THE HAIR
I went to college and then thru the police academy. I was sworn in as a police officer, but I never gave up on my career as a loss prevention detective (even after all the afore mentioned). I loved the excitement and the satisfaction of putting wanted, hardened criminals where they belonged. I also loved the freedom of being my own boss and in charge of my store. This is my story when I was first a (Loss Prevention Detective) and then my stepping stone to an (Asset Protection Manager).
Copyright © Vickie Thayer | Year Posted 2018
PROLOGUE: Have you ever wondered what a loss prevention officer sees and does on a daily basis? Have you ever wondered? Some things are unbelivable, some things are sad and some things make the time invested in this career totally worth it. These are my compilations and recollections of my career as a loss prevention officer.
Query Letter: This is a true and accurate account of the daily life in a very unique and sometimes dangerous career. The names may have been changed, the incidents are true.
1.
CHAPTER ONE
__Opening Day__
There was a certain vibe at work. The employees were excited about their new store opening, grand opening signs were hung everywhere. A fellow employee named "Charlotte" asked me to keep an especially close eye on her department for thieves (in the sporting goods department). She said that one of her new locks (on the gun cases) was not working properly. She said someone was coming in to fix it, but in the meantime she was worried.
I pretty much loved my job. I was a sworn police officer who secured a seat in the police academy and passed the states test. I had a background in criminal justice. I worked full time as a loss prevention officer for a major retail store. My job was fun, rewarding and respected by all my fellow employees (well, almost all).
I installed security cameras with my partner in many stores in my district and a few stores in other states as well. I had a close rapport with all local law enforcement and the courts and prosecutors. My duties involved (training others, installing security cameras, arresting and prosecuting shoplifters, testifying in court, report writing, communications with employees and internal investigations). I was (my own) boss and sometimes I got to travel to other states on grand openings. I was also involved in the stores orientation of new employees and working cases with our local detectives: concerning (bad checks, stolen credit card use, counterfeit monies and my favorite of all-fencing operations of stolen merchandise. Yes, I loved my career and the pay was great.
I was an expert at detecting internal thefts involving employees and finding evidence using our DVR camera system in order to build solid cases against them leadig to prosecution. I was also very good at catching professional thieves who committed felony thefts of merchandise to be fenced in the underground market of stolen merchandise.
I had several nicknames that were given to me by my friends and fellow employees, "CC and The Hair.
My signature hair cut (short and spikey) donning ever changing colors was the reason behind being called "the hair." I was called the "pink panther" among law enforcement officers. I really loved my career and for over seventeen years I had made many memories, both good and some bad.
My supervisor was a retired State Trooper and Army Veteran. He was the best interviewer I ever had the pleasure of knowing. His techniques (after I presented evidence to him for an internal case) were unsurmounted. I had many years of great memories working with him, I called him frequently for advice and direction.
We carried handcuffs and had the ability to use them if necessary. I often used psychology on my shoplifters instead and sometimes (more than not) it worked. When you had to get into a physical to handcuff someone, sometimes it got ugly.
2. CHAPTER TWO
__Cigarette Obsessions__
I was working on a hot summer day at a store in Southern Ohio. I was training a new male subject that really wanted a career in law enforcement. He was young and promising. A trainer is a stepping stone position and a pay raise, so I accepted the offer gleefully. I trained many asset protection rookies over the years.
On this particular day he had to train with another trainer, so I was working with my regular partner that I usually worked with on a daily basis, at our store. A trainer travels with their trainee to different stores within their district, so the trainee can get a diverse aspect of different stores and their clientele and sometimes they would train with several trainers for the same reasons.
This particular store I'm referring to, was a small store at the time (before going to super stores). My partner had a court trial that morning and was due to return after a couple of hours. While he was gone I apprehended several shoplifters for your common pety thefts.
About an hour and a half later, I observed a white male entering the store with really baggy shorts and an extra long t-shirt. He was really tan and since it was summer I really didn't focus on it too much, however his tan was really dark, like he just arrived from a vacation down south or from some relaxing island somewhere. I frequented tanning beds and this tan was natural and really dark, he was also sporting sunglasses, as he entered the store.
I watched him and then noticed him talking to a tall slender rather pale looking male subject who was dressed in a cowboy hat, boots and jeans. This particular male subject had a cart with a stack of random clothing items in it. After talking to (I'll call him) Tan Man, the male with the cowboy hat gave Tan Man the cart. The guy in the cowboy hat then disappered to the back of the store. I then observed Tan Man pushing the cart to the back corner of the lawn and garden area. Cowboy now had a hand held shopping basket filled with cartons of cigarettes. There were at least eight cartons in his basket.
"Partner where are you?" I mumbled under my breath, while I watched all the cartons of cigarettes being hidden under the clothing of Tan Man. The tall Cowboy then proceeded to the front of the store selecting several more cartons from the shelf (in those days before the stores became super centers, customers could select their own cigarettes). We had cigarette thefts all the time, mostly by professional thieves who fenced them.
I was standing in an area of non-detection watching Tan Man concealing at least eight cartons of cigarettes in the waste band of his shorts. He then proceeded to the front of the store.
There are four rules to stopping and apprehending shoplifters. Number 1...You (meaning the loss protection detective) must see the subject make a selection of the stores merchandise. Number 2...You must then observe where that merchandise is being concealed...whether it be on their person, in purses, bags, boxes, clothing..,etc. Number 3...You must maintain constant surveillance (without breaking that visual surveillance) after the concealment of merchandise. Number 4...You must allow the subject to pass through all last points of sell.
