According to a Department of Homeland Security report on Shopping Malls dated October 5, 2007, "[t]he United States has more than 46,000 shopping centers nation wide. Protecting these facilities from terrorist acts is a major concern. The main vulnerabilities of shopping malls that could be exploited by terrorists and other potential adversaries are, in many ways, those characteristics required by a mall and its tenants to function effectively and prosper economically. These characteristics include open access, friendly atmosphere, large numbers of individuals coming and going, manageable labor costs, and low overhead. Measures needed to address these vulnerabilities are difficult to implement for economic and operational reasons. Although malls have security personnel, ...[they] are not oriented toward responding to terrorist-type incidents. In summary, the physical configurations and operational attributes create vulnerabilities that make protecting an enclosed shopping mall from a terrorist or other adversarial action challenging."

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Recent Mall Shootings

On Wednesday, December 5, 2007, 19-year-old gunman, Robert A. Hawkins, killed eight people and wounded five others before he turned the gun on himself and committed suicide at the Westroads Mall in Omaha, Nebraska. His act of terror began about 1:42 p.m., and the police arrived on scene approximately six minutes later.

On Monday, February 12, 2007, an 18-year-old male opened fire in a Salt Lake City mall with a shotgun, killing five innocent victims and wounding four others before being killed by an off-duty police officer. Sulejmen Talovic, a Bosnian immigrant, was carrying a backpack full of ammunition, a shotgun and a .38-caliber revolver when he entered the Trolley Square Mall with the apparent intent of executing unsuspecting shoppers.

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• Are you in charge of providing a safe and secure environment for thousands of shoppers?
• Do you have the proper physical security measures in place to deter, identify, and respond?
• Does your mall have a crisis management plan?
• Do you have a security staff? Are they trained to handle active shooter or terrorist incidents?
• Have you coordinated with the local first responders (police, fire, medical)?

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Extreme Terrorism Consulting can provide a vulnerability assessment and assist in the development of both physical security and crisis management plans that could enhance your capabilities to deter, identify, and respond to acts of terror involving thousands of innocent mall employees and patrons.