NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Metro Police Lt. Michael Warren wants to be clear: shoppers, you are welcome on Black Friday in Nashville. Shoplifters, you won't be tolerated.
"Black Friday’s the number one shopping day across the U.S," said Lt. Warren, who works out of the South Precinct.
MNPD promised the usual presence this Black Friday featuring uniformed officers keeping an eye out for safety and traffic flow. Officers in helicopters will also provide assistance from up above.
But, new this year, there will be the presence of an Organized Retail Crime Unit. They may not be quite as easy to spot as the uniformed officers.
"They’ll be in an undercover capacity, so it won’t be glaringly obvious," said Warren.
The unit is only a few months old, thanks to an organization restructuring put into place by Chief John Drake.
"I think it’s 10-12 detectives," said Warren.
A lot of time, Warren said they have their usual suspects that pop up in a lot of the same surveillance photos. If these undercover officers can recognize these people in real-time, they might be able to prevent their next theft.
"We do a lot of information sharing with the stores to make sure they’re aware of some of the people who may frequent the business," he said. "Tanger has curbed [theft] down significantly over the past couple months. I really think that’s a lot of the success of our Organized Retail Crime Unit."
Opry Mills Traffic Plan
Between the mall, holiday lights at Gaylord Opryland Hotel, ICE and other attractions. Metro Police want drivers to be mindful of which exit they use to get there.
MNPD recommends using Briley Parkway Exit 11 if you're going to Opry Mills and Briley Parkway Exit 12 if you're going to the hotel, ICE or the Grand Ole Opry House. They plan to have extra officers on hand to help with directing traffic.
MNPD hopes to keep as much backed-up traffic off Briley Parkway as possible this holiday season.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at Chris.Davis@NewsChannel5.com.
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