(A) Any merchant who has reasonable grounds to believe that a person has committed retail theft may detain that person, on or off the premises of a retail mercantile establishment, in a reasonable manner and for a reasonable length of time for all or any of the following purposes:
(1) To request identification;
(2) To verify identification;
(3) To make reasonable inquiry as to whether the person has in his possession unpurchased merchandise and, to make reasonable investigation of the ownership of the merchandise;
(4) To inform a peace officer of the detention of the person and surrender that person to the custody of a peace officer;
(5) In the case of a minor, to inform a peace officer, the parents, guardian, or other private person interested in the welfare of that minor of this detention and to surrender custody of the minor to the person.
(B) A merchant may make a detention as permitted herein off the premises of a retail mercantile establishment only if detention is pursuant to an immediate pursuit of the person. A merchant shall be deemed to have reasonable grounds to make a detention for the purposes of this section if the merchant detains a person because such person has in his possession either a theft detection shielding device or a theft detection device remover.
(Ord. 1065-88, passed 11-9-88)