Copy of Safeway's Loss Prevention Policy
My question involves criminal law for the state of: Washington
Someone I know was caught shoplifting at Safeway. He was physically manhandled and is in jail for assault for protecting himself. I need a printable copy of safeways loss prevention policy to help him. Please help??
Re: Copy of Safeway's Loss Prevention Policy
That is a private document. What makes you believe you or your friend is entitled to a private document internal to Safeway Corp?
What makes any difference to your friend is whether Safeway’s actions were legal. Without researching this is but a guess but I am certain they had some right to detain him. I would imagine they had some right to defend themselves if your friend attempted to injure them.
Ultimately your friend caused the interaction when he committed a crime. Loss prevention personnel generally aren’t in the habit of exerting anymore force than necessary to effect an apprehension. If your friend had not attempted to escape, I suspect there would have been no physical altercation.
Re: Copy of Safeway's Loss Prevention Policy
Did he use force to escape the detention? Or, did he use force to escape a detention WITH stolen property? The first might simply be battery while the latter could be robbery.
Re: Copy of Safeway's Loss Prevention Policy
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Luckysgirl
My question involves criminal law for the state of: Washington
Someone I know was caught shoplifting at Safeway. He was physically manhandled and is in jail for assault for protecting himself. I need a printable copy of safeways loss prevention policy to help him. Please help??
YOU can't get a copy of the loss prevention policy unless Safeway will give that to anyone who asks. Your friend can can get it as part of discovery if he sues Safeway and the loss prevention people for the alleged assault that the loss prevention did (what you called manhandling). But suing the company and loss prevention only is worthwhile if he suffered some kind of injury out of it. He can see a personal injury lawyer about that. Whether the loss prevention personnel's use of force was justified and reasonable depends on the facts of exactly what happened. If your friend is a thief then take his version of the events with a little skepticism since thieves are not known for being particularly honest folks.
His immediate priority is the criminal charges against him. If he is convicted or pleads guilty to assault that's pretty much going to kill any civil lawsuit and may earn him a trip to jail or prison for a while. I can't see the Safeway policy as at all relevant to the criminal charges against him. It doesn't really matter if the company policy was violated. Whether your friend is guilty of assault does not depend on Safeway's policy for loss prevention. Your friend's actions weren't dependent on the policy, after all. But if it is somehow relevant, his lawyer can get that policy as part of discovery for the criminal case by issuing a subpoena to Safeway. And your friend really does need an attorney for this.
Re: Copy of Safeway's Loss Prevention Policy
Re: Copy of Safeway's Loss Prevention Policy
Walked outside with unpaid groceries ... stopped to examine propane tanks outside as his girlfriend pulled the car up next to him so he could compare the tanks outside to tanks in the car ... uh huh ... sure.
It sounds as if Safeway punted when they (a) lost the guy, and (b) discovered that their LP guy tried to physically detain the suspect unsuccessfully. managers probably decided that since they did not have the guy they could not meet their own internal policy for reporting the incident as an attempted or completed theft and decided to drop THAT complaint.
Not sure that case helps the OP's "friend" in any way, though, since it seems that the friend was caught and arrested.
Re: Copy of Safeway's Loss Prevention Policy
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Luckysgirl
I need a printable copy of safeways loss prevention policy to help him.
Why do you "need" this? Your post provides no indication that the situation you described has or had anything to do with you.
As far as your acquaintance, if his lawyer believes it is necessary to obtain a copy of the policy (which is unlikely), then the lawyer can subpoena it.
Re: Copy of Safeway's Loss Prevention Policy
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flyingron
Lawdy lawd! If that was a "story" I coulda made money on, woulda been able to retire from JCP like 12 yrs ago. Especially with the ".....I was just grabbed/manhandled/assaulted/wrestled-to-the-ground for no reason....." And the secondary "I was so scared I was being....." variant.
By the time I was through with the physicality, badguy interview and report write, a situation that "your friend" encountered wringed out of the PA's as Robbery 2nd/Felony. (my third favorite f-word :cool:)
BTW! Policy request/demand through discovery was denied 100% of the time for relevance.
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cdwjava
It sounds as if Safeway punted when they (a) lost the guy, and (b) discovered that their LP guy tried to physically detain the suspect unsuccessfully. managers probably decided that since they did not have the guy they could not meet their own internal policy for reporting the incident as an attempted or completed theft and decided to drop THAT complaint.
The most of that I ever saw usually was an articulation issue. You've had to have seen that (ad-nauseum) way more than I. My career report tally was only in the mid 8,000s.
Re: Copy of Safeway's Loss Prevention Policy
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The most of that I ever saw usually was an articulation issue. You've had to have seen that (ad-nauseum) way more than I. My career report tally was only in the mid 8,000s.
That's a LOT of reports! I suspect you're right, but that it's also more than just articulation, it could also be a lack of will by the store's upper management. But, I know that many businesses got all shuddery-like when it comes to going hands-on. Some, like Wal-Mart, would fire an employee who got physical even if he or she was legally justified. It's one reason why some of the big stores - at least out here - have become true shop-and-robs. And every year we used to get teams from the L.A. area that work up and down I-5 plundering major retailers along the way.
Re: Copy of Safeway's Loss Prevention Policy
My all-time fave is Home Depot in the all-to-nothing-to-all-to-nothing pattern. My 26 years in LP was like the district "handyman", i.e. a LOT of blitzing the small off-mall stores. Apps in those places redefined shooting fish in a barrel...…..dynamiting fish in a five-gallon bucket. Personal best memorable day was three of us doing an open to close in southeast Missouri on a nice spring day. I finished the day in 'last place' with only 13. Local PD turned a Holiday Inn conference room nearby into booking and holding. 41 apps sorta overwhelmed their county capacity...the second day.
But I digress....
LP history is overrun with allegory concerning the philosophy and execution of Loss Prevention Programs. I was fortunate to be with a retailer that stuck to their guns. Until the mid 2000-teens when execs turned that tide. 18 months, or so, things went from awesome to wtf, making retirement a no-brainer.
Re: Copy of Safeway's Loss Prevention Policy
Yeah, it seems if things have changed a great deal in recent years. I have been dumbfounded at the sight of brazen thieves rolling carts and big ticket items out of doors and staff standing by unable to do anything ti impede their process as the thieves heckle and deride the staff. It's amazing.