I was about ten feet behind tan man as he proceeded to the front, just then I saw my partner coming in the front doors of the store. I signaled to him (all loss prevention have special signals that they share with their partners, if your lucky enough to have a partner). I worked many years solo and received many awards for Loss Prevention Detective of the year. I actually preferred working alone, but my partner at the time saw my signal. knew what was going on and proceeded back out to the front of the store.
Once tan man stepped out the second set of doors I produced my badge of loss prevention Identification and he immediately shoved me. Bad mistake tan man...I grabbed his arm, my partner grabbed his other arm...tan man swung around like a tornado striking my partner. I had a technique taught to me by another loss prevention detective (a hip flip) I used said technique and he went down onto his stomach. I tried for my handcuffs, tan man was pulling something from his waist...a knife. I was on his back my partner was calling the dispatcher. Okay Tan Man, now you esculated your simple shoplifting charge to a felony robbery charge. I was wearing black sunglasses, I took them off of my face and palmed them in my hand, while still sitting on his back. I used a shaking motion as If I had pepper spray, I told him I was going to pepper spray him. He looked over his shoulde believed it to be true and gave his hands to me and my partner, surrendering to being handcuffed. This told me that he must have been sprayed before and he must of hated that experience. The Police arrived and he was charged with robbery. Ahh...I loved my job.
______ INCIDENT 2______
I was working at another store training a male employee. When you were a trainer you had to work at several different stores with your trainees so they could become acclimated to a diverse culture of customers within that particular store. Yes, all stores have a different following of customers. Some stores were hit harder with professional thieves. The professionals went for large quantaties of high dollar or popular items. These items were fenced or sold on the streets for drugs. Some professionals made their living this way.
While we were walking the sales floor, I was talking to my trainee about said professional shoplifters. We were working a late shift and it had already become dark outside. It was a store I had worked (on my own) for years and I knew it like the back of my hand. It was also in a high crime area. The customers called the store "the hood." It was a small store and it closed at ten o'clock p.m.
It was nearing 21:30 hrs. when I observed three males entering the store (together) thru the lawn and garden entrance. The lawn and garden patio was enclosed by a high chain link fence, it eventually had barbed wire put across the top because of all the thefts at night, after closing. Shoplifters would climb the fence and steal from the patio. They also used it during the day to throw garbage bags full of merchandise over the top to a grassy area on the other side to a waiting partner in crime. So unless they had a strong pitching arm and depending on the weight and size of their merchandise, it often failed, either not making it over for lack of strength or getting hung up on the barbed wire itself.
I was explaining all of this to my trainee when out of the blue the three males entered. I was pretty good at the detection of professional shoplifters and people who were on drugs. I felt they fell under both categories.
My trainee and I were dressed in normal street clothing with no defining markers that we were anything other than customers. We were pushing around a shopping cart with merchandise in said cart. It appeared for all intense purposes that we were just a couple of customers shopping. The loss prevention detective (trick) is that once you spot the potential shoplifter to never make eye contact with them and then go to an area of non-detection or to follow inconspicuously, like a shopper, like we did.
The three individuals split up. I knew exzactly what they were after and how they would achieve it. I explained to my trainee (all of this) once one of the subjects took a box of garbage bags off of a shelf and placed it in his cart (that they were going to throw merchandise over the fence).
I instructed my trainee to go out the front doors and re-enter the store thru the back of the lawn and garden doors. I told him to note any vehicle with a driver, or a car that was idling in the back parking lot, by the side of the lawn and garden department. I told him to make note of the license plate on the vehicle as well as the color and make of the vehicle.
As my trainee ran off to do as I told him, I maintained a constant visual on the subject with the cart. He opened the garbage bags, he proceeded to the clothing department, he grabbed a handfull of mens t-shirts, (used to hide merchandise under). He went back to the lawn and garden area. As I followed him from the front of the store back to the lawn and garden area I observed one of the other two subjects up front at the cigarette shelf, he was taking cartons of cigarettes off of the shelf, three at a time and sliding them across the aisle to the third subject who also had a cart. The third subject was picking up the cartons and placing them into his cart under clothing in the bottom of his cart, he also had a box of trash bags.
My trainee arrived just as I was observing all three subjects (who were now) filling the trash bags with (a felony amount of) cigarettes. My trainee was able to observe with me, I then called the dispatcher and relayed all of the information to her. I was close to my dispatchers, they knew me well and knew all my cases were airtight.
I informed the dispatcher that the subjects were going to be throwing trash bags containing cartons of cigarettes over the lawn and garden fence to a waiting vehicle. I gave her the license plate number, out of state, make and color of vehicle and direction in the parking lot where it was waiting with a male subject behind the wheel.
My trainee and I then observed one of the subjects throwing a bag of cigarettes over the fence. It made its mark to the other side, I immediately identified myself with my badge and verbally to the subject. He attempted escape, I took him down and handcuffed him (once merchandise is pushed past the last point of sale in this manner, an apprehension could be made, even if the subject was still in the store).
The other two subjects, trash bags in tow, were met by the two uniformed police officers as they ran to the vehicle from the front of the store. All subjects were arrested, several had outstanding warrants. Merchandise saved, totaled over a thousand dollars, bad guys went to jail. Report was submitted into the system and it was another day that I could say that I loved my job!
TO BE CONTINUED SOON..,
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