So many threads about life in Texas, here's one more....

[Onkel Neal]

This should make the left happy

Dallas, Texas Is a Petty Shoplifter's Paradise
http://www.slate.com/blogs/crime/201..._paradise.html

As far as I can tell, police departments employ two main strategies when they’re under pressure to cut crime fast. In strategy no. 1, they flood crime zones with special police units that muscle criminals and contraband off the streets. In strategy no. 2, they simply downgrade crimes, or make it more difficult for citizens to report them.

The Dallas, Texas police department chose the latter strategy last year when it announced that police officers would no longer respond in person to shoplifting incidents involving items worth $50 or less. Instead, victimized merchants were instructed to print a form off the DPD website, fill it out, and put it in the mail. According to the Dallas Morning News, the new process has been a huge hassle for merchants. “Retailers overwhelmingly described a time-consuming process with onerous paperwork requirements,” reported Tanya Eiserer and Steve Thompson.

As a result, more and more small thefts are simply going unreported. “Minor shoplifting offenses averaged about 10 a day before the policy,” write Eiserer and Thompson. “Immediately afterward, that fell to fewer than three a day.” The paper estimates that there’s been a 75 percent drop in petty shoplifting reports over the past year. Hooray, crime is tumbling!

Well, it's not like the police actually did anything about shoplifting other than look annoyed and take the report, but hey! Progress. And no one's Constitutional rights have been violated.

[swamprat69er]

Originally Posted by Neal Stevens

This should make the left happy

Dallas, Texas Is a Petty Shoplifter's Paradise
http://www.slate.com/blogs/crime/201..._paradise.html



Well, it's not like the police actually did anything about shoplifting other than look annoyed and take the report, but hey! Progress. And no one's Constitutional rights have been violated.

Probably annoyed that they 'had' to take a report to begin with.Maybe they are afraid of getting writers cramp.

[AVGWarhawk]

Originally Posted by Neal Stevens

Well, it's not like the police actually did anything about shoplifting other than look annoyed and take the report, but hey! Progress. And no one's Constitutional rights have been violated.

Annoyed or not, the perp would have a record on file. What is to stop anyone from swiping items if there is no recourse? Ideally, the amount of money lost to theft by the merchant each year could pay for security personnel that would reduce theft in the store and a proper report be filed.

[mookiemookie]

That's about the dumbest idea ever. Sounds like I'd be hiring a private security guard in my store to "gently persuade" people to put whatever they shoplifted back.

[geetrue]

This is how you keep petty theft down




Just hire this girl for undercover work and everyone will follow her around the store

[Jimbuna]

^ Can't see the picture but I know how they do it in Saudi Arabia.