Security guard in hot water over treatment of 4-year-old shoplifter

[alp227]

A Safeway security guard is taking heat for the way he questioned a 4-year-old shoplifter in Everett.

Little Savannah Harp recently took a trip to the grocery store with her dad. While they were shopping, Savanna took a package of dried fruit from a shelf.

"She grabbed a bag of apricots, dried apricots, opened them, ate a couple, put it back and the security guard watched her do it," said the girl's mom, Alissa Jones.

Savannah's dad didn't notice his daughter's sticky fingers, but a store security guard did.

full: http://www.komonews.com/news/4-year-old-shoplifter-134440228.html

[drm604]

1. Oh FFS

WTF is wrong with that guard? He made a 4 year old, who can't read or write, sign an agreement?

At least Safeway management fired the idiot rather than trying to defend him.

[lonestarnot]

10. Fired him? Good!

[RKP5637]

2. Unbelievable. Many in this country in positions of authority are totally F'en out of control. I'm

surprised he didn't unload a huge canister of pepper spray on the 4-year-old.

[Kahuna]

3. The expression on th kid's face is priceless.

:D

[valerief]

4. Just imagine if that moron guard had a taser. He'd play "cop" with the kid. nt

[Warren DeMontague]

5. it's THE RULES

THE RULES must be followed. No exceptions. :eyes:

[lib2DaBone]

6. 4 year old shoplifter... security guard with a 4-year-old Brain

Republicans and TeaBags with a 4-year-old sense of reality.

Our fall into Fascism....

[CTyankee]

7. When I click on the video I can't get it when it appears and I click to play it.

I don't know what the problem is...

[RKP5637]

12. I just tried it here, it worked. Do you have Firefox with NoScript installed. I had to

select the video and then enable all of NoScript a couple of times.

[CTyankee]

13. well, I'll try...thanks...i'm on Mozilla Firefox...

[Odin2005]

8. OFFS, she's FOUR!!!

What a dipshit guard!

[Cronus Protagonist]

9. Excellent taste in foods

She didn't grab candy? Her parents should be proud.

[Downwinder]

14. caudally it sounds like Safeway has a packaging problem.

[Tabasco_Dave]

11. Barney Fife strikes again!

[Gman]

15. This idiot didn't even have the small bit of higher education/knowledge that

the kid cannot make a legal contract.

[SheilaT]

16. I have always been astonished when I see

partially consumed food at the check-out counter. I was raised, and I raised my children, to understand that until you've paid for the food it's not yours to consume. Period. I do not get the parents who let their children snack in the grocery store.

[Lyric]

19. I've done it.

Especially in big stores like Wal-Mart, where the line is usually 20 minutes long and you don't want to have to stand in line twice--once for the snack, and then again when you're done shopping. I've done it when my own blood sugar dropped too low, and also when my son was very small and spilled his sippy cup in the car, thus leaving me with the choice of either waiting in line for 20 minutes to buy a single bottle of milk, then shopping, then standing in line with a cranky toddler AGAIN, or just giving him the milk and saving the bottle to pay for it at the checkout.

I've also been on the other side, as a grocery store cashier. I've seen people do this many, many times. Our store tolerated it, and the customers tended to be grateful for that leniency, and conscientious about paying for it when they checked out. It's really not a problem unless someone tries to avoid paying for what they consumed.

I've often thought that perhaps larger stores should open "super express" checkout lines for people with 5 items or less; then it wouldn't be such a hassle to pay for things like that immediately. Or alternatively, offer vending machines with healthy snacks (juice, milk, crackers, fruit, etc.) that accept credit/debit cards as well as cash, and give you a printed receipt (so you can prove that you paid for it). Put them right in the front of the store, so people walking in who need milk for the baby or pretzels for a blood sugar plummet can take care of the problem immediately.

[revolution breeze]

17. No, let's not use common sense

And go to the parents and explain the situation! Let's get this little radical in line before she becomes a problem!

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

18. When my brother was three he stole a Christmas ordainment from K-Mart

We took it back in the store, the chick at customer service thanked my mother for her honesty and we went on our way.

[applegrove]

20. I shoplifted when I was 4. They use to put the open bins of candies right near the groud.

My mom caught me sucking away on a candy and made me pay for it at the cash. I didn't think of it as stealing at that age. I was sugar starved, my mother didn't believe in any sweets at home, I saw a candy and I took it. I was kinda mortified that I had taken it actually.

[athenasatanjesus]

21. Sounds like he was just trying to scare her a little.

I'd have to know more before passing judgment.
What was the tone of the security guard?
Did he really try to ban her,or just have her sign some random form just for appearances?
How old is the security guard?