Are Store Detectives Allowed to Stop You Without Seeing You Shoplifting

[Security Consultant]

See the suspect approach the merchandise.
See the suspect take possession of the merchandise.
See where the suspect conceals the merchandise.
Maintain uninterrupted surveillance to ensure that the suspect doesn’t dispose of the merchandise.
See the suspect fail to pay for the merchandise
Approach the suspect outside the store.

Exactly! not following this can result in a lawsuit!

OK, I'm going to take some time explaining this to you further. I am the Chairperson of the group charged with reviewing and updating the 6-step industry guidelines, which you have loosely quoted. They are guidelines only. The New York Merchant Detention Statutes say that the merchant or it's employees only need probable or reasonable cause to make the detention. I submit that they observed you enter the fitting room with x amount of jeans and left with none visible. The checked the fitting room and found all but one of the pairs of jeans. It was reasonable to suspect you had bagged the missing pair and therefore had probable cause to detain you.

You can cry all day and night that they had no right to stop you because they didn't see you put the stolen jeans in a bag - but they did have the right to do so and the Merchant Detention Statute protects them from lawsuit.

Your "friend" from Macy's has given you bum advise.

[bam!]

Private citizens (LP) have more flexibility than police. They can stop you for no reason at all. And they can use force. LP are notorious risk takers. They break the rules. Most district managers were in the trenches. They know their staff and will protect them.

You're friend from macys is wrong. YouTube "Macy's security are animals" or " Macy's chokes out shoplifter." good luck thieving. One day a bigger and smarter LP will own you.

[Who'sThatGuy]

Running from LP may have turned a Petit Larceny and criminal possession of stolen property in the fifth degree, (both class A misdemeanors) into a Robbery in the third degree charge (a class D felony).

All that is needed for an upgraded charge is for one of the LP officers to say that they got hurt when you pulled away from them.

[burli_kommt]

Running from LP may have turned a Petit Larceny and criminal possession of stolen property in the fifth degree, (both class A misdemeanors) into a Robbery in the third degree charge (a class D felony).

All that is needed for an upgraded charge is for one of the LP officers to say that they got hurt when you pulled away from them.

They got hurt? They hurt me! It would be visible on camera and dozens of eye witnesses seen this asshole grab me by the throat! And I hope that asshole got hurt while chasing me I wish he got hit by a car and get fired and not be able to get compensated. Am I evil? No. Prick shouldn't put his hands on me in the first place!

And to Security Consultant, they didn't know how many pairs I took in! For the last time in bloomingdales you walk in and out of fitting rooms with whatever no one asks you a thing. They didn't know how much I took and if I took anything at all. This aint some cheap store where they do counts in a fitting room so again they never knew how much stuff I took in!! These dumbass rentacops just wanted to pick on someone that day a person with a bag and it was me!

And I'm not a child like everyone thinks in here, I'm an adult All I came to ask here what store detectives are allowed or aren't allowed to do and I got some very retarted answers. You call yourself adults? Please! What I do is my business and if all of you could take something for free you would to! All of you drop the act of a bunch of holy nuns!

[Who'sThatGuy]

They got hurt? They hurt me! It would be visible on camera and dozens of eye witnesses seen this asshole grab me by the throat! And I hope that asshole got hurt while chasing me I wish he got hit by a car and get fired and not be able to get compensated. Am I evil? No. Prick shouldn't put his hands on me in the first place!

That may very well be the case. However, a judge will believe the word of two LP officers if they say that they were hurt in a struggle in an apprehension, over the word of a thief.