Malls, ICSC respond to terrorism threats
The Secretary of Homeland Security, Jeh Johnson, has warned shoppers at shopping centers to be vigilant after a terror group called for attacks at shopping venues in Canada, the U.K. and the United States, mentioning by name the Mall of America, in Bloomington, Minn.
"I'm not telling people to not go to the mall," Johnson said Sunday on NBC's Meet The Press. "I think that there needs to be an awareness." On Sunday afternoon, Bloomington police released a statement on behalf of the mall and federal, state and local law-enforcement agencies that said: “At this time, there is no credible threat associated with Mall of America” in connection with “the recently released propaganda video.” The mall remains “a very safe place,” and additional security personnel have been enlisted, the statement said.
The FBI and Homeland Security issued a joint written statement saying local law enforcement and first responders have been told the agencies are not "aware of any specific, credible plot against the Mall of America or any other domestic commercial shopping center." Mall of America officials issued a statement saying they take any potential threat seriously. "Mall of America has implemented extra security precautions. Some may be noticeable to guests, and others won't be," the statement said.
The International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) sounded a similar note in a statement it released on Monday: “While some security measures deployed at shopping centers such as the use of bollards, uniformed patrols by law enforcement officers, and surveillance camera systems will be evident to consumers, many more protective measures will not. When it comes to protecting and securing a shopping center, many factors are taken into consideration and security plans and procedures are customized to each center’s unique characteristics. In short, there is no-one-size fits all approach taken when it comes to developing and deploying a security program. Individual centers continually update and refine their security plans in concert with their law enforcement partners as part of their ongoing effort to be vigilant. The shopping center industry will continue to work with its law enforcement partners to ensure that shopping centers are safe and comfortable environments in which to shop. Consumers can be assured that their safety and the safety of shopping center employees are the industry’s number one priority.”