In light of a shooting at Hudson Valley Mall in Kingston that left two injured, local officials are confident the Fingerlakes Mall would be prepared if a similar situation were to occur here.

Gina Speno, Fingerlakes Mall general manager, said attention to security at the mall was heightened after Sept. 11, and a security plan is in place that can apply to a variety of situations.

"The safety of our shoppers, tenants, and employees is our first priority," she said. "Since 9/11, everyone looks at security a different way."

Sunday afternoon, Robert Bonelli, 25, entered Best Buy at Hudson Valley Mall in Kingston and began to open fire.

After firing his way through the store, he made his way into the mall corridor and continued shooting. Two shoppers were wounded, one of whom remained in critical condition Monday.

"When something like this happens, it opens everyone's eyes," Speno said.

Concerns for security at the mall increases with the addition of tenants, which bring more shoppers, said Cayuga County Sheriff Rob Outhouse. But he's pleased with how the mall's security has adapted to meet the challenges.

"There's an obvious change in the way security is handled there," he said. "It's a more hands-on security force."

Outhouse makes sure his deputies are also prepared in case they have to respond to situations like the Kingston mall shooting. His deputies receive special training for situations like the one in Kingston, and Outhouse admits his office would have handled the situation similarly.

"It was no big surprise for any of us," said Lt. Jim Langler, who heads up the sheriff's law enforcement division. "But we're as prepared as we possibly could be."

It's important that the officers' training encompasses all types of situations, no matter how likely they are to occur in the county, Langler said.

"You have to prepare for the worst but hope for the best," he said.

Staff writer Liz Hacken can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 267 or elizabeth.hacken@lee.net