CAI The theft — a cassette tape worth less than $10. When a journal a Jd Caught — you never know when you're being watched. ist goes bad... Too late — you're in the system now. Terrace Review — Wednesday, January 23, i991 B 13 Terrace Review freelance reporter and columnist Stephanie Wiebe, with the participation of local RCMP and Northern Drugs, recently decided to go through the process of being nabbed and booked as a shoplifter. This rather unflattering photograph was part of it, and the rest, she found, wasn’t much fun either. The situation often begins with a plainclothes store detective. These detectives look like any other shopper, until the moment of arrest. When the shoplifter walks out through the door, the detective’s voice comes from behind, "Excuse me, you’ve neglected to pay for an item from this store — you are under arrest." by Stephanie Wiebe Joe Sullivan, owner of Lockport Security in Terrace, says that shoplifting is a “daily occurence." He should know. It’s his business to train and employ security guards and plainclothes detectives for local stores, malls and mills. Sullivan stresses that the store detectives are professionals, trained locally by “the best in the industry". The individual who trains these detectives was nominated for 1989’s "Rookie of the Year" in store detective work. "It’s a specialized industry," says Sullivan. "It takes a professional to fit in [with regular shoppers) and not be noticed.” ! Lockport Security's detectives are rotated among stores, but familiarity among local shoplifters is not a problem, according to Sullivan. "When you put a store detective into a store, and the word gets out that they have coverage in that store, the mere presence is a deterrent." Sullivan says that shoplifting is an ongoing problem for retail establishments at any time of year. Ashoplifter can be of any age, sex or social class, and often a detective will watch shoppers for hours before his diligence pays off. Sometimes, the detective will get "a hunch" about a particular shopper. "You just get a feeling.” Sullivan’s company also offers seminars about shoplifting to stores and their employees, but maintains that a store detective is 4 worthwhile investment for a retail business. "When a store detective is in a store, it’s an extra set of eyes watching the merchandise." That extra set of eyes often Although Stephanie got her fingerprint sheet as a souvenier . when she finished the research for the story, a real shoplifter’s prints would form part of a criminal record file. produces an arrest. After the detective detains the shoplifter, recovers the stolen merchandise, and the proper forms are filled out, the RCMP are called in. The shoplifter is identified, informed of charges and his/her legal rights, and escorted out of the store and into the waiting RCMP vehicle for the short trip to the back security entrance of the detachment building. Inside, the shoplifter is taken to a small closet of a room, and left alone with a telephone and a list of lawyers’ and Legal Aid phone numbers. The door is locked from outside. Across the hall, fingerprints and "mug shots” are an anti-climax. At the Terrace detachment guard Jim Ippel performs these procedures in a casual experienced manner. The photography is quick — the shoplifter sits on a stool and Ippel’s camera clicks. At a nearby counter, he instructs the shoplifter to have relaxed fingers, allowing Ippel to control the pressure and movement across the inked cardboard and fingerprint paper. "IE you pull back, we'll just do it over again. I’ve got all day.” After washing hands, signing a few forms (including a “Promise To Appear" form with a court date), the shoplifter is then released. From this point, the shoplifter’s fate is in the hands of Crown Counsel. Penalties range from probationary periods with community service, to possible fines —- but it gets worse for repeat offenders. It is possible to "serve time" for shoplifting. Shoplifting is a crime, whether the _-yalue of stolen goods is worth five cents or one thousand dollars. Regardless of the sentence, the convicted shoplifter now has 4 permanent criminal record. Most job applications ask if the applicant has ever been arrested. Any position which reqires bonding or special licencing will probably be nearly impossible to attain. A person with a criminal record can be denied admission to colleges, professional schools and foreign countries. Ts it worth it? Local reporter turns to life of crime "You are under arrest for shoplifting." The pharmacist led me to the back room of the store, where I was asked to produce the stolen goods. Soon after, Terrace RCMP Constable Jane Amirew walked in and requested my identification. Then she recited the charges — Theft Under $1,000, Section 334 (b) of the Criminal Code, and Posession of Stolen Property, Section 354 of the Criminal Code — and my legal rights. "You have the right to retain and instruct counsel without delay. You are not obliged to say anything. Anything you do say may be used as evidence. Do you understand these rights?” This is when the adrenalin began to flow. Please note: I’m innocent — I know, all criminals say that, but I really am. With a joumalistic interest, I volunteered to go through the procedure commonly experienced by shoplifters in Terrace. The arrest was .. interesting. Walking out of a store with an RCMP escort was a_ sitange experience. It felt as though everyone in the world was watching. As we drove to the RCMP station, 1 concentrated on imagining that this circumstance was genuine. I noticed that my hand shook slightly as the adrenalin came back. Driving into the back security entrance garage produced a dramatic effect. The garage door closed behind us, and the vehicle was parked. Constable Andrew got out of the car, and walked into the building, I was left sitting in the back seat, with no inside door handles, no window cranks, no access to anywhere but the back seat area. Through the cat window and open doorway, 1 watched Constable Andrew walk down a hall and "check in” at a window. For a moment, I tasted the scary feeling of not being in control of any part of the situation. Realising that this feeling would be more intense in a legitimate arrest, it was comforting to remember that this was not real. Constable Andrew finally came back and led me down that hall to the phone room, a small closet with a painted-brick institutional- basement decor. There was a chair, a small counter, the telephone and a marked-up list of lawyers. The door was locked, and I was grateful not to be the claustrophobic type. I waited. And waited. Eventually, the door opened and I was led across the hall into a brightly lit office with a laboratory. atmosphere, for fingerprinting and "mug shots". Here, my name, address, birthdate and basic information was recorded. Guard Jim Ippe! indicated that I be seated on a stool, and he swung a numbered bar across my chest. "Look up right about here," he said, and almost immediately the camera clicked. "Please step over to the counter." After informing me that my fingers should be relaxed, Ippel methodically pressed and roiled each one against an inked card and onto a paper form. He was careful to get clear, wide prints, and gently pushed up my long sleeves before inking my hands for a palm print. He then offered a lotion-soap and warm water wash. Constable Andrew appeared with papers to sign, and I was released with the send-off of "We don’t want to see you here again.” They won't. Being arrested for shoplifting is a lousy way to spend a morning. Throughout my “detention”, allowing the pretense to become real was difficult because it was too frightening, so I wavered between the slight adrenalin rush and detached interest. The initial arrest was unnerving, the legal processing was boring, and I didn’t even have to deal with court dates, sentences or living with a criminal record. I don’t have to face anyone who questions my honesty. Real shoplifters do. iin tkctlioutinwda we i yal i 1