PANORAMA CITY : Mall Moves to Upgrade Security Measures

While neighboring businesses on Van Nuys Boulevard were looted and burned during last year’s riots, the Panorama Mall was relatively unscathed except for a few broken windows.

Nevertheless, the mall’s operators have upgraded security. A new police substation, a security kiosk with television monitors, and other programs have been implemented since the riots, according to sources at the mall.

During the past several weeks, officers from the Van Nuys Division, who operate the substation, have worked with mall security to instruct the mall’s tenants on possible evacuation procedures. The substation was opened last November. Other security measures include a plan to board up the mall in the event of civil disorder and to contact neighboring business owners who may not have the access to information that the mall does.

Tenants interviewed inside the mall said the added measures provide more comfort. “You have less incidents in this mall than you do at other malls,” said one tenant who asked not to be identified. “Most people who work in the mall feel secure.”