Established in 1938, Dillard’s has definitely been an American staple for a very long time. Considered an ‘old-school’ and higher-end department store, one has to wonder what kind of shoplifting policy they have, especially in this day and age. So, what is Dillard’s shoplifting policy?
Dillard’s has quite an aggressive shoplifting policy. While on the surface, you’ve basically got the standard surveillance cameras, security tagging, and patrolling (often plain-clothed) guards, those guards are ALMOST ALWAYS off-duty Police officers who can and will arrest you if they believe you are shoplifting.
Today we’re going to take a peek into Dillard’s security structure so that you know that they aren’t playing games when it comes to their loss prevention strategies.
As it turns out, they have the means and strategies to show that they really mean business!
Dillard’s Loss Prevention Strategies
While Dillard’s employs a fairly standard security array, with standards like having managers monitor and occasionally check their employees, the most apparent side of their security is focused on preventing shoplifting and aggressively going after people who attempt this in their stores.
In the sections below, we’ll talk about Dillard’s security and why it’s basic but quite effective.
Surveillance cameras
A standard now just about anywhere you go, Dillard’s has been around since 1938, so they were among the first adopters of security camera technology.
That said, there is nothing in their privacy policy indicating that facial recognition is used and while mannequin cameras are not employed, camera surveillance is indeed still present.
Footage retention policies are not publicly posted, but for most companies footage may be retained anywhere from 6 months to a year, and sometimes longer, so that if a shoplifter is caught and has been seen before, then a review of previous footage might well come into play to help in building a case.
RFID Inventory Control System
RFID is another industry standard, one that Dillard’s also subscribes to, and this security tagging adds another layer of security in that tagged items will set off an alarm if someone leaves the store with them.
While there is no publicly published information confirming this, we should note that some cameras today can integrate with RFID to essentially ‘follow’ items through a store so that it may be determined if they are eventually discarded somewhere or paid for.
That said, even without more advanced methods, RFID is a standard for a reason – it works – and those thick, plastic tags that require a removal tool on the part of the cashier are effective.
Every day, Dillard’s is catching shoplifters attempting to wear or conceal items and take them from the store without paying by RFID security tagging strategies alone.
Off-Duty Police Officers
This is a facet of Dillard’s security that really stands out from other stores. Many stores will avoid hiring off-duty police officers in their stores, as they tend to be much more aggressive, and many stores worry that they will frighten away potential business while simply trying to ward off shoplifters.
Dillard’s, however, tends to hire off-duty officers almost exclusively, which for shoplifters means that charges are definitely going to be pressed right away and also that attempting to flee can add other charges like resisting arrest, evading the police, and more.
Add in the embarrassment of being immediately cuffed and taken straight to a police station, and what you get is an extremely aggressive, but also highly effective deterrent for shoplifting at Dillard’s.
Concealing is stealing and those off-duty officers are watching for this
We should also mention that simply trying to walk out with an item isn’t the only thing that can count as shoplifting. Deliberately concealing an item so that it might be potentially easier to shoplift can also result in shoplifting charges.
This doesn’t mean that you can’t try something on in the dressing room and leave it in view there or put it back where it belongs, but if you put the item in a new area and ESPECIALLY if it’s out of view, then this could be considered shoplifting and you might well get charged on your way out.
When you add in the factor of the off-duty officers, what you need to understand is that the risk of getting arrested really, REALY goes up. In most states, an officer can hold you in a temporary cell for 24-72 hours on charges of suspicion alone.
If they are convinced that you are trying to shoplift, they may well even take advantage of ‘holding you on suspicion’ in order to review surveillance data to determine if you’ve been visiting the store often and exhibiting suspicious behavior.
If you HAVE, this surveillance could be used against you, but even if you did nothing you can be held on suspicion anyway and you have no legal recourse for this.
That means even if you miss work and they can’t prove that you were shoplifting, you won’t be able to successfully sue if you lose your job.
This is a HUGE deterrent one of the many reasons that Dillard’s uses off-duty police officers – they have more power than standard security and potential shoplifters know this and tend to leave Dillard’s alone.
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What should you do if you’re caught shoplifting at Dillard’s?
If you are caught shoplifting or even accused of it, you’ll want to be very careful about your next steps. We have a few quick recommendations that you’ll want to consider if this ever happens to you.
Be on your best behavior
You should do this anyway, even with security guards, as it’s just good managers in civil society, but there are also some other very practical reasons for being polite and not causing a scene if you are accused of shoplifting.
For one thing, you’re likely being recorded, and rude behavior isn’t going to help you if you are booked and eventually tried in court.
Secondly, since you are likely dealing with off-duty officers, you are potentially facing a lot more charges than shoplifting.
You don’t want to try to run or call the officer names, for instance, because that adds ‘evading arrest’ and ‘insulting an officer’ to your list of problem charges.
If you try to run away and bump into someone or touch them at all trying to get around them, then this could add ‘assault to the growing list of potential charges you might face.
No matter how angry or embarrassed you are, it is VITAL that you behave civilly and let your lawyer do all of the talking when it comes to protecting your reputation and defending you from a shoplifting charge.
Immediately get a lawyer
That brings us to another important point – get a lawyer. Yes, they are expensive, but especially with Dillard’s and their off-duty police officers, you’re going to want as much protection as you can get from what might be a ‘laundry list’ of charges.
What’s more, Lawyers are going to know what options are available based on your criminal record and the specific offense.
Even if this is not your first time shoplifting, you may well qualify for public service and educational alternatives where you agree to work or take classes and if you complete the agreed-upon tasks then the charge might be wiped from your record.
That could keep you out of jail and from potentially losing your job or your ability to provide for your family while waiting for your time in court.
Get a lawyer and furthermore, don’t even speak until you’ve got a lawyer with you other than providing your name and identification.
As they say, ‘Anything you say can and will be used against you’ and at Dillard’s, you can bet that they definitely mean this.
Stay out of Dillard’s until everything is sorted out
Even if you go to jail, pay your bail, and if the store hasn’t banned you from the premises, do NOT go back to Dillard’s until you have sorted out this legal mess.
If you’ve been banned, that’s an instant trespassing charge and a trip back to jail, but even if you haven’t been banned those officers are going to be watching you very carefully the whole time.
We’ve mentioned that you can go to jail on suspicion alone, so it’s not worth the risk to go inside Dillard’s until your legal woes have been sorted out.
Some closing words
In this article, we’ve talked about Dillard’s Shoplifting policy and as you can see, they are quite serious about loss prevention security.
If you are caught, charges are going to be pressed, and with off-duty officers being Dillard’s favored hiring choice, you’ll also be open to a number of potential extra charges.
So, take extra care when you are at Dillard’s, and when you try something on, always return it to the discard pile or if you hang it back up, make sure it’s fully visible.
They’re watching you carefully at Dillard’s, so a little careful prudence is well worth your while!