[esquire]

I haven't noticed begging or panhandling in Portage Place or other general harassment of people at the mall, but I get the impression that there has been an uptick in shoplifting. I've noticed more incidents where people are being restrained, and I have also noticed that the security guards at various stores look, for lack of a better term, more aggressive... the disinterested guards of the past have been replaced with very vigilant guys who look like they could be wrestlers. I'm sure there's a good reason for that.