Ladies & Gentlemen,
I just got off the phone with Sheriff Lewis referencing the Lowe's theft posted earlier this morning. I sent the information to Sheriff Lewis before I ever posted it and Sheriff Lewis wanted me to know that he was on the case personally.
He made contact with the management at Lowe's and they did NOT report it at all to any Police Agency. It was news to Sheriff Lewis when I sent him the e-mail and he too was quite surprised that it had not been reported.
The tag numbers have been traced back to a Salisbury residence and the Sheriff's Department is awaiting a Corporate response out of Baltimore to see if they do in fact want to prosecute this individual.
All that being said, what's your thoughts on this matter? I can't believe that Lowe's didn't report it and in the very least set an example. They had the car, the tag number and the guy running off leaving much of what he stole right there in the parking lot as evidence.
Nevertheless, I think Sheriff Lewis should be recognized for his own personal attention on this matter as he did not pass it off to another Officer to handle. Crime is simply out of control and the more they let things slide around here, the worse it's going to get, IMO. Now let's hear yours?
DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
46 comments:
Joe, I said in your post that they would not pursue the theft.They have the same mentality as Wal-Mart.There is no accountability and thieves just steal by the car loads. Check out the Loss Prevention Dept. in the stores.
It is a shame that no one at Lowe's made an incident report, however I hope that Sherrif Lewis will be able to track this person down and arrest them for attemting to steal these items.
It's bad for the "Lowe's" public image!This is what burns me about all the hidden cost passed on to us consumers like thieves walking out of Lowe's,stealing gas and on and on the list goes!
It's unfortunate, but the "corporations" are not likely to spend the time or money prosecuting for a $700 theft. I use to work for a "big" bank and it was unbelievable what people got away with because the amount didn't meet a certain threshold - it was just written off as a loss. I agree that Lowes should move forward, the sooner we all take an interest in what is happening around us the sooner we will see things improve.
Over 10 years of retail experience and only once had a shoplifter been prosecuted, My recent jobs in retail explained that it is to much bother, as a Manager I simply copied the police reports and submitted them to corporate. The upper part of Management is lazy and in the near future the fact Lowes doesn't prosecute will make its way into the underground. I don't have any respect for a company that won't protect or try to protect thier assests. The witness who wrote down the number should have a reward and the thief needs their property checked to see who else they screwed.
So I can steal from Lowes and they wont press charges?
Lowes = corporate giant. Why would they prosecute? They make enough money from the little people, and their insurance covers such thefts. The only people that are going to set the example are the small businesses that get hurt from such thefts.
why does the state of maryland pick up the charges???
Its not only corporate, my neighborhood has been 'hit' several times and places. Only a few of the residents called the police and filed reports. There was even a witness that did nothing!
Michael06
Joe,
I know a corporate giant that will not only prosecute but they will show up for court to make sure the job is done. They are the most aggressive retailer regarding theft and they are a huge partner to the local law enforcement agencies. TARGET!!!!!
I know the loss prevention guy at Lowes, and I can guarantee that he would have pursued prosecution. They probably didn't pursue charges because the person left most of the stolen goods.
It is sad!! This person will likely do it again! Thats why cost are so high. They just dont feel like doing the paper work or the time in court.
Maybe if we just ignore all of this crime it will just go away. Dum - Dee - Dum
Lowes never prosecutes they have a budget for loss prevention. We pay for thier loss.
press charges davis...
If they don't want to press charges, they should at least post his name where it can be seen by the rest of us when we check out. This is what stores used to do for bad checks.
Could it have been that one or more of their employees are involved? Is it something that has been going on for a long time? Like another recent theft scheme?
cruggly said...
why does the state of maryland pick up the charges???
Without witnesses to testify there isn't much of a case.
There are witnesses.
anonymous 6:05, great point. That is being looked into.
All because a concerned citizen makes a bad situation public.
Great observation and better example.
Crime is under control in Smallsbarrie and Lowes ain't gonna do diddly squat so quit wasting the sheriffs time, he has other things to do.
I'm the witness who saw it and it makes me so mad that Lowes did not tell anyone! Just because he left it in the parking lot this time doesn't mean he won't try again! And as everyone else is saying the cost gets passed on to us!
