If anything positive possibly could come out of the whole bookstore/shoplifting farce, it could be a security system that will prevent similar episodes from happening again.

The incident, during which a group of black students were followed as they walked through the Student Center Bookstore, has stirred quite a controversy on campus.

From the beginning, there have been claims of racism from the students involved, letters of apology presented by the university after it appeared administrators incorrectly tried and failed to keep the incident quiet, and an overall aura of incompetence on the part of all parties involved.

The funny thing is, the incident could have been prevented if only the bookstore had some sort of effective security policy that would provide sensible procedures for handling suspected shoplifters.

Hindsght, though, is 20/20.

The university and the bookstore are working together to implement a policy that could prevent future embarrassment along these lines.

Eventually, an electronic security system will be installed at the store which conceivably could reduce losses due to shoplifting to almost nothing.

But for the time being, a policy has been implemented through the joint efforts of the bookstore, University Legal Counsel and the judicial office. The store’s manager hopes the policy will “create an atmosphere where shoplifting is unacceptable.”

The policy makes concealment of merchandise a violation of the NIU judicial code for which offenders can be stopped and asked for identification. The first offense will result in a warning. Judicial office review will result from repeat offenses.

In addition, if a student who is stopped for concealment becomes vocally or physically unruly, he is subject to an immediate formal write-up.

While neither of these sanctions can be considered drastically forceful, each has the capacity to deter many who wouldn’t otherwise think twice about concealment or shoplifting.

The bookstore has suffered a $68,793 profit shrinkage, largely because of shoplifters. That’s outrageous.

The interim policy will suffice until electronic surveillance equipment can be installed. Hopefully, the store can hold down the fort until that time.