Date – March 22, 2018

On March 19, 2018 we were made aware of social media posts circulating both on Nextdoor and Facebook regarding the Orchard Mall and several different issues.

The original post stated someone had been followed home from The Orchard Town Center mall and human trafficking may have been a motive. After several days of investigation, we did find that a call had been made to another police agency about a female possibly being followed home.  Officers made contact with the female, but were not able to substantiate any of the claims made in the post.  Officers never made contact with any associated cars, people or items suggested in the post.  Let us be clear, we absolutely believe this female thought she was being followed.

The second issue, which also began circulating on social media, is that there is a human trafficking problem at the Orchard Mall.  We are not currently working any trafficking cases that stemmed from the mall and this is not a known location for any trafficking activity.  We believe The Orchard Town Center mall remains a safe location for you and your family to enjoy. Westminster Police work closely with mall security and management to ensure a safe environment for our citizens.

Dealing with misinformation on the internet is never easy. In fact, if you’re not careful you wind up spreading it yourself. Before you decide to take any course of action, it would be best to fact check the information you are reading. One way to do that is to contact your local police department. Please keep in mind there may be instances where the police cannot comment or share information due to on going investigations.

Another resource to check information is through www.snopes.com