Black Friday Ops

"For years now, shopping centers have been the target of highly publicized attacks like the shooting last December at a mall near Portland, Ore., that left three people dead including the gunman, and the coordinated attack in September on the Westgate mall in Nairobi, Kenya," writes Ronda Kaysen. "With multiple entrances, numerous parking levels and webs of corridors, the very design of a mall provides an assailant with endless opportunities for cover."

Though mall owners are working to increase security, they're trying to find ways to balance creating a commodious shopping environment with creating a safe one. "So mall operators are increasingly turning to subtler, less visible measures to keep a watchful eye on the activities of shoppers."

Increased training, hardened windows and trash cans, expanded video monitoring, and social media strategies are being deployed to better secure many of the nation's 115,616 retail centers.