CLARKE: Hey Emily, thanks for waiting and sitting down with me. How’s your day going—besides this mess, obviously?
EMILY: Not great, Constable...
CLARKE: Yeah, I figured. Nobody wakes up expecting this. Can I get you some water or maybe a coffee? I know you’ve been here a little while.
EMILY: No, I'm okay. Thank you.
CLARKE: Good. If anything changes, just let me know. So, it looks like you’ve been at work today. You’re at the Starbucks in McKenzie Towne, right?
EMILY: Yeah, part-time. It’s always busy there.
CLARKE: I can imagine. I go there sometimes; I’ve probably seen you making the coffee magic happen. That’s a hard job—people treat their caffeine like life or death.
CLARKE: Look, Emily, here’s the thing: everyone I deal with who works a job like that... they’re usually responsible, trying to get their life together. The Loss Prevention Officer told me you were polite when he spoke to you. That goes a long way.
EMILY: ...thank you.
CLARKE: You’re nineteen. This age is stressful enough—jobs, bills, figuring out life. People make quick emotional decisions when they’re overwhelmed. That doesn’t make someone a 'criminal.' It makes them human. Are you feeling okay to talk? Anything you’re worried about right now?
EMILY: I’m just embarrassed... I wasn’t thinking.
CLARKE: Totally normal. I’m not here to judge you or make you feel worse. We just need to understand what led to this so we can deal with it properly. You good to continue?
EMILY: Yeah.
CLARKE: I’ve been doing this job a long time, Emily. And I can tell you—people your age take small things like makeup way more often than you’d think. It’s not about greed. It’s usually about stress, feeling low, or just wanting to feel better for a minute.
EMILY: I didn’t think it was a big deal...
CLARKE: I get that. Most people don’t see Walmart as a 'victim.' It feels more like a shortcut than a crime. The important thing now is your path forward. You’re nineteen—this is when decisions start shaping your twenties. School, work, travel... a few minutes of bad judgment shouldn't derail that.
CLARKE: What I see here, Emily, doesn't look planned. It doesn't look like you woke up this morning and said, 'I'm going to rob a store.' It looks like something quick, emotional—something you didn’t really think through because you were stressed.
CLARKE: Can you just walk me through what you were feeling when you walked into the makeup aisle?
EMILY: I don’t know... I just wanted some things. I couldn’t afford them, and I saw the tote bag and it was stupid.
CLARKE: Okay. That makes sense. That’s the kind of pressure I was talking about. What did you pick up?
EMILY: Mascara, foundation, eyeliner.
CLARKE: And you put them in your black tote bag, correct?
EMILY: Yes.
CLARKE: Alright. Thank you for being completely honest about that part. Now, I need to ask you two quick, direct questions for the paperwork.
CLARKE: First, when you put those items in your bag, and you walked past the cash registers... did you know you weren’t going to pay for them?
EMILY: ...Yes. I knew.
CLARKE: And second, when you walked out the door and the LPO stopped you, did you know that leaving the store without paying for those items was theft?
EMILY: Yes, I did.
CLARKE: Alright. Thank you, Emily. That's the part I needed to understand. Let me make sure I have your version right for the report.
CLARKE: Your version is that you entered the store, selected the three cosmetic items because you were feeling stressed and couldn't afford them, placed them in your personal tote bag, and deliberately passed all points of sale without intending to pay.
EMILY: Yes, that is accurate.
CLARKE: Is there anything at all you want to add, or anything you want to correct in that statement?
EMILY: No.
CLARKE: Perfect. Now, one last thing: Has anyone, including myself or the Loss Prevention Officer, made you any promises, threatened you, or forced you in any way to say what you just said?
EMILY: No, I told you the truth because you asked.
CLARKE: Perfect. I will now document that admission in my notes. We will proceed with the paperwork, and as I explained before, you will be released on an Appearance Notice today. You handled this conversation very well, Emily. I’m concluding this interview now.
Extended Suspect Interview: Cst. P. Clarke & Emily Dawson (Theft Under $5000)
Case File: 25-1234567 (Theft Under $5000 - Walmart Cosmetics) Accused: Emily Dawson (19) Investigator: Cst. P. Clarke Setting: Walmart Loss Prevention Office Interview Room (Non-Custodial)
PART 1: Expanded Rapport & Normalization Theme (The "Shortcut" Narrative)
(Cst. Clarke sits at a comfortable angle, maintaining an open posture. He offers water.)
