https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/...tealing-everything-from-purses-to-power-tools
This was totally foreseeable. If the local prosecutors won't step in, why couldn't the feds go after the groups with RICO charges? There is a conscious decision to allow this to happen.
Kinda crazy that they call policing shoplifting "micro-policing." Seems to be just regular policing to me.
I used to prosecute shoplifters for a muni years ago. In our case, we didn't have organized groups, it was mainly people stealing from big box stores, returning them without a receipt for a store gift card, and then selling the card at 50% off to buy drugs. I had a big muni with a significant shopping district but never had a case from a mom and pop. Home Depot's loss prevention was probably the best in our area. Wal-Mart was just so-so.
Interesting story from Wal-Mart. They made a decision at some point to not prosecute anyone who stole items less than $100. But one day they sent in a case for a teenager stealing a bottle of soda. This was strange, so I reached out to their loss prevention folks. They told me every day at least once, sometimes multiple times, this kid would walk in the front, grab a soda, and walk out of the tire area. Every day. Anyway, we couldn't do much to him with just the soda. Tried probation, didn't work. Anyway, he ended up on a murder charge a few years later.
This was totally foreseeable. If the local prosecutors won't step in, why couldn't the feds go after the groups with RICO charges? There is a conscious decision to allow this to happen.
Kinda crazy that they call policing shoplifting "micro-policing." Seems to be just regular policing to me.
I used to prosecute shoplifters for a muni years ago. In our case, we didn't have organized groups, it was mainly people stealing from big box stores, returning them without a receipt for a store gift card, and then selling the card at 50% off to buy drugs. I had a big muni with a significant shopping district but never had a case from a mom and pop. Home Depot's loss prevention was probably the best in our area. Wal-Mart was just so-so.
Interesting story from Wal-Mart. They made a decision at some point to not prosecute anyone who stole items less than $100. But one day they sent in a case for a teenager stealing a bottle of soda. This was strange, so I reached out to their loss prevention folks. They told me every day at least once, sometimes multiple times, this kid would walk in the front, grab a soda, and walk out of the tire area. Every day. Anyway, we couldn't do much to him with just the soda. Tried probation, didn't work. Anyway, he ended up on a murder charge a few years later.
