Shoplifting is a blight upon retailers.
Shoplifting is responsible for hundreds of millions
of dollars in loss to retailers annually. This
crime is also firmly entrenched in organized crime
that feeds stolen merchandise around the world.
Retailers dedicate millions of dollars in assets,
training, staffing and countermeasures each year to
combat the problem but an increasing amount of
violence is being witnessed. While rare,
altercations involving shoplifters place the
offender, the Loss Prevention personnel, employees, customers
and even responding law enforcement in serious peril
even death.
This information is anecdotal at best and is intended as
awareness to a growing problem. There are no published statistics,
even through OSHA, that quantifies injuries to store personnel.
There is no body of work that accumulates data regarding deaths or
serious injury in shoplifter related incidents. These events do
happen and with unfortunate frequency. This summary is ongoing and
does not focus on any particular retailer.
We do not have any method to determine the accuracy of any content of
the articles herein. We have offered no professional opinion
regarding of these cases. However, as readily apparent, when a
shoplifter dies as a result of an apprehension made by so called "store
security", litigation is sure to follow.
*Updated 6-23-2010
Observations:
Death by asphyxiation where
suspect is restrained in a manner that does not
allow them to breathe.
Death by agent/employee
attempting to make apprehension of a person in a
moving vehicle.
Deadly force by Police and
armed contract security guards (death of guards)
gives insight into the violent nature of
apprehensions.
One death of a police officer.
Not included in this list are
deaths attributed to police chases of shoplifters.
