Clarkstown Supervisor Details State Funding Request for Mall Safety

Clarkstown Supervisor Alex Gromack’s request for state funding to provide more police personnel to malls over 750,000 square feet is a response to recent terrorist threats by Al-Shabaab, a terrorist group linked with Al-Qaida.

Because of those threats, the Town of Clarkstown and the Clarkstown Police Department are putting even more resources into protecting citizens, businesses, and visitors of its two large malls.

Gromack is asking state officials to provide funding “earmarked” in the state budget to assist local municipalities that have malls over 750,000 square feet—a yearly state expenditure of $94.5 million, $2 million for malls up to 1 million square feet and 2.5 million for malls more than 1 million square feet.

There are 41 malls in New York State that are 750,000 square feet or more.

“The threat of a terrorist attacks on our malls in New York State and throughout the United States is something we have to live with and plan for 24 hours a day, 7 days a week,” Gromack said. “While the Clarkstown Police Department dedicates a good amount of resources, both financial and personnel to the malls, our budgets can only be stretched so far. Funding assistance from the state would allow us to build upon these commitments.

“The primary need for state funding is to provide more police personnel on site at our malls. The times we live in have changed and we need to strengthen our focus on securing these types of large shopping and entertainment destinations across the state.”

The Town of Clarkstown is home to the Palisades Center Mall in West Nyack and the Shops at Nanuet in Nanuet. Together these two malls consist of more than 2.6 million square feet and draw approximately 34 million visitors a year. The Palisades Center Mall is the second largest shopping mall in the New York metropolitan area and the 11th largest in the United States.

Providing increased protection and services to these centers is extremely expensive, labor intensive, and requires constant planning and strategizing. The cost to municipalities, like Clarkstown, far exceeds the real estate and sales tax generated by these properties. The County of Rockland shares very little sales tax with the towns and villages, Gromack said.

Clarkstown Police Chief Michael Sullivan said state funding would allow the department to supplement current security measures at the malls with additional police personnel.

PHOTO: Clarkstown officials held a recent press conference to discuss funding for mall safety.