You Can Shoplift. We Can Help.

KOCO-ABC-5 Oklahoma City:

MIDWEST CITY, Okla. — A former Home Depot employee said the company fired him and three other workers because they helped police catch several suspected shoplifters in May.

Midwest City police said the men helped officers catch suspected shoplifters as they tried to run from a store with lawn equipment.

An internal memo from Home Depot outlines that associates cannot accuse, detain, chase or call the police on any customer for shoplifting. However, one of the fired employees said the company is selective in enforcing that policy.

So if store employees can’t call the cops on shoplifters, or try to apprehend them, then how is Home Depot supposed to catch shoplifters? It seems as if they want people to shoplift from their stores.

If I had to guess, and knowing how PC the Atlanta-based chain of hardware stores can be, I think it has to do with race, and the racial truths of stealing and shoplifting. I get the feeling that they would rather have blacks and Hispanics steal from their stores than actually apprehending them for stealing, and thereby offending the constellation of racial civil rights groups that they fear would make nose.

UPDATE 6/12:  Home Depot does not allow regular employees to do this, but they do allow their “Loss Prevention Agents” (i.e. security guards) to call the police on, and attempt to apprehend physically, shoplifters.  I would imagine that part of the reason is legal liability and insurance concerns.