MACON, Ga. — The Centerville Police Department is stepping up its patrols after nearly 20 complaints about teens loitering at the Houston County Galleria and Galleria Cinemas.
Zacharia Mace shops at the Galleria a few times a week. She says the shopping center and Galleria Cinemas are popular hangout spots for teens, but has heard of it getting rowdy Friday and Saturday nights. "It's probably kids that see somebody that they don't like and try to start something," said Mace.
Captain Billy Boney with the Centerville Police Department says since January, the department has gotten more than 15 complaints about teens loitering in the galleria area. He says visitors claim groups of teens were getting out of control. "Just hollering and, sometimes, they were fighting, so it got to the point where we put some extra units out there," said Boney.
The Galleria code of conduct says Fridays and Saturday from 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. teens 16 years old and younger must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian. Boney says it's about safety.
"We don't want to have an incident there where someone really, really gets seriously injured or gets runs over by a car," said Boney.
Shopper Jackie Deloach says teens misbehaving outside the mall scares shoppers away. "It makes them not want to come to the mall because they're expecting trouble and they want don't to be in trouble," said Deloach.
Shopper Kayla Shareef says more patrol units could help. "But kids are still going to go somewhere else and cause trouble," said Shareef.
Deloach says more officers will make her feel better. "I would come more often," said Deloach.
Mace says as long as teens don't bother her, she doesn't have a problem with them being there. "I'm going to keep going about my business. I'm going to shop 'til I drop," said Mace.
Boney says any unsupervised teen causing a disturbance will be taken into custody for the parent to come pick them up. In Centerville, it's illegal for anyone under 17 years old to walk, loiter, play, or be in a public place without a parent between midnight and 5 a.m.