NEWS MEDIA ADVISORY:
April 3, 2014

Contacts:

Joe Bell       Christa Blasko   
Director of Corporate Communications   Marketing Director
CAFARO      Eastwood Mall Complex
jbell@cafarocompany.com    marketingdirector@eastwoodmall.com
330-747-2661 ext. 771     330-652-6980 ext. 31508
724-730-4532 (Mobile)

Public Safety Training Exercise

Public safety forces will be honing their skills at the Eastwood Mall Complex on the evening of Sunday, April 6.  The Niles Police Department, along with a multitude of other local, state and federal agencies and the mall’s own security staff, will conduct an active shooter exercise.  It will take place after the mall closes for the evening, between the hours of 6:30 PM and 11 PM.   During this exercise, the participants will respond to simulated attacks by armed intruders.  People in the vicinity of the mall may notice unusual sights and sounds as multiple first-responders play out the training scenario.  This is only a drill and there will be no actual danger to the general public.  Restaurants and stores with regular Sunday evening hours will remain open as usual.
In order to safeguard tactical information and preserve the element of surprise, police commanders have asked that members of the news media will be restricted to a designated area inside the mall while the exercise is in progress.  Reporters and photographers wishing to cover the exercise are asked to report to the Eastwood Expo Center at 6 PM, April 6, to sign in. (They will be asked to sign out prior to leaving the property.) Various participants will be available for interviews when the training session has been completed.
This training exercise is being managed by OSS International, a private security and training organization based in Columbus, Ohio.  Participants will include the Niles Police and Fire Departments, Howland Police and Fire Departments,
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Weathersfield Police and Fire Departments, Hubbard City and Township Police Departments, Liberty Township Police Department, Warren City and Township Police Departments, Brookfield Township Police Department, Cortland Police Department, Vienna Township Police Department, T.A.G. Task Force, Youngstown Police Department Bomb Squad, Trumbull County Emergency Management Agency, U.S. Marshal Service, Trumbull County Sheriff Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Trumbull County 911, U.S. Air Force Security, Lane EMS Tactical Paramedics, Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Youngstown State University Police Academy, the Salvation Army and the American Red Cross.
The Eastwood Mall Complex has been serving the people of northeast Ohio since 1969.  Located at 5555 Youngstown-Warren Road, in Niles, Ohio, it is one of America’s largest shopping complexes, with more than 200 department stores, specialty shops, restaurants and entertainment options.  The Eastwood Mall Complex is owned and managed in association with Cafaro-affiliated companies, based in Youngstown, Ohio. For more information, visit online at www.eastwoodmall.com and www.cafarocompany.com.
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