Theft Crime

• Unit 1 covers property crimes, including theft, criminal mischief, trespassing, burglary, white-collar crimes, and animal cruelty.
• Unit 2 focuses on crimes against society, such as loitering/prowling, disorderly behavior, illicit drugs, and vice crimes.

Lesson 1: Theft

• The lesson goal is to understand how to respond to incidents involving theft, including petit, grand theft, stolen vehicles, and stolen property.
• Theft involves interfering with or obtaining a victim's money, property, or other benefit, depriving them of its use or enjoyment.
• Chapter 812, F.S., defines theft as knowingly obtaining or using another's property with the intent to temporarily or permanently deprive them of their rights or benefits.
• Robbery differs from theft as it involves taking directly from another person.
• Property includes real, tangible, intangible, personal property, and services.
• Services include repairs, improvements, and professional services.
• Other services include private, public, or government communication, transportation, power, water, sanitation services, lodging, admissions to places of exhibition or entertainment.
• Victims can provide useful information: description of stolen property (unique characteristics and serial numbers), its value, the last time and place saw the item, the identity of who discovered the missing item, and any potential witnesses.
• Petit theft is a first-degree misdemeanor if the stolen property is worth $100 or more but less than $750.
• Petit theft becomes a third-degree felony with two or more prior theft convictions.
• Theft of property valued at less than $100, or if the value cannot be established, is a second-degree misdemeanor.
• Grand theft involves stealing an item worth $750 or more.
• Grand theft also includes the theft of specific items of any value or theft of $100+ from a dwelling or its enclosed land.
• Grand theft can be a felony of the first, second, or third degree.
• Theft also includes identity theft and fraud.
• Florida law increases the degree of theft if the victim is 65 or older.
• An incident involves obtaining food, lodging, or other accommodations with intent to defraud under Chapter 509, F.S.

Responding to a Theft

• Contact the complainant, store manager, or loss prevention officer (LPO).
• Obtain a verbal statement to determine if a crime occurred.
• Review surveillance footage and identify witnesses.
• Obtain a suspect statement before an arrest, following principles of procedural justice.
• Get official witness statements.
• Photograph items before returning any stolen property and get a receipt or itemized list to document the value.
• Notify your supervisor of the arrest or the need for more resources.
• Call for backup if suspect is belligerent, violent, or part of a theft ring.
• Brief detective if they respond and contact dispatch to initiate a BOLO if the suspect flees.
• Backup may recover and photograph evidence and obtaining an itemized list of stolen property.

Retail Theft

• Businesses can be victims of theft through shoplifting, embezzlement, etc.
• Retail theft involves working alone or conspiring with others to take merchandise, money, or financial/legal documents.
• It can also consist of altering or removing a label or price tag, transferring merchandise to another container, or removing a shopping cart to deprive value.
• It's a felony to possess or attempt to use anti-shoplifting countermeasures.
• If an operator of a facility or law enforcement officer encounters retail theft the suspect can be taken into custody for a reasonable amount of time for recovering the value or for potential prosecution.

Motor Vehicle Theft

• Ask the victim for vehicle description, parking location, and key availability.
• Determine possible use by family members, and inspect for broken glass or drag tow marks.
• Contact dispatch to determine if towed for repossession.
• View exterior surveillance videos if it happened outside a business.
• If the vehicle was stolen, verify ownership through DAVID.
• Activate tracking devices and initiate a BOLO with license plate number, vehicle description (dents, identifiers), and VIN.
• Domestic disputes may involve vehicle taking, requiring caution and agency protocols.

Recovery of Stolen Vehicle

• Stolen vehicles might have broken windows, poorly attached plates, or scratched door locks.
• Punched ignitions or damaged steering columns may also be observed.
• Notify dispatch and vehicle owner upon recovery and verifying the vehicle by VIN or other identifiers.

Stolen Property Incident

• Document if suspect trafficked or tried to traffic in stolen property they knew or should have known was stolen.
• Sale below fair market may indicate stolen property. Dealing in stolen property is a first or second-degree felony.
• Put a hold on a victim's stolen property in a pawnshop, or seize it as evidence.
• Get information on the suspect and obtain store video surveillance if available.

Dealing in Stolen Property

• Metals, electronics, jewelry, and firearms are commonly trafficked.
• Selling, transferring, or disposing of stolen property knowing it's stolen is a crime
• If there is probable cause and the suspect resists recovery, charge them with resisting in addition to theft.

Lesson 2: Criminal Mischief, Trespassing, and Burglary

• The lesson goal is to understand how to respond to incidents involving criminal mischief, trespassing, or burglary, and Florida Statutes that can enhance the penalties.

Criminal Mischief

• Criminal mischief is the willful and malicious destruction of property belonging to another person.
• It includes injury or damage to property, such as graffiti or vandalism.
• Document suspect injured or damaged property, property belonged to the complainant, and the injury/damage was willful and malicious.
• Photograph the damage, conduct neighborhood canvasses, follow up and provide victim brochures.
• Criminal mischief is a second-degree misdemeanor if property damage is under $200.
• It is a first-degree misdemeanor for damages between $200 and $1,000.
• The crime is a third-degree felony when property damage totals $1,000 or more
• Subsequent offenses are felonies, regardless of damage,
• Damaging places of worship or religious articles over $200 leads to a third-degree felony charge.

