The Mall of Louisiana plans to hire off-duty deputies to patrol in the evenings near the mall area in the wake of the shooting that occurred Jan. 7.
The incident resulted in the injury of two juvenile bystanders who were both shot after a verbal altercation broke out in the parking lot between Dillard’s and Rave Theater.
In response to the incident, the Mall of Louisiana held a meeting with the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office and management from Rave Theater and Perkins Rowe. They discussed how the sheriff’s office could work with the mall to improve security and combat crime, according to Casey Rayborn Hicks, public information director for the EBRSO.
“It was a good opportunity to get everyone on the same page,” Hicks said. “Basically, it was a ‘help us, help you’ meeting.”
She said the group discussed measures to create a system where information can be sent instantly to all parties involved.
The mall is primarily responsible for its security, according to Hicks. Along with the Mall of Louisiana, Rave Theater has also added more deputies to patrol and address problems.
“We work very closely with mall management in order to make suggestions for security and offer assistance in any way we can,” Hicks said.
Hicks said the deputies at the Mall of Louisiana and Rave Theater will network and communicate to pass information in order to identify possible issues and address them before problems occur.
In addition to these changes, Hicks said the sheriff’s office is going to bring its surveillance tower to be manned by mall deputies.
“We believe this meeting was the first of many that we will have to create a cooperative effort to fighting and preventing crime,” Hicks said.
In the wake of the night shooting, marketing freshman Kelsey Soulant said she feels safer visiting the mall during the day.
“You never know what may happen at night,” Soulant said. “I feel better going during the day, even if I am alone.”
Despite the incident, kinesiology sophomore Chelsie Batiste said she will continue going to the mall.
“Just because there was a shooting doesn’t mean I would stop going,” Batiste said. “Nothing has changed.”
 
____
Contact Lauren Duhon at [email protected]