How do Stores Track Suspected Shoplifters

You don't need video at all to convict a thief. LP and/or store employee testimony is sufficient.

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Quoting jellyjelly

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What if someone had picked up an item and forgot to pay or what if he changed his mind?

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One time with a small item would probably be viewed as an oopsy. Multiple trips or high-dollar merchandise? That excuse ain't gonna fly.

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Quoting jellyjelly

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Seems like they at least need an end-to-end video?

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How do you know they don't have it? It's also pretty easy to tell for a seasoned investigator, even on video, when something is an honest mistake or intentional.

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Quoting jellyjelly

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Could you be clear on this, are they able to pass along a suspect shoplifter fingerprint and have it matched against nation wide data base to find identity of a possible shoplifter? Do they need explicit evidence of crime for such a privilege? Do we have a reference for this from law?

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Yes, they can pass it along to law enforcement to be run as part of an investigation into a reported crime. There is no law for it. It's called law enforcement investigating using the evidence they are given.

Now, is there anything else we can help you with on your How to be a successful shoplifter guide?

I know of a few retail stores that use facial recognition software. It alerts when there is a suspected or confirmed shoplifter that enters a store. Everyone is scanned when walking in the door.

Here's a video for you. This was made public a long time ago. It's Casey Anthony in Target while Caylee was still missing. The check she wrote was actually stolen from a friend of hers, hence why they had this tape. This was also used in her criminal trial for murdering Caylee, to show how she wasn't buying anything for a toddler and didn't have a care in the world that her kid was missing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62VAwKtkqMw

I guess you can see how amazingly detailed it is.

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Oh, here ya go. I'm planning my move back south so I read Bay New 9 everyday.

http://www.baynews9.com/content/news/baynews9/news/article.html/content/news/articles/bn9/2014/4/11/no_theft_to_small_in.html

NO THEFT TOO SMALL IN LATEST POLK STING OPERATION STICKY HANDS:
POLK COUNTY --

Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said he’s cracking down on retail theft and he’s starting with his latest sting dubbed Operation Sticky Hands.

The operation led to the arrest of more than 40 people.

Surveillance video of the thefts show a plastic bin filled with stolen meat and an empty baby carriage stuffed with stolen clothing.

“They walked right in on camera. They’re playing the odds and they’re getting arrested. But if you can’t fix stupid, we can arrest stupid,” Judd said.

The sheriff said the operation zeroed in on more than 40 people, with some stealing things worth next to nothing.

“We saw the smallest retail theft was a $1.50 for some Pringles. And when asked why in the world you steal Pringles, his response was well I’d been smoking marijuana and I had the munchies,” Judd said.

Small amount or not, the sheriff said he’s cracking down on even the smallest theft.

“Some people may go why in the world are you messing with misdemeanor shoplifters? They’re not just misdemeanor shoplifters. The people that are in the stores stealing are the same ones that were in your neighborhood stealing,” he said.

The sheriff said many of the people who they arrested gave various excuses about why they did or did not steal what they’re accused of. But he said he wants their arrest and the poster hanging in stores to serve as a reminder that if you steal from stores in Polk County, you’ll get a free ride to the county jail.

It’s a ride Linda Matherly said she shouldn’t have taken because she didn’t steal; she just made an honest mistake.

“I paid for my groceries and the dog food and cat food was underneath the bottom of the tray, I forgot totally about it being there,” she said.

But Matherly’s picture still made it to the list of suspects. It’s a list of arrests the sheriff said he hopes will send a clear message to anyone with sticky fingers.

“We have zero tolerance at the sheriff’s office if you steal you go to jail. Period,” Judd said.

The sheriff’s office partnered with big box retailers to crack down on retail theft. They recently hosted a class providing tips and tools.

The sheriff said from now on anyone who is caught stealing won’t be given a warning or a notice to appear. They’ll be taken to jail.

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So...now that you've seen a couple of links, would you like to know what the punishment is for shoplifting?

- A criminal record that will make finding a job very, very difficult for many years. And did you know you can even be refused a lease on a house or apartment for that record, because it's a "Crime of Moral Turpitude".

- Court Costs and Fines.

- Restitution.

- A Civil Demand. This is separate from the criminal case. It can start at $50 on a low end, and even start at $500, depending on the state the crime was committed in.

- Other possibilities: Community Service (the criminal gets to pay for this, too, as someone has to supervise them and keep track of their hours, sign the paperwork, etc). Anti-shoplifting class. Probation. Possible jail time.

- Attorney fees, or a few hundred for a Public Defender. Contrary to popular belief, a PD is not free.

See those signs in WalMart bathrooms/fitting rooms that shoplifting can cost you $2000+? They are not joking.

And I'm not kidding about how shoplifing can **** up your job opportunities for many years. I did it 5 years ago. One more week and I can file for expungment of my record, pay the costs to do that (the lawyer wanted $1000 plus costs to do this, and it's something I can do myself).

Here's what it cost me.
$1500 for a Criminal Defense Attorney
$250 Civil Demand.
$303 court costs/fines.

Plus five years of wages. Last year, I made $4654.00 total income. I used to make $21K a year. Do that math as to how much 1 shoplifting charge has cost me in wages. $21K times 5 = $105,000.

Even though my lawyer got me a plea deal to "Disorderly Conduct", the thing is...for $10, a potential employer can run my name and SSN through IChat, which is Michigan's criminal database, and they can see the original charge of Larceny, then Retail Fraud, then final deposition of Disorderly Conduct. And this has to go on employment applications as well.

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Quoting CourtClerk

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I know of a few retail stores that use facial recognition software. It alerts when there is a suspected or confirmed shoplifter that enters a store. Everyone is scanned when walking in the door.

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Do you know the name of this software? Which retail stores?

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Quoting jellyjelly

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Do you know the name of this software? Which retail stores?

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Do a Google search for the software. Nobody is going to tell you which stores.

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Quoting jellyjelly

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Do you know the name of this software?

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Yes

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Which retail stores?

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Yes

As Security Consultant said, no one is going to tell you. That defeats the purpose of stores having it. No one here is going to aid a criminal or a potential criminal.

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Quoting CourtClerk

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Yes

Yes

As Security Consultant said, no one is going to tell you. That defeats the purpose of stores having it. No one here is going to aid a criminal or a potential criminal.

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Not a criminal here for the record rather a security researcher interested in the topic . :)
Meanwhile it is understandable for people to give lectures on this forum to try to fix bad people out there, I think we should keep the focus of each thread on its specific topic. By in large this thread which is about ways and specific case studies store could potentially track and identify a shoplifter is not answered yet. The latest is store won't give such information out due to confidentiality.

thanks

You are confused about the purpose of this forum. This isn't a forum to discuss shoplifting techniques, shoplifting detection technology, and how people can potentially get away with shoplifting. This is a forum for legal questions.