Wal Mart Detaining Customers Lebanon Tennessee

On February 10, 2009 I entered our local Wal Mart on my personal search for a partictular DVD I wanted to buy for my husband. I looked in the electronics for 20 minutes or so, not finding what I wanted. As I exited the store (at the same time as 2 others) the security system activated. I continued through, knowing that the only thing I had was my small purse. The "Greeter" came up behind me and yelled out "STOP." As I turned I noticed two other employees coming out the first set of doors. They told me that I would need to come back in the store. I told them I did not do anything and was very busy. One of them yelled "YOUR NOT GOING ANYWHERE, WE KNOW YOU'VE GOT SOMETHING," another one then turned around and said, over a small radio, "I need the police." I told them that they could call the police, I'd done nothing wrong.

Note:
I was not wearing a coat due to the temperature.
As I said before, I did have my small purse.
The only items in my purse were my weekly work pocket calander, my car keys, my cell phone, my work pager, lip gloss, a travel size Bath & Body Works hand cream, a very small pocket CPR shield (in it's own little wrapping), a opend package of stride gum with about 5 pieces left, a pair of GAP sun glasses, a folded piece of notebook paper with my weekly shopping list, my wallet with 1. ATM card, 1. Debit Card, 2. credit cards, and my various certification cards that I am required to carry due to my career, assorted family pictures, aproximately 1.45 in coins, and 76 dollars in cash.

Well the Wal Mart security guard (who is about 100 lbs heaver than I am) walked into the vestebule and told me "You WILL follow me." When I told him I'd done nothing he said "You WILL wait for the police, and I will search your belongings!" Being slightly intimidated I took my phone from my purse and called my best friend who is a police officer with the department who's juristiction this store is located in. I loudly said "Officer---, I'm at Wal Mart and this great big security guy wants to search my purse, and said they've call for an officer" She asked where in the store I was, and told me to "Stay where you are, do not follow them anywhere, our dispatch has requested an officer and has one on the way, and I"ll call my supervisor and let him know I'm comming too."

This did not go over so well with the security guard but thankfully the police officer arrived quickly. He immedietly, and understandably, spoke with the guard first. Afterwhich he asked to search my purse. I relented, as by this time my best fried was here. The officer walked to the bench and setting my purse on it, pulled out everything in it. As he pulled out the pocket calander, my lip gloss, the hand cream, the opend package of stride gum, and my sun glasses the gard said "See she took all that." I laughed, and said "Wal Mart doesn't sell Bath and Body Works, or Gap, and I've had the gum, lip gloss, and calander. He puffed out his chest and said "We've got you now." The innitall responding officer asked if he could take a closer look at my things. I told him I would be more than happy for him to. He opened my calander, which two business cards fell out of, and noticed that I had the entire year planed out with classes, my work days, and my vacation/ Kelly Days. He looked at the guard and said "I don't think so," he opened the lip gloss and said, "Oh, about half full," he opend the gum and laughed. At this point the guard was becoming very red faced and we'd atracted a crowd of people. I asked the officer if I was now free to leave since my diginaty and reputation are now destroyed. He said I was, and apologized. I told him I understood it wasn't his fault, but I was just glad I wasn't menstrauting! He smiled and bid me good day. The guard however glared deeply at me, and tried to follow me out.

What has this country come to?
Why should we have to go through all this?
And why was I the only one stopped? One of the other people that walked out at the same time had a buggy full of stuff, the other two bags. Was it that I had nothing but my purse?

FF/EMT/ENG
Lebanon, Tennessee
U.S.A.

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