Grocery Store Security....?

My little sister, who is 18, just got arrested for shoplifting. I know what she did was wrong and if thats all your going to say then don't bother answering. Anyways, she went into the grocery store, she did steal, but I dont think they handled things right. She walked out of the store and was approached by a plain clothed man. He greeted her like anyone would and said "how you doing?" He didnt identify himself as security and truth be told she was scared she tried to run he grabbed her and threw her down and handcuffed her. He still didnt identrify himself. He and another man then picked her up and dragged her back into the store. They dont have any security footage of what she did so i dont even know how they knew. They searched her purse and damaged the purse and took something that she hadnt even stole. they detained her for 45 minutes before even calling the cops. What she did was wrong but was this handled alright? What rights do Plain clothed security officers have?

First of all, you are getting her side of the story only. Assuming it is correct (we don't know as she is not exactly sounding like the honest type) how do we know he wasn't about to tell her he was security right as she started to run. If she didnt think he was security and he just said hello, then why would she be scared? As soon as she ran, he had an obligation to stop and detain her. If she cooperated he would have had no reason to throw her down, and probably would not have handcuffed her. He was going strictly by the book.

Shouldn't you be concerned more about her behavior? She got off lucky this time. For her OWN good, you should be trying to reach out to her and get her to stop doing these kinds of things. It will only lead to her being in jail or worse. Trying to shift the blame to someone else is only hurting her.

She is an adult now and the courts are going to be treating her as one. She has a lot of growing up to do still, hopefully she can have some strong moral guidance and not people making excuses.

If you don't want an honest answer, then go ahead and mark me down. It is a sad reflection on you if you do, and sad for your sister too, as she doesn't need an excuse maker right now.

It depends on the state and it depends on whether they are hired by contract or whether they work for the store. Since she is 18, my guess is that she'll end up with a conviction. They don't have to read her Miranda, and 45 minutes wait time is very common in cases like this. The chances are they witnessed the incident,or their instore agent did. I will tell you this, I've worked this field for years and this is absolutely typical of how it is handled. Chances are she will be prosecuted; she was probably photographed and put 'in the book' and depending on the area, the 'sheet' may have gone out to other stores, if the agents talk to each other. Most places, they share info. Shoplifting is not a joke. By the way, in many states the store owner has ALL the power.

At the store I work, our Security Officers are commissioned by the city as Police Officers. They have a responsibility to identify themselves. However, if I were the one who was making the stop (I am a manager) I do not have that obligation. Of course its easy to see I work there as I would be wearing my uniform.
It has been my experience that most shoplifters do not tell the whole truth. I agree with the guy who said that she tried to run after he had identified himself. In most cases if you try to run you will be detained however necessary. If that means you are taken to the ground, then so be it.
As for the time being questioned before police were called in, that is normal. The Security Officer often handcuffs the subject, searches them for any other stolen items, drugs, weapons and such. Then they have to identify the person, call to see if they have warrants, fill out a lot of paperwork and, question the person. They have a right to go through a wallet or purse. Remember now, the person is being arrested for a crime. I have never seen a Security Officer damage any personal belongings of a shoplifter. If they had a scuffle in the process of detaining her, it is at that time the purse was probably damaged.
I hope your sister has learned from her mistake and goes on to be an outstanding person. Young people sometimes make bad decisions.