Security for storage facilities is paramount for the owners and managers of these businesses. And it is also a number one priority for their customers and tenants, as well.
But, too often, security measures simply fail.
Consider this recent post by the Glendale, California police department:
“On August 22, 2021, at approximately 10:30 a.m., Glendale PD Patrol Officers responded to a public storage facility… regarding a burglary in progress. A caller advised dispatch that multiple storage units inside the facility had been burglarized and that the suspects were potentially still at the location. Officers arrived on scene and attempted to locate the suspects, however; it was determined the suspects had already fled the location.
[A]pproximately 13 storage units at the location had been burglarized or were damaged in an attempted burglary. Items stolen from these units during the burglary (estimated to be valued at around $75,000) included sports and comic book memorabilia, collectible shoes and high-end electronics.”
It is apparent that the security measures employed by this particular facility failed to prevent a daylight burglary on a Sunday morning.
To make matters worse, the Glendale Police report states that after the burglary, one of the victims had repairs done to their unit that same day. The victims were then called by the storage facility the next day to be notified their storage unit had been broken into a second time!
Officers reviewed surveillance footage and observed what appeared to be the same suspects from the previous burglaries illegally entering the facility and breaking into the victim’s repaired storage unit again.
The suspects used carts to transport boxes of collectible shoes and comic books estimated to be worth $75,000 to waiting vehicles. The thieves made several trips back and forth over the course of almost an hour before fleeing the location.
When Security Becomes a Hollow Selling Point – Storage Facility Security Crisis
It is a sobering reality that break-ins can be difficult to prevent.
There are several incidents where criminals who are part of organized burglary rings have parked a large truck or van next to a facility’s security fence, cut through the fence to gain access and then carried out multiple storage unit burglaries.
And it may be that theft is on the rise.
According to one report,
“Public data and statistics covering self-storage facilities and crime are far and few between. The lack of information is due to several reasons, including both client and operators underreporting thefts and vandalism, as well as how municipalities record their crime statistics and if that data is publicly available.”
But news organizations occasionally investigate local incidents, and their reporting can provide snapshots of the extent of the threat for storage facilities nationwide.
A CBC news story in Canada quoted security expert Alex Vourkoutiotis, chief technology officer at Caliber Communications as saying that the [COVID-19] pandemic has led to business closures and job losses, driving an increase in theft from self-storage facilities.
“Mass layoffs cause theft increase. It’s an unfortunate byproduct, but it’s a reality,” Vourkoutiotis said.
One estimate states that the average cost of an incident is $11,000 per storage unit. And that does not consider the ongoing costs of providing security measures at a facility.
Common measures by self-storage facilities for protecting tenants’ property include:
- Requiring customers to install secure locks on their units.
- Partnering with local police and sheriff’s departments.
- Installing security lighting and a network of surveillance cameras.
- Utilizing entrance and exit gates accessed by security keypads.
But, as the Glendale police report illustrates, even a high-end video surveillance system can do nothing more than record an event taking place.
The Pressing Need for Improving a Storage Facility Security System
When a storage facility implements all of the common security measures available, it is a safe bet that most potential thieves will be deterred, and possible thefts prevented. Yet, as experience shows, determined and more brazen individuals can and do overcome most security measures.
Short of having a live security personnel presence onsite 24/7, the most a storage facility owner or manager can hope for is that the fear of being seen and the presence of video surveillance cameras can serve as sufficient deterrence.
However, if a video surveillance system did more than merely record, if it were more than a passive deterrence, this would be a major improvement.
But what would that look like?
If a video system were monitored live 24/7 or as needed, and the system was integrated with a loudspeaker component to allow for verbal warnings to be issued, it would no long be passive, but active and dynamic.
Further, if this live video monitoring system were enhanced with a software component that could detect and anticipate potential criminal activity and similar threats, it would be an even greater improvement.
The good news is that this vastly improved storage facility security system can be a reality with the integration of Blue Eye’s unique approach to providing security for your site.
Live Video Surveillance: An Improved Security Solution for Your Storage Facility
Blue Eye has developed unique AI software that detects potential threats at your storage facility and a system that alerts our highly trained Video Surveillance Technicians (VSTs) within seconds who can then respond in real-time.
Our proprietary security system solution integrates artificial intelligence with human interaction to provide a safe and reliable video surveillance monitoring solution that utilizes your existing security cameras
At our Command Center, VSTs utilize our Computer Vision-assisted technology to protect your business property. This is where our VSTs receive alarms and employ real-time responses for a wide variety of business properties.
Even with global clients, each individual alarm is assessed live, in real-time, and responded to according to that property owner’s desired protocol.
Our customized approach allows each client to have the flexibility of adapting their security system to meet the unique needs of their business and their facility.
Ready for real-time deterrence for your storage facility security system?
Call us today at 855.258.3662 or email us at [email protected]. Let us design an effective solution for your business!