Exact reason a security guard must give to search your belongings when leaving retail chains – they can even make arrest

SECURITY guards and store employees can search and arrest suspected shoplifters but only under specific conditions.

Ohio law has allowed store staff to take a potential shoplifter into custody but they must give them two exact pieces of information. 

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The midwestern state has lost billions of dollars to retail theft in 2022 and stores can legally attempt to combat this if they adhere to the rules.

Firstly, store staff can detain a suspected shoplifter but they must “inform the person to be arrested of the intention to arrest him,” according to Mahoning Matters.

The second piece of information staff must make you aware of is the “cause of the arrest.”

An exception is made to the second point if the crime is in progress when they are being arrested.

The final rule is that the person who conducts the arrest must file an affidavit immediately which describes the incident and why the person was arrested.

Shoplifters can be arrested and detained until the police arrive however the merchant must have “probable cause.”

This means a security guard or staff member must have witnessed or detected an act of theft taking place.

An example of this could be triggering an anti-theft device.

That means customers cannot be arrested based on suspicion alone.

Ohio law also states that stores have to “detain the person in a reasonable manner for a reasonable length of time within the mercantile establishment or its immediate vicinity.”

Customers should note however that this would technically be considered a citizen’s arrest, according to private security company NSG. 

Shoppers do not have to tell store staff or security their name, address, or any contact information as they are not the police.

Staff also do not have the right to use force to detain shoplifters, but they can defend themselves if attacked.

Shoplifting jumps to a felony from a misdemeanor if the value of items stolen is over $1,000.

Retail theft has become a worsening problem in the state of Ohio as retailers reported $2,112,726,640 in losses, according to the US Chambers of Commerce.

National retailers have also felt the bite of crime with many increasing their anti-theft measures across their stores.

The US Sun previously reported on Target stores that took extreme measures like tethering game consoles to walls or placing some pharmacy products in security boxes.