HOUSTON -- Local 2 investigates Houston shopping malls.

With the biggest shopping day of the year days away, many of you are already scanning the sales ads. But investigative reporter Amy Davis is looking through crime statistics to show you which malls criminals hit the most.

Even most parents will smile at the promise of big sales on black Friday. But we discovered a "doorbuster" is not always a good deal.

"It's really a crime of opportunity," said officer Jim Woods of the Houston Police Department's Auto Theft Division.

Car burglaries are the most common crime at shopping malls across Houston. But we also found robberies, murders, and assaults.

So while you're making your list, Local 2 Investigates is making one, too.

We pulled every crime reported to Houston police from every mall in the city between last Thanksgiving and Sept. 30, 2008.

We found, by far, most crimes were committed at malls last year between the hours of 1 p.m. and 6 p.m.

Most -- twice as many -- were committed in December than in other months.

So where did most crimes happen?

No. 5 is a tie between West Oaks Mall and Almeda Mall with 46 crimes reported at each mall.

The most common crime at Almeda Mall was auto theft while criminals at West Oaks preferred car burglaries.

No. 4 is Sharpstown Center with 51 crimes.

Sharpstown management declined to comment because the center is now in bankruptcy.

No. 3 takes us to the Houston Galleria. The upscale mall is not necessarily synonymous with crime, but management said the sheer size puts the 55 crimes reported there in perspective.

"You could probably fit two to three of those (other malls) centers in the Galleria based on the 2.4 million square feet we have, so it's going to be a little bit skewed," said Galleria General Manager David Anderson.

That doesn't mean Galleria management doesn't take your safety seriously.

While you're looking for deals, security in the Galleria's Central Communications department is looking for crime, monitoring the mall and parking garages with dozens of surveillance cameras.

When you're in the Galleria parking garages, keep an eye out for flashing blue lights. There will always be a phone nearby.

"You pick up the phone," said Anderson. "It's tied directly to our central communication area. And they can get assistance within seconds, if needed."

You'll also notice security inside the mall on Segues. The machines help security move from one end of the mall to the other faster than they could on foot.

And we're moving to No. 2 on our list.

Victims reported 58 crimes to Houston police from Willowbrook Mall. Auto thefts and car burglaries are the most frequent crimes here.

With 90 crimes reported last year, Greenspoint Mall comes out on top with 48 auto thefts and 1 murder among them.

Management at Greenspoint Mall declined KPRC Local 2's request for an interview but the Greenspoint District pointed out that crime at their mall has actually gone down 18 percent since last year.

And most of the crimes were crimes against property, not people.

Woods said property crimes are the easiest to avoid.

"We're trying to keep the Grinches from stealing Christmas," said Woods.

Woods said you should never leave anything in sight inside your car. Just because you know it's not worth anything does not mean the thief knows.

And when you drop your packages off in your car, don't just put them in your trunk and go back inside. Woods said you should actually move your car to a new spot.

"They're thinking that you're leaving, so they're going to wait for the next person to come up," explained Woods.

The No. 1 item stolen from cars in burglaries these days are GPS systems. You should take yours down and hide it before getting out of your car.

These are just a few reminders that no matter what you're wishing for this holiday season, safety should be at the top of your list.

There are 13 malls in Houston. You can look at all of the crimes reported to HPD from all them by checking the spreadsheet below:

More Information:

Spreadsheet: Crimes At Houston Malls
Black Friday Store, Mall Hours

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