Bike patrols, police, and behavior analysts: These are the security measures implemented by the Mall of America
BLOOMINGTON, Minn. -- Mall of America offered a behind the scenes look at security measures on Friday. It follows three shootings at the mall in just over a year. The tour was set up to show media what the Mall is doing to keep visitors safe.
Security at Mall of America starts before visitors walk in the door. Bike patrols ride year-round in lots and ramps.
"They're looking for people that might have intent to steal a vehicle or break into a vehicle," Vice President of Security Will Bernhjelm said.
Some measures aren't as visible, like license plate readers at all entry gates. And the Mall has an intelligence analyst monitoring threats.
"He's proactively looking for things that are out there that may be harmful to the mall or our guests," Bernhjelm said.
Another person you won't see while walking around the Mall: a behavior analyst trained to watch for suspicious behavior. And there's surveillance cameras, with a room where that video is monitored. It's also where they take tens of thousands of calls a year.
Some shoppers have experienced lockdowns in the last year. We're told when the mall needs to go into lockdown, pushing one button alerts staff on radios and alerts customers and stores plus it turns signs inside and outside that the mall is on lockdown or closed.
Then there are plain-clothes officers. And officers in uniform.
"We can't observe and report staff here. It doesn't work in this building. We have to have individual thinkers that can go out there to problem solve, think on their feet make the decisions, stay flexible," Bernhjelm said.
Officers go through 500 hours of initial training, including defensive tactics, de-escalation, crisis intervention and CPR.
Some enforce the parental escort policy for anyone under 16. Six make up the K-9 unit, with explosive detection dogs.
"We're checking all the areas that are leaving that anyone leave anything unattended, kind of operate a lot like the airport when someone leaves a bag," said K-9 Unit supervisor Lt. Kenny McDonough.
Additionally, Bloomington police has officers assigned to the Mall. It's all part of a comprehensive system.
"There's no such thing as 100% security but our approach is a layered approach. With more layers built in the less chance all of those holes line up at once," Bernhjelm said.
The Mall says in the next few months all officers will wear body cameras. It's also considering additional security layers including facial recognition, firearm detecting dogs, and a gunshot detection system. The security team has concluded metal detectors are not a good fit.
Click here to learn more about security plans.