A Minnesota Army National Guard staff sergeant who’s been deployed overseas twice, Will Bernhjelm joined the Mall of America’s security force as a patrol officer not long after the 9/11 attacks. Potential threats against retail properties have continued to grow increasingly complex since then. To stay ahead, the Mall of America has, under his tenure, tested and deployed a number of new initiatives—metal detectors, gun-sniffing dogs, and facial recognition technology, among others. It has also become increasingly public about them. “The stuff we’re doing today is truly groundbreaking in the industry,” Bernhjelm says. “It’s important for us to talk about it.”