By the way, we do use TruArc for all our mower repairs but just needed a spark plug and were right there at Burger King anyway! LOL!
Great job Sherrif Lewis for being a true "Cops Cop"!!! Why would anyone even entertain the thought of ever running against this man in an election? would be a HUGE waste of money!!
Joe, several years ago Food Lion in Fruitland was robbed by a brother and sister. Employees were able to stop the brother and hold him there until police showed up. The sister ran through the back of the parking lot right into my backyard. She was hiding on my front porch when the Fruitland police found and arrested her with several steaks down her pants. She had had the steaks there for over an hour. When the trial date came I showed up due to her being on my property. No one from Food Lion showed up. They said since they had gotten the steaks back and that they were resellable they wouldn't press any charges against her. For this, I will not buy any meats from there.
K
It is sometimes difficult to prosecute someone if they flee the scene AND/OR no longer have the stolen property.This situation is different,as there were witnesses and a tag number was noted but it isnt always like that.A-holes like this guy make prices higher for us.Although with 1.5 acres and a broke riding mower,I kinda wish the other thieves would have dropped one of the zero-turn cutters in my yard LOL.
6:29, i got two words for ya, "video tape", and i know who you are.
I thought leaving a store with merchandise you haven't paid for is shoplifting. Aren't store detectives told to wait until you're outside before arresting you, since you can always say you were going to pay as long as you're still inside? When you set foot out the door and have no receipt for the stuff you've got in your possession, you're guilty.
another case of the sheriffs department not passing the information on to the proper agency. I do believe that Lowes is in the city limits and should be handled by SPD. Guess they have time on their hands again
Anon 452 definately has it right about Target. My wife was a manager at Target and Peebles before that. They ALWAYS take it to court. She recieved supoenas to testify for two years after leaving Peebles. Theives are so bold that they steal smaller expensive things and then return them w/o reciepts to get store credit for bigger things that they want.
If we cut the hands off of theives like they do overseas, maybe some of it would stop.
Anon 858 - the Sheriff's Office will invetigate crime in the city, when SPD deems it to minor.
another case of the sheriffs department not passing the information on to the proper agency. I do believe that Lowes is in the city limits and should be handled by SPD. Guess they have time on their hands again
8:58 PM
Get a grip dumb ass, you sound just like the Cathcarts. Whether you like it or not Salisbury is in the County. Mike Lewis is the county sheriff making it his jurisdiction.
maybe people are tired of calling the city police because it takes so long for a reponse. if i have a problem i think i would call wcso first. the truth hurts i know
If someone from Lowe's won't testify in court then the case cannot be prosecuted. Besides I don't blame Lowe's for not wanting to report it becuase the state's attorney's office would just nol pros the case when it got to court. If you dont believe it just read Sunday's paper. The court brief's were there and more cases were nol pros than were actually prosecuted. It's no wonder crime is rampant.
if lowes does not want to file a report thats on them police have better things to do rather than investigate a case where the victim wants no help from police
Every person that stirs things up between agencies is only hurting the philosophy and idea of law enforcement working together. Who cares what uniform you wear or what kinda car you drive...YOUR COPS! The ones that are supposed to come to the rescue in emergencies, bring criminals to face justice, console victims in their time of need. Any idiot that has forgotten that is retired on duty and doesn't even realize it...what a shame
And if you have forgotten that it's time to get real, and start doing what your supposed to....LOCKING BAD PEOPLE UP!!!...Everything thing else is drama and silly. Hats off to mike lewis for being a real cop and checking a crime out...no matter who's jurisdiction...and if it was in someone else's jurisdicion only be disappointed in the fact that YOU YOURSELF didn't have a chance to take a criminal to jail.
I still say locals would recieve better law enforcement services with a unified county police. Better information sharing, more uniformity on enforcement, a more team/community oriented approach to police work. And maybe this stir up would get some of these cops that want to cruise in a car for their shift and not take bad guys to jail a wake up call and some motivation to get out there and make a difference which is why they supposedly but on the ole badge n gun to begin with not to put miles on the tires till it's time to go home.
