When an active duty Soldier breaks the law, he or she will face possible punishment under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. But, what happens when a civilian or Family Member gets in trouble?

Anyone who holds a military identification card, except active duty military, and gets in trouble, may appear before the Civilian Misconduct Action Authority (CMAA), which is authorized to impose administrative actions.

"Shoplifting is a major crime for both juveniles and adults in our community," said Don Gwinn, assistant CMAA for U.S. Army Garrison Kaiserslautern. "It is a huge problem."

"It is very important to understand that the Civilian Misconduct Action program is an administrative program," Gwinn said. "It is an administrative process not a judicial process. We don't have a court. We don't have a judge or jury. The criminal jurisdiction in Germany falls under the host nation."

Also, according to Gwinn, whether the incident occurs on or off an installation, the CMAA has authority to take action against the civilian.

However, the CMAA has a range of actions it can take against a civilian including counseling, logistical support loss, barment and even the early return of a Family Member, he said.

"That person has an ID card affiliated with the military," Gwinn said. "Under that ID card they are given a lot of privileges. Those privileges are just that - privileges. Command sponsorship is a privilege. Shopping at the (Post Exchange), driving a (U.S. Army Europe)-plated vehicle, being able to come on an installation, using (Morale, Welfare and Recreation) facilities, all those are privileges that the garrison commander, acting as the Civilian Misconduct Action Authority, can take away."