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PREPARED FOR THE WORST

Malls improve technology and interaction with government authorities to deter terrorist attacks

By Dakota Smith

Some 87 percent of shoppers said they consider enclosed malls to be safe, and most shoppers in general make no change in their shopping habits when the government announces an elevated threat of terrorism, according to an ICSC survey done in March.

But for all that, developers and security contractors say they remain committed to making shopping centers even safer. Landlords are taking steps to protect retail properties from terrorism, including holding emergency evacuation drills at malls, upgrading surveillance equipment and offering training courses in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

For many U.S. shopping centers, terrorism remains an undefined threat. “The threat is not based on hard facts,” said Gene Thompson, corporate security chief for The Macerich Co., which operates 75 regional shopping malls nationwide. “There has never been a substantiated terrorist threat against a [North American] mall.”

Nevertheless, the DHS is providing shopping center security professionals with information about threats. This was prompted in part by the attacks on London’s public transportation system this summer.

“After London, we’re getting much more information,” said David Levenberg, vice president of security for General Growth Properties, which owns or operates more than 200 malls across the country. “We’ll hear there is going to be an attack in Los Angeles between this date and this date; they don’t specify a shopping center or bank, but we will let people know that we have this evidence.”

The reason for the increased communication, Levenberg says, is twofold: First, trust levels between private business owners and the DHS have risen in the past year, and second, the agency does not want to be held liable for withholding important information.

But ultimately, it is up to the developers, who implemented a variety of new security measures following the Sept. 11 attacks, to make sure that their malls remain safe. Now the ventilation and heating systems, corridors and parking lots of malls are more carefully guarded, observers say.

Bollards are now commonplace in front of mall entrances to protect them from being rammed by car bombers. Background checks on security guards are routine, and cameras are ubiquitous, both outside and inside malls.

Security staffing, too, has changed in important ways. Before Sept. 11, security was the job solely of civilian guards. Now General Growth’s malls are patrolled both by police officers and civilian guards, according to Randy Andrews, CEO of Valencia, Calif.-based Andrews International, whose Advanced Tech Security division provides security to developers.

For its part, Westfield America, which owned the leasehold on the mall at New York City’s World Trade Center, has created an electronic database containing the blueprints of its 70-plus malls. In the event of an attack, this information could help the police, firefighters and other emergency workers find exits and navigate their way around the buildings.

More-advanced technology measures are in the wings. Cameras equipped with software that can track shoppers and alert authorities have been installed in the Garden State Plaza, Paramus, N.J., as part of a federal and state-funded pilot program. Depending on its success, this technology could be adopted by other malls.

Also, alarm systems that protect against biological and chemical attacks are likely to become available to malls over the next few years, says Levenberg.

Recognition software, which has helped police officers identify suspects, is some time away yet, says Thompson, because it is expensive. The technology has been used at high-profile public events such as the Super Bowl.

In the meantime, security guard training remains one of the most important elements in attack prevention, developers say. IPC and Advanced Tech guards, for example, receive training from security professionals with experience in Israel, a country known for stringent mall security. One important lesson learned from guards who have worked in Israel: look for behavioral clues. A person may be inappropriately dressed for warm weather (to hide a weapon), or he may be acting nervously, or perhaps he simply has an odd scent — experts say suicide bombers will often douse themselves with a flowery perfume or fragrance so they will smell fresh in the afterlife.

Security guards are taught to look for suspicious persons scouting out a location, because “bombers won’t just pick a random place,” Levenberg says. This is certainly one lesson drawn from the London attacks. According to British police, at least three of the London bombers were caught on camera performing a practice drill two weeks before the attack.

If training is essential to thwarting an attack, ICSC, which has been working with Homeland Security since November 2001, is developing training courses for security personnel and mall owners. And the organization is working with George Washington University to create a 16-hour course security-training program tentatively scheduled to start next year.

Additionally, ICSC has helped bring a DHS training seminar to security personnel and mall owners. The seminar was held in 20 cities last year; ICSC helped organize 18 of them this year.

Strengthening ties with local authorities is essential too, says Peter Lowy, CEO of Westfield America. He brought the same message before Congress in September. Westfield America has held training sessions and drills in cooperation with local officials at its malls around the country. Additionally, the company conferred with the Los Angeles police and fire departments, the FBI and other authorities.

The amounts developers are spending on security varies, but it is generally about $1.30 per square foot, though it can be far more, depending on the size and location of the mall, according to ICSC. Lowy told Congress that Westfield America spends $40 million a year — amounting to about 20 percent of operating costs — on security.

To find out what measures consumers would accept, ICSC conducts surveys. In its most recent one, consumers reported they would be willing to put up with more-stringent security efforts, such as metal detectors, but only if the DHS were to raise the national threat level. Otherwise, consumers do not want to be impeded as they shop.