That would be a real good start to abolish the city. Start with the police department, then move on to other departments until we are rid of duplicated services. We won't need two GOB's, one for the county and one for the city. That alone will save millions.
Use priority to start the transfer. First-Police, Second internal finances and so on right down the line until the mission is completed.
The way that Steven's guy from WWTP talked on TV 47 news, sounds like we are going to need the county to get this right before it's over.
don't get me wrong i believe both agencies and state have some of the finest law enforcement officers that there are.
Lowes is in the city limits, which is in the county limits. So, everything in the county, the county Sheriff has jurisdiction over. Technically, the Sheriff can order off subordinate agency personnel (i.e. city agencies) from calls if he wishes to do so. The reason the city officers want a unified county police is because they want more pay and better working conditions like at the sheriff's department, which is understandable. However, some of the city officers probably wouldn't make the cut if there would be a county agency installed because everyone would have to be held to the same hiring standards. Also, seperate cities like to have their smaller police departments because the city can exercise control over them politically. I think a lot of the SPD vs. WCSO is due to basic envy. WCSO gets paid more and they are a more professional agency with an older core of personnel with more experience therefore, they are dramatically more respected by the community over the city police. The city police do have some good officers of course, but not many. A lot of the officers that have been there for a while, for whatever reason, could not get a job with another agency and so they have stayed at SPD and get more and more disgruntled with the work at the dept and see WCSO making more money and get upset and take it out on this blog. But, pound for pound I feel that WCSO provides much better service to the community then SPD and gains greater respect from the community as a whole.
As long as Mike Lewis is sheriff we will have a true crime fighter on our side. Robo cop probably dreams of being like Mike and I don't mean Jordan. Keep up the great work Sheriff.
This story has gone afar and come back....inorder to simplify, streamline and make logical the situation between city and county, there MUST be someone who has a clue involved. So far, they haven't appeared. Until then we're stuck with whatever these inept leaders want.
5:17, 7:13: That is very self righteous, and it is people like you that try to make it look like there is tension. There is not (except from you). In fact both agencies work very well with each other. I am still trying to figure out what you are responding to on this post with such a demeaning comment. Like a little snake waiting in a hole to attack.
FYI many fine officers remain at SPD because of many other reasons which someone like you would always leave out because it is not demeaning.
Where do you work? Never mind, obvious.
Great job, nice work, you are the best, thank you for making sure I can sleep safe at night... (Is that what you are looking for?)Well, then you have it. So, keep your negativity to yourself.
5:17....I can name a few people at the WCSO that have been turned down by several other agencies, yet have been hired there. WCSO has their issues, just like every other department in the world...however, you have a politician who has been able to keep things from spilling out. No offense, but the SPD chief is not an elected position and has no need to sell to the public in order to keep his job...just the mayor!
Envy???? That thought is disgusting! Every GOOD officer, deputy, trooper...etc., is in the line of work because they enjoy the job, and have a heart for the job.(please note I said"GOOD") If they are in it because of money, or other "envious" reasons, they don't deserve the badge!
Also, as a deputy, you need to keep in mind that you have more manpower and a lot less calls per shift, more funding, etc.,...so obviously the service you provide would and should be better than SPD.
LOL! Respect??? No offense but the people you service are a lot more respectful people! Thats why you get so much respect(example: taxpayers)!!!
Please don't take this as a smash to WCSO, I respect the work you do...I just simply disagree with your comment!
Good luck, and God Bless every Officer who put forth the effort to make our community a better one!
There is a lot of confusion about Lowe's external theft policies. Lowe's does indeed prosecute theft when a shoplifter is apprehended in the store. Lowe's is very cautious to not make "bad stops." Lowes shrink numbers are among the best in the retail industry with ZERO liability cases. A while back Wal-Mart made an apprehention and the shoplifter died during the detention (over a pack of diapers). In the crazy system we live in, Wal-Mart lost a million dollar law suit. How much does this court order effect WM prices compared to a pack of diapers? Lowes caters to the honest customer, unlike retailers who lock up all thier products and you have to wait (thirty minutes) for an employee to get merchandise for you. Lowes is building more stores this year, meanwhile HD is closing quite a few. As a fortune forty company, I believe Lowes is doing something right!!
Post a Comment