Dec 8, 2007 7:18 am US/Eastern
Security At Malls Increased By BSO
POMPANO BEACH (CBS4) ―
The last mass murder at an American shopping mall happened last February, when five people were killed at a mall in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Like most malls across the country, almost every inch of public space is covered by surveillance cameras. Hi-tech equipment that can zoom in on a license plate in the parking lot, follow a suspected shoplifter through the mall or hone in to a suspicious person.
The mall in Omaha, Nebraska, where 9 people died, including the gunman on Wednesday, relied on unarmed, private security guards and off-duty police officers - and it is the same at most malls across the country.
In South Florida, the day after Thanksgiving, the Broward Sheriff's Office put into operation increased security at shopping areas in its jurisdiction to protect shoppers.
The operational plan includes increased visibility on mall property, including SWAT, mounted patrols and undercover surveillance.
But considering how many people go to malls in the U.S., approximately 190-million a month, according to the International Council of Shopping Centers, experts say there is little crime.
FBI Director Robert Mueller said incidents like Omaha are extremely rare, he said. "We are an open and free country, and we don't want guards at every doorway," he said. "Trying to prevent an incident like this is exceptionally difficult."
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