Any way it’s spun, stealing is unjust, dishonest, and immoral
Burglary, embezzlement, larceny, looting, shoplifting and fraud are various types of stealing. Stealing is taking another person’s property without their permission with no intention of returning it.
At one time or another, I suspect that everyone has taken something tiny that didn’t belong to them. Most people aren’t moonlighting muggers or criminals. But their mind could be sleepy like they were trying to dig a grave with a spoon. It could be absentmindedness or good intentions that go bad, but the number of times neighbors borrow something and forget to take it back is likely staggering. Criminal behavior is very often preceded by good intentions. Many years ago, my parents taught me not to steal, and that’s why I use a restaurant toothpick then put it back.
When I was about 14, a relative picked up a bunch of grapes and ate a handful inside a grocery store. Of course, there was no mention of the eaten grapes when he got to the cash register. In hindsight, I wish that I’d blurted out, “What do you think you are doing?”
In businesses, where it’s required to sign a credit card receipt, some employees attach
fake flowers to the top of their ink pens. Perhaps cute, but it’s done to stop people from accidentally (or intentionally) sticking an ink pen in their pocket before walking off.
Here is a hypothetical situation to ponder. You are in the 15th car and you have been stopped for about a minute at a traffic light. When the light turns green, the car directly in front of you waits for a moment and allows two cars approaching from a side street to pull out into your line of traffic. The car in front and the two cars he let out make it through the green traffic light. But you have to stop because the traffic light turned red again. Did the car in front steal your time? The driver can’t give it back. No, he isn’t going to be arrested, he was simply being polite, but at whose expense?
I guess petty theft is something that many people turn their heads to. Many times, a customer in a fast food restaurant orders food and a glass of water. When handed the water cup, the customer goes to the soda fountain and fills the water cup with soda.
Many hair salons, doctor’s offices, garages and other places that have waiting rooms, offer magazines for customers to read. It is normal for people to find a recipe that they want to keep. It is also normal for customers not to be able to finish an article before they are the next person to be called. Rather than using a cellphone camera to capture an image, or asking the business to copy the article, it is just easier to steal the magazine.
Some restaurants dole out napkins, straws and condiments with each order. Others allow the customer to help themselves. Some customers figure that a gob of extra napkins for their car, extra mints for tomorrow, or a handful of extra mayonnaise packs for home won’t hurt. But in reality, it creates a colossal negative financial impact on the restaurant.
There’s a local fast food restaurant chain that offers wrapped breadsticks, pickles and other condiments next to their ramekins. Recently, a woman picked up a to-go order, then stuffed her Styrofoam container with enough condiments to supply an invading army battalion. Although they were out for the taking, I believe this woman abused the intent of the program and stole condiments.
Back in the day, I worked security for a department store. We always had lots of coats and umbrellas in our lost and found area. I was approached one rainy day by a man asking where he could find our lost and found department. He told me that he left his umbrella behind earlier when he was shopping. I told him that I could help him and asked him to describe his umbrella. He mumbled a few words, turned red in the face, then turned and walked quickly away. Apparently, it was his intent to steal.
These days, it seems like many people claim to mispocket, rather than steal. Thieves could be hungry or even have a mental disorder that compels them to steal, but stealing has reached an epidemic level in our country. Any way it’s spun, stealing is unjust, dishonest and immoral, because man isn’t entitled to all things just because he wants it.
Charlie Sewell is a retired Powder Springs police chief. His book “I’d Rather You Call Me Charlie: Reminiscences Filled With Twists of Devilment, Devotion and A Little Danger Here and There” is available on Amazon. Email him at
retiredchiefsewell@gmail.com.