By Neil Harvey
The Roanoke Times
Suspects arrested on shoplifting charges in Roanoke can now face an additional and somewhat more personal penalty: Internet fame -- or at least infamy.
This month, the Roanoke Police Department began posting on its Web site the mug shots of everyone taken into custody and charged with the offense.
“Shoplifting was an issue,” said Roanoke police Lt. Danny Brabham. “We’re always trying to brainstorm how to reduce different things.”
Brabham said shoplifting statistics are difficult to gauge -- police can only record thefts that are discovered and reported -- and city statistics on shoplifting arrests were not readily available this week.
“It kind of runs in cycles depending on enforcement,” he said.
Brabham said the inspiration for the initiative came from the Avondale (Ariz.) Police Department, whose Web site also shows pictures of those suspected of thefts from stores. He also read about a kiosk at a mall in Staten Island, N.Y., that displays digital mug shots of browsers accused of attempting to claim a five-finger discount.
“We took it over to the city attorney’s office and once we got approval, we put them up,” Brabham said.
The suspects on the Web site have only been charged and have not gone to trial yet. They have not been convicted of any crime.
In January, the current gallery will come down and mug shots taken in December will replace them.
The number of pictures in the gallery is not representative of the total shoplifting busts in the city. Only suspects who are actually taken into custody will have their names and photos posted on the site, not those who are simply issued summonses for shoplifting or for concealing merchandise.
The decision on whether to take a suspect to jail is up to the discretion of the investigating officer, Brabham said.
“It would depend on the seriousness” of the offense, he said, and “what was taken and the person’s history.”
Avondale police, according to their Web site, post pictures of suspects jailed as well as those merely cited.
Two-thirds of the 36 suspects who appear on the Roanoke police Web site were arrested in the 4800 block of Valley View Boulevard, an area that includes Valley View Mall and Wal-Mart. The mall’s manager was unavailable Friday.
Representatives of several other businesses in the area, including Target, declined to comment on the new police initiative or on shoplifting statistics.
Anna Taylor, a spokeswoman for Wal-Mart Stores, said she didn’t feel comfortable commenting on the initiative because she was not fully familiar with it, but she added, “Wal-Mart always cooperates with local authorities and their investigations in an attempt to deter crime.”
Shoplifting and concealing merchandise are both considered Class 1 misdemeanors and can draw penalties of up to 12 months in jail, a $2,500 fine or both.
Police recently met with the leaders of local business organizations, and Brabham said the feedback was good. “They were excited about it,” he said.
Wendy Jones, executive director of the Williamson Road Area Business Association, circulated word of the gallery in an e-mail last week.
Brabham said it’s too soon to tell whether the approach is successful in deterring shoplifters, but he said the department will continue to experiment with new techniques.
“We’re always trying something, within reason,” Brabham said. “We like to come up with new and innovative ways.
“We’re going to continue not doing business as normal.”
Copyright 2008 The Roanoke Times