THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, December 11, 1994 TAG: 9412090325
SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN PAGE: 09 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ROBERT LITTLE, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Short : 38 lines
Santa Claus isn't the only one watching whether you're naughty or nice this holiday season.
The Suffolk Police Department has bolstered its patrols of city shopping centers, hoping to protect holiday gift-gatherers who can be especially vulnerable to robbers, pickpockets, car thieves and other lawbreakers.
The 18-member auxiliary police force will patrol major shopping centers throughout the city for the rest of the Christmas season.
Wearing police uniforms, driving police cruisers and armed with guns and arrest powers, the additional officers are being added to enhance the law enforcement presence during the year's busiest - and, often, most dangerous - shopping season, police said.
``Any time you can have high visibility - when you can saturate the area with the presence of the uniform - it's going to cut down on incidents,'' said Suffolk Police spokesman Mike Simpkins. ``Whether it's car thefts, shoplifting or anything else, history shows it will drop when the criminals know more officers are watching.''
The volunteer auxiliary force, which often boosts patrols during Peanut Fest or city parades, is trained to make arrests and thwart would-be criminals. Though their mission is to call dispatchers and alert sworn officers when they witness crimes, auxiliary officers can still detain suspects.
Simpkins said the auxiliary officers will augment only the regular force and will not mean fewer sworn officers walking the streets and patrolling shopping centers. by CNB