Kathy Walker bought some nice gifts yesterday for her family, but she knew there are criminals stalking shopping centers who'd like them just as much.
"I have to be careful with these three big bags," the 23-year-old said on the second level of The Mall in Columbia, her arms favoring her right side as her purchases tilted her body like a scale.
As shoppers tear into the remaining nine shopping days until Christmas, they should watch out for criminals who also look forward to the season, Howard County police say.
Thefts increase during the period from Thanksgiving Day
through New Year's Day, when celebration sometimes smothers protective instincts, police say. More drunken drivers also are on the road this time of year.
"People need to pay attention for their personal safety," said police Sgt. Karen Burnett, head of the Crime Prevention unit.
The prime location for shopping in the county this season is The Mall in Columbia's Town Center. Mall managers estimate that 6.5 million shoppers visit the mall each year, with 30 percent of its business during the last eight weeks of the year.
Lt. Rich Terry, one of several mall security guards -- mall officials refuse to say how many there are -- paces by its 203 stores five days a week, looking for trouble.
rTC He carries no gun and has never used the pepper spray he's carried during his three years on the job. The 20-year Army veteran says his weapons are his eyes.
"I concentrate on making eye contact as much as possible," Lieutenant Terry said. "I make some people feel comfortable, but maybe I can stop someone else from being a bad guy today."
Mall security guards using four-wheel-drive vehicles, cars and bikes patrol the parking lots, where shoppers are more susceptible to robbers.
Customer service representatives wearing orange vests have been positioned in the mall parking lot to help shoppers carry bags or find their vehicles, mall officials said.
Ms. Walker, of Glenwood, said that she felt safe shopping yesterday, but she took off from work so she could shop during the daylight hours.
Police call some holiday shoppers easy targets.
"I think the people who go out shopping are in good spirits," said Sergeant Burnett. "Unfortunately, the bad guy is looking at it from the other end. They have a job to do, too."
Many stores in The Mall plan their own security procedures and rely on the shopping center's hired guards to assist in some situations.
But crowded stores pose a problem for some employees, such " as Rodney Blount, an assistant manager at Sam Goody music store in The Mall.
Earlier this week, the store alarm buzzed when a woman walked out. Employees said they believed she had stolen a compact disc, but were too busy serving customers to search the woman.
And last week there was a fourth-grader caught with two $15 tapes of the movie, "Speed," from the store. When he was stopped by employees, he said the tapes "must have fallen into my bag when I walked by them," Mr. Blount said.
"It's frustrating," Mr. Blount said. "We can't catch everybody. Everybody's trying to rush and get their last-minute gifts. Some people can't afford it and get it any way they can."
Police say some of the trouble this season is not in the malls, but on the roads.
Howard County police officers and state police troopers will conduct a drunken-driving checkpoint for westbound cars on Route 40 at the Baltimore County line in Ellicott City from midnight today to 3 a.m. Saturday. From Thanksgiving to New Year's, police have boosted patrols along Routes 1 and 40, the busiest corridors in the county, police said.
HOLIDAY SAFETY TIPS
Police say the following tips will help provide a safer holiday season:
* Park in well-lighted areas.
* Lock cars and remove valuables from car seats.
* Grip purses firmly or carry them close to your body.
* Never leave purses or valuables unattended.
* Avoid using outdoor automated teller machines at night.
* Do not flash money.
* Be cautious when returning to your vehicle.
* Have keys at hand when returning to your car to avoid delays, and lock the car door when you are inside the vehicle.
* Buckle seat belts, and don't drink and drive.