Shoplifting: It’s not worth the risk

“Shoplifting continues to be a problem in our community,” said Lt. Col. Kyle Korver, 86th Mission Support Group deputy commander. “Hopefully reading this article will help people better understand the consequences for this type of criminal activity and prevent individuals from engaging in this behavior here in the Kaiserslautern Military Community Center in 2017.”

When family members are caught shoplifting, they, along with their military sponsor and the sponsor’s first sergeant or supervisor, will have to meet with Korver and explain their actions.

As a result of shoplifting, the offender’s Army and Air Force Exchange Service, 86th Force Support Squadron, Military Welfare and Recreation and commissary privileges are restricted, and the individual is not authorized in any such facility, to include affiliated food service establishments. An individual accompanying someone who is caught may be treated as an accessory and also have their ID-card privileges restricted.

Many shoplifting incidents occur when minors go to the KMCC after school without a parent or adult. It is recommended that parents educate their children on proper behavior in the KMCC and supervise their youth whenever possible.

AAFES charges a $200 Civil Recovery Act fee, and German authorities may also take action by imposing a fine for shoplifting.

With all the disciplinary actions a shoplifter must face, you may ask, “Why would they do it?” Many teenage offenders do it to see how much they can get away with or to prove to their friends they would not get caught. With many high-tech cameras and undercover store detectives throughout the store as well as security forces on patrol, chances are high they will be caught. A shoplifting incident remains in the Security Forces Management Information System for five years and is accessible during background checks for employment and security clearances.

Think about how shoplifting impacts everyone else — your family, your command, merchants and your future. Because when you steal, you steal from all of us.