Police Say Black Friday Shopping At Tanger Smooth Sailing

Although thousands began pouring into Tanger Outlets Riverhead Thanksgiving night to kick off their holiday shopping, Riverhead Town police said despite the crowds, so far, there have been no major incidents to report.

Riverhead Town Police, said Officer Hubbard Friday morning, have extra patrols and a command post set up at Tanger Outlet Riverhead. So far, he said, "nothing serious" has been reported.

"There were one or two disputes at True Religion brand jeans," Hubbard said. "The lines there were pretty long. Otherwise, it's been more quiet up there than in previous years in terms of police needs. Even though there are a lot of people there, there have been no problems. Everyone's very happy."

Parking woes were alleviated, Hubbard said, because drivers were allowed to park their vehicles at the Riverhead Raceway lot before anyone was allowed to enter Tanger, helping with overflow.  "That helped a lot," Hubbard said, "rather than allowing everyone to funnel in and causing a backup, like in past years."

And, although the initial hours were a "little hectic," Hubbard said, "Right now, parking is okay."

On the whole, Hubbard said, Thanksgiving passed with no major accidents or incidents of crime in Riverhead Town. "It was actually pretty quiet."