Charlotte-area malls ramp up safety after spate of gun violence. What crime trends show

Gunfire and shootings at three Charlotte-area malls in the last few months left shoppers and employees on edge, just as more people were venturing out after a year under coronavirus restrictions.

In response to such incidents, some malls have taken steps to increase safety and security at their sites. This includes increasing police presence and cameras, tightening teen curfews and even bringing in gun-sniffing dogs.

All this comes as reported crime at four major malls in the region — Carolina Place, Concord Mills, Northlake and SouthPark — has dropped since 2017, a new crime data analysis by The Charlotte Observer found.

The Observer took a detailed look at those crime stats, and the recent actions by the malls to deal with them.

A K-9 and cops at the mall

In Pineville, the police department sits less than 2 miles from Carolina Place.

That relatively short distance helps provide quick response time when police are needed, Lt. Corey Copley said. Police also have routine foot patrols, he said, and some off-duty officers work as mall security on Friday and Saturday nights.

The mall also used a firearms sniffing canine dog on a trial basis for several weeks earlier this year, Copley said. The pilot program was run by the mall and seemed to be effective, Copley said, although the police department didn’t keep statistics on it.

Brookfield Properties, which manages over 100 retail properties including Carolina Place, has canine programs at certain properties with custom security programs, Brookfield spokeswoman Rachel Wille said.

Brookfield continually tests different safety programs, she said, and the dogs from a third-party company were brought in for about six weeks after an incident at the Pineville mall.

“It’s a nice option for us to have if and when we need it,” Wille said.

Carolina Place saw thefts and major crimes, like aggravated assaults, drop by 85%, from 570 in 2017 to 88 crimes last year. Most of the cases involved theft, according to the Observer’s analysis. The other three malls saw similar crimes drop by 50%, data show.

Copley said most major crimes, like a shooting inside the mall in May, aren’t random. “It’s usually someone who knows somebody else,” he said.

Carolina Place constantly evaluates safety protocols, Wille said. The majority of calls, she said, are for shoplifting and domestic disputes that “do not pose a threat to the shopping center community.”

When incidents happen, the mall works closely with Pineville Police.

For instance, following a call to the mall in December about shots fired, Copley said, police and mall officials met to devise a plan for possible future incidents. Police were not able to find proof a gun had been fired in that case.

“Carolina Place is a very safe mall,” said Copley, who was born and raised in the Pineville area and has worked on the police force for 22 years. “It’s a very safe town.”

Curfew changes at Concord Mills, Northlake

Another way that malls are trying to deter disruptive behavior and crime is with teen chaperon curfew policies.

Last month, Concord Mills started a curfew policy requiring children 17 and younger to be with an adult age 21 or older after 3 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.

Concord Police Chief Gary Gacek said that since the curfew started, Concord Mills staff have said the new policy is working.

The mall had closed early twice in the past several months because of problems with juveniles: in January, due to juveniles fighting and in November, because of disorderly youths.

Northlake, the only other Charlotte mall with a curfew, said recently it would tighten its 2009 policy by two hours. As of Aug. 13, the mall’s curfew is the same as Concord Mills’.

Nationally, retail crime in general is rising significantly, said mall and retail security expert David Levenberg. But, he said, “malls are generally a safe place to go and safe place to shop.”

Levenberg added some caution about curfews, however: they work if they’re enforced.

“They’re very labor intensive,” he said, “because you have to have security at every entrance to monitor who’s coming in.”

The incidents

Despite the security changes and overall decrease in crime from its 2019 level, high-profile cases, like shootings at local malls, have alarmed shoppers and businesses.

In June, a fight between two men escalated to gunfire in the Concord Mills parking lot. In May, two men were charged after shooting each other inside Carolina Place.

And in March, a juvenile was charged with the attempted murder in a shooting at Northlake Mall.

In 2019, a 24-year-old Charlotte man was shot and killed at Carolina Place in January following a fight inside a store, authorities had said.

And in December 2019, a teen was killed and two others were injured after shots were fired in the Concord Mills parking lot near Dave & Buster’s. A stray bullet killed 13-year-old Aveanna Propst.

Her family recently filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Concord Mills and its owner, Simon Property Group, among others.

The COVID factor

Charlotte-area malls voluntarily closed in March 2020 ahead of North Carolina’s stay-at-home executive order because of the pandemic, and reopened less than two months later.

Even after reopening under restrictions, many people were hesitant to leave their homes, Levenberg said, which could play a factor in any significant crime number drops between last year and this year.

“People weren’t going out and stores were not open,” said Levenberg, owner of Center Security Services in Florida. He has nearly 40 years of experience in retail loss prevention and security for companies and clients include Brookfield, Carolina Place’s owner.

At Carolina Place, for instance, it’s now back to “business as usual” with calls for assistance consistent to before the pandemic, Copley said. He said most calls are for misdemeanor larceny cases, non-violent crimes.

Serious crimes up at some malls

The Observer analyzed police incident data from 2017 through mid-June of this year.

Despite the overall drop in crimes at all four malls, two saw an increase in serious crimes. Those cases still represented a fraction of the overall crimes.

In 2017, Concord Mills reported no homicides, robberies or aggravated assault. Last year, it reported four robberies and no aggravated assaults. Through the first half of this year, the mall reported one robbery and three assaults, police data show.

Similarly, Northlake in 2017 reported no aggravated assaults. But last year, it reported three, and so far this year, it reported one.

Charlotte Mecklenburg Police would not comment. Officials with Simon, owner of SouthPark and Concord Mills, and Northlake Mall also did not respond to requests for comment

More mall crime data numbers

Here’s what else the Observer found in its data analysis:

▪ Northlake had the fewest reported theft and major crimes. From 2017 to mid-June, the mall reported about 625 crimes — about 92% of which involved a theft.

▪ Concord Mills, one of the busiest malls in the state, reported about 850 thefts and major crimes, and SouthPark and Carolina Place reported about 1,600 each, data show. More than 95% involved thefts.

▪ SouthPark had the most major crimes. The mall reported 25 serious crimes since 2017, nearly all were robberies.

▪ Carolina Place reported 21 serious crimes, including 12 aggravated assaults, two rapes and a murder since 2017.

What can shoppers do?

To protect yourself while shopping, Copley offers these tips.

▪ Be aware of your surroundings.

▪ Park in well-lighted areas.

▪ Keep cell phone handy but don’t let it be a distraction.

▪ If you see something suspicious, report it.

This story was originally published August 19, 2021 at 11:56 AM.