A confrontation early Sunday in the parking lot of the Colonnade shopping center has renewed debate in Beaumont about public safety, enforcement and the role of surveillance technology after months of relative calm, Ward 2 Councilman Joey Hilliard said Tuesday.
Councilman questions what changed after months without incidents
Hilliard said the lot had been largely quiet for months until a fight involving several young women prompted a new round of disturbance calls. He voiced frustration about how the situation unfolded and wants to know where the breakdown occurred in preventing a crowd from forming and escalating.
“What happened? You know, where was the breakdown? Why was a crowd allowed to form, you know, in the parking lot?”
Hilliard said cameras installed by the property owner, Albanese Cormier, and linked to Beaumont’s Real-Time Crime Center had helped deter trespassing, violent crimes and other disturbances in the past. The recent incident, he said, raises questions about whether accountability or communication failed between the property owner, private security and the Beaumont Police Department.
Meeting planned with police and property owner
The councilman said he plans to meet Thursday with the Beaumont Police Department and the property owner to determine what went wrong and to develop strategies to prevent future problems. Hilliard specifically asked whether building owners or on-site security contacted police when the crowd gathered.
“Did the building owners not make a call? You know, why were the off-duty officers at the two different, nightclub establishments? Why was a call not made to BPD to say, hey, we have an incident in the parking lot,”
Hilliard told reporters he hopes the meeting will inform a plan to expand cameras in problem areas, despite previous controversy about surveillance tools like Flock cameras and other devices tied into the city’s Real-Time Crime Center.
Context: recent disturbance calls and community concerns
Public records from the Beaumont Police Department show 21 calls for service related to trespassing or disturbances between June 1 and Aug. 9. The records do not indicate whether arrests were made in those incidents. Hilliard said the pattern — even after a period of quiet — signals the need to re-examine prevention and response.
| Timeframe | Calls for service (trespassing/disturbances) |
|---|---|
| June 1 – Aug. 9 | 21 |
Residents and business owners in the Colonnade area have previously weighed in on surveillance and policing strategies. Hilliard echoed a community expectation that the city be proactive in preventing violence and ensuring people can patronize local businesses without fear.
Accountability and deterrence under scrutiny
Hilliard said cameras connected to the Real-Time Crime Center had been an effective deterrent in the past, but the new incident suggests enforcement and owner responsibility are equally important. He emphasized that the goal is not punitive measures against youth, but to restore a sense of safety and order.
“It’s just unacceptable for this to happen in our city. We’re going to get to the bottom of it and we’re going to find out,”
The councilman also spoke to the need to send a message to young people that the city is watching problem areas, noting a childhood lesson: give kids an inch and they may try to take a mile. How that message will translate into policy — whether through more cameras, greater private security coordination, stricter trespass enforcement or other measures — will be part of the coming discussions between city officials, police and the property owner.
For now, Hilliard has called for immediate answers and pledged follow-up action. The meeting Thursday is expected to clarify the sequence of events, the roles of off-duty officers and private security, and what steps can be taken to prevent similar incidents at the Colonnade and other Beaumont shopping centers.
- Meeting set: Hilliard will meet with BPD and the property owner on Thursday.
- Surveillance: Cameras linked to the Real-Time Crime Center previously helped deter incidents.
- Records: BPD logged 21 trespassing/disturbance calls from June 1–Aug. 9.
