Remote video surveillance systems deter crime and serve as the first line of defense for businesses and communities.
A crunching thud followed by an “OH NO!” is never a good thing, but it’s a much worse thing when you hear it on the phone as you’re talking to your husband on his way home from work.
A teenager had blown through the stop sign—said she hadn’t even noticed it—and subsequently smashed right into the driver's side of my husband’s truck.
Thankfully, no one was injured in that car wreck—essentially a miracle—but the same couldn’t be said of the vehicles. The front end of the other car was completely crumpled, and our two-month-old Ram truck had taken the blow right in the wheel well, permanently jacking up the frame and totaling the vehicle.
The other vehicle had full coverage insurance, so I naively drove us home from the wreck that day focused purely on gratitude that no one had been injured, my kids hadn’t been in the car, and insurance would have us fixed up with a new truck soon. While the first two things on my gratitude list didn’t change, my perspective on the third took a quick turn for the worse.
What followed was months of back-and-forth phone calls, endless paperwork struggles and negotiations, and, ultimately, the acquisition of a used truck that was worth less than the Ram but also cost us more. Go figure.
Benjamin Franklin once said, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”
While he aimed that comment at the fire-prone housing situation of 1736 Philadelphia, the idea behind it holds true today for everything from car wrecks to crimes.
Just like you can’t stop every car wreck from happening, you can’t prevent every crime at your place of business. But every crime-deterring measure you take is one step closer to a safer, more secure workplace (and one step further away from dealing with the headache-inducing aftermath of a criminal act).
There are several measures you can take inside of your place of business to reduce instances of shoplifting and other unwanted activities, but parking lots—which serve as the first line of defense for any commercial building—tend to be tricker to secure.
Fortunately, mobile security units are an effective, flexible option that takes crime deterrence to the next level.
When people think of commercial security cameras, they often think of the recording functionality of those cameras. If a crime occurs, that footage serves as vital evidence, giving investigators important details about a crime, such as images of the suspects, the exact time the crime occurred, and a clear picture of what actually happened.
But while capturing evidence is a clear benefit of security cameras, their primary—and most important—purpose is to deter crimes before they happen. This preventive approach is what the Loss Prevention Research Council (LPRC) has dubbed the See-Get-Fear model.
If a would-be criminal sees the security camera, gets that the camera will alert and record, and fears the repercussions of being caught, the risk-reward payoff of any crime committed shifts dramatically, making that crime suddenly seem a lot less worth it.
Mobile surveillance units, such as the LVT Unit, fit the See-Get-Fear model particularly well. LVT Units are big and hard to miss (since it’s kind of hard to ignore 22-foot-tall pole-mounted commercial security cameras with flashing lights attached to a bulky trailer). These units can even be decked out in law enforcement colors to emphasize their presence and authority.
While their mere presence has a clear effect on the actions (or inaction) of would-be criminals, mobile security units are designed to detect and deter threats automatically.
Equipped with advanced detection, LVT Units pick up on unauthorized intruders and other suspicious activities. These potential threats trigger an immediate response from the unit (such as flashing lights and loudspeakers) and send an alert to designated personnel. Once operators check the corresponding camera, they can contact law enforcement and business owners as needed.
This immediate response time sets remote video surveillance systems apart, preventing and mitigating threats in real time.
Mobile security units as crime deterrents sound great in theory, but do they actually work? LiveView Technologies partnered with the LPRC and two mid-sized cities to form the ACCESS Taskforce and put LVT Units to the test. The taskforce placed 49 LVT Units in the two cities for six months and worked with local law enforcement and community businesses to collect data during this time.
The results from the ACCESS Taskforce speak for themselves:
In addition to these city-wide transformations, businesses also saw a 40% drop in shoplifting and a 54% drop in burglaries. Perhaps most important, however, was the reported increase in feelings of safety and security across both communities.
Interested in proven crime deterrence for your business? Contact LVT about a mobile security unit demonstration today.
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