Police Respond To Thousands Of Calls At Milford's CT Post Mall

MILFORD, CT — James Dhakal has been the owner of Oxford Jewelers at the Connecticut Post Mall since 2007. While Dhakal said there have been thefts in the past, smash-and-grab robbers have hit his business three times in the last two years.

The criminals are fast, in and out in 20 seconds. They smash the glass, grab valuables like gold, silver, and diamonds, then flee. He said he can’t interfere as the criminals could be armed. It's difficult to rebuild his inventory due to the increased price of gold and silver.

Dhakal wants to move his kiosk from the mall’s first floor to the second floor, as he said it’s less dangerous. However, mall management hasn't permitted this.

“The mall has done nothing,” he said. “Under these conditions, it’s hard to open a business.”

Dhakal isn’t the only business owner at the mall dealing with crime. From December to February, there were 35 arrests at the mall, according to Milford police arrest logs.

Most of these are for shoplifting, though the mall also sees arrests for domestic incidents, motor vehicle accidents, and other crime.

Some of the thefts are substantial. In January, four people stole $5,700 worth of sunglasses from Macy's.

In another January incident, two people were accused of stealing $530 worth of merchandise from Boscov’s. When employees confronted them, the thieves charged at them, and one of the suspects was also accused of punching and spitting on an employee, police said.

Theft, Fights, Fires: More Than 9K Calls To Police

Over the last five years, police received 9,317 calls for service from 1201 Boston Post Road and 1191 Boston Post Road, which is the Target in the mall.

Many of the calls are hang-ups, canceled calls, burglar alarms, and medical emergencies.

But plenty are for criminal matters. Here are the total numbers of calls from January 2020 through December 2024, according to police records Patch obtained via a Freedom of Information Act request:

• 1,443 calls for various forms of theft
• 522 calls for suspicious activity
• 324 calls for breach of peace
• 103 calls for motor vehicle accidents with injuries
• 59 juvenile complaint calls
• 58 fire-related calls
• 46 calls for vandalism
• 45 calls for auto theft
• 29 calls for strong-arm robbery
• 29 calls for domestic violence
• 27 calls for fights
• 27 calls for missing persons
• 24 calls for harassment
• 21 calls for fraud
• 14 calls for assault
• 7 calls for burglary
• 5 calls for armed robbery
• 3 calls for sexual assault

Officer Brianna MacDonald said police “try to monitor the mall frequently.”

“Our officers often do security checks and/or write reports in the mall lots when they are not responding to other calls,” she said. “We try to have a presence there as much as possible while still patrolling the rest of the city and responding to calls.”

MacDonald added that the department has “a great relationship with mall security and meet with them monthly to debrief over any pressing issues and go over the calls from that past month.”

In the past, the mall had a substation staffed by Milford police. MacDonald said she didn’t know of any plans to reinstitute a substation or why it was removed.

In response to a reporter’s questions about crime at the mall, General Manager Ken Sterba gave the following statement: “We take the security of our guests, retailers and employees very seriously. In order to preserve the effectiveness of our security measures, we are not able to speak about the specific details of these plans.

“We do work closely with local and national law enforcement on all matters relating to safety, which is always very important to us. We have and will continue to employ increased security measures and work closely with our local Milford police department in a cooperative effort to provide a safe shopping environment.”

Challenges At Connecticut Post Mall

The mall opened in 1960 and was renovated in 1991. A massive expansion in 2006 added 480,000 square feet that included a new movie theater, retail space, and food court.

But a recent walk-through at the Connecticut Post Mall shown on Fleabitten Adventures’ YouTube channel showed numerous vacancies at the shopping center and several stores appearing to be closed during normal business hours.

Sterba wouldn’t comment on the mall’s vacancy rate. All anchor store spaces are occupied, except for the former Sears space, which has remained empty since the store closed in 2018.

There are plans for the mall to shift away from its traditional use as a dedicated shopping center. A developer’s plans call for converting a portion of the property to 750 apartments. The construction would be in three phases of 250 units each over a span of about 10 years.

Sterba said there are no updates on when these plans are expected to move forward.

The mall does have new businesses coming in, including two new eateries. Asian cuisine chain P.F. Chang's has also had plans to come to the mall since 2021 but it's unclear when the restaurant might open.

See related: Plenty Of Changes In The Works For Milford's Connecticut Post Mall

• 'Dead Malls': CT YouTuber Chronicles History, Slow Death Of Shopping Malls
• Several New Restaurants Coming To Milford's Connecticut Post Mall