From Ottaway Newspapers, Inc - November 28, 2001

Shoplifting Cases Pick Up Just Before Holiday Season

By SARAH LEMON

Mail Tribune

Police and local retailers all have the same message for holiday shoppers who want to pick up a few extra items without paying for them: If you shoplift, you're going to get caught.

With an increase in shoplifting around the holidays - some retailers estimate it triples or quadruples - local loss prevention officers are logging more hours strolling the aisles looking for shoppers with sticky fingers,

"Temptation's kind of high this time of year," said Medford police Lt. Mike Moran,

Shoplifting in Medford IS up 15 percent this year, said Medford police Lt. Tim George, Reported shoplifting Incidents in Medford hover around 75 a month, he said. But well over 100 instances are normal In November and December.

After a summer of relatively little shoplifting, Target has seen a huge Increase in both the amount of merchandise recovered and people apprehended for trying to steal it, said prevention specialist Brian Penland.

Unlike many other large local retailers whose security forces look like the average shopper, Target employs uniformed security guards. Penland said his and the other five officers' uniformed presence makes the store feel safer and may do more to deter shoplifting than plainclothes patrols. Some would-be shoplifters walk into the store only to walk right back out when they see the guard at the door, he said.

Law enforcement and retailers agree there's more opportunity for shoplifters during the holidays as crowds cram the stores, But whether people steal because they can’t afford the merchandise or just for the thrill, stores end up raising their prices.

Blackbird security director Jefferson Scudder said the cost to consumers for shoplifting can be as much as 15 cents for every dollar spent on merchandise. When he worked at Foodland, he estimated that if everyone that walked into the store every day stole three pieces of Brach's candy, it would cost the Store 2,000 pounds of sweets a year.

A Meier & Frank store security spokesman said that of the $500,000 a year in unaccounted-for merchandise, 40 to 60 percent of it disappeared courtesy of shoplifters. A Target store manager said the Medford store doesn't have figures on how much the company lost through shoplifting but that it was all part of the cost of doing business. Rogue Valley businesses are trying to keep those costs down by sharing information about shoplifters and fraud schemes

The Rogue Valley Loss Prevention Council, a coalition of local retailers, meets with law enforcement once a month to share information on some of the area's most prolific thieves, said Ron McKercher, council president. If one of those suspects is seen, a pager system alerts all the member stores' security officers. The cooperation is particularly valuable around the holidays when stores relax their refund policies and thieves try to refund stolen merchandise for cash, McKercher said.

It's a cat and mouse game, and we're trying to stay one step ahead," Scudder said.

How a pack of gum can cost $1,000

While shoplifting normally doesn't warrant jail time, adult offenders in Jackson County have to pay for what they steal.

Community Justice collected $700,000 that was give back to stores and theft victims through its theft recovery program. Shoplifters arrested for the first time agree to make a list of everything they stole in the past three years, take a lie detector test to confirm that the list is complete and work out a plan to repay victims who, most likely, never reported the loss.

“It can turn a pack of gum into a thousand dollars,” said Medford police Detective Sue Campbell.

The probationary program is a standard alternative to county jail time, and successfully completing the six-month regimen keeps a theft conviction from hitting a shoplifter’s record. The offender pays Community Justice. The money is disbursed anonymously with a letter of explanation.

“Say someone steals your umbrella or coat out of your car. You’re not going to turn that in, “ said Community Justice program manager Elaine Larson. “But you may get a check in the mail for 40 bucks.”

Offenders are often shocked at how many things end up on their list, and some have sought counseling after seeing it, Larson, said. Most get a feeling of success for paying for what they stole, she said. There are 450 offenders in the Community Justice program at any given time. The polygraph tests are given by an outside contractor licensed by the state.

The county’s Juvenile Services division hopes to have a similar program in the next few months, but has to find funding and address the question of treating all young offenders fairly. Juvenile Services used to administer a polygraph theft recovery program but ran into the issue of applying the probationary program to kids who weren’t old enough to work to pay off their restitution costs.

Juvenile Services paid $39,000 in restitution last year. Most of that money earned through grant-funded work programs went to victims of sex crimes, said Carl Erickson, Juvenile Services Deputy Director.