A new weekend escort policy for patrons younger than 18 years at Pemberton Square mall went into effect Friday evening without major incident, though at least a few young shoppers were caught off guard.

One young man, who did not want to be identified, said, “I haven’t heard anything about it,” after he and a friend were denied access to the mall by a security guard at 6:10 p.m. because they were not 18 and had no escort.

The new policy — termed the Youth Escort Policy or YEP — requires all mall-goers 18 and younger to be accompanied by a parent or guardian who is 21 or older on Fridays and Saturdays after 6 p.m. General Manager Renee Williams said age-restrictive policies are not uncommon at malls across the country, and it is being implemented locally following suggestions from local government and school officials, as well as business leaders.

“A lot of the issues we have involve underage youths on the weekends — groups of kids just hanging out,” Williams said. “We want to make the mall more family-friendly — make it a shopping environment.” 

Police have been called to the mall 18 times so far this year, said Lt. Bobby Stewart. The calls are generally in response to shoplifting, disturbances and assaults, he said.

“I would say probably 40 percent of (the calls)” involve teens younger than 18, he said.

Williams said she is confident YEP will help reduce the number of police responses to the mall and provide for a more secure atmosphere. Williams, who has managed the mall for the past seven years, said, to her knowledge, YEP is the first of its kind to be implemented at Pemberton Square.

She’s received no negative feedback about the policy since it was announced two weeks ago. “Everybody who’s contacted us about it has been very positive.”

The policy is being enforced by the contracted security guards who are stationed in the mall. Those who appear to be younger than 18 and without an adult escort are asked to provide an ID or leave the mall during policy hours. If an unaccompanied youth needs a ride from the mall, Williams said a room is available for them to make calls to a parent or guardian.

However, the policy doesn’t mean those younger than 18 cannot go to the mall at all on Friday and Saturday nights without an escort. Underage teens are only restricted from the mall’s “common areas” under the policy. Three stores and a restaurant that can be accessed from outside of the mall — Belk, JCPenny, Dillard’s and Garfield’s — all set their own policies and allow those younger than 18 to be in their businesses unaccompanied, said Williams.

While Wilcox Theatres does not have direct outside access, it is located just inside the east mall entrance, and Williams said those under 18 can attend a movie without an escort on Friday and Saturday evenings as long as they do not stroll around the mall before or after entering the theatre. The theatre’s policy since opening in November restricts anyone younger than 17 from attending a movie after 9 p.m. on weekends without a parent or guardian.

Perhaps due in part to the coinciding graduation ceremony at Warren Central High School, only a small number of teens were at the mall Friday night. Security guards and mall personnel handed out fliers explaining the policy, but only a handful of people younger than 18 were told they could not enter.

Mall employees who are younger than 18 have been given identification badges that allow them to walk the mall corridors unaccompanied when YEP is in effect.

Located at 3505 Pemberton Blvd., the mall is owned by Tennessee-based CBL & Associates Properties Inc. and will celebrate 25 years in Vicksburg next year. It is open 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday-Saturday and 1 to 6 Sunday afternoons.

*

Contact Steve Sanoski at ssanoski@vicksburgpost.com