NorthPark Center has hired a firm to conduct a security audit, while it increases the hours of its own security staffers and the off-duty police officers it taps for peak times after being the target of three high-profile crimes in recent weeks.

The upscale Dallas mall wants a "fresh set of eyes" on its 97-acre property to examine what it could do to improve security.

NorthPark Management Co. also increased a $40,000 award to $50,000. The award, offered together with Schepps Dairy and CrimeStoppers, seeks information leading to the arrest and indictment of the man who shot a woman in May outside the mall. She was waiting in her truck about 9 p.m. to pick up her daughter from the movies when a gunman walked up and shot her in the face. Two men were arrested Monday in connection with the shooting.

In early June, five men robbed the mall's Ben Bridge Jewelers store of about $260,000 worth of Rolex watches.

And a week ago, four men smashed through Nordstrom's glass doors in the middle of the night and loaded a small ATM into a Chevy Suburban.

Two of the three crimes remain unsolved.

"We hold ourselves to a high standard, and so do our customers," said Christine C. Szalay, NorthPark Center director of marketing. "We're as frustrated and concerned as everyone else."

By hiring a security audit firm, North Texas' biggest mall wants to be sure it has the latest procedures in place, she said.

"If there's something more we can do, we want to know about it. Sometimes it just takes a fresh set of eyes."

Ms. Szalay said that the mall hasn't seen a drop in business and that sales are tracking higher than last year's.

Shoppers said that while they're surprised by the crimes, the news hasn't stopped them from coming there.

"It kind of reiterates that you have to keep your eyes open," said Vangee Smith, 49, of Canton, who was shopping at NorthPark on Wednesday afternoon. She said most people have the expectation that crime is low "at a high-end shopping area and neighborhood."

Shane Hudson, 39, says he's at the mall every two weeks and doesn't plan to stay away.

"I don't feel any more scared," he said, adding that increased security is a good idea.

Richardson resident Kay Passi, 60, said she hasn't noticed crime getting worse at NorthPark or anywhere else but thought the boldness of the ATM robbers "was a hoot."

Nordstrom probably would not call it that.

The Seattle-based retailer is assisting police in the investigation and has provided security camera video.

"We're pleased with the mall taking the extra step of a security audit," said Nordstrom spokeswoman Brooke White, adding that the ATM will not be replaced.

It was the only one in the chain that was positioned in a double-door entrance rather than inside a store.

It was there because that entrance is open after hours so that customers can use the elevator up to its restaurant.

In the meantime, all those who work at the mall are paying more attention to their surroundings, Ms. Szalay said.

Retailers are also offering employee training.

Neiman Marcus spokeswoman Ginger Reeder said only a few customers have expressed concern about NorthPark security.

She said the luxury retailer is pleased with steps the mall has taken.

NorthPark said it has recorded a slight increase in crime – mostly shoplifting. There have been 145 incidents through the first six months of this year vs. 117 in the same period last year.

But that is small compared with the number of people who visit the mall every year, Ms. Szalay said. NorthPark estimates it will see 26 million shoppers in 2008.

The mall is "much more aggressive in prosecuting shoplifters than most other shopping centers because we believe aggressive prosecution is the most effective deterrent," she said. Over the years, the retail industry has gone back and forth on how severely it treats shoplifters, weighing prosecution against costs.

However, the National Retail Federation, the industry's largest trade group, has stepped up its crime and loss prevention training significantly this year. Last month, the federation's 2008 Organized Retail Crime report found that more companies have been victims of retail crime within the last 12 months – 85 percent in 2008, compared with 79 percent in 2007.