THE HOLIDAY RUSH : Counting on Christmas : O.C. Malls Try to Offer What Consumers Want: Service, Selection--Security
Consumers this holiday season are being choosy about more than quality of merchandise, prices and the courtesy of the sales help, retail experts say. They’re shopping where they feel safe.
“Mall security is something that’s come out of the closet,” said Mark Schoifet, a spokesman for the International Council of Shopping Centers in New York. “There’s always been security, but it was something best kept in the background. Now, the feeling is that a visible security presence is the way to go.”
Mall owners and retail analysts say that shopping centers are relatively safe, with few reported incidents of violent crimes.
“The typical regional mall in Southern California can draw 10 million to 12 million people every year,” Schoifet said. “But there’s a relatively small number of crimes against persons. You’re a lot safer in a mall than certainly any other retail environment.”
Still, concern about security is growing. A November survey of Orange County residents by UC Irvine found that 44% of respondents said becoming a crime victim was their greatest fear. The results correspond with polls taken by mall operators across the nation showing that people are increasingly apprehensive when they shop.
“One of the biggest reasons we’re going into malls is for visibility,” said Don Wolfram, a Santa Ana Police Department officer who patrols MainPlace/Santa Ana. “We’re around shoppers, and they have a good feeling, a sense of safety when we’re there.”
Because shoppers appreciate the presence of police officers armed with handguns, batons and the power to make arrests, cops are walking beats this holiday season at five Orange County retail centers: Westminster Mall, Brea Mall, Huntington Beach Mall, MainPlace/Santa Ana and South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa.
“Almost universally, people are concerned about crime,” said Don Beasley, a retired 30-year Los Angeles Police Department veteran.
“If we’re not making a shopper happy, he or she will go somewhere else,” said Beasley, who is now corporate director of security for Taubman Co., operator of Beverly Center and two other California shopping centers. “I want them to have a pleasant visit, to find the kind of shops they want, the best foods, the right price points. I also want them to walk out and find their car safely ensconced in the parking stall where they left it.”
Taubman has instructed its private security guards to wear high-profile hats, a response to consumer research showing that shoppers could not easily spot security officers in crowded malls. The company is also bolting police-style safety lights atop security vehicles--yet another way to increase visibility.
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Other shopping centers are adopting similar strategies. At Huntington Beach Mall, for example, a closed-circuit monitoring system is set up in full view of the public. Cameras are linked to color monitors at a kiosk in the middle of the mall’s common area.
Similarly, two Santa Ana police officers who patrol MainPlace use golf carts to raise their profiles in the mall, and the city’s Police Department adds mounted horse patrols to canvass parking lots during the holiday season.
Mall owners and police officials say that bolstering private security forces with uniformed police officers has a direct effect on reducing crime.
“We’re armed, and we also carry batons and pepper spray,” Wolfram said. “A lot of things can go on in malls. We’re always training in the use of firearms.”
Being prepared is essential, Wolfram said. Another Santa Ana policeman needed stitches after a shoplifting suspect “went berserk while being arrested,” he recalled. “This guy was 6-foot-4-inches tall and about 285 pounds. He started swinging his shopping bag, and our guy got hit in the head.”
Besides being a deterrent to crime, police and mall officials say, having officers on patrol helps in prosecuting shoplifting cases.
“It just gives us more credibility when we go to court,” Wolfram said. “You can see the juries listen as you tell about your qualifications and expertise, and the fact that you work full time in the mall.”
He and other officers assigned to the malls say they spend most of their time among the shoppers.
“I’m rarely in the office,” said Chuck Shinn, a Westminster police officer who patrols that city’s mall. “I’m more like an officer on a foot beat. You’ll never know where I am, so if you’re going to do something stupid there’s a good chance I’ll be there.”
Shoplifting is the predominant crime at malls, Shinn said. To combat that, some shopping centers, including Westminster’s, have police substations equipped with holding areas where suspects can be fingerprinted and photographed before being transferred to jail.
Besides high visibility, mall patrol units can also respond quickly if there is a more serious incident.
“We’re there within minutes,” Shinn said. “If you have to call in a patrol car, you don’t always get the same officers, and they don’t always know where to go.”
Wolfram concedes that not every police officer is cut out for a mall beat, and some find it dull compared to the action on the streets.
“You’ve got to have a personality that likes to talk to people,” he said. “You’re not there to be a bully. You’ve got to do a lot of public relations work.”
It suits Shinn. He says walking the mall beat isn’t much different from the days he spent on patrol in Klamath, a tiny town in Northern California.
“People see you every day in a small town,” he said. “They come to recognize you as their policeman. Most people feel comfortable when they see a cop there.”
The mall cop, in fact, is becoming a part of popular culture. Kevin Fagan, who attended Saddleback Community College with Shinn in the 1970s, is now a cartoonist who pens Drabble, a comic strip about a hapless college student whose father is a shopping center security guard.
Shinn says he doesn’t much care for his friend’s creation, who frequently runs into trouble of his own making. But Fagan says the character isn’t intended as a slight to police officers or security guards.
Fagan said he gave Drabble the shopping center beat because “malls are everywhere. Everyone can easily relate to them.”
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Safe Shopping
Malls nationwide are generally safe, with very little violent crime. Still, incidents do occur occasionally. Here are 10 steps you can take to avoid becoming a victim: * Always lock your car. * Hide merchandise and other valuables in the trunk. * At night, park in well-lighted areas. * Don’t leave shopping bags, baby strollers or purses unattended. * At night, walk in groups to cars parked in lots. * Keep car keys in hand while walking to your car. * Don’t hang purses on stall door locks while using restrooms. * Keep an eye on young children. Don’t let them wander through a toy store while you shop elsewhere. * When shopping with children, designate a “meeting place” inside the mall in case someone gets separated. * Notify police or security guards of any suspicious activity. Source: Orange County Mall Police Officers Assn.
