said by patcat88:Big 4 cellphone shops already have security guards.
Maybe in New York City that's the case but I can assure you it's the exception and not the rule. I've been in Verizon Wireless, AT&T and T-Mobile stores all over Upstate New York, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania and I've
never seen a security guard.
In any case, even with a security guard
it's still not worth the risk. Private security guards are not peace officers. They have the same arrest powers as you or I, e.g., citizens arrest. Would you be willing to put your livelihood and freedom on the line to arrest someone merely for the possession of an allegedly stolen cell phone? I doubt it. Short of arresting them how are you going to take the phone if they refuse to hand it over? Pepper spray them? Pull a firearm? Good luck with that.
Asking a private enterprise to confront people over allegedly stolen property is absurd. You don't even know that the person is guilty of anything other than possession; they could simply have bought the phone on eBay and themselves been the victim of a crime.