Boca Town Center Mall a Crime Magnet?

Boca Raton's giant Town Center Mall is now being abandoned by shoppers as the Simon Security & Boca Police have abandoned customer safety in the past.

Two years ago a "gentleman" Rolex bandit stalked the mall & robbed customers in a low-key style until he was arrested. Then last August, a youngish mom was jumped in her car in the parking lots---which are diminishing rapidly as new extensions of the mall appropriate more parking space---forced at gunpoint to drive to an ATM, then forced to hand over $600 to the bandit, who tied her & her two-year old child in a neck-wrist hog-tie mode. The media & police did not take the crime seriously, and my daughter happened to hear about it only because one of her friends worked at the mall.

This coverup of the August crime is inexcusable. The fact that Simon & the Boca police dept. did not take seriously the woman's testimony that she & her two-year old had been abducted demonstrates a callous disregard for public safety.

As it happened, my home in the Colonnade was robbed by five Jamaicans in May of last year. They were also traced to Overtown [I believe] by Det. Horowitz, who did a great job in apprehending the gang leader.

The roofers at the time working across from our pool were Jamaican & I told the police that our house & an adjacent one robbed a few days later were a result of the Jamaican roofers---I saw one pointing to the house that was subsequently robbed & talking excitedly while unnoticed doing pool exercises.

Result---no follow-up of the Boca police was done on that, even though we took the license number of the W.Palm Beach truck & phone # of the firm & offered it to the investigators.

The roofers were working for about a month and a rash of robberies broke out in the Colonnade.

I knew they were Jamaican [I heard their argot from the pool on several occasions] as were the robbers of my house, whom I caught flagrante delicto. Again, Det. Horowitz DID care about the robbery, unlike the Boca police.

As a result, I & my wife & daughter are out of $4000 in coins & jewelry & iPods & other tech stuff. They left my wedding ring on the floor.

The fellow was sentenced last month to a few months in jail. I was told there is no way to get our property back except to sue the delinquent Jamaican kid.

Boca Raton detectives were good, but the other police were lackadaisical and dismissed my complaints.

Our neighbor who was robbed a couple of days after us moved out to another more safe jurisdiction....!

Between the Boca cops & Palm Beach courts, we are regarded as a nuisance if we are a victim of a robbery or mugging.

South Florida is a bit of paradise, but the serpent lurks in every tree.