16
University Daily Kansan / Wednesday. December 4.1991
Police officers anticipate holiday thefts
As the holidays draw closer, police officers keep an eye out for shoplifters
By Stacy Friedman Special to the Kansan
John pushes his cart through the Lawrence supermarket, picks up a can of chewing tobacco, and after he takes it on it, casually slips it into his pocket.
He pays for his other groceries and leaves.
John, a 22-year-old KU student, says he shoplifts almostevery day, dodging arrest statistics, believing he will never be caught.
"I know how to do it so I won't get caught," he said. "And even if I did, I don't think it would be too difficult out of it. Most stores no prosecute."
Don Gardner, crime prevention offi
dence police, said busi-
nesses did prosecute
Shoplifters, who appear in greater numbers during the holiday season, should realize shoplifters face both fines and jail time.
"More people want things during the holidays," said Douglas County Dis
trict Attorney Jerry Wells. "Some people pay for it, some people steal it."
He said the majority of shoplifters who came before district court were caught.
"This is simply Because shoplifting
in it makes you catch
them with the goods," he said.
According to the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, 499 shoilifting cases were reported in Lawrence last year. The stores stole $22,539 worth of merchandise.
When a shoplifter is caught stealing by a business, the police are notified and the shoplifter is given a notice to court, said Thomas Porter, city prosecutor.
In Municipal Court, jail time usually is not imposed because of defense of piracy or less than $900. Prices vary.
Shoppers usually are levied a fine between $100 and $150, with a $500 fee.
If there is a second offense within the year, the shoplifter must serve jail time as determined by the judge, Porter said.
Wendy, a 21-year-old former Overland Park department store employee, was arrested at work for shoplifting last year during the holiday season. She saw a swimsuit she wanted but said she did not want to pay for it.
Instead, she removed the alarm ring and the tag reading $19.99, stuffed it in a bag.
She was caught in the parking lot by a security guard after being seen on a
Wendy never went to jail. She paid a fine of $10 and was allowed to attend a court hearing.
These seminars are given in Lawrence, Topeka, and Johnson County by Overland Park psychologist William Reese.
The seminars are meant to educate people convicted of writing bad checks and shoplifting and prevent them from repeating their crime.
Most of the people who come to Reese are from middle- and upper-class backgrounds, he said. It is not necessarily the first time they have
According to Reese, 80 percent of the people who go to prison eventually return there.
stolen, but it may be the first time they have been caught.
"We don't rehabilitate people in this country," he said. "Our theory is that education and understanding can rehabilitate than punishment can."
During the seminars, he asks each person to stand and identify themselves.
They are then asked to explain what they did, whether they believe they are guilty and whether they should go to jail.
Some people are hesitant to tell their stories, some are defiant, and some cry.
The workshop emphasizes how to manage anger, reduce anxiety and develop goals and self-esteem
This method of rehabilitation differs from the approach taken by police officers who say their job is to catch shoplifters, not psychanalyze them.
"Typically, our quest is a quest for
the facts and not to question the motivation of shoplifters," said Detective Commander Mike Hall of the Lawrence police.
The problem of shoplifting also is approached by the businesses themselves.
George Paley, owner of Natural Way Fiber clothing, 820 Massachusetts St. has involved his store in networking system with other stores.
Other retail stores are tagging their clothes with alarms. And many stores are utilizing plain-clothed officers who work off duty.
When Paley or his employees see someone leave their store who appears suspicious, they notify the security and relay a request for and relay a description of that person.
But educating employees can be just as effective as using security guards or electronic items. Paley said.
"Lawrence is a sleepy, little town we all take for granted," he said. "Thieves see it as an easy mark."
Delayed release injures report's desired impact
The Associated Press
Months of delays in the release of a report about Indian education in the United States could lessen the report's impact, one of its authors said yesterday.
The report, Indian Nations at Risk, is patterned after the 1983 Nation at Risk report about U.S. education in general, said Bob Martin, president of Haskell Indian Junior College and a member of the task force that prepared the latest report.
"I think it's a good report," Martins said. But, he said, if it lays dormant it won't do a thing.
The Indian report is not getting the amount of attention the 1983 report received, Martin said.
Former Secretary of Education Lauro F. Cavazos formed the task force in April 1980. The task force was selected to be released a year later
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