Target security officer fired after reporting shoplifting cop

[n2doc]

By Tom Jackman

Dallas Northington spent nearly eight years working for Target in loss prevention, roaming the stores and scanning the surveillance cameras. In an episode at the Leesburg Target store in May that he said was typical, a man was allegedly captured twice on video shoplifting, and Northington responded as he said he always did: He called the Leesburg police, made a report and provided them the videos of the two incidents.

But the man in the video may have been a Fairfax County sheriff’s deputy, Northington said he soon learned. And within days, two things happened: The deputy retired from the sheriff’s office and Target fired Northington, 29, a married father of two with a third child on the way.

Northington said Target officials told him that he had violated procedure by not filling out the proper paperwork before contacting the police, though he said his office had operated the same way for years. He said he also was told that he had been insubordinate for not seeking approval before calling police, though he said the standard practice was for him to act as needed.

But the man Northington said he and his supervisors identified as a deputy has not yet been charged with a crime though Northington said he had provided the man’s name and two color videos of him in action, his face clearly visible, to Leesburg police on May 27, the date of the second incident.


more

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/target-security-officer-fired-after-reportingshoplifting/2014/07/10/f3d6f606-0854-11e4-bbf1-cc51275e7f8f_story.html

[JimDandy]

1. Ah... Good ole Fairfax County, Va.

If the security guard is black, I'd bet that the cop is white.

That county is a perpetual hotbed of racism. They refused to integrate their schools until decades after the Brown decision.

Hmmm. Wonder who put the squeeze on Target to dump a conscientious employee in favor of a bad cop?

[Triana]

2. Northington is indeed black...

Dallas Northington, 29, was a plain-clothes security officer at Target in Leesburg, Va. (Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post)

[JimDandy]

6. Thanks for posting the photo. Could the WaPo have

choosen a more stereotypical racist pose (hunkered down in a stairwell, sullen countenance, tats exposed, cutoffs and new Nikes) for this black man who was a former authority figure in the community? Come on! Why no pose of him standing, professionally dressed (as he would have looked at the time of the incident), and with a Target store in the background.

[FrodosPet]

9. I thought loss prevention is undercover?

He looks well dressed compared to some L.P. people at the Sears I used to work at.

[Triana]

13. I dunno about WaPo but the article said he was a 'plainclothes' security officer so

probably he had no uniform. Most likely, he wanted to blend in with regular customers so as to not be conspicuous. Easier to catch shoplifters that way.

[JimDandy]

14. True. But do you really think

Last edited Sun Jul 13, 2014, 01:31 PM - Edit history (1)

the WaPo would have posed a white plainclothes security officer like that? Perceived credibility can be manipulated by subtle things like a photo. Maybe I'm barking up the wrong tree, but in this instance, I don't think my skepticism about their use of such a photo is misplaced.

[erronis]

16. Loudon county, not Fairfax.

Lots of its own problems including incredible disparity in wealth. The Dulles Tech corridor (AOL) and a lot of families that lived in Loudon as farmers and are displaced by mini/mega mansions and Fairfaxians that need to escape the beltway costs.

There's nothing as cancerous on the life of a community than rich @ssholes/realtors/developers poisoning the way of life. (Is that PC enough?)

[JimDandy]

19. Louden County and Fairfax County abut each other.

(The Target store is in Lounden Co and the shoplifter was a Fairfax Co Sheriff's deputy.) As far as racism goes, both counties are horrible (lived there as a child). Your assessment of the land situation is PC.

[DirkGently]

3. Well isn't that interesting.

Whether what's implied here is the case this time or not, the story certainly follows a familiar pattern of how privilege and insider status work to subvert rules or laws claimed to apply to everyone.

Once it's determined that "one of us" committed the bad act, suddenly it's whoever discovered or communicated that who will be punished. Relative power levels have to be discussed and weighed before any action is taken, and it's a more serious breach of protocol to have complained about someone more powerful doing wrong without getting "clearance," than the actual bad act itself.

It's such a familiar power dynamic that in other contexts, we have things like "whistleblower laws" intended to prevent it.

Because without something like that in place, a we are all well aware that the less powerful are always in danger reporting the bad acts of the more powerful.

[dixiegrrrrl]

4. Wonder if this is racial.....

Article does not indicate if the cop was white or not...

[FrodosPet]

11. Probably

But most likely it is a case of "Blue Buds Got Yer Back" for the busted cop, regardless of the race of the perp or guard.

I hope this story gets traction and this young man gets paid.

[winstars]

12. Its 50/50, white or black cop? Virginia or anywhere really:( I'm betting: WHITE. Could be wrong...

[Snotcicles]

5. It's like watching a cat in a litter box covering up it's business. nt

[JimDandy]

7. That's an apt description of both Target's and the police dept's behavior.

[tech3149]

8. I like the way you think!

Absolutely true and entirely accurate.

[TNNurse]

10. I have mixed feelings about law enforcement.

I have seen some do some amazing social work in dealing with people. We all know that there have been acts of criminal violence that are racial and some horrific actions toward women. We know that they face the potential for harm most every day.

I also know, they protect their own.

[avebury]

15. This is when you wonder if an organized twitter.

facebook, phone, letter, and email campaign to Target's HQ could help this man get his job back.

Edit to add: I did email Target Corporation HQ. I pointed out that, even if Mr. Northington did not follow strict protocols, if the Store management did not take corrective action earlier to insist that he follow their protocol, the Store, in effect rewrote the policies. I also indicated that, unless they had a racist jury, a court case might not go do well for them.

[griloco]

17. How long berfore Target comes to it's senses?

Write Target
https://www-secure.target.com/HelpFormLinkPageView?catalogId=10051&langId=-1&storeId=10151&krypto=cQcHDksCxhgmutHxyjlq48%2BIHqzAFPvRjj%2BCK5QVyor4h0nGk1rMzeFOGnDn4aO%2F5j5F%2FWeHnQn5%0AYKCkxU%2BisHY1848%2FvacW2oxdPaaln2AgEzeb4KFkIw%3D%3D&ddkey=http:HelpFormLinkPageView

This will not stand

[DallasNE]

18. What, You Mean There Is A Double Standard?

Please tell me that is not so. Cops surely can't have a get out of jail free card, can they.

[TransitJohn]

20. Yay, cops!

They're the best.

[bayareaboy]

21. How come some business get to the point where they figure they can do anything...

whether they are Target or wall-mart or even Home Depot, or.

I haven't been in a Target since the before Christmas thing with identity theft thing. My bank not only sent me new cards but then sued Target, thank you Umpqua Bank. It's not often I thank a Bank.

I don't realize why folks don't understand why thier organization has to have the aura of garbage and when it goes to the courthouse they will often lose big.