Advice Needed

[fjtruluv]

I recently was contacted by friend who's in the fire service and was caught stealing from a retail store. He worked at the store for several months and stole some money every now and then. When he was caught he was interrogated and signed a document stating he would pay the money back. They went ahead and called the police anyways and a report was filed. He's never been in trouble before and was cooperative but never confessed to the crime. The police and the store decided not to arrest him but did tell him that a copy of the report would be sent to the district attorney's office. He is currently facing a felony charge of grand theft due to the amount ($1900). He asked me if he should notify his department of this incident, seeing as he doesn't think they have him on camera actually taking anything and there's a chance the district attorney's office could drop the case altogether. Can anyone help, I don't know what to tell him.

[BFDNJFF]

Should not have stole in the first place! :rolleyes:

[KenNFD1219]

Your friend is in a very deep hole and he certainly does not need a shovel. He needs an attorney ASAP, not advice from a fire department Internet forum.

I'll second BFDNJFF, he should not have stolen. He sounds like he is trying to use the Bart Simpson defense "I didn't do it, you can't prove it, and besides, nobody saw me."

[cfd504]

There are several issues here.
1 IF he did steal why? Does he have a problem, is he stealing because he needed money or for the thrill of it.

2 What kind of person does he want people to think he is? If you do the crime you should do the time. I have found the longer you wait the worse it is. We need to trust those that are around us. Would you now want to going into some one residence with him? I don't think I would. Most of us can get ourselves into trouble we don't need to get rapped u in this guys mess.

3 Does your department regulate what you do off duty. Several departments you must get permission to work second jobs. If this is the case they may have an interest in what happened. Not only to say if he gets convicted.

[mcfd45]

yeah your friend is screwed.

[Shoreman22]

You need to consider also that you're not doing the department any favors if you guys have a call where a homeowner's personal effects and/or money are alleged to be missing during the incident and it is discovered that your friend, who has a history of theft, was at the call. Talk about bad PR...

[CaptainGonzo]

I recently was contacted by friend who's in the fire service and was caught stealing from a retail store. He worked at the store for several months and stole some money every now and then.

Part of being a firefigjhter is having the trust of the public. Your "friend" violated that trust and our reputation as well.

When he was caught he was interrogated and signed a document stating he would pay the money back. They went ahead and called the police anyways and a report was filed. He's never been in trouble before and was cooperative but never confessed to the crime.

If "he" didn't steal the money, why on God's green earth would he sign a confession? Signing the document was an admission of guilt! Who did the interrogation?

The police and the store decided not to arrest him but did tell him that a copy of the report would be sent to the district attorney's office. He is currently facing a felony charge of grand theft due to the amount ($1900). He asked me if he should notify his department of this incident, seeing as he doesn't think they have him on camera actually taking anything and there's a chance the district attorney's office could drop the case altogether. Can anyone help, I don't know what to tell him.

So now "he's" thinking....

Maybe if he "thought" in the first place, he would not be in this predicament, would he?

[GeorgeWendtCFI]

It matters not WHY he stole. It matters not that he is now sorry. What matters is that being a FF is not a right, but a privelege. He may now be nia position where he cannot enjoy that privelege. ANd I have very little sympathy. Why?

Riddle me this...

Response at 0230. Fire alarm at a residence. Very nice neighborhood. Residence is evac'd while FD is sent to check the building. While checking the MBR, FF Lightfingers spots a diamond engagement ring on the dresser.

Thre is no way in the world that he can be trusted NOT to pocket the ring. He has already proven that he is a thief. You say he's sorry? Why? Because he got caught. You say he won't do it again? Yeah, right. We're way past that one.

Innocent people DO NOT confess to things they didn't do. Guilty people confess because they believe that it is in their best interest to do so. Youer friend should be required to repay the money and deal with the crmiinal justice system. Should he forfeit his public position? I don't know. Legally,he may not be forced to. The FD may not be able to do anything about it since it was not FD related. But I'll tell you one thing...If I was the IC, this moron would spend alot of time at the hydrant and no time inside a building. He has proven himself untrustworthy.

[mikeyboy]

Normally, I am pretty accepting of people who don't use common sense.....

However, I agree with what was stated above in regards to your friend having to deal with the Legal System. The real issue I have is that for me and my Company, there is zero tolerance for stealing. In my Departments he would be placed on Admin. Leave pending the results of the investigation, once he was found innocent, he would be welcomed back..... if found guilty, he would be terminated.
With all of the Employee Assistance Programs out there, I still can not understand why this still happens..... if he needed more extra cash, we have a program in place that would help him, and it's totally confidential.
I just had another thought, even if he is innocent (giving him the benefit of the doubt) will he truly be trusted by his colleagues? If not, then he is guilty, at least in their eyes. I know the answers in my Departments, it might be a case by case type of issue however, I personally would have a real hard time trusting him.