Some changes are coming to Destiny USA in Syracuse in the wake of recent gun-related incidents.
There will be more security at the mall, as well as more probation officers looking for rule-breakers, after a month of stories involving guns and crime at the mall.
One change was spurred by the high-profile robbery of Juli Boeheim in the mall parking lot by a 12-year-old wielding what turned out to be an airsoft gun. Mayor Ben Walsh, who met with mall officials last week, said there will be a specific detail of off-duty Syracuse Police officers patrolling parking lots.
"We know that some of the problems exist outside in the parking lot, so by having SPD cars and officers patrolling the parking lot, we’re hopeful that will help,” Walsh said.
Destiny USA also hires off-duty SPD officers as part of their security detail inside the mall. Destiny also pays Onondaga County to provide probation officers at the mall, looking for violators.
County Executive Ryan McMahon mentioned a recent incident at the mall, where a 15-year-old accused of a shooting crime was on probation and shouldn’t have been there. So he expects that a doubling of the probation presence at the mall can have an impact.
“This is our warrant detail. There are individuals in our community who are on probation and aren’t allowed to be at the mall,” McMahon said. “Some of these individuals have a history of making poor choices, that’s why they are on probation. So by having probation officers there, it’s a clear deterrent."
These additional measures are expected imminently. Both Walsh and McMahon say these issues aren’t unique to Destiny USA, but represent wider issues that exist in the community.
