Assembled in the chambers of the Dowagiac City Council, a group of local business owners and managers met with Dowagiac’s top law enforcement officials Wednesday night.

The purpose of the gathering wasn’t for a mass questioning about a horrible shoplifting ring plaguing the city or a massive counterfeit money operation, as it may seem.

All the officers wanted was to say hello and get to know the men and women they serve just a little better.

The event was part of this month’s Greater Dowagiac Chamber of Commerce Business After Hours. Steven Grinnewald, the Dowagiac director of public safety, and Jarrid Bradford, deputy police chief, introduced themselves to attendees and delivered a presentation that was of interest to everyone in the room: Preventing retail fraud.

The two main subjects that were discussed were ways to identify and handle shoplifters and how to approach fraudulent or bounced checks.

In regards to preventing theft of physical merchandise, Bradford advised owners that placement of products can play a big role in deterring potential thieves.

“If you have something that you think will be a high target for theft, you want to put that where your surveillance can see it, if you have it, or where you can see it easily,” Bradford said. “For example, if I can’t see it between the door and me, that’s going to be something a suspect can grab easily and walk out with, and I may not even know who the suspect is or if it’s missing until well after it’s gone.”

It’s possible for owners or employees to detect customers who have or might attempt to steal merchandise, even without the aid of surveillance systems, Bradford said. Employees should look for several actions or behaviors in suspicious shoppers that may help reveal their intentions, such as them paying attention to other people or their surroundings rather than products, or showing signs of nervousness.

In the event that someone does attempt to rob the store through force, the two police officials said that store employees should comply with their demands and not try to stop or delay the suspect. A majority of armed robberies do not end in violence, as most suspects are simply interested in taking what they need and fleeing as quickly as possible, Grinnewald said.

“Anything in your store, anything in your business or anything you sell can be replaced,” Grinnewald said. “But you can’t, and that’s our biggest concern there.”

In the case of any suspicious behavior, police encourage owners or any employees to gather as much information about the suspect as possible, including gender, race, clothing, vehicle, what direction they went in, and what they took and whether they were armed or not.

“More information is obviously better for us,” Bradford said. “We’re all information driven now, that’s how our society is. The more information, the better and the police are the same way.”

In the event that employees are presented with a suspected fraudulent check, credit card or legal tender, the store does withhold the right to refuse to accept them until police arrive to verify their authenticity, Bradford said.

“The store is your business. It’s your property,” Grinnewald said. “You don’t have to serve anybody you don’t want to. As long as it’s not based on their race, religion or a disability, if don’t want these individuals there, if there’s something about that guy that’s bothering you, and you don’t want them there, they have to leave.”

Part of the reason for the department’s participation in the chamber’s event was to have a chance to present a more personable side of law enforcement than what most people typically see, Grinnewald said. The police chief said that Dowagiac department is very service oriented, and is always trying to connect with residents in a positive manner.

“There’s only one kind of service we do not provide, and that’s bad service,” Grinnewald said.