People are going to shopping centers with more people feeling comfortable being in public with a higher number of vaccinations. Officer Robert King said since things opened back up, people can do what they need to do. He works as a Community Liaison for the Reynoldsburg Division of Police.
Unfortunately, there will be more crimes because more people are outside. Police officer, John King, said, “We are seeing a lot more thefts where people walk right out of a store with what they want.” The police report that for the shopping center, there were 10% more monthly calls for service now than in 2020.
CrimeTracker 10 found that other popular shopping areas such as Easton Town Center, Polaris Fashion Place, and Eastland Mall also have the same trends. Officer King thinks that criminals are getting bored or they are just trying to do something big.
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Debbie Wells has managed the Avis Budget store in Taylor Square for 17 years. The biggest problem she has is the number of car break-ins and theft of catalytic converters. She’s always a little suspicious. “In the mornings, you can tell that that car is not supposed to be here,” Wells said.
Five years ago, Wells took part in a new crime prevention method to help them know about crime alerts and incidents. Police sent emails to local business owners. Today, Officer King and his partner Officer Scott Marshall use the GroupMe app. This includes people in business who own stores, managers of stores, and people in charge of preventing things from being stolen.
The police officer said, “If you can put someone up within 30 seconds, someone will say, ‘Hey that’s my guy from the store! I need them too!'” Reynoldsburg Police are going to use an elevated camera tower in the parking lot of Taylor Square. It will have four cameras that give officers a bird’ eye view of criminals in action.
It is possible for some people to get robbed in parking lots. It is better when you have someone with you.
