Illinois Police Officer Accused of Retail Theft at Walmart Self-Checkout

A 32-year-old police officer in Gurnee, Illinois, is accused of stealing items from a local Walmart on Sunday afternoon.

The detective, identified as Antoine J. Smith of Round Lake, allegedly committed the theft at the store located on Grand Avenue, the Lake and McHenry County Scanner reported on Friday.

An image shows the suspect in the case:

A Gurnee police officer, who is a detective, was arrested by his own department after he allegedly stole numerous products from a store in Gurnee last weekend. https://t.co/yesQsL68of

— Lake & McHenry County Scanner (@LMCScanner) May 3, 2024

Per a criminal complaint, Smith allegedly took several items without paying their full retail value, and the loss was reported to be less than $300.

Officers with the Gurnee Police Department arrested the suspect the day of the alleged incident. He has been accused of “under-ringing” at the store’s self-checkout kiosk, per Fox 32:

“Under-ringing is the practice of deliberately scanning items at a lower price than their actual value or intentionally not scanning merchandise during the checkout process,” the Scanner article said.

According to Gurnee Police Department Public Information Officer Shawn Gaylor, Smith resigned from the department not long after he was taken into custody and charged with one count of retail theft.

Retailers have been struggling with problems associated with their self-checkout kiosks as shoplifting and theft incidents rise, Breitbart News reported in December:

Self-checkout systems, relying on customers to scan and register their purchases, inadvertently create opportunities for theft. Even law-abiding citizens might be tempted to under-scan items or input incorrect product codes, not to mention outright shoplifting attempts.

…

Breitbart News reported earlier this year that a Michigan woman was arrested for stealing more than  $1,000 worth of items from a Walmart self-checkout lane. In October, Walmart employees complained of the safety hazard of confront customers stealing from self-checkout lanes.

In a social media post on January 27, 2020, the Lake County Tech Campus announced that Smith, a former student, had been sworn in as a policeman at Gurnee Village Hall.

“Antoine was a part of Mr. Witte’s Law Enforcement & CSI class, and also participated in the Lake County explorers program,” the post read:

Congratulations to Antoine Smith, a former Tech Campus student, for being sworn in as a police officer today at Gurnee Village Hall! Antoine was a part of Mr. Witte’s Law Enforcement & CSI class, and also participated in the Lake County explorers program 😊🚨 pic.twitter.com/iLqGDCgO6v

— Lake County Tech Campus (@LCTechCampus) January 27, 2020

Per the Scanner, Smith was not on duty at the time of the alleged incident. His court appearance is scheduled for May 28.

“The Gurnee Police Department upholds the highest standards of integrity and professionalism, and any actions contrary to these principles will be met with swift and decisive action. The department remains committed to serving and protecting the community with integrity and transparency,” Gaylor explained.