July 18, 2012
Paul Blart’s Got a Gun
Who could forget those movie classics from 2009: Paul Blart Mall Cop starring Kevin James and Observe and Report with Seth Rogen. While it’s safe to say that security personnel may not get the respect they deserve from Hollywood or from teenagers who visit our nation’s shopping malls, it’s equally true that they play an important role in protecting both businesses and people.
In one Ohio Mall, however, the decision was made to bring in on-duty police to make shoppers feel safe and, hopefully, begin shopping again.
In March of this year, the Tabani Group paid $21.5 million to purchase the Northgate Mall in Colerain, OH. The seller, Feldman Mall Properties, had paid $110 million in 2005 to acquire it.
"There’s a reason the $100-million mall became a $20-million mall: Perceptions," Colerain Police Chief Dan Meloy told the Cincinnati Enquirer.
Chief Meloy, who is a lifelong resident of Colerain, told the paper, "If your friends and your neighbors are afraid, and if your mom tells you not to go somewhere because she thinks it’s not safe, you’re not going to go."
What makes the situation at Northgate unusual is that the local police have been contracted to replace the mall’s security. In other parts of the nation, local police are used in addition to private security.
BrainTrust
Recent Discussions
Discussion Questions
Discussion Questions: Do you expect mall security issues to become a deterrent for shoppers in more communities? Do you see more shopping centers paying local police to patrol their facilities? What effects will this have on the operating costs and sales of mall merchants?
Poll
If people don’t feel secure, they are going to be hesitant to shop. Shopping center operators will need to weigh the cost benefits of having local police provide security against a projected increase in sales. Local police cost more than security services. The increased cost will be passed on to merchants in the shopping centers. Retailers, in turn, will pass the cost to consumers. Ultimately, consumers will decide with their wallets.
I am not so sure if there will be shopping malls of any significance in the coming years. I do however see an opportunity for police forces to secure revenue for force maintenance by creating security contracts for local establishments. The fact that little is being done to explore this opportunity shows how inexperienced government is at creating jobs.
Today, mall security
Doesn’t give assurity.
The condition will likely grow
And malls will feel a new blow.
Local police will patrol more
To protect shoppers and store
Costs will rise for mall merchants
And sales will have new displants.
Absolutely, the police are an investigative unit. Don’t believe me? Call your local police department and ask to speak to the prevention officer. Now ask to speak to an investigator or detective. The police are primarily engaged in investigating crime that has occurred. Crime prevention amounts to the reputation of your local police at apprehending the crooks who have committed crimes, or just dumb luck (the patrol car just happened to be riding by).
Mall security is actually in the prevention business in that they provide more eyes on potential perps. Pardon the analogy, but mall security is like neighborhood watch. They are in place because someone has lost faith in the ability of the local police to provide the eyes, ears and bodies necessary to actually prevent crime. Whether malls hire the local police or utilize “technicals” to accomplish the goal of making shoppers feel secure, it will have to be done or consumers will simply choose Amazon.
Once the police are involved in security, it’s too late. By this time everyone has been scared off except the bad people. Having the police come is a desperate move. I’ve been to supermarkets that keep a mock police car (looks like a police car but no engine inside) parked at the entrance. If security or the police are carrying guns, most likely they will find a good reason to use them. My experience has been that for every person shot at your store, you lose 10% of sales permanently. Sometimes guns are necessary, such as in Detroit. If a store manager doesn’t carry a weapon, he is defenseless and an easy mark. My advice is that once police become your security, move to a better location. Otherwise, get a gun and be prepared to use it.
I don’t expect that paying police to patrol the mall full-time will be a common security plan, although a number of malls are already using police on Friday and Saturday nights to keep from having a problem.
I believe Officer Bart and his staff can continue to lead the way!
What is sad is that malls have fallen to the level of needing stronger security. Any store location can be brought “back to life,” but things like security need to be in place along with the proper promotion, etc.
Malls have something that Amazon and others do not and that is the experience of being around merchandise, seeing it, touching it and taking it home. They are also fun and a way to get out of the house and away from the screen!
Some malls will go through the changes necessary — like Northgate — to keep the scum out and let the shoppers in!
This is an interesting topic, one I am sad to see has become spotlighted. Has it come to this in our malls or are we seeing neighborhoods changing? Or is there a third and fourth reason?
