Published: October 11, 2009

(Hey teensagers, just pick the store nearest to you)

It will start very soon or it has already been launched. There is a pilot program where teenagers can premeditatedly decide to go into selected Wal-Mart stores and shoplift without being arrested or going to jail. If the pilot goes well, then maybe all stores in Hillsborough County/ Tampa Florida could be a shop lift jail free zone for teenagers?

To avoid being arrested, the teenagers would need a valid ID, keep the merchandise under $299.99*  with taxes included,  never been charged before at Wal-Mart, and have a guardian on standby for ride home, but not to jail. Be sure and steal a calculator to add up all the merchandise. How many adults will drop off children just to shoplift ? * ( The shop lift dollar amount could be different than $299.99)

Here is my position on the subject of anyone shoplifting. They should be caught, arrested, prosecuted and sentenced.

I am vehemently against this program. It will only encourage much more shop lifting (once the word gets out, ooops) and it will save the world’s largest corporation, Wal-Mart, the cost of prosecution.

I don’t have the complete details on this program because;

1. The Wal-Mart security chief associated with the program has an arrogant attitude and would not even tell me his name or answer any questions. I have since discovered his name and the Wal-Mart store where he works.

2. The official in charge of the program for The Judicial system, in Hillsborough County, told me at a recent meeting on the project, “Alvin, come in, take a seat, be quiet and don’t ask any questions”. I was deprived an opportunity to ask critical and key questions to the principals about the program. I considered the treatment of me that day, as marginalization and humiliation of a private citizen and taxpayer at the hands of government bureaucrat.

At that meeting were ranking officers from the Hillsborough county sheriff department, the unknown Wal-Mart security chief, and four officials from Hillsborough county government.

3. The Hillsborough County officials in the know about this program, refuses to return my phones calls about this program.

4. Out of mere frustration and having a desire to find out the facts of this pilot program, I called the Wal-Mart Corporate office in Benton, Ark.
They were clueless to what I was talking about.

Here is some background on how teens can shoplift at Wal-Mart and not get arrested. A few years ago, the State Legislature in Florida passed a law giving delinquent teens an option of not getting a criminal record for minor crimes and acts of senselessness.

985.12 Civil citation program

(There is established a juvenile civil citation process for the purpose of providing an efficient and innovative alternative to custody by the Department of Juvenile Justice of …
children who commit nonserious delinquent acts
… and to ensure swift and appropriate consequences. The civil citation program may be established at the local level with the concurrence of the chief judge of the circuit, state attorney, public defender, and the head of each local law enforcement agency involved. Under such a juvenile civil citation program, any law enforcement officer, upon making contact with a juvenile who admits having committed a misdemeanor, may issue a civil citation assessing not more than 50 community service hours, and may require participation in intervention services appropriate to identified needs of the juvenile, including family counseling, urinalysis monitoring, and substance abuse and mental health treatment services. A copy of each citation issued under this section shall be provided to the department, and the department shall enter appropriate information into the juvenile offender information system.)

Basically here is how the Civil Citation Program is suppose to work.

There are several minor crimes that are considered for a civil citation. The children plead guilty, without the benefit of an attorney, and get to work off his sentence with various forms of community service. Then after they have completed the work, no criminal record?

Shoplifting should not be on that list of minor crimes.

The Hillsborough Public school system has had a Task Force for several years now for in school violations.

There are about 12,000,000 cases per year in Hillsborough judicial system involving kids. Our county pays the state about $8,500,000 annually for housing our youths with issues. The Sheriff can provide the same services with medical and dental for about $3,800,000 annually.

It would cheaper and more beneficial to send these kids to Disney World for three days than pay the state for just housing?

Now the county wants to roll out this Civil Citation program county wide. Wal-Mart is the first non school environment for this program of citations.

This program was passed under the disguise of keeping minor child hood infractions from causing criminal records. But connect the dots; I believe the driving factor behind this program is its cost savings element. It’s about almost $3,000 to arrest a teenager. Under the Civil citation program, the cost is under $600.

This school board civil citation has and the county wide program would have many problems. Some are;
1. Many consider the citation as an actual arrest,
2. No efforts are being spent on prevention,
3. There are copies of the citation distributed to law enforcement, the courts, and to the State Attorney’s office and to third parties.
4. These copies could end up in a Database and come back in the future to haunt many.
5. The children are pleading guilty without the benefits of criminal attorneys.
6. Each county seems to be doing things their way.
7. Who is in charge? Why is it not the school board?
a.Who sets meeting schedules?
b.Why are there no establish by laws after 3 years?
c.How did certain private enterprises get contracts for work with the Task Force?
d. Were there competitive biddings for those contracts?
e. How would the administrator of the county wide program be selected?

There should be two important considerations in the administration of the civil citation program. First, that there be a lawyer present before the children plead guilty. Secondly, all of the copies should be held by a non law enforcement and non judicial party until after two violations. A church could be such of a place. After the completion of community services, all copies would be destroyed. If there is a third violation, only the church would have the names and determine that the teenager is not eligible. The pre civil citation rules would apply.

In The Hillsborough County, the African American leadership under Pastor Favorite is beginning to examine closely the civil citation program. The largest group of pastors in Hillsborough County, The Pastors on Patrol says that African Americans are disproportionately over prosecuted in the criminal justice system. Mark Ober, the State Attorney and prosecutor is carefully investigating the allegations.

Hello JUST – US system.
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Contact me> almccray @aol.com

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