Falsely Accused at Meijer

:mad: On October 11th 2006 between the times of 11:00 pm and 12:00 am. Myself and my room mate entered Meijers. Upon entering the store we grabbed a shopping cart and began our shopping experience. Starting in the Produce section we then moved to the Alcoholic beverage section and placed 6 bottles of alcohol and a party pack of smirnoff ice triple black into our shopping cart.

While in the frozen food section we were immediately confronted by 4 police officers from the Police Department. There were 3 male officers and 1 female officer who approached us in a very confrontational fashion asking us to stay where we were standing with our backs to the freezer and facing the Milk cooler. The officer asked to see our picture identification. My room mate reached and pulled out his wallet and produced his drivers license I in turn responded my identification was out in the car. The officer then responded "Why is it in the car?" I looked very surprised and said I'm not sure what the problem is and stated that I was unaware I needed ID to grocery shop. He then responded Meijer had placed a call into the police department that apparently 2 black men were shoplifting in the grocery department. The same officer who asked for our identification then goes on to say and I quote, "We have had someone following you guys since you came into the store, so thats why they called the police cause your shoplifting. We had someone following you since you have been in the store." Another male officer then asked for my first last and middle name and my date of birth which I supplied readily. I then responded as a number of Meijer shoppers began to stop and take notice to what was happening that I AM the store manager of a retail chain and assured them I was in fact not a shop lifter. The male officer who asked for my name and date of birth then asked what retail chain do I manage and where. I then responded with the information. In an attempt to lighten the mood and disarm the situation I cracked the joke and I quote, "What do I have a turkey in my pocket?" To which the other male officer who was standing on the other side of a fixture chuckled slightly. The same officer who chuckled slightly then asked where were we from. Before I could respond the same officer who asked for my identification blurted out and I quote, "Do you have any warrants?" To which we both responded no. I then turn my attention back to the officers question and responded we just moved into the the area and having this happen makes me regret that decision.
Apparently having heard back from their precinct the officers then return my room mates drivers license turned and walked away without so much as an apology or a sorry for the inconvenience. The officer who had questioned me about my identification then said to me noticing I had become somewhat bothered with the situation he tells me and I quote, "If you have a complaint make it to Meijer not with the police." All of the officers just as quickly as they arrived are now gone. Leaving me and my room mate humiliated in front of all the other onlookers and one meijer employee who would every now and again peak around the cooler at the end of the aisle.

I was never approached by meijer LP with any form of recovery statement they simply called the city police. What went wrong here? I was under the impression the procedure for an LP stop were:

1. See consumer enter the place of business
2. See consumer handle merchandise
3. See consumer conceal merchandise with INTENT to leave premise without
purchase
-know what merchandise is and where concealed
4. See consumer attempt to leave business with concealed merchandise to
defraud/evade without purchase

I won't even get into what the Night Manager had to say about the matter.

so what is your question? you really do not ask any. Yes most LP do have to follow all or most of the steps you say,.. but it could have been a customer, manager or anyone who called the police. Sorry you had to deal with a false thing like that.

The Police questioned you but in was upon the request of the store. So PD was coorect any complaint should go to store. You state this happened in 2006 why bring it up now?

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I was never approached by meijer LP with any form of recovery statement they simply called the city police. What went wrong here? I was under the impression the procedure for an LP stop were:

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My guess is LP was off duty at that late hour and the request came from acting Manager

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1. See consumer enter the place of business
2. See consumer handle merchandise
3. See consumer conceal merchandise with INTENT to leave premise without
purchase
-know what merchandise is and where concealed
4. See consumer attempt to leave business with concealed merchandise to
defraud/evade without purchase

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Each retailer ha sits own version of steps (elements) they must follow to make a stop. Like I said I do not think LP was on duty. If they were they would have made the stop not PD and stop would have been made outside store unless your state has concealment laws which in your case would not apply either.

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I won't even get into what the Night Manager had to say about the matter

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The Night Manager is probably your problem

It has taken THIS long for me to find any help in the matter I want to know was I infact falsely accused? Is it any form of company procedure anywhere to by pass store LP and contact city enforcement? And if not Why wasn't I approached by store LP?

To answer the question why bring it up NOW. I listened to the advocate at the state departement of Civil Rights who much to my chagrin Ill informed me that it was best I initiated a complaint at the state level first and let them handle it. Unfortunately at this point I am just recently being advised of state and federal statutes of limitation in such cases. In a word I'm playing catch ups to keep Meijer from getting off the hook in the matter.

