ROSEVILLE, Calif. — With Christmas quickly approaching, shoppers are crowding malls to grab their holiday gifts.
"It has been such a fantastic holiday season so far. You just feel the joy in the air," said Jennifer Crowley, marketing director for the Westfield Galleria in Roseville.
While seeing a high volume of customers is good news for the Roseville Galleria, the mall is on high alert this holiday shopping season with a more boots on the ground approach after previous incidents like the smash and grab at a jewelry store earlier this year.
"We have brought on more security team members. We have a large mall so we just want to make sure that we get that extra coverage especially with the increased traffic during the holidays," said Crowley.
They're not the only ones who have been the victim of thieves. The Modesto Police Department said their property crimes unit has made 24 arrests for theft and burglary in the last two weeks.
"The theft is detrimental to the retailers, but we just really want people to feel safe and feel secure," said Crowley.
The Roseville Galleria has spent more than $1 million on what they call the "CTV project," to improve existing surveillance systems and add additional cameras across the mall.
"Add additional cameras out in our parking lots, in our parking garages to make sure that the community knows that we have eyes on every corner of this center," said Crowley.
The mall has even partnered with the Roseville Police Department and the Placer County Sheriff's Office which is why shoppers will also see more officers inside and mounted patrols on horses making rounds outside.
"We actually have them out on their horses. They'll be patrolling the parking lot areas. They're also in connection with our security team," said Crowley.
Through their improved safety measures, the mall hopes customers will feel at ease and stay focused on shopping for the holidays.
"It definitely feels like the good old Holiday season so we definitely want to keep that going through this season and have a joyful safe Holiday shopping season for the community," said Crowley.
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