(a) In a civil or criminal action upon the complaint of a person who has been detained in or in the immediate vicinity of a commercial establishment for the purpose of investigation or questioning as to the ownership of merchandise, it is a defense that

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Terms Used In Alaska Statutes 11.46.230

  • action: includes any matter or proceeding in a court, civil or criminal. See Alaska Statutes 01.10.060
  • Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the defendant.
  • peace officer: means
    (A) an officer of the state troopers. See Alaska Statutes 01.10.060
  • person: includes a corporation, company, partnership, firm, association, organization, business trust, or society, as well as a natural person. See Alaska Statutes 01.10.060
  • Probable cause: A reasonable ground for belief that the offender violated a specific law.
(1) the person was detained in a reasonable manner and for not more than a reasonable time to permit investigation or questioning by a peace officer or by the owner of the commercial establishment or the owner’s agent; and
(2) the peace officer, owner, or owner’s agent had probable cause to believe that the person detained was committing or attempting to commit concealment of merchandise or theft from the commercial establishment.
(b) As used in this section, “reasonable time” means the time necessary to permit the person detained to make a statement or refuse to make a statement, and any additional time necessary to examine employees and records of the commercial establishment relative to the ownership of the merchandise.
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