Parking garages have proven over and over to be a security nightmare for property owners and managers. These parking structures are typically constructed with multiple stories, twists and turns, and many times poor lighting. Couple that with the limited foot traffic these areas receive late in the night and you have created a shopping mall for criminals. Time and time again, a suspect will gain access to the parking garage by tailgating in behind someone authorized to enter and subsequently will spend hours going vehicle to vehicle taking anything of value. This begs the question, how can you secure this vulnerability without creating an unrealistically high monthly cost?
The Problem with Parking Garages
While a parking garage solves the parking problems of many businesses, it can create other problems at the same time. On any given day there can be millions of dollars’ worth of vehicles and personal property left unattended inside a parking garage. Unfortunately, this attracts people for the wrong reasons. With many places to hide and, at times, limited foot traffic, parking garages create the perfect environment for theft. To combat this issue, many property managers will hire a security guard to monitor the entry points and to regularly patrol the various levels. This is better than nothing, but it leaves a major gap in security and can be cost prohibitive. A guard can only be in one place at one time and there is little accountability ensuring they are actually patrolling these areas. Thieves are smart. They learn the habits of security patrol and will strike when they know there will be no one watching.
According to the Atlanta Police Department, in the first week of June 2020 there were 92 thefts from automobiles (and over 3,300 year to date). Of those 92 thefts there were only two arrests made. While it’s not known how many of those thefts occurred in parking garages, it’s safe to say that not many of those vehicles were being properly monitored at all times. At WideEye Surveillance, we believe in implementing a solution to specifically designed to protect parking garages.
How Video Monitoring is Changing the Game
Video monitoring services are arguably the best option for providing proper security throughout a parking garage from both an effectiveness and economic perspective. Simply put, video monitoring is cheaper AND more effective than traditional security services. It puts eyes and ears on an entire property at once – something not possible when using only patrol services. Yes, cameras can be a great deterrent of crime on their own. However, when you pair cameras with a video monitoring service like WideEye Surveillance their effectiveness can increase drastically. A recent analysis of the criminal activity at a WideEye customer site revealed a 63% reduction in auto burglaries after adding real-time video monitoring to their property. Additionally, video monitoring is about half the cost of traditional monitoring services. This same site was able to reduce the monthly amount they were spending on security by 65%. If you truly want to reduce crime in your parking garage while saving money at the same time a real-time video monitoring service has proven to be the most effective route to go.
Video Monitoring Improves Suspect Capture and Arrest Rates
Naturally, you would expect that if video monitoring is a more effective solution to parking garage crime that it would lead to more captures and arrests. Well, it does! Video monitoring provides on average six times more coverage than a security guard. The more eyes there are on a property the more likely a criminal is going to be caught – it’s just that simple. How often do you think a criminal is identified and arrested when someone goes back to look at footage of a break-in from hours prior? It’s not often, just look at the statistics above from the Atlanta Police Department where only 2 arrests were made. On the other hand, how likely do you think a criminal is identified and apprehended when someone is watching a crime occur in real-time? Much more likely. At WideEye, our customers are experiencing on average below a 7-minute response time from law enforcement agencies. The partnerships we’ve secured with onsite security services and local law enforcement agencies allow us to be a real force in the communities we serve.
Whether your concern is increasing resident retention, reducing your monthly expenses, or reducing premise liability, a real-time video monitoring approach is changing the way security services are conducted. Contact WideEye Surveillance today and let us show you real life examples of how we have been able to address these concerns across the country.