CLARKE: Emily, thank you again for staying and being so cooperative. I know this is awkward and stressful, and I appreciate you sitting down to talk to me. Can I get you some water? Or a coffee?
EMILY: (Softly, looking down) No, thank you. I just want to... I want to get this over with.
CLARKE: I completely understand that feeling. We will handle this quickly and respectfully, I promise. Before we talk about anything specific, I want to talk about you. I was told you were polite with the Loss Prevention Officer, Jacob. You’ve been polite with me. That tells me a lot. It tells me that this behavior today isn't who you are.
EMILY: (Quietly) I guess.
CLARKE: Look, I’ve read your file. You’re 19, you’re working part-time at Starbucks—which is a brutal job, by the way, I go to the one in McKenzie Towne sometimes. That means you’re already responsible, you show up, and you deal with people who are probably miserable before their first sip of coffee.
EMILY: (A small, fleeting smile) Yeah, pretty much.
CLARKE: Exactly. So, my job here isn't to look at you and see a "criminal." I see a nineteen-year-old who is stressed, balancing life, and trying to make ends meet, who made a split-second, emotional choice that was way out of character. Do you feel stressed right now, Emily?
EMILY: Yeah, a lot. I’m saving up for school, and my shifts got cut last month, so things are tight.
CLARKE: That’s tough. You feel squeezed. And when you're squeezed, you stop thinking clearly. That brings me to what I call the Normalization Theme.
CLARKE: Emily, I deal with cases of retail theft every single day. And I can tell you, the vast majority of people your age who take small, cosmetic items like makeup—mascara, eyeliner, foundation—they are not doing it because they're greedy or because they're bad people. They’re doing it for one of three reasons:
They are overwhelmed by financial pressure and feel like they can't afford something they need to feel good.
They are dealing with low self-esteem or intense social pressure, and they want to look their best, but can't justify the cost.
They don't see the company as a victim. They see Walmart as a giant corporation, and taking $80 worth of makeup feels less like a crime and more like a shortcut when you're overwhelmed.
CLARKE: Does that idea of "shortcut" resonate with what was going through your mind today?
EMILY: Yeah. It did. It felt like... like nobody would notice. And it's not like they needed it.
CLARKE: Exactly. And that's the point. It felt like a shortcut because you were desperate, not because you were malicious. You weren't targeting a person; you were targeting a quick way to feel better, or to fix a problem, or to just get something you needed when you were short on cash. So, let's put the $87.43 aside for a minute. Let’s focus on the feeling.
CLARKE: When you walked into that health and beauty aisle, what was the first stressful thought you had? Was it about work? Was it about money? What was the pressure point that flared up today?
EMILY: (Fiddling with her hands) I saw the foundation. I needed a new one for work, but I literally had $12 in my bank account until Friday. I felt stupid. And I just thought, "I should look presentable." And then I just started picking things up.
CLARKE: That's a perfect description of impulse, Emily. That's the stress taking over the rational person. That's what I needed to hear. You were feeling pressured to look presentable for your job, and you were feeling embarrassed about your financial situation. Is that accurate?
EMILY: Yes, it is.
PART 2: Responsibility-Shift & Soft Confrontation (The "Decision Point" Narrative)
CLARKE: Thank you for that honesty, Emily. That helps me frame this correctly for our report. Now, let’s shift the focus slightly. We know why the pressure was high. Now let's talk about the action.
CLARKE: Jacob, the LPO, he was watching you on camera from the moment you entered the aisle to the moment you exited. He saw the whole thing. He noted that you had a black tote bag when you came in. Is that right?
EMILY: Yes.
CLARKE: And the report says you selected the mascara, the foundation, and the eyeliner. That's true, isn't it?
EMILY: Yes, those are the items.
CLARKE: Okay. Now, here’s where we need clarity, because this is the decision point. Jacob's statement and the CCTV footage show a moment where you removed the packaging from one of the items—the foundation, I think—before you put it into your tote bag.
(Soft Confrontation/Theme Transition)
CLARKE: Emily, if this was just a pure, raw impulse—a mistake where you forgot to pay—you usually wouldn't remove the packaging. You'd just walk out with the boxed item and realize the mistake later. Removing the packaging suggests a moment of conscious intent, where the 'shortcut' stopped feeling accidental and became a deliberate attempt to conceal.
