Quite the Day...

So today was a sort of round up of past apprehensions. It was hearing day at the local court and I had five folders under my arm as I walked in rubbing shoulders with the Assistant District Attorney as well as the Public Defenders. Three employees and two felonies. All in all it was a good productive day from the beginning to the end.

By 9:00am I was in a meeting with the ADA discussing the upcoming cases. Obviously this is the part not shown on Law and Order. Here I thought the attorneys show up and they already have all the details of each case embedded in their minds. Not so! I spend almost 30 minutes educating the prosecutor about store policy, camera and video operations and how I caught two felons. You'd think after repeating my last name five times, and writing it down phonetically, she would have called me to the stand appropriately. Not so!

This time on the stand I was faced with quite the aggressive Public Defender. He felt the need to argue almost every point of my testimony during his cross examination. No worries, I liked the challenge. When I am right, I am right. Ask me any way you want, the sky is always blue. I was dismissed from the first felony case with the guilty, sorry... the accused, being held for trial. And by held, I mean IN JAIL. He came and went from the courtroom in shackles and cuffs. I can't deny I enjoy seeing that when I am the one who caught the idiots.

Next felony case was called within a half hour. Again, a brief discussion about how I caught the guy, what I saw him do, etc etc. After I take the stand, and repeat my name and spell it yet again for the record, the prosecutor reviews her notes and tries to form intelligent questions of them. She could have been speaking jibberish...I knew what she wanted to hear, all she had to do is get the question out and I would take it from there.

And again with the Public Defender attacking my testimony. This brave soul decided to object right from the gate. He wanted all charges dismissed because this case was based soley on a video. Apparently it didn't matter that I was the one who apprehended his little felon, then reviewed the tape two days prior to find him doing the same thing before. The judge decided to hear the case then decide. Then out came the Law and Order. After the prosecutor led off, followed by a barrage of defensive shots at my testimony by the public defender, the judge recessed and asked both attorneys to produce case law for cases using only video to prove their case. Long story short.... second felon was led off to the cell with his shackles securely fastened. See ya at trial boys!

Three employees charged with Retail Theft plead guilty, was fined and told to pay restitution.

All in a days work. But, the day had just begun.

Little did I know I had a shoplifter at work in the store while I was playing Perry Mason. Twenty minutes before I returned to the store, this young man decided to remove an XBOX additive of some sort, from its locked peg hook. On video he is seen ripping it it off the security device, then gently placing it in his cart. He then peruses the store as if nothing happened. In the furniture department he selects an entertainment center, hoists it up onto the cart, then uses it as a blockade between him and the camera, or so he thinks. I have a perfect view of this guy removing the items from the XBOX box, sliding it into his pants pockets, then tossing the empty box onto a shelf between two pieces of furniture. Twenty minutes later, I find the empty box.

In an effort to enter the Dumbest Criminal file, he proceeds to pick up a few items, then reports to Register 8. At Register 8 he decided to use his Mastercard... silly boy. I pull the drawer for Register 8, locate the receipt where the man signed it, and tomorrow morning I will investigate the owner of the Credit Card. If it was his, he's mine for a $70.00 Retail Theft. If it's not, I have good footage of a suspect for using stolen credit cards.

I'm thinking win win here.

Have I mentioned that I am heading in to work at 4am tomorrow to apprehend one of our overnight cleaners for retail theft? Never a dull moment! Not even when the store is closed.

Stay tuned...