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Police: NorthPark Sees "Alarming" Number of Crimes Area's largest shopping mall sees sudden spike in crime

Updated 10:22 PM CDT, Tue, Nov 18, 2008

Related Topics: Carolyn Tuohy | Dallas

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The holiday shopping rush isn't even here yet, but crime is already up at North Texas' largest shopping center.

Four cars have been broken into, four people had their wallets or purses snatched and one woman was dragged across the Nordstrom parking garage for her purse in the past two weeks at NorthPark Center in Dallas.

"This is alarming, the number of crimes that have occurred there," Dallas police Senior Cpl. Janice Crowther said.

Carolyn Tuohy's Cadillac Escalade was broken into last week while she was watching a matinee with her daughter.

"I was just shocked that could happen at in the middle of the day at NorthPark," she said.

Tuohy said something needs to be done about the rise in crime.

"I don't plan on shopping there during the holidays," she said. "I normally do, but I just don't feel safe."

In May, Mary Boyd was shot in a NorthPark parking lot while she waited in her car for her daughter to come out of the movie theater.

A NorthPark representative said the mall has significantly increased security in the six months since the shooting by doubling the number of security guards in parking areas, increasing hours of security personnel and adding other crime deterrents the mall would not discuss.

Crowther said the Dallas Police Department will work with private security at NorthPark to try and bring the number of crimes down.

Police said they do not believe the crimes are connected, but are more likely a sign of the difficult economic times.

Comments (10)

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  • ron paul Wednesday, Dec 3 at 5:05 PM FLAG COMMENT cameras aren't going to solve the problem. you want a police state? the real solution is creating a community where people aren't poor. the size of government, from the bailouts to the failed wars on terror and drugs, along with the reckless policies of printing money we don't have (the FED) are bankrupting this country and creating more poverty by devaluing the dollar, which hurts the lower and middle classes hardest. bush, c ... MORE >
  • Unknown Thursday, Nov 27 at 2:52 PM FLAG COMMENT I have no respect for the Dallas Police Officers who work part time at NorthPark mall. Perhaps if they would stop using this part time job as a pick up atmosphere and started patroling the mall the crime level would drop. I was a regular at NorthPark mall but kept getting hit on by the Police Officers working there so I found a new place to shop. You pay them to hit on women...something is wrong with this picture.
  • SHAUNA Wednesday, Nov 19 at 8:18 PM FLAG COMMENT OK SO I BELIEVE ALL MALLS NEED CAMERAS VERY BADLEY I WAS SHOPPING A HULEN MALL A FEW MONTHS AGO AND I HAD PARKED 5 CARS FROM THE VERY FRONT AND FIGURED I WAS SAFE BUT WHEN I CAME OUT I REALIZED I HAD BEEN ROBBED A $500 STEREO A $200 PORTABLE DVD PLAYER A $200 RADAR DETECTOR A $200 DIGITAL CAMERA AND A WHOLE CASE OF CD'S HAD BEEN STOLEN AND THEY COULD NOT DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT BECAUSE THEY HAVE NO CAMERAS EXCEPT BY THE MOVIES ... MORE >
  • AleA Wednesday, Nov 19 at 3:53 PM FLAG COMMENT Cameras need to be installed. I am originally from Miami and even in the not so upscale malls they have these for security and especially in the parkign lots. This is getting ridiculous and they need to do something!! They dont care about you spending the $$ inside but then wont protect you once you are outside of their doors!!! I am most likely not going to be shopping there for the holidays this year or maybe ever anymore.
  • Imseriously... Wednesday, Nov 19 at 11:15 AM FLAG COMMENT I agree Gracefully!! Taser these criminals! The more shock they get the less they will hopefully target these upper class shopping centers. It can't be solely based on the number of kids that frequent the place. It's def like you said. They target the $$ and will continue too until the citizens start standing up for themselves. I for one do not carry a gun but I do carry a taser and will use it if approached.

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