When shops have to post warnings like this the you know there is a major problem with shop lifting and theft. Whoever thought it was a good idea to place the prosecution price at $950 was an absolute idiot and needs to be removed from public service. Theft is theft and it is that simple as the ones who are paying for this lunacy are the consumers. Retailers have insurance and those premiums will rise resulting in the consumer paying these extra costs.
When I see laws like this I find it truly unfair on those of us who would act as it puts us in a position. I am fortunately someone who tends to run towards things when others are running away and that is not something I chose to be, but it is my character. You only find out who you are when placed in certain compromised positions and I know who I am as I cannot help myself.
In the past I have chased house breakers on foot, been involved with sting operations with the police with myself as the bait. My thoughts are if there were more people like myself then this would never have been a problem to start with.
I can recall an incident back in the UK many years ago when a kid of around 13 stole a women's hand bag and I managed to haul him in and flung him under my arm and returned the had bag to the lady. The onlookers were shouting at me to let him go because he was a juvenile and I ignored them. The kid was bawling his eyes out as he knew he was toast. The police informed me he was well known to them as a serial thief and was on juvenile probation. Sometimes all it takes is tough love and you have to wonder who the parents are to have failed so badly.
Many argue that you should just let the shop lifters do their thing and to not get involved which is correct for those who cannot defend themselves. The problem is if no one is looking out for each other then what type of society do we live in. If a lady is being attacked how can you just ignore this as that is not facing reality. How could you live with yourself whilst standing by when you could make the difference.
If every country had some form of National Service I believe society would change immediately as everyone's mindset would be about caring for fellow human beings and you would know what to do. There would be no sitting back watching as mayhem unfolds around you and what kind of shocks me as I do not see this as normal behavior.
The police today have a lot to answer for as they are supposed to be upholding law and order yet from what I have seen they are part of the problem incapable of fulfilling these basic duties of right and wrong. In the UK I parked my car in a police station parking lot only to be told my car was not safe there which kind of tells you all you need to know and how feared they are. As sickening as this may sound at least the police officer was honest even if it is embarrassing.
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Sign of the times? Don't know, I've only lived in this one... But it sure is something that is visible in more areas than just yours, same thing here in Belgium. If only more people stood up against this, stood up for each other, like you do (and I try to do as well), the world would be a different place!
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Here in Ecuador the situation is not that much better. People get caught stealing, with illegal weapons, and because the person does not put himself/herself down as the one making the legal action against the perp, they get released.
But I understand why people don't go to court over this here. I mean, Imagine. A guy just threatened you with a gun, took your money, your phone. He's in jail now. If you don't show up and make the motion to process him legally, he will be released, even if he hurt you. But, if you show up, he will clearly know who it was, tell his gang members, and they will probably kill you for messing with their business.
The police here have no teeth, the courts have no teeth... if your house gets broken into, best take care of it yourself and bury the evidence well.
Yes you take care of it yourself. I have always joked I need a big garden. When we were in the UK our house was broken into and I think I disturbed them when we returned home. I had my kids in my arms at the time which is what saved them when they ran past. When the police arrived they wanted to know why I had a baseball bat by the door and that I must not take the law into my own hands. I stayed awake for two days leaving the back door slightly a jar hoping they would return. If you break the right leg and left arm they are immobilized.
I've seen worse. There's a grocery store nearby and they have a few photos of shoplifters. Then there was a time when on the back of the bus ticket it said watch out for the pickpockets.
Madness when you think about this and it does not seem real. If you have the facial photos then surely they are easy to find.
If you have the facial photos, the rest is for the police. I didn't understand what purpose posting the photos serve, but my country is nothing like other countries.
I don't think shoplifting is a big problem in USA, I think that the sign from California is mostly meant as a deterrence.
In my 30 years in USA I have never personally witnessed a shoplifting. I am sure it does happen but it is not very common.
not my post but I will go ahead and chime in and say that it isn't a huge problem in USA as a whole, but the lax punishments that certain parts of the country have towards people stealing things resulted in people stealing all the time in plain sight... they didn't care if they got caught because they knew they were going to face no consequences plus the store owners are not allowed to stop them from stealing.
It's a very real problem, and it is because of bad government that things like this become a problem in the first place. If you steal, you should be punished IMO.
I had read about these policies but I think they won't be necessary for much longer in the cities that are plagued with these issues. The various government entities that kind of made this a problem in the first place are slowly but surely realizing that the people, the ones that do the voting, are fed up with the lawlessness and businesses opting to leave the city because of it.
Even though I don't live there it is nice to see something changing.