CdwJava
Moderator
Actually, it's probably quite low when you think about the cost of anti-theft measures and personnel per incident. If you parsed out the penalties for prevention, apprehension, and lost revenue from the item, I suspect that the cost would be far greater.Well I don't know the numbers, but yes.
What I am getting at is that the punishment should fit the crime. The person who steals the $3 item and returns it should not face the same penalty as the person who steals the $300 item and doesn't return it.
The $400 penalty in this case is absurd.
CA law allows law enforcement to seek compensation for their costs for vehicle impounds, DUI responses, etc. and do you really think that it costs the agency $120 to fill out the CHP 180 and the release document? There are elements of state law that permit organizations to seek compensation beyond direct costs.
If a person does not want to pay, and they feel they can actually beat the claim in civil court (good luck with that) or pray that the business will no pursue them, they have a right to force the business's hand. But, if they lose that coin toss, it will cost them many times more than the original demand. And, believe me, the evidence of the theft is usually quite substantial in most cases.