LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Jefferson Mall now has a new way of helping keep shoppers safe, and officials believe it could help save lives.
The Okolona mall installed an enhanced security system in March to give shoppers extra peace of mind -- and the mall's security director Kenneth Bennett says it provides extensive coverage.Â
"There is not a place in this mall other than the restrooms that is not on camera," Bennett said.Â
As shoppers walk below, new cameras with a hawk’s eye are watching from above. Jefferson Mall’s Parent company, CBL Properties, installed dozens of new cameras that now have a view of the entire property.
Prior to the upgrade, the mall had cameras in individual stores only.Â
"The system will allow us to very easily pick that individual out and follow them from the time they walked in the door to the time they left," Bennett said.Â
Many of the cameras are mounted on poles throughout the mall, and each one is able to pan, tilt, and zoom with precision.
Bennett says the cameras are just one part of the security equation. "This is just an added layer of protection. These cameras aren't here to stop criminal activity, they are here to support the police in investigations."
LMPD Officer Tonya Landry told WDRB that the highly visible cameras can also make criminals think twice. "Oh yes, anytime you have overt cameras -- which are the cameras that you see -- that is always a deterrent for criminals because they really don't know what is being recorded and what's not."
Shootings at malls around the country in recent weeks have pushed mall safety awareness even more into the spotlight, and Jefferson Mall was the scene of a shooting that left one person injured in 2020 -- when the mall wasn't equipped with security cameras.
"Two years ago we relied on cell phone video and that video was shot during a panic mode," Bennett said. "This video here is reliable and is recording 24/7."
LMPD officers also responded to a report of shots fired in the parking lot of the mall in August 2021, but no injuries were reported.Â
While the mall will not disclose the cost of the security improvement or how many cameras there are, LMPD says having the enhanced security system in place is priceless.
"They have facial recognition," Landry said, "so if we can identify a potential suspect and enter them into the system anytime they come into this mall we know who they are now."
The system can even be monitored remotely by LMPD officers after the mall closes.
"Our officers have access to this system," Landry said. "They can literally log in and see everything that is happening in real time so I think that will be valuable. "
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