plutoniumboss said:Don't take their shit. They are legally entitled to attempt to detain you. However, you have a right to self defense, and if an employee were to use force on a person suspected of shoplifting, that person might reasonably assume they were being attacked and use any necessary means to protect themselves (wink wink.)
You don't have to stop for anyone. If you get away with the merchandise and they can't prove anything, YOU WIN.
At which point you could give them a choice. Tell them that yes, they can detain you there at their own risk. If, when the police get there, they find stolen property on you, they can charge you. If they don't find stolen property on you, or find definitive proof that you committed a crime, you will be charging them (the LP personnel). You can add that you will also be sure to follow through with those charges all the way to the point of making sure that it would be hard(er) for them to get a resource protection job in that city again, or that they could possibly face some financial liabilities themselves. Of course, it helps if you really don't have any unpaid for goods on you at the time or did not commit a crime. In any event, giving them options works much better than threats or fists.frizzantik said:^ i don't think that is true as most states in the US have provisions for things like a "citizen's arrest" which allow non-police to arrest or at least detain until police arrive an individual who has been witnessed committing a crime.
I have a friend who works in LP and they rarely stop anyone until they actually leave the store. once they do leave the store they do detain them, with force if necessary