Arresting people can be dangerous. It is a risky process to remove someone’s freedom. Security guards must ensure that they have made the arrest legally and safely. Because they are not Police, security guards must have a basic understanding of the legal rights involved in the arrest.
A security guard must ensure that the evidence and property of a shoplifter are protected in order to make a decision to arrest them. Below are some key actions security guards should witness in order to make an arrest lawfully.
Common knowledge is that law enforcement has the power to arrest and detain people. For an arrest or detention, however, law enforcement must comply with the law.
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ARRESTS
A lawful arrest must have probable cause at a minimum. A law enforcement officer with probable cause is generally able to believe that someone has committed a crime and therefore can arrest them. An officer’s belief must be objectively reasonable, as later determined by a judge.
The time an officer can make Manatee County arrests differs depending on whether the crime that the accused is accused of was a felony or a misdemeanor. A felony is a crime that can be punished with more than one-year of imprisonment. A misdemeanor can be punished by up to one-year imprisonment, but not more.
If the officer has probable cause to believe that someone is committing a crime, he/she may arrest them for a felony. A law enforcement officer might arrest someone for a felony if he believes that a misdemeanor has been committed in his presence.
An arrest is not the same as an investigatory stop or detention. An investigatory stop is when an officer temporarily detains someone to accomplish a limited purpose. This type of detention is most commonly used when a police officer pulls over a motorist for a traffic violation. But, stoppages can also be made in a variety of other situations. If a police officer sees someone on the street engaging in suspicious behavior, it is a common practice to stop the person and take them into custody to investigate.
Selection
The security guard watches the person pick the item to be stolen and takes possession of it. This is known as finds committed for Polk County mugshots. The security guard must be present to see the selection. The security guard cannot make an arrest based on advice or words from anyone else.
Concealment
The offender will usually conceal the item on their person, or in a carry-on device so that they can leave the shop without being seen. The person hiding the item shows they are not willing to pay and their excuse that they forgot to pay is not very persuasive.
The item has a price
It is illegal to steal anything that was given to you by the owner. It is therefore important to ask the shoplifter whether they were allowed to take the item. You should record their response in your notebook to use as evidence.
Do not stop at the end of your purchase
It is still theft even if the suspect takes an item and conceals it on their person. The person must be given every chance to pay. You must keep an eye on them until they pay for the item. To make sure they don’t claim they forgot to pay or suddenly return to paying, I suggest that they be at least 5 meters from the last purchase point.
Retire from the store
Security guards will still require that the offender leave the store. This is to make it clear that they did not attempt to pay for the item or that they tried to leave Orange County mugshots. To weaken their defenses and make your evidence stronger, I recommend that you keep a distance of 5-7 meters from the store’s visible lease line.
Keep an eye out
This is the hardest part of being a security guard. You will usually be wearing uniforms and must follow shoplifters through the store. Shoplifters can get away with shoplifting because they don’t have to pay any attention. Keep your eyes open to see if they drop the item or pass it to friends. You will have difficulty proving they are stealing items if you don’t have the item.