Probation Officers Identify Offenders At Local Mall During Busy Holiday Season

Adita Vazquez, Probation Officer at Boston Municipal Court (BMC)-West Roxbury, confers with Braintree Police Officers.

Ronald Whitehead and Beverly Byron, both of Suffolk County Juvenile Court, stroll through mall.

Adita Vazquez talks to shopper at mall.

Probation Officers continue to scan crowd as they ride up mall escalator.

Suffolk County Probation Officers strolled through the South Shore Mall in Braintree this week and scanned the faces of shoppers to help identify court-involved individuals during one of the busiest shopping periods of the year. This Probation Officer patrol helps mall security and police maintain order at the busy plaza.

Shoppers, shoplifters, and those interested in causing trouble can expect Probation Officers to be a regular presence at the Braintree-based mall every weekend this Christmas season and throughout the new year.

On Saturday, three Probation Officers, dressed in gear marked with the words 'Probation,' drew stares, questions and on at least one occasion—a "thank you" as they looped through the mall. This followed a brazen robbery at the mall the day before, "Black Friday," when a man threatened a security guard with a knife after being confronted for stealing merchandise: trendy North Face jackets valued at several hundred dollars. The shoplifter escaped into the crowd of Christmas bargain hunters—making his way to a getaway car outside of the mall. Probation Officers were not there that day.

Suffolk Juvenile Assistant Chief Probation Officer Beverly Byron and Probation Officer Ronald Whitehead were accompanied by Adita Vazquez, a Probation Officer II at Boston Municipal Court (BMC)-West Roxbury Division. Byron, Whitehead, and Vazquez are part of a weekly rotation of Probation Officers who maintain a presence by walking through the 2,165,000 square-foot mall every Saturday. During the Christmas holiday season, the mall—one of the largest in New England—typically draws over 250,000 shoppers, according to Simon Malls which manages the South Shore Mall located on Route 37 and accessible to busy Routes 128 and 3.

"It is very important for probation officers to be seen in the community," said Mark McHale, Suffolk County Regional Administrator. "Their presence alone is just another layer of public safety."

Braintree Police Deputy Russell Jenkins described the five-year partnership between Probation and his department as "very beneficial to us."

"Oftentimes, they have radio communication with us or they walk over to a situation or call us on the police radio to inform us of anything going on," said Deputy Russell.

He added, "Individuals very much take notice of the Probation Officers. Those who have dealt with the Probation Officers recognize their faces. Having Probation Officers at the mall robs the individuals of their anonymity. It makes them think twice before they act."

Whitehead, one of the Probation Officers at the mall on Saturday, said, "When people look up and see us with the words 'Probation' on our clothing and the badge, it's a high alert factor. The police and mall security also like the extra help."

Each week, three of the 15 Probation Officers regularly dispatched to the mall, can be seen moving past stores and weaving through crowds, stopping to chat with or cajole those who are involved or have been previously involved with the court system. These Probation Officers are from Boston Municipal Court (BMC)-West Roxbury, BMC- Roxbury, Suffolk Juvenile Court, BMC-South Boston, Quincy District, Brockton, and Dedham District courts.

McHale said the weekly Probation Officer Patrol at the South Shore Mall began in 2005 when he received a call from Braintree Police who asked for assistance in maintaining control and identifying court-involved individuals at the mall where throngs of young flock every weekend.