The Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office will again provide security Nov. 23-Dec. 26 at Prien Lake Mall.
Kim Myers, Sheriff’s Office
spokeswoman, said the Robbery Prevention Mobilization Program will help
both deter crime and help
shoppers in the Prien Lake Mall parking lot from noon-10 p.m.
seven days a week. This is the ninth year the Sheriff’s Office
has provided this service.
Deputies, who will wear orange
Sheriff’s Office traffic vests when it gets dark, will patrol the
parking lot on marked ATVs
and patrol cars. They will also staff the Sheriff’s Office’s
Mobile Command Center in the front parking lot of the mall, she
said in an email.
“Deputies ... will be available to assist shoppers with such things as helping them find their car, jump starting their car
if the battery is dead, changing a flat, assisting employees and shoppers by walking them to their car after dark, or any
other assistance they can provide,” Myers said.
“The CPSO Robbery Prevention Mobilization has always been instrumental in not only assisting shoppers with their problems
and concerns, but keeping crime to a minimum at a time of year when it is usually on the rise,” Sheriff Tony Mancuso said.
Myers stressed that the Sheriff’s Office deputies are not hired by the mall “nor will they be doing security for the mall.”
“The presence of law enforcement on the premises is expected to deter crime in the parking lot,” she said.
Deputies will also make regular visits
to all convenience stores in the parish during the holiday season to
check with store
clerks to see if they are experiencing any problems or if they
have any special needs. They will also conduct these same checks
at businesses at Southgate Shopping Center on Ryan Street and the
Power Centre on La. 14, Myers said.