When a Bluffton, South Carolina building products supplier was robbed this March, the value of the heist included over $500,000 in lumber and other merchandise, as well as three trucks and two forklifts.
In a late-night burglary that lasted nearly three and one-half hours in a fenced yard, closed circuit television cameras captured three suspects on the premises of the Grayco Building Center. Surveillance footage showed the suspects cutting the lock on the rear gate around 11:30 pm. Then, they used the company’s forklifts to load lumber and other products onto the three trucks, which had been left unlocked inside the fence-secured area. They left with the equipment and merchandise around 3:00 am.
No police or security were dispatched to stop the crime in progress. Just because you have video surveillance or other security features in place, you can still be hit by criminal activity if those video feeds or sensors are not effectively monitored.
Police said the suspects were familiar with operating heavy equipment, and targeted more valuable stock to steal. The trucks and forklifts were found just over a day later, but the merchandise was gone and no suspects were arrested. Grayco general manager Billy Thrower said the company would lick its wounds with respect to the burglary, and he felt relieved to have had the equipment recovered.
But the story could have ended better if different security systems had been in place. You too need to consider what technology you are using to monitor your facility.
Security Systems Now Offer More Accurate Early Detection of Intrusion
According to Joe Wilson, president of SONITROL Western Canada, scenarios such as the one depicted above are all too common. Perpetrators are caught on camera, but ultimately escape with the merchandise due to slow response. As a commercial electronic security provider, SONITROL provides specific solutions for plants, warehouses as well as for fenced compounds. Offered through franchisees, it is the third largest North American provider of commercial security systems including verified intrusion, fire, 24/7 monitoring and electronic access technologies.
For such compounds, SONITROL deploys a camera system which operates in unison with motion and heat detectors to monitor the environment. The sophisticated cameras, which sell in the $500 range, have a 70-foot range. “When heat or motion goes through the field of vision,” Wilson reported, “the video clip is sent through to our operations staff. They then make a determination of whether it is threatening or non-threatening.”
While tumbleweed, raccoons and skunks are ignored, he said wryly, if the source of the movement is people or vehicles, the operator is pushing a button to send them through to local 9-1-1 to explain exactly what he or she is seeing, and police are dispatched. Average response time is less than three and a half minutes.
SONITROL displays a substantial number of thank-you letters from customers on its website with success stories related to yard or compound protection, mostly with a similar theme. Customers previously were in a reactive mode, such as in the case outlined above, but through better security, thieves were now being apprehended in the progress of the crime, thanks to that speedy police response times.
One customer, Davin Greenfield of Windsor Plywood in Edmonton, Alberta, wrote, “It has been greatly discouraging over the last 20 years to be reactive in break-ins. We are greatly appreciative of the efforts that took place to catch this thief before stealing or vandalizing our property.” He went on to explain that after the central station operator of the security company had identified the intruder, Edmonton police were contacted and responded within four minutes, apprehending the suspect.
For interior applications such as plants, warehouses and offices, SONITROL utilizes not only the combination of motion and heat detectors with cameras, but also utilizes audio sensors to aid in intrusion verification. One audio sensor typically covers around 5,000 square feet.
Dark is Best for After Hours
According to Wilson, the conventional wisdom of keeping compound and buildings lit at night to deter thieves is exactly the wrong thing to do, with infrared cameras installed. Operating in the dark, he noted, criminals bump into things and cannot readily identify the best things to steal, while their movements are being picked up through infrared cameras and perhaps audio feed while being reported back to the central station for intrusion verification and police dispatch.
Verified Intrusion Increasingly Requested by Law Enforcement
Wilson emphasized that the key to successful security systems is in verifying the presence of an intruder. This is made possible by the camera feed being “pushed” through to an operator to verify intrusion before alerting authorities. Less sophisticated security systems, Wilson stated, can pick up motion from an animal or debris in the wind, for example, triggering a false alarm. In fact, for the U.S. security industry as a whole, the false alarm rate is 94-98% according to the U.S. Department of Justice. In order to verify intrusion, already a requirement in over 30 U.S. cities, the alarm company must call the business location or other contacts for verification.
