I agree that it's strange that they say a camera didn't catch any of it. Actually, I downright KNOW it was filmed.... If it was a small 'no-name' store, I could buy that. But, this is Wal-Mart. One of the largest chains in the world! Even in the 80's when my Dad was designing/building security systems for companies in his 'off-time' his systems had all public(at least) areas covered. This is back when security technology was in it's infancy and B+W cams cost $200-400 each! I can find out relatively exactly what all is covered there, but I have no doubt that there's at least 2-3 cams capable of that view(even partial). If not ONE caught it, well, I'm sure Newmans's lawyer will be requesting all film and heads will roll.

Good point with the blood thinners. We don't know (and maybe never will), but considering his age, it's a possibility. This is something that law enforcement officials should keep in mind when initiating any physical interaction. Law enforcement is ALWAYS under scrutiny. And with good reason. The law is the law. Sure, there's 'grey lines' but, this isn't the middle ages. The prosecutor has the burden of proof (and high priced defense lawyers with tons of experience know the loopholes).

Sounds like a huge lawsuit waiting to happen. Not only did they cause the man harm, but his grandson may have been harmed too.

I worked in retail and have seen my grandmother take out shoplifters. This doesn't sound like the case to me.

No Mr Conrad the trouble is the cop found him guilty and applied "justice". What is the value of a video game? Its perfectly reasonable to assume an elderly man with a grandchild in danger is telling the truth. He did not attemtpt to exit the store with the item yet he was found guilty slammed to the ground, I suppose he was lucky he didnt get boot stomped.

In a related manner.



ABC News’ Suzan Clarke and Alyssa Newcomb report:

Safeway has fired the security guard who interrogated a 4-year-old girl for alleged shoplifting after he saw her eat from a bag of apricots and put the bag back on the shelf.

The girl’s father apparently hadn’t noticed what his daughter had done and was taken aback when he was stopped by security on his way out of the Everett, Wash., store.

The guard then interrogated Savannah Harp, 4.

The girl’s mother, Alissa Jones, said the guard proceeded to tell Harp’s father that the tot was banned from the store and that it would be pressing charges.

“He told them, ‘Your daughter stole and she’s banned from the store, and we’re pressing charges. And she needs to sign this form saying she understands she can’t come into any Safeways,’” Jones said, according to ABC News Seattle affiliate KOMO 4 News.

Savannah, who can’t read or write yet, was forced to scribble on the piece of paper.

“It’s pretty troubling. It’s not like she even knows what she was doing,” Jones said.

Safeway officials expressed outrage over the guard’s treatment of the little girl and issued a formal apology to her family. The division president offered to take the little girl around the bakery to show her that the store was not a scary place.

“In this case, neither our policy nor commonsense seems to have been followed,” Safeway said in a statement.

The California-based supermarket chain recently came under fire in a similar situation. A pregnant woman who was shopping with her husband and 2-year-old daughter in a Safeway in Beretainia, near Honolulu, was arrested and charged with theft after she ordered two sandwiches for a total of $5, ate one while she shopped and forgot to pay for them at checkout on Oct. 31.

Nicole Leszczynski, 28, and her husband Marcin, 33, were new to the state and had gotten lost on their way to the grocery store. When they came upon the Safeway, she was famished, the Associated Press reported.

The pregnant woman, a former Air Force staff sergeant, said she was embarrassed about the lapse and offered to pay for the sandwiches, but managers wouldn’t allow it.

Instead, the couple were handcuffed, searched then released on $50 bail each, and their daughter was temporarily taken away by the state Child Welfare Services, the AP said.

The incident caused furor across the nation. Safeway dropped the charges and apologized to the woman. The company also said it would re-examine its worker training polices, the AP reported.

http://gma.yahoo.com/blogs/abc-blogs/safeway-security-guard-fired-interrogating-girl-company-faced-184214252.html

I say start doing Phyc profiles on these Mall cops, if within the business they are employed they have the power to detain then these folks should be professional.

As is often the case security guards are power hungry little Eichmans
with little or no education and paid slightly above the minimum wage. They totaly lack in any professionalism and are simply hired goons

Wanna-be-cops who couldn't get on the police force.

That's just so funny.

do you even know WHTF Eichmann was?

Of course I do History is my favorite subject duh

Paul Blart...Mall Cop

then read up on the Guy,and don't make those strange comparisons!

I said "little Eichmans" I did not say they rivaled Eichman or made Eichman look like a boy scout.

I stand by my choice of words.

That being said I have to go buy a new Christmas tree. Going with one of those made in China prelit trees.

for years I did a balled tree and my yard is full of pine trees I love them but simply tired of the major job of replanting and its getting difficilt to manouver my rideing mower around them all. I would be a glutton for punishment if at this stage I didnt modify my ways.


Hope to get back to the braincandy threads but I am also going to some crazy fundraising horse race thing with prime rib and open bar.

My horses name is Ralph Steadman.
I am curiouse to see if anyone recognizes the name at the races.

I am not sure how it all works at the races, its a fundraiser and you pick a horse and if it wins you win, there will be no horses involved I am told its video or something like that and no real horses are involved or will be injured in the event. Never been to one so I will let you know how it works later.

Actually I work for a large chain(I am the area LP Supervisor and have 10 stores under me) right now and couple of he stores dont even have cameras, they just have domes to make people think there are but Walmart has 95% coverage in every store.

Where does it say he didn't attempt to exit the store?(That state does have a concealment law though)

Actually the second incident was a store manager(who got fired immediately after) and on the first incident there is no excuse. That Loss Prevention Agent was a moron and should have been fired. I have never and will never stop or allow the Agents under me to stop for BS like either of those stops.

actually, the little girl would be a GOOD idea if the parent had been 'in' on it and it was to startler her out of stealing again,,,

the context made it inappropriate because the parent was not(or at least its not mentioned if they were) included, and it appears from the article the 'threat' was not a bluff,,,


as to the woman eating the sandwich, I think offering to pay should have been enough to forego actual handcuffs...

A child of four does not need to be arrested and made to sign something she can't understand. How ridiculous is that?

Did she know she was stealing or did she just see something that looked like food and eat it?

She may be guilty of poor manners but that reaction was ridiculous and uncalled for.

Thats definitely weird.....the only reason Wal-mart wouldn't release a tape or say that is that they have culpability in the incident itself. Otherwise, they would release it immediately.

I guess it depends upon the child. My four year old knows what stealing is and we have done something similar with her when she tried to get out of a store with something that was not hers. It was obviously a bluff and she would not have been really arrested, but hte message stuck with her loud and clear and she wont do it again.

This incident doesn't seem to have been a bluff. But I guess you have to have been there.