The newly unemployed computer department here, 51-year-old Roger Kline, sprang into action as the thief was about to sprint out of the store: “As he stood up, I grabbed a hold of him and threw him to the ground.” Kline’s manager told him he had to get off the crumpled criminal, which he did – letting a Best Buy shopper take over the job of keeping him pinned until cops rolled up.
Kline then spent the next month in limbo, knowing he’d likely be fired for knowingly violating the store’s policy of shoplifting non-intervention. So what moved him? “Someone steals from you, you stop them,” Kline explains. “That’s the way I was brought up. I felt like the guy was stealing from me, not just the company. I guess I took it a little personal when I saw the guy run out of the store with two computers.” Bummer. [Billings Gazette]
Photo by Rob Lawton
Steve
Thursday, May 5, 2011 at 9:41 AMThat’s ridiculous.
TSH
Thursday, May 5, 2011 at 11:57 AMIndeed. I can relate to feeling like the store is “mine”, with the associated feelings of loyalty and pride.
Hopefully whatever company owns Best Buy (or another Best Buy store) will shortly rehire him. Management can’t be seen to allow policy to be flaunted without consequence. However courage, loyalty and pride ought to be recognised.
At the very least the media exposure should help him get a job elsewhere.
AnthonyP
Thursday, May 5, 2011 at 12:09 PMJust got to Love the American legal system. Some one in the wrong is allowed to sue because he got hurt doing something illegal!
Lachie
Thursday, May 5, 2011 at 9:47 PMThe law is the same in Australia. My work place’s official policy is to let them go. If you can detain them without touching them, then good luck to you.
I caught a shoplifter on camera and chased him out of the store. I could have caught him, but he was running towards a main road. If he was hit by a car whilst running away from me, it would have been my fault.
bri_cheese
Thursday, May 5, 2011 at 12:47 PMThat is weird… my bro used to work at Rebel Sport, and catching thieves was like a challenge to them. He once chased a thief with two other staff for ten minutes, and they got him!
Of course, it takes a special kind of dumb to shoplift at a place where all the staff are fit and ultra-competitive.
Stevie-Steve-Steve
Friday, May 6, 2011 at 10:24 AMHaving worked in retail in Australia for almost 12 years, managing shops for 2 different companies, I can tell you that the law here, as Lachie said, is the same.
You would not believe just how brazen thieves can be when they know that you can’t do anything. The best I can do? Ask them to stop and call security. In a big shopping centre this is next to useless as by the time security arrives, the thief is long gone.
It completely sucks that the the thief has all the legal rights in this situation and the staff member has none. The law needs to protect law-abiding citizens and companies, not the scum.
And yes, I can relate to your workplace becoming your home. Hell, when you spend 45-50 waking hours per week there, I probably spend more productive hours there than at home. Why would I not feel loyal to it and try to protect it (and in doing so, my income)?