Not in Uniform

I like going to the mall about as much as I like having a cigarette put out on my forehead. I try to avoid those hell holes as much as possible, but sometimes that can be unavoidable, especially if I'm looking for something specific. The few times I do go, I try to get out as quickly as possible.

Invariably, I end up walking behind someone whose pace is too slow, only to find myself standing in line behind somebody with too many questions for the cashier. That said, I'm usually left with plenty of time to people-watch.

I see pre-teen skateboarders, overworked mothers trying to get a grip on sugar-doped kids, elderly couples getting their fill of soceity, teenage girls in Daisy Dukes and fuck-me-heels, bored housewives with 2 handfuls of shopping bags, and, among many others, middle-aged men racing me to the exit. I am never surprised at who (or what) I see roaming the halls of malls.

So when I was reading this morning about a theft at one of our local malls, I was a bit dumbfounded when the officer investigating the case was quoted as saying,"We don't know who they are. They were dressed the way you would see people at the malls, so nothing really sticks out."

Is that supposed to be code for "not wearing a ski mask"? Having seen just about every style out there represented by mall patrons, I can't possibly imagine what else he could have meant. Did he expect a criminal to stand out in such a diverse crowd? And if so, wouldn't that be a form of profiling?

Maybe I'm being a little quick on the draw, but statements like that being made by law enforcement concern me.