There was a major mall built in a NW suburb of Baltimore several years ago. The neighborhood stayed strong and vibrant. However, a rapid rail system was built with a station near this mall. This brought traffic that created problems forcing those frequenting the mall to go elsewhere. This left it with little to no business, shops closing, and just this year it was razed. Sad but true.
Similar to what is being developed in many cities, this site will become a Main Street with outdoor walking, restaurants and shopping. But has the real problem been addressed? How will the traffic be monitored? My guess is the county police will be the guardians.
More Discussions
How Timely Is the Planned Lowe’s Website Renovation Focusing on Personalization?
Is Lowe’s being timely with its website reno, and is it right to be placed as…Should Costco Be Opening Members-Only Gas Stations?
Is this the right move for the warehouse club?As Boomers ‘Age Out of Peak Purchasing,’ How Can National Brands Retain Interest With Gen Z?
According to a recent First Insight study titled “Is Gen Z Still Choosing Your Brand,” while…
If people don’t feel secure, they are going to be hesitant to shop. Shopping center operators will need to weigh the cost benefits of having local police provide security against a projected increase in sales. Local police cost more than security services. The increased cost will be passed on to merchants in the shopping centers. Retailers, in turn, will pass the cost to consumers. Ultimately, consumers will decide with their wallets.
I am not so sure if there will be shopping malls of any significance in the coming years. I do however see an opportunity for police forces to secure revenue for force maintenance by creating security contracts for local establishments. The fact that little is being done to explore this opportunity shows how inexperienced government is at creating jobs.
Today, mall security
Doesn’t give assurity.
The condition will likely grow
And malls will feel a new blow.
Local police will patrol more
To protect shoppers and store
Costs will rise for mall merchants
And sales will have new displants.
Absolutely, the police are an investigative unit. Don’t believe me? Call your local police department and ask to speak to the prevention officer. Now ask to speak to an investigator or detective. The police are primarily engaged in investigating crime that has occurred. Crime prevention amounts to the reputation of your local police at apprehending the crooks who have committed crimes, or just dumb luck (the patrol car just happened to be riding by).
Mall security is actually in the prevention business in that they provide more eyes on potential perps. Pardon the analogy, but mall security is like neighborhood watch. They are in place because someone has lost faith in the ability of the local police to provide the eyes, ears and bodies necessary to actually prevent crime. Whether malls hire the local police or utilize “technicals” to accomplish the goal of making shoppers feel secure, it will have to be done or consumers will simply choose Amazon.
Once the police are involved in security, it’s too late. By this time everyone has been scared off except the bad people. Having the police come is a desperate move. I’ve been to supermarkets that keep a mock police car (looks like a police car but no engine inside) parked at the entrance. If security or the police are carrying guns, most likely they will find a good reason to use them. My experience has been that for every person shot at your store, you lose 10% of sales permanently. Sometimes guns are necessary, such as in Detroit. If a store manager doesn’t carry a weapon, he is defenseless and an easy mark. My advice is that once police become your security, move to a better location. Otherwise, get a gun and be prepared to use it.
I don’t expect that paying police to patrol the mall full-time will be a common security plan, although a number of malls are already using police on Friday and Saturday nights to keep from having a problem.
I believe Officer Bart and his staff can continue to lead the way!
What is sad is that malls have fallen to the level of needing stronger security. Any store location can be brought “back to life,” but things like security need to be in place along with the proper promotion, etc.
Malls have something that Amazon and others do not and that is the experience of being around merchandise, seeing it, touching it and taking it home. They are also fun and a way to get out of the house and away from the screen!
Some malls will go through the changes necessary — like Northgate — to keep the scum out and let the shoppers in!
This is an interesting topic, one I am sad to see has become spotlighted. Has it come to this in our malls or are we seeing neighborhoods changing? Or is there a third and fourth reason?
There was a major mall built in a NW suburb of Baltimore several years ago. The neighborhood stayed strong and vibrant. However, a rapid rail system was built with a station near this mall. This brought traffic that created problems forcing those frequenting the mall to go elsewhere. This left it with little to no business, shops closing, and just this year it was razed. Sad but true.
Similar to what is being developed in many cities, this site will become a Main Street with outdoor walking, restaurants and shopping. But has the real problem been addressed? How will the traffic be monitored? My guess is the county police will be the guardians.