While no one expects the prevention of crime to be an easy battle, most law enforcers are surprised by the lack of creativity in most criminal groups' planning. "Stakeouts are just not necessary anymore," says Sgt. Hicks of the PCPD. Apparently, most gangs and criminal groups are continually using the SAME areas to conduct business, hardly moving their operations within a single city zone. "We just don't have to look far," Hicks says. "We search a few hot spots and find at least three different gangs all within a few hundred feet of each other. I'm surprised they never notice each other."

But why have the city's criminal element become so sloppy? Wanting an inside opinion, I first went to ex-gang member, Wilson Zucco. "The fact is, it's hard to get a good hideout anymore. After The War, there were no places above ground to transact business. Every place was either patrolled or kept under tight lock and key by owners. I don't know if most people know this, but it actually costs rent to maintain a hideout these days."

Taking this news into consideration, I went to a local holding facility to talk to an incarcerated gangster, who would only identify himself as "Marrowsnap". Marrowsnap was under arrest for Superadine possession, but he said that his lawyers were trying to argue the charges of manufacturing and intent to sell, as all evidence of this was destroyed before the police arrived. I asked him if he or any of his crew were responsible for this, but he ridiculously claimed that masked heroes had destroyed the drug labs. An interesting excuse at best.

Commenting on the cost of PC locations for his "business", Marrowsnap was only too happy to talk. "I mean seriuosly, a grand operation like I run costs significant capital, and I don't have any collateral to obtain loans from local banks or commerce. All my finance is purely surplus funds. My profit pays for furthering my business, and a significant percentage of that goes towards affording a location." Cutting through the "street lingo", Marrowsnap remarked that most businesses today had to be largely successful to obtain a downtown address, and that anything outside the industrial area was triple the going rate. "Nobody can afford that, unless you take out an insurance policy that you won't get busted by police or heroes and charged with something. And heroes seem to have an increasing need to barge into my sensitive production operations, planting evidence and whatnot."

I asked Marrowsnap how long he thought he would remain in jail, but he assured me he would quickly be back to his "business" within the week. "Aside from the sloppy techniques the vigilantes use, our city has one of the most bureaucratic legal systems in the U.S. My record features at least two-hundred charges in the last MONTH, and I've yet to be convicted of anything."

While he may not be dissuaded from further involvement with his gang, Marrowsnap says all he wants to do is continue to give the citizens a consistent product and worship Death. One hopes this is still a city of half-finished dreams.

Despite numerous health campaigns promoting living without them, it appears that a large number of citizens (and quite a few heroes) smoke. Cigarettes and cigars can be seen everywhere on City streets, hanging out of the mouths of young and old, male and female alike.

It has been recognised that smoking can cause numerous health problems and also litter issues - the poor condition of Kings Row has been partially linked to the number of smokers who drop their butts on the ground in this zone. Despite this, many of those living in Paragon City see no problem in lighting up.

"I live in a high-stress city, " says Marie Coombes, a marketing consultant who has smoked for the past 10 years. "Not only to I have to meet the deadlines set in both my work and social lives, at any minute I could be taken hostage by some ape-man who can tear apart a car with his hands. When you are facing that kind of pressure, a cig here or there seems quite safe."

Heroes also seem uncaring about the health dangers of smoking. Major Battle, an Assault Weapons / Fire Blaster well known for chomping on cigars during combat, has previously commented that "son, I am continually outnumbered, often outgunned and take a beating even when I win [...] I've got no doubt that some villain will send me to Valhalla long before the Big C ever looks my way!"

Some citizens continue to smoke based on urban legends of some people gaining super powers from smoking. During the 60's and 70's several heroes claimed that smoking certain brands of cigarettes were the source of their powers, but these claims were contested by the Surgeon General.

Early in the 80's several of these heroes, most famously Lighter and the Urban Cowboy, announced that they had been paid by tobacco companies to pretend that smoking gave them their abilities. They were unable to prove their claims conclusively in court and have since passed away due to smoking-related illnesses.

To date, Paragon City Hall has indicated they will not be persuing any anti-smoking ordinances, saying it is a "low priority" following the Rikti invasion.

In perhaps a touch of irony, villain groups appear to be almost uniformly free of smokers.

Heroes and citizens can be seen smoking all over Paragon City.