The Star Ledger reported today that an Edison detective was arrested for shoplifting. The allegation was that he stole $42 in merchandise from a supermarket.  His stated position is that the charge was fabricated and that the items were properly paid for.  The case is still pending.

The report really does not come as a surprise given the experience of our NJ shoplifting defense practice. In fact, the profile of our typical shoplifting client is a middle to upper class woman in her forties.  What we are, for example, referring to are investment bankers, corporate executives and spouses of prominent physicians with plenty of money. Shoplifting is not about survival for most of our clients but rather something else.  Perhaps, the police officer in the report had similar motivation, assuming the allegations have merit.

Thankfully, it is a rare occurrence that one of our clients is actually convicted of shoplifting.  We are almost always able to have shoplifting charges downgraded and/or dismissed. One would expect a similar outcome for the police officer in the report.