How Safe Are We?

Thousands of crimes happen in public places every day, but how safe are we truly when we go to the mall shopping? Most of us expect some level of safety as we move in and out of stores while shopping at our local mall, however, in Hudson Valley Mall in New York many are not feeling safe.

They have good reason.  In 2006 a restaurant manager was stabbed to death, resulting in a lawsuit claiming that the mall owner, PCK Development, Co. LLC, was guilty of neglect.  This was not the first such incident at the mall, in 2005, a gunman entered the mall and opened fire.

The lawsuit stated that the mall should employ more than one security guard and that cameras should be placed throughout the mall with a guard monitoring all cameras.

The court determined that the owner was not at fault, which raises an interesting question.  How responsible should business owners be in cases where unexpected, malicious crimes occur? And how useful would the cameras have been in the first place?  While cameras would certainly help in identifying criminals, it may not do anything to protect the potential victims.