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NW Store Posts Surveillance Video Online After Group Robbery
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The police arrived at Universal Gear shortly after the incident Wednesday night. They took reports -- as they have about a dozen times before -- and posted still photos from the video on neighborhood Web lists, said 3rd Police District Cmdr. George Kucik.
Kucik pointed to a similar attack on 14th Street in a women's clothing boutique, Rue 14, several weeks ago. Five young women browsed, loaded their arms with pricey frocks, then made a sudden break for the door and jumped into a getaway car.
It's a frustrating pattern for the fledgling businesses in a quickly changing neighborhood, said Natalie Avery, executive director of the Mid City Business Association. She applauds Franco's boldness as a video vigilante.
"That's the kind of thing that needs to start happening, businesses getting proactive about this. Getting security cameras, alerting each other, those kinds of things," Avery said.
Kucik described the incidents as "particularly brazen."
The robbers have been to the store dozens of times before, said Universal Gear store manager Yeme Mengistu. Sometimes they just come in and browse for a few minutes and leave without taking anything. The unpredictability makes clerks jittery but reluctant to sound the alarm if a crime has not been committed.
"The only thing we can do is smother them with customer service," Mengistu said of the tactic, in which employees try to thwart them with over-attention. "We come over to them, ask them if we can help them. 'Do you need a particular size? A style? What can we help you with?' "
G Star employees are now instructed to call police as soon as someone they recognize as a repeat shoplifter enters the store. But as the video makes clear, 86 seconds is not enough time to make a phone call to police and expect a response.
Police officers are planning to coach store employees on how to act if they are targeted again.
"Mainly, we don't want our employees to get hurt. Safety is paramount," said Franco, who has offered a $500 reward for information. Police will advise workers to avoid escalating the situation and to call police. Kucik said he is trying to increase patrols in the area.
Franco is considering installing a panic button, one that calls police, or a more sophisticated model that sets off lights and sirens.
Swift action runs in the family. His parents owned discount stores and posted a rogue's gallery of shoplifters' mug shots by the cash register.
"This time around, I had to learn to be a little more tech-savvy," he said.
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