Maryland County to Require Surveillance at Convenience Stores

July 30, 2013

The Prince George’s County Council in Maryland has approved a bill that requires convenience stores and gas stations to have drop boxes and security cameras, according to a report from NACS online and WTTG-TV.

New safety regulations mandate that retailers with overnight operating hours must have a surveillance system with at least three cameras that can record 24 hours at a time. Stores must also have drop safes bolted to the floor. Gas stations open between the hours of 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. have to use a window-only access point overnight, the article reports.

The new regulations will be in effect in 45 days, although businesses have up to a year to install two cameras (one above the cash register and one above the entrance), and a third camera must be installed facing the parking lot within three years of the mandate.

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