V02-17

Official Solution:


The executive committee of the shopping mall announced yesterday it will partner with city police to add more officers to the mall security force for the holiday shopping season. The mall security team, which consists of 10 officers, was deemed too small to keep shoppers safe after there were 44 armed robberies in the parking lot during last year's season. Almost all the officers will be patrolling the mall's north parking lot, which sees the most traffic from shoppers.

Which of the following, if true, is the best basis for criticizing the plan to deter crime by adding additional security officers?


A. Retailers expect this to be one of the busiest shopping seasons yet, drastically increasing the number of people in mall parking lots.
B. Police reports from the previous year show that most of the robberies occurred in the south parking lot.
C. Some officers in the north parking lot will be directing traffic rather than patrolling.
D. Security cameras have been installed on light posts in all parking lots, in the hopes of identifying armed robbers.
E. There are a large number of entrances and exits to the parking lots, making isolating suspect cars difficult.


Situation: A shopping mall will increase its security force in the hopes of deterring parking lot robberies.

Reasoning: Which point most undermines the plan to deter crime in the mall parking lot? The executive committee plans not only to increase the number of security officers, but also to station most of the total force in the north parking lot, where there is the most traffic from shoppers. If, however, the north parking lot is not the most dangerous area around the mall, then the plan will most likely fail.

A. This statistic is relevant to the need for police protection for larger crowds, but does not address the soundness of the plan.

B. CORRECT. If the plan does not include increased police presence in the area that last year was most dangerous, then it most likely will not succeed.

C. The officers directing traffic will still constitute a police presence capable of deterring crime.

D. This point is an addition to the plan to add security officers and does not directly address the soundness of the plan.

E. This item may complicate the situation security officers must deal with, but it does not directly address whether the current plan is sound.


Answer: B