Police Department Announces Holiday Shoplifting Action Plan (HSAP)

  • Dec 09, 2014

Police Chief James M. Spinney announced that the Chelmsford Police Department is implementing a "Holiday Shoplifting Action Plan" or HSAP, to ensure that the town's shopping centers do not become magnets for crime during the holiday weeks.

"Shoppers are not the only ones in Chelmsford with a plan to tackle this holiday season,” said Spinney. “The Chelmsford Police Department also has a plan to reduce the amount of holiday-related crime this year. It is our responsibility to keep everyone in Chelmsford safe and make sure they have a happy holiday, and the Holiday Shoplifting Action Plan does just that."

Over the next few weeks, the Chelmsford Police Department will have a high-visibility police presence in holiday shopping areas that pose the potential for shoplifting and other crimes. Investigators will identify the criminal element and trends to apprehend criminals, and deploy available resources in an effective manner to increase public safety and security.

The purpose is to reduce all types of holiday-related crime, including breaking and entering into motor vehicles, purse snatching, robbery, and traffic and parking related problems.

"One of the biggest problems with shoplifting is that it brings criminals into our community,” said Chelmsford Deputy Police Chief Daniel Ahern. “These people are often not just grabbing and going -- they may break into cars, buy and sell drugs, or drive under the influence. It is all connected, and it creates a pattern of crime."

Chelmsford residents may notice an increased police presence at the town’s shopping centers but should not be alarmed. The Police Department is targeting the Chelmsford Mall/Chelmsford Street, East Gate Plaza, Summer Street/Central Square, and the Walmart Plaza/Drum Hill. Other areas may be designated as well. 

Officers are assigned to these special duties during day and evening shopping hours. There will also be increased uniformed patrol activity in parking lots, and officers will aggressively enforce handicapped and fire lane violations.They will also be on the lookout for suspicious activity. 

The Department will also use "Saturation Patrols" -- meaning multiple patrol units will simultaneously patrol the same shopping center parking lots. The Department will also deploy its Automatic License Plate Readers (ALPR) to intercept criminals with motor vehicle infractions, warrants, and stolen motor vehicles.

The Bureau of Investigative Services (BIS) will also deploy to combat crime on all fronts. In addition to assisting patrol units, the BIS will assist with follow up investigations including interviews and interrogations, photo arrays, evidence collection, and more. The BIS also is increasing mobile undercover surveillance of shopping center parking lots and patrolling the interior of major retail outlets under cover. Finally, the BIS is researching region-wide crime trends, including information on suspects, suspect vehicles, unique crimes, scams, and/or specific targeting of certain stores or items.

The Holiday Shoplifting Action Plan will be in effect through the new year.

Featured

  • The Evolution of IP Camera Intelligence

    As the 30th anniversary of the IP camera approaches in 2026, it is worth reflecting on how far we have come. The first network camera, launched in 1996, delivered one frame every 17 seconds—not impressive by today’s standards, but groundbreaking at the time. It did something that no analog system could: transmit video over a standard IP network. Read Now

  • From Surveillance to Intelligence

    Years ago, it would have been significantly more expensive to run an analytic like that — requiring a custom-built solution with burdensome infrastructure demands — but modern edge devices have made it accessible to everyone. It also saves time, which is a critical factor if a missing child is involved. Video compression technology has played a critical role as well. Over the years, significant advancements have been made in video coding standards — including H.263, MPEG formats, and H.264—alongside compression optimization technologies developed by IP video manufacturers to improve efficiency without sacrificing quality. The open-source AV1 codec developed by the Alliance for Open Media—a consortium including Google, Netflix, Microsoft, Amazon and others — is already the preferred decoder for cloud-based applications, and is quickly becoming the standard for video compression of all types. Read Now

  • Cost: Reactive vs. Proactive Security

    Security breaches often happen despite the availability of tools to prevent them. To combat this problem, the industry is shifting from reactive correction to proactive protection. This article will examine why so many security leaders have realized they must “lead before the breach” – not after. Read Now

  • Achieving Clear Audio

    In today’s ever-changing world of security and risk management, effective communication via an intercom and door entry communication system is a critical communication tool to keep a facility’s staff, visitors and vendors safe. Read Now

  • Beyond Apps: Access Control for Today’s Residents

    The modern resident lives in an app-saturated world. From banking to grocery delivery, fitness tracking to ridesharing, nearly every service demands another download. But when it comes to accessing the place you live, most people do not want to clutter their phone with yet another app, especially if its only purpose is to open a door. Read Now

Most   Popular

New Products

  • Luma x20

    Luma x20

    Snap One has announced its popular Luma x20 family of surveillance products now offers even greater security and privacy for home and business owners across the globe by giving them full control over integrators’ system access to view live and recorded video. According to Snap One Product Manager Derek Webb, the new “customer handoff” feature provides enhanced user control after initial installation, allowing the owners to have total privacy while also making it easy to reinstate integrator access when maintenance or assistance is required. This new feature is now available to all Luma x20 users globally. “The Luma x20 family of surveillance solutions provides excellent image and audio capture, and with the new customer handoff feature, it now offers absolute privacy for camera feeds and recordings,” Webb said. “With notifications and integrator access controlled through the powerful OvrC remote system management platform, it’s easy for integrators to give their clients full control of their footage and then to get temporary access from the client for any troubleshooting needs.”

  • Compact IP Video Intercom

    Viking’s X-205 Series of intercoms provide HD IP video and two-way voice communication - all wrapped up in an attractive compact chassis.

  • Camden CV-7600 High Security Card Readers

    Camden CV-7600 High Security Card Readers

    Camden Door Controls has relaunched its CV-7600 card readers in response to growing market demand for a more secure alternative to standard proximity credentials that can be easily cloned. CV-7600 readers support MIFARE DESFire EV1 & EV2 encryption technology credentials, making them virtually clone-proof and highly secure.