Georgia Legal Report
(AJC)
Georgia mall and parking facility owners have a responsibility to protect their patrons from violent crime, sexual assault, and foreseeable harm. Mall parking garages are often targets for such criminal activity due to numerous dark hiding places and frequently vulnerable customers, carrying shopping bags, car keys, and valuables ready for the taking. However, all too often, mall parking facility security measures are overlooked and understaffed.
The Atlanta Police Department recently told The AJC, “Thirty-six million people [went] through Phipps (Plaza) and Lenox (Square) last year. There’s 11,500 parking spots. That’s a city in itself within a two-block radius.” With crime in the Buckhead area up 20 percent from last year, the department is calling on “the big-box stores and the malls…to hire some off-duty cops.”
Earlier this month, FOX 5 reports, a man was carjacked while “taking a nap at a parking deck at Lenox Square.” In January, a woman told the AJC she “was assaulted in a Buckhead parking garage while “leaving the Target on Peachtree Road near Phipps Plaza.”
The harrowing incidents serve as grave reminders that Georgia mall and parking facility owners need to provide a safe and secure space for patrons entering and exiting their establishment. Parking facility security measures may include guarded entry, bright lighting, security patrols, off-duty police officers, patron escorts, and actively monitored surveillance cameras. Further, staff should be properly trained to watch for and respond to violence and suspicious behavior, such as those loitering between cars.
Victims of Mall Parking Garage Assault or Injury: What Are My Legal Options for Justice and Compensation?
As each case and property is unique, victims of parking garage and mall crime should speak with an experienced security negligence firm as soon as possible to ensure all evidence, such as surveillance footage or broken lighting, is preserved and their best interests are protected.