Thursday, August 30, 2007

Just Steal Our Stuff, Please

So, if an individual is employed by Home Depot and said individual happens to note another individual misappropriating Home Depot property shouldn’t the Home Depot employee act to prevent said misappropriation?

A reasoning individual, with a sound understanding of property rights and respect for private property, would think so, but in the case of Home Depot, if an employee notes an individual misappropriating Home Depot property, Home Depot policy dictates that the employee should simply let the thief walk away, though of course Home Depot dictates that the employee report the theft to the appropriate authority.

But what happens if the Home Depot employee acts, and apprehends an individual misappropriating Home Depot property, rather than letting the thief walk away?  Why, the individual is fired.

Dustin Chester is job hunting this week, after The Home Depot fired him and the general manager for thwarting a thief from running away with a pocket full of stolen cash.

Last week, the 24-year-old department manager confronted a man who was standing by a soda machine in front of the Murfreesboro store off Old Fort Parkway holding a crowbar and a wad of cash. When the suspect started running, Chester said his instincts took over.

He was fired Monday for violations of company policy in the incident.

“When he ran, I ran after him,” he said. Chester caught the thief and restrained him in the parking lot until police arrived.

Chester was shocked to find out that for managers and most employees, catching and detaining thieves is against company policy.

Of course Home Depot states that their just steal our stuff, please, policy is in place for the safety of their employees and customers, but this policy simply reflects just how far the principle of property rights, and protection and respect of this right, has been subverted by the rise of the culture of nannyism in the United States.  Pitiful.

Home Depot employee looking for job after stopping alleged thief

Via Claire Wolfe.

Posted by John Venlet on 08/30 at 04:48 AM
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