If you have been arrested in Florida for a theft or an embezzlement that occurred at a large chain store, such as a Walmart or Target, it is likely that your actions inside the store were captured by a store surveillance video camera. This camera is usually operated by a store employee known as a “loss prevention officer” who is in charge of preventing thefts in the store.
Over the last 10 years, large chain stores have installed extensive digital camera systems to monitor the actions of their customers. The days of black-and-white, grainy video recorded on a VHS tape are
long gone. Today’s digital cameras can easily zoom in and capture a customer’s movement throughout a store. The store employees who operate these cameras often focus them in on people who seem to be acting in a suspicious manner and may be planning to commit a theft. As a result, in the event that a person conceals an item and leaves a store without paying, his or her actions were likely captured and recorded on camera.
If a store employee operating a camera sees a theft take place, he or she will radio another employee located on the sales floor and tell him or her to confront the thief. The store employees will then detain the person until the police arrive. The store’s loss prevention officer will assist the police by providing the video tape as evidence so that it can be used to prosecute the customer for theft down the line.
If you hire one of the best fraud lawyers Orlando to defend you in your theft case, he or she can obtain and review the video tape of the alleged theft. After you and your attorney have viewed the video, he or she can give you legal advice regarding how to best handle the criminal charge. Please call me at my office in Orlando, Florida at (407) 415-9626 if you have questions about your theft case. I look forward to speaking with you.
