DEARBORN — Since its opening in 1976, Fairlane Town Center has continued to provide revenue for the City of Dearborn, bringing along with it some of the largest U.S. chain retail stores, including JC Penny, Sears, and more recently, Macy’s.

Owned by Taubman Centers, a company that owns dozens of malls across the country, including Twelve Oaks in Novi, Fairlane is home to over 150 retail stores, a movie theater, a fitness club, a recently revamped food court and several major restaurant chains.

Attracting thousands of customers daily, the mall, in recent years, has especially served as a primary employment and shopping center for Detroit residents, as it’s the closest suburban shopping center in proximity to the City.

However, in recent years, many feel that the mall has seen a decline in services, security and maintenance, which has forced Dearborn residents to head north-bound to shopping malls in Novi, Troy and Auburn Hills.

Amal Hammoud Berry, who grew up in Dearborn and used to shop at the mall frequently, says that she rarely visits Fairlane these days and forbids her teenage daughter from going there as well.

“I avoid that place as much as I can. The atmosphere has gone downhill, and the security is not the way it used to be,” Berry says. “The stores don’t cater to the Arab American community anymore.  They are catering to the urban-hip hop crowds. It’s very hard to find nice clothes, or stuff that caters to modest shoppers and those who don’t want to wear booty shorts and crop tops.”

Berry says that she hears horror stories, on a weekly basis, regarding retail and auto theft at Fairlane Town Center.  She explains that the mall has become notorious in its reputation as a shop lifting hot spot.

According to the most recent crime data, the City of Dearborn does, in fact, have a theft problem. In 2011, 66 percent of  City reported crimes were business related theft, while another 11 percent were auto theft. As murder, assault and arson rates trend below the U.S. average, theft continues to be the major contributor to crime rates in the City.

In 2011, 2,758 incidents of thefts were reported in Dearborn, compared to the U.S. average of 1,977, for cities with a 100,000 population. While the majority of shop lifting and auto theft does occur around the Evergreen Rd. area, where Fairlane Town Center is located, it does not contribute to all of the theft.

The Fairlane North Shopping Center, located on Ford Rd., which houses Walmart and Home Depot, is also prone to shop lifting. Across the street from there is the Meadow Fairlane Shopping Center, which includes a Target and Best Buy, and also experiences a heightened amount of theft.

A former female employee at Fairlane, who was the assistant manager for two years at one of the trendiest retail chains in the nation, says that the mall has gained a reputation among national retail chains for having greater loses in products and merchandise. She also briefly worked for the retail company at Westland mall and Southland mall, and says that Fairlane is a completely different ball game.

Some uncomfortable situations that she was faced with at the mall included being approached by beggars, witnessing gang fights, and having to confront shop lifters.

“The mall has a reputation for being at the top in the State, as far as theft goes. If you can handle working at Fairlane, you can pretty much handle working anywhere. You meet all kinds of different people and you have to be quick on your feet,” the former employee says.

However, during her time there, she says she did learn to not be judgmental, or make assumptions.

“Theft cannot be based on race or age. One time, it was an old lady shop lifting with her granddaughter; another time, it was a woman carrying a Louboutin purse…It always hits you when you least expect it,” she adds.

In 2012, the shopping center faced several budget cuts, resulting in the acquisition of a new security company, which reduced qualification standards for becoming a security guard.

Upon contacting Fairlane Town Center General Manager, Kathy O’Malley, TAAN was told that the mall doesn’t release shop lifting data, nor can it comment on it’s personnel and security. 

“Because we are a private property, we don’t give any information with regards to shoplifting. It’s not something we distribute at all, in order to protect our customers and tenants,” O’Malley says. “We still have a full staff of security personnel, despite the transition. It was a business decision to contract out for security, but all of our people have remained on our team with the new company.” 

While O’Malley would not share information on shop lifting data, Dearborn Police Chief Ron Haddad did do so in report last month. By August 2013, 178 shoplifting arrests were made year-to-date, down from 242 the previous year. Haddad attributed the decrease to the department’s stricter enforcement against shoplifters, which would require them to post $400 in bail, or appear in front of a judge the following day.

One current employee, who works at a retail store on the 3rd level, says security needs to buckle down on visitors who aren’t there to shop, but are just there to hang out and socialize with friends. 

“Sometimes it feels like it’s a club atmosphere here, rather than a shopping mall. The security is really cool, other than the fact that most of them are trying to hook up with every girl that works here,” the employee says.

Over the past decade, or so, the shopping center has attempted to attract new clientele, with the addition of the AMC Star Fairlane Theater in 2001, a brand new food court in 2007, and popular, more upscale, restaurants, like PF Changs and Bravo! in 2008. However, the appeal of some of the new additions already appears to be wearing off.

“If I’m going to the movies, I’ll go to Westland, or Canton. The customer service at AMC is unacceptable.  The floors and seats are dirty and run down; there’s too much adolescents hanging around; theft in the parking lot; and the popcorn is always old,” says Dearborn resident Nemir Jaffer, who has complained about his experiences to the movie theater chain.

Another local resident says that she went for lunch with friends at one of the chain restaurants, located at Fairlane Town Center, and was appalled when the waiter asked if she wanted to add “a dime bag of weed” to her tab.

“The sad thing is, this is occurring right in our backyard, and I’m not sure why security and police don’t have a greater presence there,” Samira Hassan, stated.

Some strides have been made by security in recent years, however. A new policy restricts minors from entering the shopping center and movie theater after 5 p.m., unless they are accompanied by an adult. Jehan Almani, a Dearborn resident, says she still shops regularly at Fairlane.

“I shop there all the time, and I think the service is fine. I think the mall is clean and safe, especially after they enforced that 5:00 p.m. curfew,” Almani says.

Despite all its troubles, Fairlane Town Center does continue to play a pivotal role in Dearborn’s economy. On an annual basis, the mall attracts 12-14 million customers, with 58 percent of them coming through during the fourth quarter to shop for the holidays.

The food court attracts hundreds of Ford Motor Company employees on a daily basis, during lunch. Also, with the recent addition of UMD housing, located on the Fairlane Town Center property, it’s apparent that business at the mall will continue to boom and may perhaps attract an even more diverse crowd of customers.