Post Falls police Officer Pat Eismann often deals with shoplifters in the course of his job, so when a call came in from Wal-Mart on Mullan Avenue the Friday before Easter, it seemed routine. It turned out the shoplifter sitting in the store’s office was unlike any he’d encountered before. And how he handled the unusual situation has earned Eismann accolades from the community, his colleagues and on social media. “The shoplifter was a woman with four small children from probably 1 to maybe 9 years old,” Eismann said last week. “I was not happy with the children being put in that position,” he said. “I was very impassioned about it.”

 

He reprimanded the woman, and the children watched as Eismann cited their crying mother with petty theft. She accepted responsibility and “was very honest and forthright,” Eismann said. He then realized the woman had stolen food for her children, less than $20 worth. The situation moved the veteran officer/Pia Hallenberg, SR. More here.