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All South
Dakotans have a responsibility to help prevent the illegal manufacturing
of Meth. Retail employees, because they often work in stores that sell
the ingredients used to make the deadly drug, are in a position to help
their local law enforcement discover Meth cooks in their community and
reduce the availability of the products to criminals.
What can you do?
●Be aware of the
products used to produce
Meth
●Learn to identify
suspicious people who may be
buying these products
●Learn to
observe, document and report their
actions
●Follow safety
procedures closely
Suspicious People and Behavior
A person on Meth
may become very agitated, paranoid or violent. Meth users' unpredictable
behavior and emotions make them very dangerous to be near. Be on your
guard and watch for any person or group that:
u
Purchases
unusually large quantities of products identified in the Meth Alert
program
u Makes
unusually frequent purchases of the listed products
u Purchases
combinations of the products
u Checks
out at lower traffic areas of the store
Although you will
enforce store policy on the purchase limits and rules concerning the
identified products, it is important to remember that your role is not to
confront suspicious behavior directly. Doing so could put you at risk, as
well as endangering other staff or customers. Instead, you are asked to
be an observer.
þ
Make
yourself aware of the appearance and actions of the suspicious person or
group.
þ
Observe
their purchases.
þ
Document
their actions (what made you suspicious)
þ
Obtain
their license plate number if possible
You will need to
report your information to your manager. Your report should include:
þ
Date
and time of purchase
þ
A
detailed list of what was bought
þ
A
physical description of the suspect or suspects
þ
A
description of the vehicle, including license plate numbers, if possible.
Remember, you should never place yourself, co-workers or other customers
in danger by trying to confront a suspected Meth user or cook.
Remember - a
person on Meth may become very agitated, paranoid or violent with
seemingly little to no provocation. Never confront a possible user with
your suspicions - the 'cook' may already be in a paranoid state and
potentially dangerous. Instead, remain calm and complete the
transaction. There are some things you can do to avoid arousing the
suspicion of the customer.
è
Keep
a safe distance - six feet or more.
è
Avoid
prolonged eye contact
è
Slow
your speech and talk in a calm manner
è
Move
slowly and keep your hands visible
è
Keep
them talking. If they become silent, they may be getting nervous and may
quickly become violent.
Safety for
everyone is a top priority. Keeping that in mind:
Do not violate store policy
Do not violate state law
Do not confront the suspects
Do not make surveillance obvious
Do not follow suspects off company property
There is more
information, tips and suggestions available through MAPP-SD METH ALERT©2004
training for retail employees. If you are interested, contact your
manager to arrange a session from a trained MAPP-SD educator.
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