This, Wilson noted, can put employees at risk when they attend to check, or require the presence of a security guard, which is expensive. SONITROL, on the other hand, reports having a false alarm rate of less than 3% due to its technology and live monitoring.
Self-Monitoring is Increasingly Popular
Security monitoring comes at a monthly cost, however, and with the continued refinement of wireless technologies, self-monitoring has changed the equation. Monitor-it-yourself (MIY) or non-monitored security systems have become increasingly popular, especially for low cost installations that put the user in the monitoring role.
One such vendor is Dropcam, which provides a solution it states as being a fraction of the cost of a traditional video surveillance system. Dropcam offers features as live streaming, night vision, two-way talk and mobile apps. While self-monitoring provides many benefits, security experts, including Joe Wilson of SONITROL, emphasize that MIY is a bad idea for commercial security monitoring.
“Monitoring yourself isn’t really an appropriate approach for businesses,” Joe explained. “You might be at your kids’ game, or sleeping. You think you’ll wake up when an alert comes, but not necessarily.” Dropcam did not respond to an interview request by Pallet Enterprise.
The Value of Surveillance for Internal Operations
“A good surveillance system helps keep honest employees, honest,” a security professional explained to me years ago. The sophisticated new generation of Internet protocol (IP) cameras can provide great clarity, enabling business managers to remotely monitor and review operations.
One pallet recycler stated to me off the record that its IP camera system is invaluable in reviewing workplace accidents, property damage, as well as yard activities. Camera review is a key part of its accident investigation process. The company has used closed circuit television (CCTV) footage to successfully challenge workers’ compensation claims. From my own experience, employees are much more likely to tell the truth in situations such as forklift collisions and other scenarios, when they know that the owner can go back and review the footage.
Three Basic Levels of Physical Security
According to William Deutsch, business security expert at About.com, there are three basic levels of business security. These include outer perimeter, inner perimeter and interior. He stresses that if you put safeguards in place at each level, your operation should enjoy an effective level of security to buildings, property and assets with respect to intrusion.
1. Outer Perimeter Security
The property lines of your site define your outer perimeter. This may take the form of a barbed wire fence and gate, or perhaps just a hedge, depending upon the perceived level of risk. To the degree that customers have valuable assets in the yard, fencing in addition to electronic yard surveillance equipment such as discussed in this article should be considered.
Other design elements of the outer perimeter security to consider are natural access control and territorial reinforcement. Natural access involves using landscaping or fencing to steer visitors through a specific approach that channels visitors into a defined space. Such an approach makes intruders uncomfortable and restricts possible escape routes. Territorial reinforcement is accomplished by clearly demonstrating the end of public property and the beginning of private property, reinforced through signage or other means.
2. Inner Perimeter Security
The inner perimeter of a business includes walls, windows and doors of the structures. Security is usually addressed with locks as well as electronic safeguards such as alarm systems and electronic access (card lock) control systems. Where keys are used, it is important to establish and manage a key control program to keep account of specific restricted keys and who holds them.
3. Interior Security
Interior security, the final level of security, protects the interior of commercial buildings. Conventional security involves cameras and motion sensors, with newer applications also adding heat sensors and audio to the mix to aid in accurately verifying intrusion.
Definitions
CCTV: Closed circuit television
Central Station: For monitored systems, alerts are sent to the provider’s central station to verify intrusion and alert authorities.
MDM: Mobile device management Mobile device management (MDM) can be described as the management related to the deployment, security, monitoring and integration of mobile devices.
MIY: Manage-it-yourself is a low cost approach to security monitoring that has alerts sent to the business owner for verification rather than the central station.
IP Camera: An Internet protocol camera, or IP camera, is a popularly used digital video surveillance camera. Unlike analog CCTV cameras, they provide very high resolution, as well as being capable of sending and receiving data through a computer network.
Physical Security: Physical security addresses actions you can take to protect buildings, property and assets against intruders.
Verified Intrusion: Increasingly, police departments are insisting on verification of an intruder before they will attend. Some security providers offer intrusion verification, while other providers rely on the customer to do so.
