Large-scale retail developments

like the Fayette Pavilion bring convenience to shoppers, yet they are

also a temptation for criminals.

According to crime statistics

provided by the Fayetteville Police Department, almost half of the calls

it responds to at the Pavilion are for theft, little surprise since the

40 different shops make the Pavilion the largest contiguous retail center

in Fayette County.

The statistics also show that

the Pavilion is not overwhelming police resources. Officers responded

to a call at the Pavilion an average of 1.45 times a day during a six

month period from September to March, compared with 5.75 calls per day

to the rest of the city. Those figures include crime reports and additional

calls for service, said Maj. Steve Ledbetter of the Fayetteville Police

Department.

Theft accounted for 144 of

307 calls Fayetteville police responded to at the Pavilion. Police were

often summoned to the Fayetteville Wal-Mart: over a third of the time

according to statistics compared to other locations at the Pavilion.

Although Peachtree City doesn't

have any retail developments with the sheer size of the Pavilion, it does

have large-scale retail at The Avenue at Peachtree City and a new Wal-Mart

Superstore and Home Depot. Those three locations averaged a combined 1.32

calls per day compared with a daily average of 36.5 calls for the entire

city in the first seven months of this year.

Alarm calls at The Avenue accounted

for one-fourth of the calls for all three locations, police records indicate.

The statistics for Fayetteville

and Peachtree City include not only general crime reports but calls for

assistance such as unlocking vehicles and other reports like lost or mislaid

property.

Of the Pavilion's 40 stores,

Wal-Mart accounted for over one-third of the calls reported; police were

summoned there 114 times. Only 29 calls were reported at the Tinseltown

movie theater, which came in second place ... and 26 calls in Target,

which came in third. Home Depot was the only other store with more than

20 calls over the six month period, with 21.

In Peachtree City, The Avenue

accounted for 134 calls, boosted by the 62 alarm calls but just seven

reports of theft or shoplifting. The new Wal-Mart accounted for 72 calls,

including 12 for theft or shoplifting and another 30 for assisting motorists

The Peachtree City Home Depot

only had 26 calls, with two theft or shoplifting calls, eight alarm calls

and nine calls to unlock a vehicle.

Wal-Mart, Tinseltown and other

stores at the Pavilion use off-duty police officers during certain times

for extra security. When Wal-Mart summons Fayetteville police for a shoplifting

case, chances are they already have the suspect or suspects in custody

because of their security personnel, said Maj. Ledbetter .

"Those are the easy ones,"

Ledbetter said with a smile.

Other than theft, the next-highest

reported crime at the Pavilion was juvenile offenses, with 36 reported,

according to police statistics. There were also eight motor vehicle thefts

reported, although that compares to the average car theft rate for the

rest of the city, Ledbetter said.

The department uses special

software to track when and where crimes occur in the city, Ledbetter noted.

For example, the day of the week the Pavilion averaged the most calls

was on Saturday, but Fridays and Mondays were nearly as busy, according

to the statistics.

The information's use is limited

however, Ledbetter added.

"It's impossible to predict

where and when the next crime will occur," Ledbetter said.

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