Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, December 18, 1993                   TAG: 9312180139
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: B-5   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: TODD JACKSON STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

SCARS REMIND HIM OF FIGHT AGAINST THEFT

But they have the front-line responsibility for deterring theft - a problem that costs businesses more than $5 billion every year.

Steve Maffe, loss-prevention manager at a Roanoke-area clothing store, has been in the business 10 years. On the job, he tries to look like a shopper. He carries a shopping bag and meanders through the store.

Many of the employees he works with don't even know his last name.

"That's the way I like it," he says. "The less anyone knows about me, the better. There are situations where I'm going to be following internal theft, as well."

Maffe - who has a black belt in karate and a scar on his hand, courtesy of a knife-wielding shoplifter - is part manager, part teacher and part police officer.

He briefs the salespeople in the morning before the store opens to try to get as much of an edge as possible.

"If an employee sees a suspicious person and thinks they're going to shoplift something, then I've told them to approach that person and ask if they can help them. Usually, the person will get really nervous. They don't like the attention, and most will move on."

There are times, though, when Maffe is all alone. On Thanksgiving Day, he was on his rounds when a group of nine people entered the store.

"They spread out like a star, and eight of them engaged salespeople to divert their attention," he said. "Then the ninth began to work his way toward the cash registers."

Adding to the tension, Maffe said he caught a glimpse of a handgun noticed hidden under the leader of the group's coat.

So what did Maffe do?

He closely followed the gun-toting shopper until the man took notice of Maffe's presence. The group then reassembled and decided to leave the store.

But not all shoplifters react the same way, Maffe said.

Some "regulars," as Maffe calls known repeat offenders, hunt him out, seeking a thrill.

"They want me to try and catch them," he says. "They know me, and I know them. It's a game. It really is."

Maffe says he doesn't use force, or even touch a suspect, unless it is in self-defense. He uses hand and arm movements to try to "coax" shoplifters toward the store's office.

The scar on his hand serves as a constant reminder.