South Hills Village mall to ‘reassess’ security

Representatives of South Hills Village mall and the two police departments that help patrol the shopping center were planning to meet next week to “reassess” security even before Saturday night’s shooting at Monroeville Mall that injured three people.
Simon Property Group, which operates the mall split evenly between Upper St. Clair and Bethel Park townships, decided to organize the planning session after a large fight at Monroeville Mall late last month, and were finalizing a meeting time when the shooting and another fight at Ross Park Mall occurred over the weekend.
The “overall review” that is expected to take place next week couldn’t be happening at a better time, Bethel Park police Detective Lance Mattes said. He could not speak of what, if any, changes would be made, but said his department is comfortable with current policies and cooperation between police and mall security.
“It lets us step back and reassess what they’re currently doing to address (security) staffing and the communication between law enforcement,” Mattes said. “I think we’re a little more heightened about security because of this but not overly concerned.”
That sentiment was echoed by Upper St. Clair police Chief Douglas Burkholder, who said officers have not changed their patrols in response to the Monroeville shooting. He added the biggest problem facing the mall is teen loitering and the hired mall security is typically able to handle those issues when they arise.
“We’ve had complaints about Friday night with large groups of kids hanging out there, but nothing that warranted anything more than mall security increasing their patrols a little bit,” Burkholder said. “But no, we’ve haven’t had to devote our manpower any more than we normally do.”
Simon officials said they do not discuss their security procedures publicly.
The major shopping centers to the south in Washington County face similarly minor issues with the outdoor plaza at Tanger Outlets in South Strabane Township and the smaller Washington Crown Center in North Franklin Township.
Officials with both malls declined to discuss security procedures, although both said a close working relationship with local police is critical.
However, security at Washington Crown got an assist from a shopper Saturday when they tackled an Ohio man accused of shoplifting from Macy’s.
“We do have a zero-tolerance policy and the safety and security of our patrons are of the utmost importance to us,” said Joy Weidel, who serves as Washington Crown Center’s group marketing director.
North Franklin police Chief Ron Fox said his department doesn’t expect to change any procedures following the Monroeville Mall shooting and that loitering teens are typically the biggest problem they face.
“They have their policy to kick them out,” Fox said if there’s a problem with disruptive groups. “They do a real good job keeping those younger kids in line.”