Guard Fired for Stopping Teen Booze Theft
LAKE GENEVA, Wis. (UPI) -- A retired police officer said he was fired from a security guard position at a Lake Geneva, Wis., Target after he stopped a teenager from stealing booze. Dean Babcock said he spotted a 16-year-old girl attempting to steal a $45 bottle of Patron tequila March 7 and recognized her as the same teenage girl who was caught on a security camera taking a bottle of Captain Morgan rum only days earlier, the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reported Monday. Babcock said he knew he was not supposed to approach the girl, as only certain security personnel are authorized to stop shoplifters, but none of the authorized guards were on duty that day and he was concerned for the girl's health and safety. Babcock said he attempted to handle the situation "low-key" by merely contacting the girl's father instead of the police. However, he said, despite the father's gratitude, he was fired four days later "for violating the policy" regarding when shoplifters can be stopped. "They fired me for stopping a 16-year-old girl from stealing alcohol," he said. Kristin Grieser, an assistant store manager for the Lake Geneva Target, confirmed Dean's termination, but said she could not give any details. "We take shoplifting very seriously," she said, "but we are also very cautious in making apprehensions."
LAKE GENEVA, Wis. (UPI) -- A retired police officer said he was fired from a security guard position at a Lake Geneva, Wis., Target after he stopped a teenager from stealing booze. Dean Babcock said he spotted a 16-year-old girl attempting to steal a $45 bottle of Patron tequila March 7 and recognized her as the same teenage girl who was caught on a security camera taking a bottle of Captain Morgan rum only days earlier, the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reported Monday. Babcock said he knew he was not supposed to approach the girl, as only certain security personnel are authorized to stop shoplifters, but none of the authorized guards were on duty that day and he was concerned for the girl's health and safety. Babcock said he attempted to handle the situation "low-key" by merely contacting the girl's father instead of the police. However, he said, despite the father's gratitude, he was fired four days later "for violating the policy" regarding when shoplifters can be stopped. "They fired me for stopping a 16-year-old girl from stealing alcohol," he said. Kristin Grieser, an assistant store manager for the Lake Geneva Target, confirmed Dean's termination, but said she could not give any details. "We take shoplifting very seriously," she said, "but we are also very cautious in making apprehensions."
Copyright 2008 by United Press International
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