Charlotte Mall Introduces New Chaperone Rule After Rise In Violence

Shoppers at a Charlotte-area mall will now be met with a chaperone rule for minors.

From 3 p.m. until the mall closes every Friday and Saturday, all visitors to Concord Mills who are under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a parent or adult 21 or older. The policy goes into effect Friday (July 30).

The new Youth Supervision Policy was established to enhance the mall's existing safety plan and to deter disruptive activity to the community. According to WSOC, the policy comes after several violent incidents in recent years, including when a man was reportedly shot outside the movie theater last month. A 13 year old was also killed by a stray bullet outside the mall in 2019.

"Concord Mills is committed to providing a pleasant and family friendly shopping environment for all guests," the mall said in a statement. "The program is in response to feedback from the community and community leaders, as the center reinforces its commitment to the community to provide a pleasant, family friendly shopping environment."

Concord Police Chief Gary Gacek told the news outlet that the violence "provides the perception to families, visitors and shoppers that the mall is not a safe place to be" and that the new policy aims to adjust that perception.

"I am cautiously optimistic that this policy is going to be effective at reducing that disorder," said Chief Gacek.