South Bay : Torrance Police Patrol Malls to Cut Thefts

Murders are minimal and rapes rarely happen--in fact, violent crime was down 22% in Torrance during the first six months of this year--but for every square mile in the city of Torrance there is at least one shopping center that makes this sprawling metropolis a haven for shoplifters.

Crime rates overall decreased this year with petty thefts increasing just slightly. There were 2,252 reported larcenies in the first half of 1994 compared to 2,288 this year and police say they are beefing up shopping center patrols and working with merchants to bring those figures down.

“We’re putting officers in touch with the merchants on a regular basis to prevent thefts from happening,” said Sgt. Ed LaLonde.

The Police Department has assigned six officers to the mall beat. A lead officer patrols the 350 stores at Del Amo Fashion Center on Hawthorne Boulevard daily, and oversees the patrol of the city’s 24 strip malls. Police meet with merchants once a week to discuss problems, suggest security measures and educate retailers on how to spot a thief.

In addition to increasing presence in the malls, Torrance police started a gang enforcement unit and opened a community police center in the downtown district. LaLonde attributes the decrease in crime to both programs.

The center acts as a substation and is outfitted with a full-time police staff and educational materials on safety. The center was opened to make police more accessible to the community and LaLonde said the department has seen a decrease in crime on that side of town since the center opened.

“We’re trying to build a partnership with the community to improve the area,” La Londe said. “We believe that the police are the public and the public are the police.”