Senior with dementia and aphasia trades $14 worth of products for broken arm

[deckeda]

C(-)ris wrote:
Why aren't you advocating for suing here caregivers for being negligent?

And who would that be, and unless their responsibility includes some form of incarceration, someone on the outside is still hoped to not treat everyone like a professional shoplifter, right?

[Lux Interior]

And the employees will probably get fired, too. I believe most retailers have a "hands-off" policy in dealing with shoplifters.

[Filliam H. Muffman]

C(-)ris wrote: Police do what they are trained to do. Restrain and detain criminals. They aren't mental health providers or community advocates/social workers nor should they be. Two completely exclusive skillsets.

No, it is a result of police in the U.S. only sometimes required to have 90 days in a "Police Academy" (there's a reason the movie was made). This happens much less frequently in countries that require a dedicated two year training program that include welfare and wellness check training. I know it can be shocking to some U.S residents, but there are First World countries that do not usually let their lowest rank officers carry guns.

[Lemon Drop]

C(-)ris wrote:
[quote=Lemon Drop]
Where are her caregivers???

I see they've filed a federal lawsuit, maybe use some to provide appropriate care?

And of course fire the officers and send them to jail for aggravated assault.

Police do what they are trained to do. Restrain and detain criminals. They aren't mental health providers or community advocates/social workers nor should they be. Two completely exclusive skillsets.

Why aren't you advocating for suing here caregivers for being negligent?
You're saying the police actions were appropriate here? No of course they were not.

One officer is suspended and 2 others are on leave, pending an investigation of potential criminal conduct.

Nobody is trained to do what these officers did. The least you can say is they used very poor judgement.

[Acer]

Walmart employees really didn't do anything wrong here. They recovered the merchandise, and alerted authorities. It's not clear if they were seeking justice, following company policy, or genuinely concerned that the lady was having problems, but calling a cop on a shoplifter is a common thing. It's not their fault Officer Friendly had a flashback to the Gulf War.

[Lemon Drop]

Acer wrote:
Walmart employees really didn't do anything wrong here. They recovered the merchandise, and alerted authorities. It's not clear if they were seeking justice, following company policy, or genuinely concerned that the lady was having problems, but calling a cop on a shoplifter is a common thing. It's not their fault Officer Friendly had a flashback to the Gulf War.

I think that's a sad commentary on our society. The employees could have assessed the situation, amd let the lady pay for her items and be on her way. People have minds, hearts, commom sense and agency. A better choice could have been made and we would not be having this conversation and Mrs. Garner would be uninjured.
We are on earth to protect one another.

[mattkime]

C(-)ris wrote:
Police do what they are trained to do. Restrain and detain criminals

One would hope part of their training would be determining when such force is appropriate, rather than shrugging their shoulders and saying "What do you expect when you call the police?"

[Speedy]

Lemon Drop wrote:
[quote=Acer]
Walmart employees really didn't do anything wrong here. They recovered the merchandise, and alerted authorities. It's not clear if they were seeking justice, following company policy, or genuinely concerned that the lady was having problems, but calling a cop on a shoplifter is a common thing. It's not their fault Officer Friendly had a flashback to the Gulf War.

I think that's a sad commentary on our society. The employees could have assessed the situation, amd let the lady pay for her items and be on her way. People have minds, hearts, commom sense and agency. A better choice could have been made and we would not be having this conversation and Mrs. Garner would be uninjured.
We are on earth to protect one another.
Good plan. If they ever implement it I’ll always walk out without paying and, when confronted, pay. I’m sure I can get away with some stuff occasionally.

[Sam3]

Lemon Drop wrote:
[quote=Acer]
Walmart employees really didn't do anything wrong here. They recovered the merchandise, and alerted authorities. It's not clear if they were seeking justice, following company policy, or genuinely concerned that the lady was having problems, but calling a cop on a shoplifter is a common thing. It's not their fault Officer Friendly had a flashback to the Gulf War.

I think that's a sad commentary on our society. The employees could have assessed the situation, amd let the lady pay for her items and be on her way. People have minds, hearts, commom sense and agency. A better choice could have been made and we would not be having this conversation and Mrs. Garner would be uninjured.
We are on earth to protect one another.
I totally agree, and cbelt3's story affirms that there are alternative ways of handling situations like these.

What really irks me is the Walmart employees refusing to allow her to pay for the items when she offered, which is what cbelt was allowed to do, and did.

Washington Post wrote: “Employees intercepted her outside and took the items back, refusing to take her credit card to pay for them. Confused, Garner left and started walking home.

So I do place the blame for this whole incident onto the idiotic Walmart employees and managers.

[Lemon Drop]

Speedy wrote:
[quote=Lemon Drop]
[quote=Acer]
Walmart employees really didn't do anything wrong here. They recovered the merchandise, and alerted authorities. It's not clear if they were seeking justice, following company policy, or genuinely concerned that the lady was having problems, but calling a cop on a shoplifter is a common thing. It's not their fault Officer Friendly had a flashback to the Gulf War.

I think that's a sad commentary on our society. The employees could have assessed the situation, amd let the lady pay for her items and be on her way. People have minds, hearts, commom sense and agency. A better choice could have been made and we would not be having this conversation and Mrs. Garner would be uninjured.
We are on earth to protect one another.
Good plan. If they ever implement it I’ll always walk out without paying and, when confronted, pay. I’m sure I can get away with some stuff occasionally.
Is this sarcasm?