Police reassure public on safety of Arundel Mills

By ALLISON BOURG, Staff Writer

Published 11/23/08

County police Friday took the unusual step of reassuring the public about the safety of Arundel Mills mall, discounting an Internet warning attributed to a county officer.

Sgt. John Gilmer, a police spokesman, said there has been an increase in thefts across the county, not just at the popular mall in Hanover.

The Yahoo! Groups online posting, and an e-mail version circulating this week, repeat a warning purportedly from an officer stationed at Arundel Mills that shoppers should stay away from the mall.

"That is definitely not the stance of the Anne Arundel County Police Department," Sgt. Gilmer said. He couldn't recall a rumor like this one floating around before.

Police have stepped up security at various shopping centers and malls, with more undercover officers patrolling the parking lots.

"We don't want to single out Arundel Mills mall," Sgt. Gilmer said.

The warning was posted Tuesday by a Millersville woman who wrote that she heard from a friend to steer clear of Arundel Mills. The friend, the posting reads, has a brother-in-law who is a county police officer.

"He just called me and gave me a warning to stay away from Arundel Mills mall at all times of the day. Just don't go," the message reads. "In the past he has said to make sure that we are out before dark. Now he is advising us to not go at all, at any time, with anyone."

The message goes on to say that muggers usually start to get "desperate" for gifts around mid-December, but the typical holiday crime has started earlier than usual and is much worse.

"Shoppers are getting mugged in the parking lot, in broad daylight. Mothers alone with children are big targets and have been getting held up at gunpoint. This is happening several times a day," the posting reads. "They are preparing to release an all out warning to everyone."

That is untrue, said Sgt. Gilmer. The department hasn't verified whether any officers who work around the mall have warned people to stay away. He didn't want to speculate on any action an officer might face for offering such a warning.

"We would have to evaluate that," he said.

An Arundel Mills spokesman called the rumor an "urban legend" and said similar e-mails have circulated about other malls around the country.

"I wouldn't say it's a frequent occurrence, but it does happen," said Wendy Ellis, director of marketing at Arundel Mills. "Who knows why people go and forward these things when they don't even know the source?"

Ms. Ellis said there are several versions of the posting floating around, but all say the same thing. Mall officials learned about it when concerned customers forwarded it to them.

Ms. Ellis said Arundel Mills does not have a crime problem.

"Absolutely not. Does it happen? Yes, but no more than any other shopping center," she said.

Internet rumors like this one surface every few years, said Malachy Kavanagh, spokesman for the International Council of Shopping Centers.

"Perception can become a reality for people, unfortunately, but the vast, vast, vast majority of people go through without incident," Mr. Kavanagh said.

Arundel Mills opened in 2000 and is often listed as the state's biggest tourist attraction.

Sgt. Gilmer said he doesn't know how many robberies police have responded to at the mall in the past month. There have been several reports of muggings, including one in which a woman and her daughter were robbed at gunpoint on a Friday night as they were loading their purchases into their car.

Another shopper had her Yorkshire Terrier stolen from her car that was parked outside the Old Navy clothing store. The dog was later returned.

"The Arundel Mills area has experienced a few incidents during the last two months. However, during this same time period over 2 million people have safely visited Arundel Mills," Sgt. Gilmer wrote in the department's statement on the e-mail warning.

He said Arundel Mills offers security escorts and direct dial access to security officers from all mall pay telephones. Off-duty county police officers also supplement the usual patrols around the mall.

While few crimes seem to happen inside the mall, parking lots can be more dangerous, said Bill Brill, an Annapolis-based security consultant. Restrooms can also be hot spots, because they tend to be in isolated areas inside the mall.

"You're probably safer in a mall than in pretty much any other environment," Mr. Brill said. "The problem is, they have become the downtowns of America."

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