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- Newsgroups: misc.consumers
- Path: sparky!uunet!charon.amdahl.com!pacbell.com!att-out!walter!porthos!base.bellcore.com!jung
- From: jung@base.bellcore.com (Eric Jung)
- Subject: Re: Stores can't "detain" shoplifters
- Organization: Bellcore, Livingston, NJ
- Date: Wed, 27 Jan 93 17:59:45 GMT
- Message-ID: <1993Jan27.175945.7682@porthos.cc.bellcore.com>
- References: <1993Jan26.172947.29383@porthos.cc.bellcore.com> <C1HoCw.FLp@boi.hp.com>
- Sender: netnews@porthos.cc.bellcore.com (USENET System Software)
- Lines: 36
-
- In article <C1HoCw.FLp@boi.hp.com>, tommy@boi.hp.com (Tom Peterson) writes:
-
- |> It sounds like a definition of excessive physical force is required for
- |> such circumstances. If I were hassled by a store employee to the point
- |> where I felt I needed to press assualt charges, I would make certain
- |> a bunch of people found out just how upset of a customer I am (whether
- |> I was guilty or not).
-
- Let me be perfectly clear -- those who charged me with assault were
- found guilty of shoplifting! I never beat up an old lady to get a
- receipt for her hair curlers, or anything like that! Store detectives
- have a simple rule -- only stop shoplifters. NEVER be wrong. "When
- in doubt, let them out!" But once a person has been convicted of shop-
- lifting, the store doesn't much care how upset he is. Note also that
- force is only used in maybe 1 of 50 cases, and some stores have policies
- against using any force.
-
- |> unclear whether he was beaten or ?, but he died of a coronary in
- |> the HOMEBASE parking lot.
- |>
- |> It seems to me that whether this man was quilty or not, excessive
- |> force was used and contributed to his death.
-
- How is this a logical conclusion? If he died of a blow to the head,
- you'd have a clear case, but people have heart attacks! If a mugger
- had a heart attack while you defended yourself, would you feel
- responsible?
-
- Thanks for making an interesting discussion. I certainly don't mean
- to make a personal attack!
-
- Eric
- --
- Eric C. Jung Bellcore Advanced Software Environment
- (908) 699-4684 444 Hoes Lane RRC 1S-222
- jung@base.bellcore.com Piscataway, NJ 08854
-