Humble Police Department positions officers at Deerbrook Mall, other businesses to deter looting

The Humble Police Department is preparing for any unrest that could come from events protesting the death of George Floyd, a black man who died while in the custody of the Minneapolis Police Department on May 25.

In a May 30 Facebook post, HPD announced that entrances to the Deerbrook Mall would not be open after the mall's closure. In the comments, HPD stated that "We had a threat of looting at the mall. That is why the mall has been shut down."

HPD announced in subsequent Facebook posts on May 31, June 1 and again on June 2 that police officers would be blocking all of the mall's entrances to deter potential looting and rioting. HPD Capt. Melinda Bradshaw said in a June 1 phone interview that officers will be present at undisclosed commercial areas and neighborhoods around the city to help prevent damages.

"Every evening, though, until the threats are calm, we will be posting officers at the entrances and exits of various businesses to attempt to protect and show presence to hopefully prevent any issues within our city," she said.

Bradshaw said there have been multiple threats made on social media about the Deerbrook Mall and other businesses, but the department is unsure of how many are credible threats. She said the department is trying to be proactive to curtail any rioting or looting from happening in Humble.

"We don't know what's credible and what's not. We have no intel from those that monitor the intel telling us there is a credible threat," she said. "Right now we're just going with everything we're hearing and/or seeing and/or getting phone calls about. We're just trying to be proactive."

Correction: The original version of this article incorrectly stated the mall closed early on May 30.