MORGANTOWN — Shoplifting is on the rise at the Morgantown Mall, Westover Police Chief Rick Panico told Westover City Council recently.
He said the uptick in the crime would continue until the end of the year because of the holiday season.
Officers are patrolling the mall on foot twice a day and Pancio said he’s working with mall officials to change mall policy so employees can follow shoplifters and get their license plate numbers when possible.
That could make it easier for the department to find and pull over suspected thieves, he said.
His department received 470 calls for service, made 18 traffic stops and issued 10 citations, between Nov. 6 and Nov. 18, Panico said.
Two of those calls were for counterfeiting at the Morgantown Mall. One of the three suspects, Duquan Markies Keys, was arrested by Star City Police. When he was arrested, Keys was in possession of a stolen vehicle, Panico said.
Panico said the other two suspects have warrants for their arrests.
Councilwoman Janice Goodwin passed on a compliment to Panico she said she’d received from a constituent. She said the resident was one of the people Pancio sat down with after the Nov. 5 council meeting in regards to a dog that was regularly running loose in the neighborhood.
Goodwin said the resident told her the dog was on a leash lately and had not been roaming. They appreciated Panico taking the time to sit with them, Goodwin said.
Panico said he appreciated hearing the feedback.
