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Car Dealerships Discover that Security Cameras Aren't Enough

After an increase in car thefts, dealers realize that a thief getting

It hasn’t been good a good year for automobile dealerships across the country. Just check out these headlines.

CAUGHT ON CAMERA: Car thieves steal nine vehicles from Chesapeake dealership

Camera Captures Thieves Stealing At Least 3 Cars from Dealer, Damaging Six Others

Cars stolen from Sacramento-area dealership in ‘coordinated’ break-in, police say

Police: 12 luxury cars stolen in 26 hours from Arlington dealerships


The media likes to use terms like “caught on camera.” It’s true that some of the perpetrators were seen on a fuzzy video feed, but it’s unlikely they will be caught. Even if they are, the business owner is still stuck cleaning up the mess, dealing with the paperwork and suffering the loss.

We recently discussed a break-in where the thieves spent nearly four hours taking the cars. Four hours and nothing was done because the average security camera system does nothing more than passively record. Without someone watching the video in real time, security cameras don’t really secure anything.

Without someone watching the video in real time, security cameras don’t really secure anything.

Is there a better option for the car dealership industry?

Remote Command Center
Remote Guard Monitoring Dealership

Once available only to large companies, businesses of all sizes can now hire live virtual security guards to monitor surveillance cameras in real time. Not to be confused with on-site security guards, virtual guards are located off-site and use advanced technology to help them detect and stop crimes even before they occur.

Here’s how it works: Video monitoring companies install high definition security cameras, network equipment and loudspeakers on your car lot. The cameras communicate with a smart analytics system that detects movement in predefined areas – even movement that's typically undetectable to the human eye. The system uses algorithms to learn the patterns of potential incidents or threats, while ignoring irrelevant movement.

What does this look like in action? Let’s say that someone trespasses on your lot late at night. Once they cross the virtual border, the monitoring team is alerted. From there, a remote guard can engage with the person or persons via amplified loudspeakers. By using this method, most crimes can be prevented without having to dispatch law enforcement. If the issue does escalate, the guard will coordinate with the authorities. Plus, the entire event will be recorded and can be used as evidence, if needed.

An affordable option. Because cloud technology plays an important part in assisting the remote security specialists, hiring virtual guards is much more cost-effective compared to hiring an on-site security guard. Regular security guards are expensive. Plus, they can’t cover all angles of a property at once, and there’s always the issue of their safety.

Additional Benefits

Finally, there are additional benefits to using a professional camera monitoring service:

  • Detailed incident reporting lets you know what’s been happening when you’re not around.
  • Watch employees in action using a remote live stream app on your computer, tablet or phone.
  • Access the loudspeaker system to make special announcements.

Compared to remote video surveillance services, simple security cameras don’t even come close. No one wants to watch four hours of footage showing their assets getting stolen by thieves that got “caught on camera.”


 


SentraCam offers advanced security camera monitoring and virtual security guard services throughout Arizona, California, Colorado, Texas, and Utah. Contact us today for a customized risk assessment and quote.