Officials defend safety of mall

Natick Mall officials are standing by their safety record, despite a recent reported rape of a teenager there.

Police confirmed that the teenager said she was raped on mall property about 9 p.m. on Sept. 28. Natick police Lieutenant Nicholas Mabardy said the alleged assault was under investigation and no charges have been filed. He would not provide further details.

The mall is a local hangout and meeting place that caters to teens and young adults with its trendy stores and special events, including a recent autograph session with cast members from ''Degrassi: The Next Generation," a television show about high school.

But the popularity of the shopping center has been a double-edged sword. It draws many visitors, but that presents a challenge for law enforcement, who must keep tabs on scores of unsupervised teens who socialize there -- particularly on weekend nights.

Last month's alleged rape, which occurred on a Tuesday night, is drawing warnings from those who have witnessed teens' antics at the mall after parents drive away. Mabardy said parents who drop children off should know they can't control the actions of teens once left alone.

But Natick Mall officials are wary of instituting a teen curfew as some shopping centers have, and they say the reported rape has not prompted them to change what they say are successful security procedures.

''We're concerned about the safety of all of our customers," said John McGourty, regional manager for General Growth Properties, the mall's parent company and former Natick Mall manager. ''Parents have a responsibility, too, to make sure their kids are with others. The same precautions should be taken no matter where they're leaving their kids."

Some 17 million shopping visits are recorded at the mall each year, according to the company. The mall exploded in popularity following a large-scale renovation 10 years ago. Natick police have said it attracts many out-of-town youths.

Mall security has taken on a new importance for General Growth officials and local law enforcement, because the company has begun a 500,000-square-foot expansion of the 38-year-old, 170-store facility.

In late September, the mall began demolishing the former Wonder Bread factory building on Speen Street to clear the site for the first Nordstrom store in Massachusetts.

As many as 250 residences are also planned as part of the expansion.

''We wouldn't get into details or specific plans of security, but we're currently working with local police in designing security for the new center," McGourty said.

Closed-circuit security cameras will go into the mall when it is renovated, McGourty said, adding that the mall has always been a safe place. ''Our record over the last 10 years has been extremely strong," he said.

Natick police Sergeant Paul Thompson agrees with McGourty on the overall safety record.

Together, police and mall officials have instituted a code of conduct that requires teens to dress appropriately and to not loiter on the property.

During busy seasons, such as the holidays, there are usually three officers at the mall on privately paid details, as well as the mall's usual contingent of security guards on weekend nights, Thompson said.

''Things haven't been too bad there, with the exception of that one incident," Thompson said.

According to Natick police records, there have only been two arrests for disturbing the peace and a similarly small number of trespasses reported on the property since January.

Nonviolent crimes, such as shoplifting and larceny of property over $250, are more common, but Thompson said it has even been a quiet year for organized shoplifting rings that frequent large regional malls.

''By being proactive and setting ground rules with teens at the mall, we have kind of stabilized it," he said. ''If we ignore them hanging out, it just breeds problems."

Yet as proactive as police may be, the number of emergency calls generated in the mall area put it on par with other much larger sections of town.

In 2000, Natick police redistributed patrol officers based on demand for services, dividing the town into three regions. This analysis of emergency calls required that the mall and other retail outlets in the northwestern corner of Natick have the same level of police staffing as miles-long sections of residential and business properties elsewhere in town.

While police and mall security continue to monitor the social habits of teens -- whether it's smoking cigarettes on top of the parking garages or wandering to and from the nearby cinema -- severe limitations on teens visiting are not under consideration here.

''We haven't seen the gang problems or violence in teens that some malls have," Thompson said, citing malls in Cape Cod as an example.

Alison O'Leary Murray can be reached at amurray@globe.com.