AGGRESSIVE TREATMENT OF SHOPLIFTERS SENDS SIGNAL

Shoplifting isn't someone else's trouble. It drives up the cost of every single product we buy. That's why aggressive arrest, prosecution and sentencing of shoplifters helps us all. It also sends a strong message: If you get caught shoplifting in Cape Girardeau, you're going to jail.

Such was the case of a professional shoplifting ring that was stopped cold in Cape Girardeau this past January. One of the four women arrested pled guilty to the scheme this week; she will be sentenced Nov. 17. This was no ordinary shoplifting incident. The sophisticated scheme covered four states, involved thousands of dollars in merchandise and utilized high-tech bags and two-way radios to thwart anti-theft security detection systems.

The shoplifting ring apparently operated out of Memphis, and members were on their way to shopping malls in St. Louis. During a stopover in Cape Girardeau, the women stole about $3,500 in merchandise from the West Park Mall in a matter of minutes in a few stores. Quick work by a store employee and West Park Mall security, and area law enforcement agencies, helped bust the scheme.

Nationally, retail stores lose more than $24 billion to shoplifting each year. Missouri's annual losses are more than a half a million dollars, according to authorities. For many retail stores, shoplifting may represents as much as 2 to 4 percent of sales. And this "shrinkage" is passed on to the paying customers in terms of higher prices.

Most shoplifters are not professionals. People steal to stretch their budgets or for the thrill. Professionals probably make up 1 percent of shop~lifters. But when they come through town, they tend to hit hard, stealing large amounts of merchandise quickly. Employee theft is another problem that retail stores battle every day.

As stores become more sophisticated about theft, the criminals become more innovative. That was evidenced by this recent group, who used diversionary tactics and special equipment to circumvent electronic anti-theft devices. In this case, the effort was enough.

Shoplifting is a cost we all bear, and it will take an aggressive team effort to stop it. Stores, police, prosecutors, courts and customers must all work together to this end. We must send a strong message in Cape Girardeau: It doesn't pay to steal.