Almost every business, facility, and building require security. And one of the most relied upon ways of providing security is using video surveillance cameras.
Unfortunately, the mere presence of security cameras is not enough to prevent thieves who are determined to rob your cannabis dispensary. Cannabis Dispensing: A Rapidly Growing Industry – and a Target for Theft
The dispensing of legal cannabis products is one of the fastest-growing businesses in the United States and was valued at $13.6 billion in 2019 and is expected to expand to $85 billion in sales in 2030, according to investment bank Cowen.
Currently, recreational marijuana use is legal for adults over the age of 21 in 14 states and is legal for medical use in 33 states.
According to one source, legal cannabis provided over 340,000 full-time American jobs as of the beginning of 2020. The top three employers are California, Colorado, and Washington states with over 100,000 jobs being provided between them.
Unfortunately, because many cannabis dispensaries operate on a cash basis, this makes them prime targets for robberies. Not of cannabis products necessarily, but of the cash held on the premises. In some instances, in Colorado, for example, gangs targeting these legal dispensaries were able to make off with between $20,000 to $50,000 in a heist.
Accurate statistics are difficult to confirm, especially on a national level, but informed estimates indicate that upwards of 20 percent or more of cannabis dispensaries will be robbed or burglarized. And that’s just in a typical month.
Recently, the civil unrest and protests have provided opportunities for multiple break-ins and thefts of cannabis businesses.
Cannabis Business Times reported that,
“Rioters and looters targeted cannabis businesses in the past few days, breaking in dispensaries and stealing cannabis products and cash from mostly small businesses amid protests… Dozens of cannabis operations across the country were targeted by looters and unaffiliated armed individuals, who broke windows, display cases and entered secured areas.”
Another report noted that at least 43 dispensaries were robbed on the West Coast alone in May and June of 2020.
The Need for Reliable Cannabis Dispensary Security
The truth is that most cannabis dispensary enterprises lack the resources to hire a live security patrol presence 24/7 and the danger of theft is just as imminent during operating hours as it is at night when the dispensaries are closed. Consequently, many of these businesses opt for security cameras.
The question to ask is whether security cameras prevent theft? The simple answer is: “Yes and no.”
This is because the real answers are based on the type of crime being attempted, the type of criminal or criminals involved, and the type and location of the criminal’s target. Amateur or casual thieves are most likely to be deterred by the presence of security cameras.
However, professional, or experienced thieves know that security cameras can be skirted or even disabled. Far easier is to simply disregard the cameras and carry out the theft wearing nondescript clothing and faces covered.
This means that the victims may have some high definition video footage of the crime afterward, but nothing else. In other words, the video surveillance system they purchased doesn’t prevent crime – it merely records it.
So, what’s the answer?
Video surveillance that is monitored in real-time by real people, and with the capability of assessing and responding to each alarm or imminent breach of security. Better yet, having a video surveillance system that is also an active security system using both artificial and human intelligence to assess the situation and take appropriate action.
Intelligent Security With Smart Video Monitoring
We have solved the problem of security camera system limitations with Blue Eye’s proprietary Blackbox technology that transforms your existing security camera network into an active security system. Your existing security cameras work as sensors for the Blackbox technology containing our AI software that actively “watches” your property for threats.
At Blue Eye, our CV (Computer Vision) assisted technology is combined with human intelligence to detect potential problems in real-time.
Once a threat is detected, an alarm is immediately sent to our command center and our Video Surveillance Technicians (VSTs) monitor the video feed. Viewing the property in real-time, the VST can assess the situation and take appropriate action.
What does that entail?
Almost 100 percent of the time the only action required is to give a verbal warning over a loudspeaker. We can address perpetrators directly with our 120db speakers, which has been shown to end 99 percent of incidents. In the rare instance that this alone doesn’t deter the threat, the local police or private security is called.
In addition, the cost of a video surveillance system enhanced with our “stealth” Blackbox technology is only about a third of the cost of hiring a security guard service.
A Smart Video Security Solution for Your Investment
With Blue Eye, our proprietary AI software detects potential threats to your property and the system alerts our highly trained Video Surveillance Technicians within seconds who then react in real-time to deter potential crimes.
Our proprietary method uses both artificial intelligence and human interaction, providing a safe and reliable security solution that utilizes your existing security cameras. And if you don’t have cameras yet, or you want more of them, we can assist you in finding the optimum installation solution.
Ready to take your dispensary security to an intelligent level?
Call us today at 855.258.3662 or email us at [email protected]. Let us design an effective solution for your business!