[quote=scaredycat]i guess the problem is if the shoplifter had gotten hurt or killed–or more likely, an innocent bystander had been toppled — say a fragile senior citizen who was going on a power walk around the mall — then the pursuers and their employers could ahve been the subject of lawsuits…..

it’s just stuff, after all…and the guys who do the chasing aren’t always noble do-gooders, but overeager goofballs who welcome the opportunity to chase and give a good ass-whupping, which, altough probably deserved, is not really in their job description….[/quote]

I think this merely points out the problems with an over-reach of our legal system.

If I ran that store, I should have the freedom to distinguish between employees laudably showing their altruism, or gung-ho thrillseekers looking for an excuse to get a thrill for themselves. I shouldn’t be forced by the legal system to conclude that, even if it is altruism, I have to punish it.