Regardless of the industry, most organizations’ on-site facilities hold a plethora of high-value assets. From automobiles, to fuel, copper or construction equipment – these assets need to be protected from potential theft and damage. And most companies have taken proactive steps to deter crime by implementing some sort of video surveillance system, or subscribing to a remote video monitoring service, so crimes-in-progress can be readily identified and stopped.
But, there’s also plenty of companies out there that still don’t have a security strategy in place because they maintain the “it won’t happen to me” mentality. This can be a risky proposition – not to mention a costly one if crime does occur.
Today, video surveillance systems are more affordable. But by themselves, video surveillance systems only help with recovering stolen items and catching perpetrators, not preventing the crime in the first place. When coupled with remote monitoring, video surveillance becomes an active deterrent, rather than a passive one, and can stop crime dead in its tracks. For companies that still do not have these types of systems and services in place, here are three notorious crimes that could have been prevented with a high-tech remote video monitoring service.
Case 1: A $7 Million Car Goes Missing for 19 Years
In 2001, a rare Teardrop Coupé went missing from a factory building in Milwaukee. On the day it was stolen, the Teardrop was in pieces in the back of the factory, and the associated paperwork scattered throughout the facility. But the disassembled state of the car did not deter the perpetrators; they knew exactly where to look and what to do. According to an eyewitness, several men parked an unmarked box truck at the factory and used a crane to transport the vehicle parts onto the truck. The Teardrop would not be seen again until 2019, when the FBI and a very determined private investigator cracked the case.
Could this crime have been prevented? Of course – if remote video monitoring were in place, operations center personnel could have notified the owner, sounded the alarm and, if need be, contacted the police, all in real time. But with no systems in place – not even passive video – the thieves were able to take their time and execute the crime flawlessly. And this is why the vehicle’s whereabouts remained a mystery for nearly two decades.
Case 2: The Missing Bees that Left California in a Buzz
In 2017, Pavel Tveretinov stole 2,500 hives of bees. The hives were valued at a whopping $875,000 and used to help pollinate California almond orchards. The majority of the beehives belonged to out-of-state beekeepers who rented their colonies to the almond tree growers.
Tveretinov would steal them at night while the bees were dormant, either from the orchards or from beekeeping facilities. He’d bring in flatbed trailers to move them, and then rent them out for cash. His scheme was eventually busted, but because he intermingled bees from different hives, many of them interbred, which leads aggressiveness and bad health. Some of the hives were recovered but, sadly, many were lost.
How could this crime have been prevented? Many people don’t realize is that there are mobile remote video monitoring services where the video surveillance equipment runs off solar power so it can be deployed in “disconnected” locations, like almond orchards, farms and other outdoor businesses. If the beekeepers subscribed to a remote video monitoring service, they would have caught Tveretinov the first time he tried to steal a hive.
Case 3: A $10 Million Amazon Heist
Last year, participants in a theft ring in Washington State stole and sold millions of dollars in goods from Amazon before finally getting caught – and some of Amazon’s own employees were in on the scheme. The employees in question were tasked with picking up returned merchandise at the airport and delivering ordered items to the post office for delivery. Instead of fulfilling their job responsibilities, however, these workers sold the products to pawn shops.
How could security cameras have helped prevent this nefarious activity? Modern remote video monitoring systems have advanced features, such as video-analytics based virtual guards, that could have monitored the Amazon warehouse that these employees transported goods into and out of, and identified suspicious activity as it was happening. For example, when these employees arrived back at the warehouse from the airport without a stockpile of returned items, security alerts would have been issued.
Trying to Save Money Upfront Can Cost You Big In the Long Run
Most companies today aren’t in a position to do nothing about security, but some are too worried about upfront equipment costs to make any purchasing decisions. While security and finance teams might think they’re doing the right thing by saving money and taking their chances, the reality is that if they fall victim to a crime, their losses from theft and damage will far outweigh the cost of investing in a remote video monitoring service.
Pro-Vigil eases companies’ upfront cost concerns by offering next-generation “Remote Video Monitoring as a Service,” which enables customers to implement modern, real-time video surveillance and response on a monthly subscription basis. In other words, there’s no upfront capital investment in systems and installation, and customers still benefit from 24/7 site monitoring and rapid response to security events to deter damage and theft, in many cases, as it occurs.
Video Monitoring as a Service can deter crime – don’t leave your company vulnerable to risk that could easily be prevented. Contact Pro-Vigil today to get a free quote.
