Shoppers wait outside Macy's department store on Black Friday, November 26, 2021.
(YUKI IWAMURA
/
AFP via Getty Images)
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The official start to holiday shopping comes with more Los Angeles Police officers patrolling high-end malls to deter smash-and-grab robberies. Prior to Thanksgiving, organized groups stole tens of thousands of dollars in merchandise here and at stores in the Bay Area.
Deputy Chief Alan Hamilton says there are more uniformed and undercover officers patrolling shopping areas.
"In addition to our visibility, we're meeting and greeting people as they go about their holiday shopping. We're contacting people directly to make sure they're aware that we are there to keep things safe," Hamilton says.
Wednesday a security guard was attacked with bear spray during a "flash mob" robbery at the Westfield Topanga mall.
Similar incidents also happened at the Beverly Center and Nordstrom at the Grove. Hamilton urges shoppers and workers to be aware of their surroundings, and if you see something suspicious, alert security.
What questions do you have about Southern California?
Anthony Lowe was shot and killed by Huntington Park police on Jan. 26. 'Thank goodness that we’re in the era of videos,' said the family attorney as they file a federal civil rights lawsuit
In a memo, Chief Michel Moore said “extremist groups have hijacked the use of the ‘Thin Blue Line Flag’ to symbolize their undemocratic, racist, and bigoted views.”
In a conversation with LAist, the new sheriff acknowledges that, as an outsider, "I have my work cut out for me" in winning the support of the department's rank-and-file.
He was elected in 2018 after running as a progressive Democrat who would reform the department. He ended up fiercely resisting oversight and clashing with watchdogs and the rest of the county’s political establishment.
