Physical Security

Securing Parking Lots with Infrastructure and Lighting

More than 110,000 property crimes occurred every year in commercial parking lots and garages between 2004 and 2008, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics.

Parking lot security — With an average of 18,000 worshippers between three campuses every weekend, Woodlands Church outside of Houston, Texas, needed to invest in its parking lot security infrastructure in order to achieve an optimized combination of video, lighting and security patrols. Photo courtesy of Woodlands Church

Forty percent of violent crime occurs in parking lots, and that’s where we place a lot of our attention as well,” said Jim Sawyer, Director of Security Services at Seattle Children’s Hospital, at the Security one2one Summer Summit in June. In fact, more than 110,000 property crimes occurred every year in commercial parking lots and garages between 2004 and 2008, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics.

Between 1999 and early 2014, there were 792 total deadly force incidents at faith-based organizations in the United States, according to ministry violence researcher Carl Chinn. In 2012 alone, 135 deadly force incidents occurred on religious organization property, and 39 of these resulted in loss of life.

According to Marcus Moreno, Director of Business Development for Florida-based security integration company ATC International, technology is becoming more and more suited to efficient security systems based around prevention and deterrence, which could mitigate the risks of those property crimes taking place.

For example, a multi-level commercial parking garage in Miami Beach deployed Talkaphone call boxes and Video Insight HD video surveillance as a force multiplier. Hiring security officers to continually man and patrol the garage was cost-prohibitive, but by maximizing audio capabilities and using the PA system in the garage, officers in a centralized location could proactively and remotely secure the building.

Moreno explained that the dispatch officer might see a person wandering through the garage looking at cars on each floor. The officer can talk over the speakers to instruct the person to go to a call box if they need assistance. The person might have just forgotten where they parked, or they might be scoping out vehicles for more nefarious purposes, but the system enables officers to provide both security and customer service at a lower price point.

Virtualized systems through IP technology means that infrastructure costs are dropping, especially compared with a decade ago. Previously, if an end user had wanted to tie in surveillance, lighting, speakers and call boxes to a single monitoring platform, it would have to have been hard-wired together, costing the enterprise large integration and installation fees, Moreno explains. Now, IP systems are often built to work with other network-based security technology, opening many doors for security directors without slamming down on their budgets.

The key to gaining the full benefits of your security system is getting in early, Moreno says. If security can introduce plans for parking security technology before construction starts on a structure, the department can save up to 40 percent on infrastructure. However, if a retrofit is necessary, he recommends that enterprise security directors conduct careful investigations into what infrastructure is already present, in terms of electric access especially, in order to maximize dollars saved.