Shopping malls curb cruising

RICHMOND HEIGHTS, Mo. - Chaz Brewer visits the upscale St. Louis Galleria mall about once a week, checking out clothing stores such as Aeropostale and American Eagle and hanging out in the food court.

But come April 20, he will not be able to visit the mall by himself on a Friday or Saturday night under a new policy that prohibits teens under 17 after 3 p.m. unless they have a parent or guardian with them.

Brewer, 16, doesn't plan to cruise the mall on a Friday night with his mother.

"That's like a party pooper, for real," he said.

Teenagers across the nation are facing similar rules. Malls looking to restore what they call a family-friendly environment are putting policies in place that require younger teens to have adult supervision during certain hours, almost always on the weekend.

Mall officials say the policies cut back on unruly behavior and loitering that can turn off other shoppers; teens say they are being singled out for the bad behavior of a few.

At least 44 malls out of 1,100 in the United States have teen curfew and escort policies - mostly since 2004, according to data from the International Council of Shopping Centers, a New York shopping-center trade organization.

None of the 44 malls with restrictions is in Pennsylvania, New Jersey or Delaware, according to the council's list.

The organization said it could not predict whether more such policies would be put into place.

The King of Prussia mall, the Philadelphia area's largest shopping complex, does not have a policy for teenagers and has not received complaints about their behavior from other shoppers, spokeswoman Kirsten Boettcher said yesterday. She said she had not heard of any other malls in the area with restrictions.

In the malls with teen-restriction policies, security personnel usually are stationed at doors or throughout the shopping center on Friday and Saturday afternoons or evenings. Teens not escorted by an adult, usually someone 21 or older, are asked for identification. If they cannot prove that they are old enough to be alone or that they are with an adult, their parents are called and asked to pick them up. If the young people refuse to cooperate, police may be called.

"These policies are not places saying they don't want teens to shop in their centers. They're saying: 'Bring a parent to shop with you,' " said International Council of Shopping Centers spokeswoman Patrice Duker.

Brewer, the teen in St. Louis, said he did not spend a lot of money each time he visited the mall. But, he said, when he bought items every few weeks, he probably spent $80 to $100. As he headed to the mall recently, he was listening to rapper 50 Cent on his iPod music player, wearing a shirt and sweatshirt he had bought at the mall.

He said he probably still would visit the mall, but disliked policies restricting so many teens.

"It's not right at all. Not all teens engage in those kinds of activities, violence or fighting," he said.

Malls say the escort policies are improving the environment on weekend nights. Some report that stroller rentals are up on weekend evenings, a sign that families are visiting in higher numbers.

The enormous Mall of America, a 520-store complex in Bloomington, Minn., has a policy, about a decade old, that it says has been incredibly successful.

Previously, there were times when thousands of unescorted teens arrived at the mall on a weekend evening, spokeswoman Anna Lewicki Long said. Instances of teens arguing, spitting or hanging out without supervision were making it uncomfortable for other shoppers, she said.

With the current policy, the mall no longer feels as though it were a babysitter. Additionally, it has at least doubled the number of stores that cater to teens, with more than 75 now on site, she said.

Officials at several malls said no single incident led to beginning the policies.

The St. Louis Galleria, for instance, had fights break out on both Nov. 11 and March 3. A police report from November refers to a "large crowd of approximately 50 subjects fighting and screaming in apparent riot-like behavior," involving both teens and adults.

Local city and police officials said they were supportive of the mall's new policy, but had not requested it. The Galleria draws millions of visitors annually and normally runs smoothly, they said.

General Growth Properties Inc., of Chicago, which owns and manages 220 regional shopping centers including the Galleria, said that three of its malls had parental-escort policies and that similar restrictions were in the works at two others.

The majority of code of conduct violations at the mall, which are not reported to police, are issued to younger shoppers. Those violations include such behavior as running, swearing and loitering, spokesman Kirk Ballard said.

"Where we have implemented it, we have seen extremely dramatic results," he said.

Community officials admit a concern that, if teens skip a trip to the mall, those with no place to go could wind up getting into trouble somewhere else. But communities from New York to Missouri point out there are other options on weekend nights - recreation centers, bowling alleys and coffee shops.

A number of states have shopping malls with policies restricting teen shoppers, according to the International Council of Shopping Centers:

Number with a policy: 22 states, 44 malls, including St. Louis Galleria mall, which begins its curfew policy April 20.

Distribution by state: Alabama. . . 2

Arizona. . . 2

California. . . 2

Colorado. . . 1

Georgia. . . 4

Kentucky. . . 1

Maryland. . . 2

Massachusetts. . . 2

Michigan. . . 3

Minnesota. . . 1

Mississippi. . . 2

Missouri. . . 4

Nevada. . . 1

New Hampshire. . . 1

New York. . . 5

North Carolina. . . 2

Ohio. . . 2

South Carolina. . . 2

Tennessee. . . 2

Texas. . . 1

Virginia. . . 1

Wisconsin. . . 1

Policy in place 10 years or longer: Mall of America, Bloomington, Minn., and Forum Shops at Caeser's, Las Vegas.

SOURCE: International Council of Shopping CentersEndText