Recent violence at The Citadel mall, coupled with the recent ban on service members visiting the mall, has prompted discussions on how to improve safety and security measures there.

A unified display of support from city leaders was seen Thursday evening as they discussed possible solutions with members of the media.

Kevin Chadrjian of Namdar Realty Group has spent the past week at the mall, working on plans to make it a place where the community feels safe.

Namdar Realty owns the mall in partnership with Mason Asset Management.

“We are working actively to do immediate items now, as well as working alongside with city, with the stakeholders and with the military to make sure that the mall is a place of safety, for not just the military, but for the community,” Chadrjian said.

While no concrete plans or timelines were announced at the conference, some ideas were floated with the hope of gaining traction after additional meetings with Namdar Realty.

A review of policy and procedures will come first, according to Chadrjian, followed by a more in-depth look at the mall infrastructure and landscaping.

Colorado Springs Police Chief Adrian Vasquez encouraged businesses to make their surveillance cameras accessible to CSPD as a way to combat onsite crime.

“When something happens, [if] we can immediately pipe into that system and see through their cameras … to provide intelligence to officers as they’re responding,” Vasquez said.

Several CSPD officers visited The Citadel on Monday afternoon to analyze the space. A full department report is coming soon and will aid in future conversations, Vasquez said.

While 5th District City Councilmember Nancy Henjum said the catalyst for recent conversations was actually the military ban, the mall has a long history of violent crime occurring over the past decade.

On Aug. 7, a mall employee was injured in a shooting, leading to a brief lockdown that afternoon. A nearby middle school, Coperni 3, also went into lockdown briefly.

According to police, there are no updates on that incident and no suspect has been identified.

In a Christmas Eve incident, three people were shot and another, Teryus Thomas, 18, was killed. The alleged shooter has pleaded not guilty; his jury trial is set for January.

As for the military restrictions, Fort Carson has said that its decision to ban service members was based on CSPD data.

However, police spokesman Ira Cronin on Thursday said he could not say if a particular trend contributed to the ban, and Henjum said that “the perception of the mall, I think, is worse than the reality, and I’m not diminishing the crime that has happened there.”

Henjum will be hosting a community conversation on the topic from 4-6 p.m. on Sept. 20 at the Zeal Church.

Community members will have the opportunity to raise their concerns and be a part of any upcoming changes.