Outlet mall sees dozens of thefts

Thieves considering stealing items from stores at Cincinnati Premium Outlets should really reconsider, one Monroe police detective is saying. That’s because the Monroe Police Department is being proactive in arresting criminals at the mall, said Detective Ken Parson. "This is not the place to hit because you’re very likely to be arrested. If you’re a thief, do not come to the Monroe outlet mall,” he said.

Since the mall opened in August 2009, there have been a total of 109 calls, with 46 of those reported as thefts and 23 of those thefts resulting in arrests for a 50 percent success rate, he said.

Police Officer Mike Worley, said a lot of those 23 arrests came from Saks Fifth Avenue Off 5th, which has its own security personnel. “They’re on the ball,” Parson said.

He said some of the unsolved cases the department is working on were reported by tenants at the mall who have refused to cooperate even when the suspect is known. “We went to a managers meeting a few days ago and it seemed like the attitude from lot of the corporate offices was this is an outlet mall so this is a second chance to recover money from purchases anyway. So it’s not as if they’re primary stores. If it’s a primary store and you’re stealing from them and they’re losing more money, they’re more apt to prosecute,” Worley said.

The suspects travel along the interstate in groups of three or four and go into stores and while some suspects steal merchandise the other members distract store employees to mostly help support drug habits or rings, Worley said.

“Most of the people we arrest come from Dayton,” Parson said. Worley said the suspects know it’s relatively safe because the chances of being prosecuted are slim. “There’s limited risk and a lot of reward,” he said.

Source: The Oxford Press