PATROLS WATCH BUSY STORES ON FRIDAY.

Byline: Charles F. Bostwick Staff Writer

PALMDALE - Extra sheriff's deputies are on patrol around Antelope Valley shopping centers to help protect holiday shoppers and deter car burglaries and other thefts.

Five deputies and a sergeant went on duty Friday morning as Lancaster's holiday patrol, and Palmdale's shopping centers will be watched by deputies in three or four patrol cars, plus mounted volunteers and officers from other units, officials said.

``The holiday patrol is going to be providing additional security for shoppers,'' Palmdale sheriff's station Lt. Bob Denham said. ``It is the busiest time of the year. They're out there being highly visible and available to answer questions from the public if they have any concerns.''

In Lancaster, the holiday patrol started at 5 a.m. Friday and will mostly be working 5 to 10 p.m., Deputy Mark Round said. The patrol will focus on shopping centers throughout the city, including the centers that contain the east and west Lancaster Wal-Mart stores, the Target store and Toys 'R' Us.

The Palmdale patrol will focus mostly on the Antelope Valley Mall and shopping centers along 10th Street West and on 47th Street East.

Helping the patrol will be deputies from the Palmdale Partners Against Crime unit and the Antelope Valley Volunteer Mounted Unit.

Also patrolling the west Palmdale shopping centers will be a two-man ``bomber'' patrol car that starts duty Dec. 1. A ``bomber'' car that started last year will be handling east Palmdale.

Deputies in the ``bomber'' cars are normally not sent to answer routine calls but can focus on particular high-crime areas or to look for particular crimes, officials said.

The mounted patrol consists of Sheriff's Department volunteers riding their own horses. The unit also helps deputies with crowd control at events like Lancaster's California poppy festival and park concerts, as well as in searches.

The mounted volunteers patrol parking lots looking for people breaking into cars or committing other crimes, and also help shoppers, such as people who can't remember where they parked their cars.

The volunteers have two-way radios to call sheriff's deputies if they spot someone or something suspicious.

``Basically, (we're) just providing extra eyes and ears to the sheriff's department,'' team leader Donna Carroll said Friday as she adjusted a Santa Claus cap over her horse Dallas' ears in the mall parking lot. ``We focus on the mall, but we do the entire area.''

Charles F. Bostwick, [phone]

chuck.bostwick(at)dailynews.com

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Photo:

(color) Patrolling the Antelope Valley Mall for the Sheriff's Department are, from left, Teri Rogers (on Skip); Caroline King (on Ben); sheriff's reserve deputy Judi Wilson (on Rodeo); Donna Carroll (on Dallas); and Dennis Zaferis (on Lex).

Jeff Goldwater/Staff Photographer