As Prince George's schools begin to close for the summer, leaving many teens with free time on their hands, the Boulevard at the Capital Centre in Largo is counting on its recently implemented parental escort policy to help keep loitering — and crime — at bay.

In June 2008, Inland US Management LLC, the Boulevard's management company, implemented the policy, which requires teens age 16 and younger to either leave the property at 9 p.m., when most of the stores close, or be escorted by an adult at that time, said Bill Parks, the company's vice president of property management.

Parks said management wanted to ensure the Boulevard is "a friendly place to visit, [and] this seemed like the most appropriate way."

Crime statistics on the shopping center from the Prince George's County Police Department show a drop between 2007 and 2008 of stolen vehicles, physical assaults and other thefts such as shoplifting. Reports in the first quarter of this year indicate the shopping center is on track for another decrease in these crimes between 2008 and 2009.

However, the center reported an increase in both reports of vandalism and thefts from parked cars between 2007 and 2008.

Parks attributes the decrease in property crime to Inland's relationship with the Prince George's County Police Department and the company's private security team.

"This is directly attributable to our excellent rapport with the community as a whole and our security team — we're working together," Parks said. "A presence is always a deterrent."

Cpl. Clinton Copeland, a Prince George's police spokesman, said that when the weather warms up, more youth spend time outside and there is an uptick of crime in general among both juveniles and adults.

"Any policy implemented is always a help to us," Copeland said. "Whether the policy is a cause [of crime reduction] is hard to say. Any kind of policy put in place to deter crime is always a positive thing."

Copeland urged residents and shoppers to help decrease opportunities for crimes by not leaving global positioning system devices and other valuable possessions in plain view on car seats.

Parks said teens are complying with the parental escort policy.

"We haven't heard a peep from the teens," he said. "They may have voiced their opposition, but they're in full compliance. It makes it better for everyone."

Chuck Renninger is vice chair of the Boulevard at the Capital Centre Advisory Council, established about five years ago to create dialogue among center tenants, Inland and surrounding community organizations.

"The kids are coming, but they're being escorted by their parents," he said. "We haven't had any situations being rowdy or congregating. It's very successful."

Angela Alsobrooks, executive director for the Revenue Authority of Prince George's County, which owns the land the Boulevard sits on, said the policy was implemented after some shoppers said they were uncomfortable walking past groups of teens, and Inland began noticing unsupervised children as young as 12 or 13 at the center past 9 p.m.

"We never want to give the idea that children, juveniles, aren't wanted there — they patronize the restaurants and stores," Alsobrooks said. "They are welcome there — we just want to make sure that after hours they're not there [unsupervised]."

She pointed out that adults, not youth, have typically been responsible for violent crimes at the center.

"Juveniles aren't the problem — it's the adults who misbehave," she said. "There's a widespread perception that it's unsafe and it's not true. It's [simply] a popular hangout."

Three men died after being shot in February 2008 during the Super Bowl at Uno Chicago Grill on Shoppers Way after an argument. In March, one man was killed and five others were injured after a shooting near the Sideline Bar and Grill after an argument escalated.

"A patron's risk of being a victim of a violent crime is very low. There's a little bit of a risk of a property crime," said Maj. Andy Ellis, a county police spokesman. "It's pretty rare if someone dies at the center."

E-mail Liz Skalski at eskalski@gazette.net.