INDIANAPOLIS — A 17-year veteran with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department is charged with misdemeanor theft for allegedly shoplifting at Target.
According to IMPD, on Feb. 1, at approximately 4:45 p.m., officers responded to the Target located at 4850 Southport Road for a theft investigation involving an IMPD officer. During the investigation, it was revealed that Sara Lamkin, an IMPD Sergeant, was detained by Target loss prevention.
The Target Loss Prevention employee told police they observed Lamkin conceal items in a storage container and around her shopping cart before going to self-checkout and not paying for those items, which they referred to as "skip scanning." Additionally, they said Lamkin engaged in "ticket switching" during the checkout process, meaning she used a lower priced tag to scan for a more expensive item.
In total, it was revealed that Lamkin skip-scanned 10 items and ticket switched 2 items. The "incident proven total" came out to $185 for mostly cosmetics.
The Target employee said they stopped Lamkin after she was done checking out. She allegedly told the employee she could lose her job and offered to pay for the items if she could resolve the issue without law enforcment. However, she never told the employee that she was a police officer.
On Feb. 6, the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office formally filed charges against Lampkin for theft, categorized as an A misdemeanor. A summons was issued, with the initial hearing slated for March 6, 2025.
Lampkin, a 17-year veteran of the IMPD, was most recently assigned to the department’s Professional Standards Bureau. Following the charge, she has been placed on paid administrative leave while a thorough review of the circumstances surrounding the incident is conducted.
IMPD detectives are collaborating with the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office throughout this process. Additionally, the department's Internal Affairs division will carry out an administrative investigation and present its findings to Chief Bailey for review.
