Attack At The Mall
Dec 1, 2007 12:00 PM, By Larry Anderson, Editor
U.S. security officials have been concerned since 9/11 about possible attacks at a shopping mall, given that shopping centers are both emblematic of our free enterprise system and a “soft target.” They are also inherently difficult to secure. Ironically, when the “soft target” was attacked this month, it was not by a terrorist organization, but by a homegrown lunatic with a gun and a desire to go out in a blaze of glory. Nine dead bodies later, we are no closer to preventing another similar attack in the future … or for that matter preventing the theoretical terrorist attack that has been an official cause for concern.
In an seemingly unrelated story, the Government Accountability Office reports that some in the 43 “fusion centers” established to share terrorism intelligence have complained that their anti-terrorism mission has been diluted by a focus on run-of-the-mill street crime and hazards such as hurricanes.
But doesn't the shooting at the mall suggest that there is tragically little difference in the end-result?
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© 2008 Penton Media Inc.
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