The holiday shopping season his here, with stores expected to open their doors to throngs of eager shoppers on Black Friday, and local police departments are pulling out all the stops to keep shoppers safe.
Operation Safe Shop, Jackson’s annual holiday patrol program, is expected to kick off on Thanksgiving Day and run until New Year’s Day, according to Precinct Four Cmdr. Keith Freeman.
Additional officers will be patrolling the Northside’s major shopping centers, including Maywood Mart, Highland Village and the Junction, as well as the business corridor in Fondren, Freeman said.
Officers will be assigned to the various shopping center and districts from open to close and will patrol parking lots in patrol cars with blue lights on.
No personnel will be taken off of traditional beats, meaning the department will rely on its “Direct Action Response Team,” traffic units and reserve officers to provide additional coverage.
Plans were still being finalized at press time, and department officials were still reaching out to retailers last week to determine which ones would be open on Thanksgiving, to ensure coverage at those locations, Freeman said.
Fondren developer Mike Peters notices an increase in police presence around this time every year, in response to the shopping season.
Peters, who owns Duling Hall, Fondren Corner and Fondren Place, said he will continue doing what he does throughout the year to keep patrons safe.
“When you take Babalu, the Auditorium, Saltine and Caet we’re busy everyday and every night,” he said. “Basically, at most of the retail (centers) I own in Fondren, we have full-time security pretty much every day of the year.”
Ridgeland and Madison are also working to keep shoppers safe. The Ridgeland Police Department (RPD) has operated its “holiday substation” at Northpark Mall for years, according to Christy Campbell, the mall’s marketing manager.
The station, along with the department’s increased patrols in the business area, are designed not only to keep customers safe, but to provide a place where visitors can report suspicious activity as it occurs.
“One thing shoppers want to feel is security and safety when they come out,” said Lt. Tony Willridge, RPD patrol division commander. “The only way for them to do that is to see blue lights, patrol cars and uniformed officers.”
Ridgeland began increasing patrols steadily leading up to the Thanksgiving holiday. Beginning Black Friday, additional officers will be assigned to the city’s major commercial centers, including at Northpark, Walmart areas and Renaissance at Colony Park.
“Patrols will be doing 12-hour shifts, which will encompass the entire business day, from opening to closing and a few hours after,” Willridge said.
Like in Jackson, officers not will be taken off of normal beat duty to cover the shopping centers. “We’re looking at deploying a number of officers in addition to our regular shift,” he said.
The Renaissance at Colony Park is also taking extra steps during the shopping season. “We will be increasing numbers on the shifts of our Renaissance safety/ambassador team. They are our eyes and ears around Renaissance and are available to transport our customers and tenants to and from their vehicles,” said Jan Mattiace, marketing communications director.
“We also have a highly visible security system with surveillance cameras, indicated by blue lights around the center. We are extremely grateful for the constant presence and cooperation from the Ridgeland Police Department.”
The Madison Police Department (MPD) will be increasing its presence along Grandview Boulevard, U.S. 51 and Highland Colony Parkway. Authorities will also be deploying to the city’s newest shopping center, Crawford Farms, which is home to a Hobby Lobby and Academy Sports.
The national retailers opened earlier this year at the shopping center on Crawford Farms Boulevard, according to local media reports.
Like in its neighboring municipalities, Madison’s shopping center patrols will not affect the city’s traditional patrols.
“Over the last several years, I don’t recall any major crimes in the retail areas,” said Cpt. Kevin Newman. “The increased presence has a lot to do with that.”
In addition to uniformed officers, Madison will also employ plain-clothes officers to keep an eye on potential shoplifters, as well as bicycle units, which will allow officers to better maneuver through busy parking lots.
Said Newman, “Officers on bikes can get in and out a lot easier, and they can see and hear a lot more (on bikes) than from inside a police car.”
Crawford Farms was constructed by Duckworth Realty, Duckworth Executive Vice President and Principle Breck Hines said tenants are responsible for providing their own security, as needed.
