Lowe’s employees at the Mantua store pose with officers. “Ultimately,” said Police Chief Darren White, “the goal is for all retail employees to understand that, as long as it is within their policies, they can and should call us when they observe behavior that they believe is suspicious.”
Members of the Mantua police department met with employees of the township’s Lowe’s store on July 12 to discuss how to combat retail theft.
The meeting was hosted by Lt. Brian Hauss and Det. Sergeant Bob Layton, who addressed the proper procedures for reporting theft. The session also emphasized how Lowe’s and other retailers in Mantua can coordinate with police.
“Ultimately,” said Chief Darren White, “the goal is for all retail employees to understand that, as long as it is within their policies, they can and should call us when they observe behavior that they believe is suspicious.
“They are the main eyes and ears within the business and can be a huge asset in either preventing retail theft and or helping to identify those responsible … “
“Under Chief Darren White’s direction, our police department has been doing a phenomenal job proactively addressing the retail thefts at Lowe’s and the other big-box stores throughout the community,” noted Mayor Robert Zimmerman, who attended the meeting with Deputy Mayor Pete Scirrotto.
“The vast majority of these crimes committed in Mantua are being closed by arrests,” he added. “This is a credit to the MTPD’s (police department’s) assertive efforts, and that of the detective bureau …”
The meeting addressed rampant retail theft in Mantua, but also around the country. The police detective bureau has formed a task force to fight shoplifting that has resulted in hundreds of thousands of dollars in retail losses, according to Mantua police crime logs.
“Retail theft has become a big issue all across the country,” White explained. “Our officers are constantly patroling all of our retail establishments. We also have specific technology that can help identify vehicles involved in these thefts. Our detective bureau has developed great relationships with other federal, state, and local units.
“With the help of these agencies and loss-prevention employees from the individual stores,” he added, “our officers have become very adept at identifying suspects and making arrests for these types of crimes.”
