Shoplifting Venture Could Be a Family Affair

Shoplifting is a major concern for many Illinois retailers. They spend considerable time and money on attempting to prevent it. Often, loss prevention employees are hired with the sole responsibility of preventing shoplifting within their stores. As a result, these loss prevention employees are constantly on the lookout for what they consider to be suspicious behavior. At times, they are correct in their assumptions; however, at other times, they make mistakes and end up stopping an innocent customer.

Recently, a mother and her daughter were arrested for shoplifting. Upon being stopped, the police officer states that the mother indicated that the shoplifting endeavor was her 12-year-old daughter’s idea. An investigation into the woman’s background indicated previous shoplifting convictions; therefore, she was arrested for felony shoplifting.

This incident leaves many questions unanswered. One of the first questions to be concerned with is whether the mother and daughter were made aware of their rights when they were stopped and asked about the incident. An investigation into the store’s process for identifying shoplifters and positively identifying merchandise as belonging to the store should also be taken into account.

Regardless of whether or not this Illinois mother has previous shoplifting convictions, she is considered innocent in this case until proved otherwise in a court of law. In preparing for her defense, the above questions and many others should be considered. It is up to the prosecution to present proof that she is actually the one responsible for this crime and decide whether a crime has even been committed.