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MILLBURY, Mass. - With Thursday just around the corner and Thanksgiving dinner and football games (not necessarily in that order) on the agenda, with Friday comes another season and that is Christmas shopping beginning with Black Friday.
For the Millbury Police Department, Black Friday means a lot of work and overtime, of details and standing long hours directing traffic in and out of the Shoppes at Blackstone Valley.
On a normal weekend, the Millbury Police Department fields five officers at the mall to direct traffic. Black Friday is another affair. With perhaps the busiest shopping day of the year and huge crowds gathering before dawn, the Millbury Police will have 23 officers in place to help direct the flow of traffic and keep the public safe.
On Monday afternoon, Acting Chief of Police Mark S. Moore said that with the 23 officers, "most would be involved in traffic control because we're expecting a huge amount of traffic up there. Some of the businesses have asked for a detail officer to be posted in front of their store. Target has asked for two," he said.
"Some businesses will ask for an officer to be present in case of a shoplifting arrest by their own store security, they can immediately turn the offender over the police," he said.
The Police Department has said that with the large crowds, expect delays to and from the mall and plan accordingly and to also be wary of leaving packages in the car in plain view.
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