Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-08-06
ShOpIifting Bill
Stirs Debate
On Liberties
Aid to Merchants
In Civilian Arrests
Hit and Defended

In Civilian Arrests
Hit and Defended
A bill aimed at catching
shoplifters set of an argument
over civil liberties today before
a Senate District Judiciary SUBJ
committee.
The rights of shoppers
against false arrest we're pitted
against the proposed protec-
ton for merchants who might
arrest them.
The bill would impose crimi-
nal penalties on any person
who wilfully concealed mer-
chandise of any District store
The merchant making a civil
ian arrest Of such a person
would not be held civilly liable
for false arrest if he hac
probable cause" to believe the
shopper had hidden goods.
Subcommittee Charm a n
Hartke, Democrat of Indiana,
protested that a woman who
stuck a can of corn in a shop
ping bag could be punished
under the proposal. So could
a man who put a package OF
cigarettes into his pocket while
he was slipping a soft drink
in a drugstore, the Senator
pointed out.
Hartke Opposed
Senator Hartke said bluntly
he opposes the shoplifting bill
as written. 1t would set dam
gerouS precedents, he said. but
suggested that sponsors might
rewrite it into a suitable COM
promise protecting individual
rights.
Speaking for businessmen
Oscar Dodek, of the Merchants
and Manufacturers Association
insisted that the $12 million
Washington area shopliftine
racket demanded assistance Of
Congress in combating it.
Local police can assign only
small squads to stores, he said
And professional shoplifters
are quick to detect professional
officers, he added.
Statesmen, the most frequent
observers Of shoplifting, are
warned by their bosses against
being over-eager to make civil
ian arrests for fear of losing
customer good will, according
to Mr.. Dodek. He said judg.
ments for false arrests in Dis
trict stores total several thou
sand dollars annually.
Risk Of false-arrest suits Il
a major reason shoplifting ha:
grown to such an appalling
figure. testified John A. Pat
terson. jr.. chairman of the
public protection of the Wash
ington Board of Trade.
Groups Hit Bill
Opposing the measure were
Hyman Nussbaum, represent
ing the Association of Claim.
ants Attorneys Of Washington
and Clarence Mitchell. director
of the Washington Bureau Of
the National Association fol
the Advancement of Colorec
People.
Passage will bring about
more harm and abuse for thu
public than warranted by thu
benefits to be derived by 6
special class" Mr.. Nussbaun
said.
Mr.. Mitchell maintained tina
the net effect of the Legislation
would be that an innocent Gus
toner could be beaten, arrested
jailed and slandered at will b
an INSCRIPTIONS m erch a n
without any legal responsible
on the part of the merchant.
| Board Of Education Spokes
man Rowland F. Kinks testified
on a separate bill, that school
. teachers should be exempt fror
! jury duty. Taking issue wit
the exemption was Don
: Goodloe, of Local 6 of tn
American Federation Of Teach
erS, and E. Goring Bliss, Secre
: tary of the Jury Commission.
; Teachers must be free
choose themselves whether the
; would be more valuable in tn
classroom or in the jury DO,
according to Mr., Goodloe. MI
Bliss argued that teacher
must be better defined in a BIZ
to exempt them from jury serv
ice or else a Pandora's box @
exemptions will be opened"