Aluminum underwear, pants, suitcases illegal in CO stores

[George at Orwellian.Org]

That article on Florida cameras was horrifying.

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Aluminized Pants, 15 ounce Rayon,
Kevlar. Thread, Large, 32 inch Inseam Length:
http://www.grainger.com/images/products/5t323.jpg

http://www.grainger.com/images/products/5t338.jpg

http://www.grainger.com/images/products/1e006.jpg

You can pull up the main URL and type the '5t323'
number in the search box for the full page.

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http://www.gazette.com/archive/01-06-27/daily/top4.html
#    
#    Would-be shoplifters foiled
#    
#    Sporting aluminum underwear illegal under new law
#    By Bill McKeown/The Gazette
#    
#    If you're thinking about going to the mall in that snappy 
#    aluminum-lined underwear in the back of your dresser drawer, 
#    think again.
#    
#    Beginning Sunday, it will be illegal in Colorado to wear aluminum 
#    underwear.
#    
#    OK, there's a caveat. You can wear aluminum briefs and lingerie 
#    as long as it's for personal amusement - but not if it is to 
#    help steal by foiling stores' anti-shoplifting devices.
#    
#    The new law, surely the oddest of the dozens coming out of this 
#    season's legislative session, is no laughing matter ... really.
#    
#    "This is serious business," said Sen. Stephanie Takis, D-Aurora, 
#    one of the bill's sponsors. "We have laws against using crowbars 
#    as theft devices, but if you were lining your underwear with 
#    aluminum foil, that was not a crime."
#    
#    And by golly, said Takis, it should be. She cited several 
#    Denver-area malls that have caught shoplifters with aluminum-lined 
#    shopping bags and even the so-called "iron pants" and could do 
#    nothing to stop it.
#    
#    Steve Miller, an attorney with the Legislative Council, helped 
#    draft the bill: "I don't know if it was the highlight of my 
#    career, but I got the assignment."
#    
#    Miller said the bill went through several evolutions - "or 
#    devolutions depending on your viewpoint" - before it received 
#    Gov. Bill Owens' approval.
#    
#    Essentially, it makes it a misdemeanor to make, wear or know 
#    others are wearing aluminum underwear if they intend to use it 
#    to fool stores' theft-protection devices. Those devices 
#    electronically sense when merchandise leaving the store hasn't 
#    been handled by a cashier, and foil can interfere with that 
#    detection.
#    
#    Miller said the new law also gives store employees civil and 
#    criminal immunity if they stop shoppers who crackle when they 
#    walk.

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> Beginning Sunday, shoplifting should become a much riskier business in Colorado.
> "Don't walk into a store with the idea you can shield and steal," says JoAnn Groff,
> president of the Colorado Retail Council and an enthusiastic supporter of a new law to
> crack down on shoplifters.
>
> Under House Bill 1221, anyone walking into a store with a bag or coat lined with aluminum
> foil -- or any other device aimed at eluding anti-shoplifting devices -- can be charged
> with a Class 1 misdemeanor carrying carries a penalty of up to 24 months in jail and a
> $5,000 fine.
>
> "It gives us another very important tool in prosecuting shoplifters," Groff explained.
> "With this law in effect, we don't have to wait until they take something out of a store."
>...
> But the law that Groff fought for during the past legislative session is one geared to
> make life more difficult for shoplifters.
>
> Groff won't outline the devices used to trick anti-theft detectors at store doors...