Clarkstown Police and fire officials are investigating a small albeit suspicious fire at the Palisades Center IMAX theater that caused a temporary evacuation of about 50 people. The fire started around midnight, and the local fire departments responded to find that a tarpaulin had apparently been placed over a light, leading to the fire.
A couple from New York City was arrested after they were found to have stolen $3,500 worth of merchandise from Woodbury Commons and the Palisades Center mall.
Crimes happen on a daily basis at the Palisades Center, no matter how small. Ever been in the stairwells around and in the parking garage? You’d think you were in the bad guy’s underground lair in a Ninja Turtle movie, seeing leaks, rust, burned out and flickering fluorescent lights, and a seemingly endless amount of graffiti and discarded drug bags.
While Clarkstown is claimed to be the second safest city, this statistic would seem to ignore the fact that we have one of the largest 5 malls, connected to three major state highways — 59, 303, and the Thruway. The mall, and the community at large, have a connectedness that provides an easy entrance and escape for people going to and from New York City. The size of the mall provides a great deal of anonymity during busy times. And despite the fact that the mall has more cameras per square foot than the Big Brother house, the responsiveness of the security guards watching it and handling it are the weakest link. With 30 million people in the New York metropolitan area, how many bad apples pop up at the mall?
But maybe these criminals wouldn’t have shoplifted in the first place if Mayor Darden was on patrol at the mall with his police lights like last week. Mayor Darden may have just pulled these people over and then took their parking spot, causing them to get frustrated and leave, preventing them from ever reaching the stores they stole from.