Expanding NorthPark security a low priority

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By Kurt Allemeier and Dustin Lemmon | Tuesday, January 23, 2007 |

A police substation at NorthPark Mall, similar to one run by Moline police at SouthPark Mall, isn’t being considered in the wake of a fight Saturday night in the food court of the Davenport shopping center.

Davenport police had a substation at NorthPark several years ago, but it was phased out because of budgetary concerns, Police Chief Mike Bladel said Monday. Opening a NorthPark substation is a low priority as long as the department budget and staff continues to be stretched thin.

“It is not in consideration right now,” Bladel said. “We thought it was important to consolidate our resources, considering the number of officers.”

Moline police opened a substation at SouthPark Mall in 1996. The office is staffed by three full-time officers, and there is at least one present at all times during the mall’s operating hours, officer Todd Engstrom said.

Their primary responsibility is stopping shoplifters, but they do encourage store employees to contact them if they see unruly customers, Engstrom said.

Police arrested eight people on minor charges after the NorthPark brawl about 5:40 p.m. Saturday. Businesses locked their doors briefly for fear of the melee spilling into their stores.

Sworn officers work part-time at NorthPark, so the department has a presence, Bladel said.

Officers will continue to make walk-throughs of the mall, and the department’s mobile precinct unit could also be placed at NorthPark at times. The mall also has its own security officers.

Bladel said mall management hasn’t called him, but he counts on a relationship between mall businesses and his off-duty officers working at NorthPark to be liaisons for the department.

“They haven’t contacted me personally,” he said.

Simon Property Group responded quickly to Saturday’s incident, Rob Hawkins, an assistant store manager at JCPenney, said.

“We are having a meeting with a corporate security team to see what we can do so we don’t have to worry about (a fight) again,” Hawkins said. He didn’t know when the meeting would be held.

Store officials for Younkers, Von Maur, Sears and Dillard’s declined to comment.

Simon Property Group responds quickly to tenant concerns, said Les Morris, a spokesman for the Indianapolis-based mall management company. He wouldn’t comment specifically about the NorthPark incident, nor confirm the meeting with corporate security experts.

“Our primary concern is mall safety for our shoppers and employees,” Morris said. “We are committed to providing a safe, quality shopping environment at NorthPark, and to do that, we take several pro-active security measures.

“We work hand in hand with our tenants. For many of our national tenants, we are their largest landlord, and they are important to us.”

Engstrom said SouthPark has unarmed public safety officers who will respond to fights and arguments, but they call the police when things escalate.

“We’ve never had anything of this magnitude here,” Engstrom said, referring to the NorthPark fight. “When we started out here, we had some problems like that. I think that’s one reason they wanted us out here.”

Engstrom said fights at SouthPark Mall are few and far between.

While the Moline officers at SouthPark Mall would like to think their presence can prevent a fight like the one at NorthPark, Engstrom said one or two officers would not be enough to prevent a large brawl.

“It wouldn’t have mattered,” Engstrom said. “The more people you have, the more opportunities you have for problems.”

Using text messaging and cell phones can escalate a problem quickly, Bladel said.

Engstrom said SouthPark Mall has a code of conduct posted at each entrance that warns people they can be removed from the property if they yell, use profanity, wear clothing with vulgar language or run.

“We usually just warn people unless it becomes a continuing problem,” Engstrom said.

NorthPark has a similar, corporation-wide code posted at its entrances, said Darcy Jacks, NorthPark’s director of marketing. It also prohibits “loitering, blocking storefronts, fire exits or escalators, and walking in groups in such a way as to inconvenience others.” A group is considered five or more people.

Kurt Allemeier can be reached at (563) 383-2360 or kallemeier@qctimes.com.

Safety measure

Moline police opened a substation at SouthPark Mall in 1996.

The office is staffed by three full-time officers, and there is at least one present at all times during the mall’s operating hours.

Their primary responsibility is stopping shoplifters, but they do encourage store employees to contact them if they see unruly customers.