Security On The Job

Saturday September 19, 2015
Location: Mall, El Paso TX
Time: 12:40 p.m. - 1:40 p.m.

It is a gray and rainy day, the air cool and refreshing. The mall at this time today is quite busy. There are a lot of people walking through the 'rest' area I am observing from. There is a mix of people: Elderly, young adult, children, parents, couples, groups of friends, etc. There is an ethnic mix of predominantly latinos, caucasians, and black/African-Americans today. I have not seen anyone of Asian descent today (though they have been here the past two weeks).They are all in their own ethnic groupings. So far I have not seen a mixing of these groups today.

Even though it is raining outside, there were not many people wearing jackets or rain-related clothing. The males today are predominantly wearing a T-shirt and jeans. There are some wearing shorts or a long sleeved shirt. Women's choice in clothing varies: T-shirt, shorts, jeans, capris, skirts, dresses, etc.

Since it is raining outside, the ground is wet. This causes the bottom of the people's tennis shoes/sneakers to be wet. This causes a squeak when they walk in a certain way. A lot of young people are walking in this certain way in order to loudly squeak when they walk. No one seems to mind this.

Across from me is an older man, an elderly woman, and an older woman sitting at a bench. They sit for a while. They seem to be resting. Another older man in green comes and talks to them for a few minutes. They get up and eventually leave.

Security guards are a lot more noticeable today. They can be seen roaming about the area. They seem to be doing a good job, since there are no obvious problems happening. The security guards wear a white dress shirt and black dress pants. Some wear a black hat, some do not.

There is a steady stream of customers at the food places. The most popular place today is the Cinnamon Roll place. People seem to enjoy the food they are buying.

Two security guards are talking with an older man. One security guard is short and is wearing a black bike helmet. The other security guard is a bit taller and is wearing glasses and a black hat. The older man is wearing a baseball cap and has a white mustache and beard. At first I think they are friendly with each other, since they are walking side by side talking to each other. They stop walking and talk for a bit. Then the older man pulls out his wallet and the security guard with glasses takes it and writes something down on his pad. They talk for a bit again. People pass by them, not even looking at them. If this is a serious situation, it does not appear to be one. Eventually, they split up and leave. The short security guy goes 'north', the bespectacled security guard and the older man go 'south' together. Situation (?) over.