13 Things Mall Cops Won't Tell You

Who Knew?

- Michelle Crouch

1 No offense to Paul Blart, but we actually hate the term mall cop. We prefer security officer, and frankly, we’re tired of movies portraying us as clueless bums who always doze off on the job. Remember, we’re often the first responders to shootings, kidnappings, fires, and other emergencies.

2 This is a dangerous job. Every year, 50 to 100 American security officers are killed on duty. In 2015, nearly two thirds of those deaths were the result of assaults or other violent acts.

3 Still, we have far less power than police officers. Most of us can’t arrest you, for example. We can detain you, but only if we witness you committing a misdemeanor or have hard proof you committed a felony.

4 Sometimes we let shoplifters walk. Many mall owners won’t let us stop or search a customer unless we witness the crime. That’s partly because of the need for probable cause, but it’s also because they don’t want us to create a scene.