cop at Destiny

Syracuse Police Officer Paul Rose enters Toyland at Destiny USA with a child in December during the annual Shop with a Cop or Firefighter program.

(Kate Collins | kcollins@syracuse.com)

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Should Syracuse police set up shop at Destiny USA?

Onondaga County District Attorney William Fitzpatrick thinks so.

But the Syracuse mayor's office wasn't as enthusiastic.

In a live Q&A Monday afternoon on Syracuse.com, Fitzpatrick called for a Syracuse police substation at Destiny USA. Fitzpatrick said a police office at Destiny would "have plenty of business" in response to a question about increased crime at Syracuse's mall.

Syracuse police declined to comment on the topic. Instead, Lt. Eric Carr, speaking for the police department, referred all questions to Mayor Stephanie Miner's office.

"As the police department has repeatedly made clear, police decisions are driven by statistics and data," the mayor's press secretary, Alexander Marion, wrote in an email. "We generally do not put substations on private property."

A call for a larger police presence at the mall was one of 48 questions Fitzpatrick tackled during the hour-long Q&A.

• Call for a bigger police presence at the mall:

Harland: What discussions have their been to address what seems to be a surge in crime at Destiny USA?

Bill Fitzpatrick: Unfortunately, there is not much discussion between my office and the deputy chief in charge of the criminal division. I have long advocated for there to be a substation at Destiny and I hope the mayor would consider ordering that. Believe me, they'll have plenty of business.

Read the entire Q&A transcript:

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Live Blog Live Q&A with DA William Fitzpatrick