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How to Prevent Vandalism at Car Dealerships
For most typical businesses, leaving millions of dollars of company assets sitting in the parking lot would seem crazy, but that's the nature of the business for car dealerships.
So doing everything possible to protect these assets from theft and vandalism is critical. Just recently, a San Antonio dealership was hit by vandals who scratched ten cars, causing thousands of dollars worth of damage.
Per Heavy, a Mercedes Benz dealership in Oakland, CA, was also a recent vandalism target along with a Planet Ford dealership in Austin, TX.
Although these cases seem shocking, they are just three among the hundreds across the US every year.
That's why so many businesses are turning to LotGuard's fully autonomous surveillance units to protect against these types of crimes. There can be no doubt that mobile video surveillance solutions are the best way to secure any vehicle storage facility.
But there are other steps that dealerships can take to prevent vandalism at their properties. Below, we outline some of the proven ways of reducing crime at car dealerships.
1. Identify Vulnerabilities and Harden Security
Assess the layout of your dealership to identify where your security vulnerabilities are.
Key questions to ask yourself when doing this include:
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Where and how could vandals gain access to the site?
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Would they be able to operate under cover of darkness?
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Are any surveillance cameras covering the most vulnerable access point or highest value goods?
Understanding how vulnerable your dealership is will help you implement security measures that will harden the target and deter vandals.
Steps should include:
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Installing perimeter fencing, and ensuring you have locked gates at any entrance points
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Deploying surveillance camera coverage with no blind spots
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Installing or improving your lighting fixtures
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Ensuring any loading bays or storage areas are kept locked and secure
2. Utilize Visible Security Measures
Even simple security measures such as installing 'Keep Out' or 'Private Property' signs can provide a huge security boost for your dealerships.
Signage is even more impactful if they draw attention to the fact you have surveillance cameras installed, that they are recording 24/7, and that you plan to prosecute any trespassers caught on camera.
Signage is a cheap, visually effective deterrent to the majority of vandals.
3. Create a Culture of Security
Dealership security starts with your employees. Ensuring they are aware of all security protocols, that they understand how to spot security risks, and that you can trust them with your assets is critical.
If you don't already have a security protocol in place, at LotGuard we have a team of security experts who can work with you to implement best practices to work alongside our security camera systems.
We have 20+ years of experience providing mobile surveillance units, working with organizations of all sizes, and we are always on hand to offer the benefit of our experience.
General security measures we would always recommend include:
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Marking or die-stamping tools and valuable equipment
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Running regular inventory checks, and logging all goods in and out
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Locking all vehicles overnight
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Instaling anti-theft devices in all vehicles
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Use locking gas and oil caps
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Only keeping a minimal amount of gas in vehicles
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Locking away keys for any vehicles on-site
Once you have a set security routine in place, make sure it is effectively communicated across your team, and that it is adjusted to cover staff vacation time and public holidays.
Finally, ensure you run background checks on your employees so you know who you have onsite and that you can trust them with your valuable assets.
4. Install a LotGuard Mobile Surveillance Unit
There are many reasons why so many dealerships love WCCTV's LotGuard parking lot security cameras.
They can be deployed regardless of the current power situation - they are customizable and can adapt to any location, whether you have mounting poles with electricity, or need a more mobile solar solution.
The units operate utilizing 4G LTE transmission, making them completely autonomous.
The built-in video analytics automatically detects unwanted intruders, which triggers the customizable escalation process by our monitoring partners.
LotGuard can be provided with the following enhancements:
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License plate recognition (LPR) cameras
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Thermal security cameras
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Audio voice-down and sirens
Additionally, the evidence captured by LotGuard can also be used to assist with any vehicular accidents/hit and runs that may occur on your premises - helping reduce liability claims and improving your businesses reputation.