Trespassing

• Trespassing, occurs when a person willfully enters or remains in a structure, conveyance, or property without authorization.
• It occurs when a person willfully enters or remains after being told to leave or when a trespassing notice is posted.
• A person is warned by the owner, lessee, or authorized person to depart and refuses.
• A person authorized means an owner or lessee, or their agent, or any law enforcement officer whose agency has received written authorization from the owner.
• Trespassing offences are misdemeanors when a notice is communicated/posted and disregarded.
• Entering/remaining on property with intent to commit another offense.
• Staying on the premises after a warning.

Trespassing Offences that are Felonies

• Trespassing on a designated, posted commercial horticulture property
• Trespassing is a designated, posted agriculture site for testing and research
• Trespassing is a designated posted chemical manufacturing facility
• Trespassing on school property while having firearms
• Trespassing on a designated domestic violence shelter.
• Launching a projectile over someone else has land with the attempt to kill an animal.
• Entering and remaining on a construction site.
• Trespassing in an airport with the intent to injure or damage or impede operations.

Responding To Trespassing

• Interview the complainant, property owner, authorized person, witnesses, and suspect.
• Determine if the property posting is there.
• Determine if there are any arrest agreements in place.
• Ensure you have jurisdiction, there is potential for private or public conflict

Burglary

• Burglary is unlawful entry into a structure with the intent to commit a crime inside.
• Chapter 810, F.S., outlines elements and classifies burglaries by location (dwelling, structure, or conveyance)
• Suspect entered the structure or conveyance the complainant owned at the time of entry suspect intended to commit a crime inside.
• They were not licensed/invited and it was not open to the public.
• Trespassing is somewhere u aren’t permitted to be, without permission.

Differentiating

• Burglary has intention to commit a crime.
• Robbery involves taking something from someone.
• Damage from unlawful entry is not criminal mischief, unless there is an addition of vandalism during the crime.
• Florida Statutes enhance penalties for burglary when the suspect commits assault/battery.
• Statutes Enhance when the suspect is armed.
• Statutes when the suspect damages with a vehicle.
• Causing +$1,000 damage.
• Dwelling or location was was occupied.

Burglary Tools

• Screwdrivers, pliers, wrenches can be burglary tools anything for entry such as a rock or concrete block.
• Document the suspect intended to commit burglary or trespass.
• They had possession of a weapon or implemented the intent to commit said crime.

Responding To Burglary

• Burglary is one of the most frequent crimes.
• Arrive on the scene, determine if it is still happen or if it is happened in the past.
• If its in progress notify supervisor call for backup and request more resources.
• If this has happened in the past obtain footage video/conduct interviews and secure the crime-scene wait for resources.
• Establish a timeline from victim ask when they leave and when they Return review the entry points and exit points, and identify all value of damage and photograph serial numbers you find for the case, and potentially do a neighborhood Canvas.
• Areas Canvas and assist in crime-scene recovery and backup on other areas of the scene

Archaeological Sites

• In the case of any crime committed, secure the scene notifu a supervisor .
• If it is just walk in and remove and move the site it is a misdemeanor; if you attempt to retrieve something it becomes a felony

Lesson 3: White-Collar Crime

• The lesson goal is to respond to a variety of financial crimes, such as fraud, telephone scams, phishing, and identity theft
• White -Collar refers to a range of crimes which include the lack of physical violence,
• Fraud is the falsifying of any truth or other attempt to surrender any value of rights.

Fraud Cases

• Cases include credit card fraud, bank fraud, check altering, and identity theft.
• Check counterfeitting, the funds can be transferred.

Forgery and Uttering

• Forgery - altering or document forging. To injure or defraud an individual.
• Uttering - knowingly exhibiting and publishing a document. Claiming the check or endorsement is real.
• In Florida forging someone can be a 3rd degree felony

Fraudulent Check Respond steps

• The prime component for a in progress check scam is the Financial Institution . The victim from which the funds were drawn.
• Get back up any subject and vehicle identification and give them space.
• Subject alter is photograph face and back document witness and surveillance report from and obtain the suspect dispatch Bolo call .

Credit Card Fraud

• 817 F.S unlawful use to receive goods and services unlawful use.

• Getting any fake of revoked information.

• Suspect and use debt through falsified applications / theft keycards.

• Skimming takes a customers card extracts payment methods and details.

• It is a felony to use a card in a 6-month period 3x + charge $100 value on the card.

• Victim can also be the financial institute + merchant and name forged for the card.

Credit card fraud respond steps

• Take card value and if they are still on there / and also see what payments where used in a certain time

Telephone Scams

• Phone calls from misrepresented banks, government agencies, or relatives which try to threaten for the individual to pay debt under fictitious reasoning
• VoIP is a modern communication method with a variety of users to connect.

Phishing

• Fake Digital companies or communication to solicit for fraud/steal personal info
• Unsuspecting clients. Is used to steal credit identity and bank account.

ID Theft

• LE813 use of ones personal information to take acts of fraud and create crimes
• The victim can report they been compromised. Can file a case for information
• If found or prosecuted in any case contact financial banking institutions and educational materials to help

Recognize Animal Cruelty

• Examples can include include signs of hunger
• Parasites range of collar.
• Lack of medical attention.
• Lack of environmental shelter.
• Inappropriate cages
• Inability to walk properly
• You can be charged for animal cruelty via 828 F.S for mistreating an animal or depriving the right necessities to food and or shelter

Responding to animal cruelty

• Is to gather info by contacting animal control and medical info if un sure of the condition.
• Animal controls will determine is the animal abandoned.
• Contact the agencies and document with images of the animal or scene and area.