Personal safety in malls ??

[stever]

Hello Friends

Always try to walk to and from your vehicle with another person. If you are shopping alone, consider walking near other shoppers in the parking lot.
* If shopping alone and leaving at night -- particularly if you're carrying several bundles -- ask a security officer to accompany you to your car. Most malls will provide that service.
* Inside a mall, avoid darkened hallways and other backroom areas, especially near closing time.
* Avoid using bathrooms that are tucked away in a back area of a mall concourse or department. If you can, find a bathroom near the mall's food court or other well-trafficked area. And always accompany your child to the bathroom.
* Never use a video arcade or toy store as a baby sitter; predators are on the prowl for unattended children. More then 100,000 children are abducted every year -- often in malls or department stores, according to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCME).
* Find out whether the malls and stores you frequent have procedures to search for a missing child. Wal-Mart, Home Depot and Target are among retailers participating in a program developed by the NCME. The program, called "Code Adam," was named after Adam Walsh, a 6-year-old Florida boy who was killed after being abducted from a shopping mall in 1981. As soon as a child is reported missing, employees scour the aisles. If the child doesn't turn up after 10 minutes, the police are notified.

Thanks for reading

[clifford19]

You can also plan not to park or exit your vehicle if suspicious males are in the area. Families should agree in advance to exit and enter their vehicle quickly and lock the doors. Families should be trained to look around their vehicle before approaching and retreat if anyone suspicious is loitering in the area. They should be trained to return quickly to the shopping center and alert mall security or call the police. A little awareness (educated-paranoia) is healthy and can keep your family safe.
* Be aware and alert to predators in the parking lot
* Plan when to go and where to park
* Do not get out of the car if not safe to do so
* Scan the area around your car as you approach it
* Teach your family to enter and exit the care quickly
* Return to the store if anyone looks or acts suspicious
* Call the police and notify mall security of any criminal activity

Have a nice day

[maahi]

Hello
Always take the elevator instead of the stairs. (Stairwells are horrible places to be alone.)

A. Do not get on an elevator if there is a weirdo all ready on there(of course, bad men don't always look bad).

B. Do not stand back in the corners of the elevator, be near the front, by the doors, ready to get off or on.

C. If you get on the elevator on the 25th floor, and the Boogie Man gets on at the 22nd, get off when he gets on.

[shylock34]

Hi

Personally, I make sure to bring pepper spray in my bag just in case I have to go to the parking alone. Parking lots are dark scary places.

Thanks

[harry00]

Hello
High pedestrian traffic areas: Bad guys don't want witnesses. Being in view of a well-traveled vehicular street is good, but having people on the path with you is better.

Open areas: Paths lined with bushes and trees are pleasant for walking, but afford many hiding places for the bad guys and places they can take you to finish their crimes out of view.

Deterrents
Strangers aren't out to attack YOU. It is nothing personal, they are just looking for a target of opportunity. Your goal, therefore, is to look like somebody who will be too much trouble to mess with. They also want to make you their victim without attracting attention from others.

Attitude: Keep your head up and striding purposefully. Look aware of your surroundings and be aware of them. Headphones may give the impression that you are less aware. Lt. Jim Bullard suggests your mental attitude should be, "No low life scum is going to spoil three minutes of my day!"

Companions: Walking with a friend or group reduces your chance of attack significantly.

[helen34]

Hi

* Shop during daylight hours. If you must shop at night, go with a companion.
* Avoid wearing expensive jewelry that could attract thieves.
* Men should carry a wallet in a front pocket. Women should be sure to hold a purse close to the body and on the inside if walking in a pair.
* Avoid carrying large amounts of cash. Use checks or credit cards.
* Don’t overloading yourself with packages. It is important to have a clear sightline.
* Beware of strangers approaching you for any reason. Any time of the year, con artists may try various methods to distract you.
* Park in a well-lighted space, and be sure to lock the car, close the windows, and take the keys with you when you leave.

Thanks

[kathrin]

Hello
Shopping centers come in all sizes from the giant regional malls to the small strip-center with only a few stores. What they have in common is a parking lot. This is where your family is at greatest risk because of the "nature" of a shopping center parking lot. The most common violent crimes committed in the parking lot are stranger-on-stranger purse snatch and strong-arm robbery and occasionally carjackings and abductions.

If you think about it, we are all strangers in a large parking lot. Violent criminals can blend in with the rest of us and get in close proximity fairly easily. Criminal predators can walk right by us and we will allow it because of the public setting. Next time you go to a large shopping center sit in the parking lot for a few minutes and observe how easy it would be for a criminal predator to approach and attack you or your family. Shoppers walk to and from their cars totally consumed by their thoughts and thinking about what they are going to do next. Watch shoppers as they approach their cars fumbling for their keys. They will turn their backs and attention completely away from those nearby to load their shopping bags into the car, and get children and infants installed inside the vehicle. Most shopping center and parking lot abductions and carjackings occur precisely at this point.

[henry47]

Hi
Choose to do your holiday shopping at malls that take security seriously. Shopping destinations with regular mall security patrols and visible surveillance cameras provide an added layer of security and a deterrent to criminals.

- Avoid using restrooms that are tucked away in a back area of a mall or store department. If you can, find a restroom near the mall