Securing The Mall: Daily Hospitality Security Practices In São Paulo

Abstract

On a relatively calm afternoon in December, we accompanied a security guard named Carla to the bookstore, located inside the Rivertown Mall, where she worked.1 A few minutes earlier, the radio had crackled and the monitoring center operator alerted Carla to a “Code 17” in progress. A 70-year-old white man was stuffing merchandise under his jacket and had been caught by the cameras. Carla intercepted him in the hallway outside the bookstore and politely invited him to explain himself: “Good day, sir. Did you forget something?” she said, smiling.