ND1209112

Title: Indiana Lawmaker Addresses Convenience Stores, Police About Safety

Description: The state representative wants to discuss how retailers and state officials are ensuring the safety of convenience store employees prior to drafting legislation that addresses the topic.

Page Content:

INDIANAPOLIS ? Indiana state Rep. Ed DeLaney is concerned about the safety of convenience store workers, and has reached out to the state labor department, police and retailers to talk about the issue, the Indiana Business Journal reports. DeLaney wants to meet before deciding whether to introduce legislation to address safety concerns in convenience stores. The forum will be held in mid-January.

?The problem is very substantial,? said DeLaney, adding that some convenience stores experience robberies as often as monthly. Part of the renewed interest in the issue was the Oct. 21 shooting of Marcell Birnell, a Village Pantry clerk, who survived and continues to recover from her wound. Birnell?s brother-in-law has been lobbying lawmakers for changes to convenience store safety procedures.

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?We will be happy to discuss anything that could possibly lead to furthering the safety of our employees and customers. At the same time, I am not overly optimistic any great revelations are going to come from it,? said Joe Lackey, president of the Indiana Grocery & Convenience Store Association. ?You can certainly tighten things down to the point you do no business at all. Then you close the store. So it becomes a balance, to a degree.?

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Some of DeLaney?s ideas include making stores install bulletproof plastic between customers and cashiers, as well as adding more staff during overnight and late-night shifts. ?I think it is hard to justify having only one person in a store,? he said. ?No security device is as effective as a second set of eyes.?

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In September, the FBI released its latest crime report, which found that robberies at convenience stores had dropped 14 percent in 2010.

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Content Subject: Risk Management & Security

Formatted Article Date: December 9, 2011

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