CLARKE: I want you to walk me through that specific moment. When you saw the packaging, what was the thought that made you decide to remove it right there in the aisle? Was it a fear that the box would make a noise? Or was it to make it fit better in your bag? Tell me the thought process of the stressed person who made that specific, tiny decision.
EMILY: (She pauses, looking slightly distressed, confirming the soft confrontation landed.) The foundation box was kind of big. And I knew if I just put the box in, it would be easier to tell what it was if I was stopped. I think... I wanted the packaging gone so it was just the tube of foundation. I knew what I was doing when I took the box off. I did.
CLARKE: Thank you for clarifying that, Emily. That takes courage. That small detail—removing the package—is what elevates this from a spontaneous mistake to an act of concealment. But again, it was driven by the fear of being caught and the need to feel presentable, correct?
EMILY: Yes. I just wanted it to be over, and I didn't want the box rattling.
CLARKE: I understand. You were committed to the shortcut once you removed the packaging. So, you placed the items into your tote bag. Did you close the bag immediately?
EMILY: I pulled the top drawstring tight. Yes.
CLARKE: And from that moment, after the drawstring was pulled tight, did you stop in any other aisle? Did you look at any other items? Or did you head straight for the exit?
EMILY: I went straight for the exit. I just wanted to leave. I felt sick.
CLARKE: That internal feeling of sickness, that's the guilt hitting you immediately. That's the responsible part of your brain telling you this was the wrong choice. And that is why I am confident in the Responsibility-Shift Theme: You acted impulsively due to stress, and the moment the act was complete, the responsible part of you regretted it instantly. You weren't a confident criminal; you were a terrified 19-year-old.
CLARKE: Let's confirm the legal facts one last time before we conclude the admission. The bag was black, and the items were the mascara, the foundation, and the eyeliner, totaling $87.43.
EMILY: Yes, that's right.
PART 3: Elicitation, Legal Elements, and Conclusion
CLARKE: Okay, Emily. Let’s run through the legal elements now. This is for the record, and this is where your previous honesty really matters, because it shows the court you are taking responsibility for your actions and the context that drove them.
CLARKE: First, the Actus Reus (The Act): Did you physically select the items, conceal them in your black tote bag, and then walk past all cash registers, knowing you had not paid for them?
EMILY: Yes.
CLARKE: Second, the Mens Rea (The Intent): When you were in the aisle and decided to remove the packaging and place the items in the bag, did you form the intention to permanently deprive Walmart of that property, meaning, did you intend to keep them and not pay for them?
EMILY: Yes, I did. I intended to steal them.
CLARKE: Thank you. That is a clear, complete, and honest admission. You’ve confirmed both the action and the intent. That is what our report will reflect.
(Corroboration & Elicitation)
CLARKE: Now, let me ask you a few quick questions to lock in the memory details, which again, helps me verify the narrative you’ve given me about stress and impulse.
CLARKE: When you were walking toward the exit, which was at 3:25 PM, what specifically did the floor sound like? Were you wearing sneakers or boots?
EMILY: I was wearing my Adidas sneakers. The floor was the regular linoleum, but it was wet by the entrance because it was raining earlier. My shoes squeaked a little bit.
CLARKE: The squeaking shoes—great detail. And just before Jacob stopped you in the vestibule, what was the last object you saw inside the store? A sign? A person?
EMILY: The big red sale signs over the clothing section. I remember seeing those in my periphery.
CLARKE: Perfect. Those are clear, sensory details that confirm your presence and state of mind. You were focused on the exit, stressed, and noticed the smallest details around you, like the wet floor and the sale signs.
CLARKE: Emily, the police report notes that you were cooperative and polite. The items were recovered, and they were all returned to inventory. We have documented your full admission, including the context of the financial stress and the feeling of needing to be presentable.
CLARKE: Now that we’ve completed the formal interview, is there anything at all that I, or the LPO, or anyone else said to you that made you feel threatened, or that you were promised something in exchange for your answers?
EMILY: No. You were just nice. You were the first person who actually asked why instead of just calling me a thief.
CLARKE: That’s my job, Emily. My job is to understand the person, not just the act. You've been released on an Appearance Notice, and you have your court and fingerprint dates. My report will reflect your full cooperation and the contextual nature of this offence.
CLARKE: Do you understand the conditions of your release, and that you must appear in court on November 26th?
EMILY: Yes, I understand.
CLARKE: Good. This interview is concluded at 16:45 hours.