AUBURN, Maine (AP) — A police department in Maine is going to start shaming shoplifters by posting mug shots online to deal with an “out-of-control” problem.
Auburn Deputy Police Chief Jason Moen said he wants people to know the city “is open for business, but closed to shoplifting.”
The Sun Journal reports that anyone charged with shoplifting will be arrested instead of being given a summons. Their mug shot taken at the Androscoggin County Jail, along with name and charge, will be posted on the Auburn Police Department Facebook page.
Police blame a spike in shoplifting on the epidemic of opioid abuse in Maine. Moen said shoplifting increased by 84 percent in the first five months of 2018.
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