 22 2005, 09:00 AM Wrote:What an awesome feeling, eh? :D We so seldom get a chance to live in that clear-cut world of good versus evil. To have your son witness it and know that his Dad is a hero is a wonderful thing. :) Lucky you, DeeBye.
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/cheer
"Daddy, you get badguy?" - whyBish - 10-22-2005
DeeBye,Oct 22 2005, 07:20 PM Wrote:Tino and I were like ninjas, but not the bad kind of ninjas. We were the good ninjas that give candy to widows and orphans.
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That made my day :)
"Daddy, you get badguy?" - Chaerophon - 10-22-2005
That's a good story, but a bad thief, eh? Congrat's on the catch though, and on the adoration! :)
Here's a couple of stories of my own:
The grocery store where I used to work was plagued by a group of organized, professional thieves who were all addicted to crack/heroin but who were all quite proficient. They had a scouting system, and we rarely caught any of them. On one occasion, I recognized the most prolific of them entering the store and followed him - I witnessed him lifting a bunch of non-prescription arthritis drugs (40+ bucks a bottle, should have been behind the counter) and thought that we had finally caught him. He had recently taken over 1500 dollars in merchandise in three days, so I was pretty pumped. I signalled to my manager, who didn't quite get what I meant at first, so he didn't get the far entrance blocked. The thief continued on down the aisle, flaring out his coat (so as to ensure that it concealed the merchandise). I was at the entrance to the aisle, he was nearing the end. He made no indication that he knew that I was there. He turned right, I crossed aisles to try to keep sight of him - but he wasn't there! He had cut back the other way and slipped out of the store. His bike had been left by the far entrance, and he slipped out. A real pro - he could have had a nice house with the amount that he stole. Instead, he spent it on drugs. Eventually, he got caught, but not for months. The police had followed him around for a number of days and only finally caught him stealing something near the end of the second day. He was that good.
Another time, I received word that assistance was going to be needed at the front of the store - we were supposed to block the entrances. I jogged towards the front, and I saw a cracked-out looking guy was running through the store. Before I could do anything / it registered what was going on, he dropped his shoulder and bowled right over a short lady standing in the entrance, and she banged her head on a pole, knocking her unconscious. Staff stopped to help her while myself and three other employees chased him out of the store, across a busy street (traffic stopped) and tackled him in a Tim Horton's parking lot, but not before he had thrown a few punches and told us all that we were dead numerous times. Security finally caught up, cuffed him / read him his rights. He had stolen some electronics stuff from Sears and was being pursued by mall security (who had lost him, but he decided that it would be best to keep running / assault someone). Earlier in the day, he had apparently stolen a t-bone steak from our store, which he had thrown aside during his attempted escape. On the way back to the store, a woman offered to pay for the steak if we would just let him go - after all, he just needed something to eat! I pointed out that there is a shelter and soup kitchen not two blocks down the road, and that the t-bone was not likely for his own enjoyment. Turns out that the guy was out on parole and was wanted for some violation of a restraining order. We made the paper and everything (no names were mentioned, of course). Most importantly, the lady turned out to be okay - the ambulance came, but they let her go. Actually, the lady claimed that 'she had been trying to stop him'! If it's true, she's an idiot, but she probably deserved the attention after the knock to the head. The store was absolved of responsibility - no one was chasing the guy when he knocked her down!
Anyways, those are my best stories!
"Daddy, you get badguy?" - DeeBye - 10-23-2005
Quark,Oct 22 2005, 11:16 AM Wrote:My sister used to work retail for Target, and she always went on about how after the shoplifter got passed the doors, they couldn't do anything about it.
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At my store it's the exact opposite. We won't arrest a shoplifter until they leave the store. It's technically against the law to conceal merchandise within the store, but the overloaded court system will drop any shoplifting charges unless the merchandise actually makes its way outside.
"Daddy, you get badguy?" - DeeBye - 10-23-2005
Ghostiger,Oct 22 2005, 10:29 AM Wrote:The suspect then brandished a knife and yelled "Ill cut you" as he ran away.
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I've had a couple of knives pulled on me while arresting shoplifters. It's always kinda scary. An LPO at my store got stabbed in the throat a few years back.
As a result, Tino and I make it VERY CLEAR to any shoplifter that if they put their hands anywhere near their pockets there will be hell to pay. It's usually safest if we just each grab an arm right away before anything can happen. After the long walk back to the security office, most shoplifters are usually compliant enough to tell us about any potential weapons and will allow us to take them away.