You don't even know if Lp was even there. As PD told you the place to comnpalin was manager. Contact the stores corporate office for starters. I have to think there was no LP on duty if there was then procedure would have been followed

I did contact the Meijers home office with no reply. I want to know based on my own training can someone be detained and accused of shoplifting before attempting to leave a store. If in fact the store manager who summoned the authorities never saw me conceal merchandise? Further have authorities detain me in the frozen food section where there is clearly no exit.

I had been under the rouse its not shoplifting until you try to leave without paying. Granted I may be wrong.

First off you were not detained you were questioned. If your state says "concealment" is a violation of law then yes you can be stoppe dinside the store. Based on your post there was no crime at all. No concealment and you had not passed last point of sale. I would say you were in the right. Now again though PD only questioned you. You were not arrested or charged. In fact you did no teven leave area of store where you stood. the arguement could be made you were not detained. If there is a Police report it might be interesting to read it. You could pursue a false arrest but I doubt you can win since (as I said) there was no arrest. Talk with a Lawyer who specializes in this area but I feel ther eis no case. However the Store Corporate Office might grant you a gift card or something for your trouble

I believe it could go either way. If someone with a gun tells you to stand against the freezer and not move I find it highly unlikely that your going to move. I have already drafted a letter citing the Freedom of Information Act to recieve a copy of all PD reports and dispatch records as i two am very interesting in finding what prompted the call into the authorities and what probable cause lead to what I stand by was detainment. As I stated they had guns I didn't I wasn't goin NOWHERE.

The unfortunate issue here is it is in fact very difficult to find a lawyer willing to go up against a major retailer in a case such as this. In the end it appears to simply be about money. But as I stated before I am a retailer it was never about the money i only wanted an apology. I still haven't been granted as much. THAT in fact is what is pathetic.

If you call it detainment thats fine but look up legal definition first. Also Police cannot act on midemeanors they did not witiness! If there was a detainment (which is in doubt right now) it was on request from the store. If you work retail you know that when LP makes an arrest they (not PD) are arresting officer(s) in other words citizens arrest. If you had refused to talk to PD did you feel they would shoot you!? Not likely you just cooperated with then especially since you had done no wrong. The whole "detainment" may be your problem. try contacting Store Manager (not night Manager) if all you want is them to say sorry. Yes you were wronged and I dont see where any "steps" were used to make this stop and you have every right to complain and demand they say sorry. I wish you well with that.

so you are african american is that correct? If so that is very rare that you would have blue eyes. seems a little fishy. I know in my state police can come in and arrest someone in the store just for ripping a price ticket off merchandise and they can also stop someone in store once they have concealed. NO need to leave the store. But most retail chains to want them to leave the last point of sale but that is not the police.

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Quoting redtoy92

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so you are african american is that correct? If so that is very rare that you would have blue eyes. seems a little fishy.

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Blue eyes isn't as common as brown or green in African Americans but it does happen, I happen to work with a man that is African American and was very beautiful blue eyes. He told me 5 or 6 generations back they was a white man in the bloodline and his eyes are blue because of that family trait.

well i understand it could happen but I find this story to not sound right.. it seems to be missing some facts or some things have been changed. Just trying to make sure it is all there ot give the best advice.

What color my eyes are is irrelevant the term oldblueeyes refers to the big brother name I was given when I became a member of one of the oldest black and greek letter organizations in united states history. I have attained a copy of the PD report from dispatch the night of the incident and it says quote "two black men loading their cart with expensive liquor suspicion of shoplifting" It lists the officers who responded well two of the four and goes on to say we were stopped near the check out. which was false I was detained in the frozen food section and goes on to say we cooperated and were found to be "NIL" I have no idea what that means. IN closing it states we left the store voluntarily. I have also set about seeking out other shoppers that witnessed the event take place and they are also willing to come forward on my behalf. I really didn't see the point of calling the police on me if all I had in my shopping cart was 2 bottles of liquor and a twelve pack which was also listed in the PD report. which was also not true because the police officers NEVER saw my shopping cart as I wasn't standing near it. Going further if I was approached near the check out could it have been ASSUMED I may have been checking out? To be honest my shopping cart contained six bottles of alchohol some choice steaks from the meat department where I met the first witness and her male escort some garlic bread and other selected items. Everything else is not important just the issue in question.

If someone is so naive as to think that an American born AA might not have blue eyes....he must be incredibly stupid. Have you ever taken U.S. history? Did you ever take biology? Do you think that the people in Nigeria or Mali, or Zaire look like the AA's in the U.S......Are you an absolute idiot???:rolleyes:

This is not the slightest bit racial or political..gimme' a break; pretending you don't know things that are self-evident is a foolish way to live your life. The vast majority of AA's in the U.S. are nowhere even close to the same lineage as the people in Africa. Lots of folks "got together" in the last several hundred years. I find it hard to believe that people would pretend otherwise!!