Managing a business in 2024 involves handling multiple challenges—ensuring employee safety, retaining top talent, maintaining a strong brand reputation, and keeping the business profitable. It’s a complex task that no business owner should have to face alone.

To help you navigate these challenges, we consulted two experts: David Ballard and Rich McElwain, Flock Safety Solutions Consultants. With over 35 years of combined experience in law enforcement and criminal investigations, they provide invaluable insights into creating safer business environments.

This 7-part series offers practical strategies based on their extensive knowledge, aimed at enhancing security, protecting employees and visitors, and safeguarding your business reputation.

Discover more security strategies for your business in our guide: 7 Security Strategies From Law Enforcement Investigators.

Crime does not operate in isolation. Often, criminal activities are part of broader patterns that span multiple locations. For businesses with multiple storefronts, understanding and addressing these patterns is crucial for effective security management. Advanced security technologies, such as license plate reader (LPR) cameras, play a significant role in connecting crimes across different sites, providing a comprehensive view of criminal activity and enabling more effective responses.

The Challenge of Fragmented Security

Many businesses approach security on a location-by-location basis. While this can address immediate threats, it often misses the bigger picture. Criminals frequently exploit this fragmented approach by targeting multiple locations, believing that the lack of communication and coordination between sites will shield them from detection.

The Role of Technology in Connecting Crime

Advanced security technologies, including license plate recognition (LPR) cameras, video, and data analytics, enable businesses to link incidents across different locations. By centralizing and analyzing data from multiple sites, businesses can identify patterns and connections that would otherwise go unnoticed.

License Plate Reader Cameras: Connecting the Dots

License plate reader cameras are particularly effective in connecting crimes across locations. By tracking vehicle movements, LPR camera systems can identify and flag suspicious vehicles that appear at multiple sites. This data can then be used to link seemingly isolated incidents, building a broader picture of criminal activity.

For example, a vehicle involved in a theft at one store might be spotted at another location days later. With LPR cameras, security teams can add the vehicle to a hot list, allowing for real-time alerts if and when the vehicle is spotted at another location, enabling a coordinated response.

Live and Recorded Video: Capturing the Bigger Picture

Live and recorded video provides critical visual evidence that can connect crimes across different locations. By reviewing footage from multiple sites, security teams can identify common suspects, behaviors, and methods. Advanced video analytics can further enhance this process by automatically detecting patterns and alerting security personnel to potential threats.

Real-World Applications

For example, one big box retailer chose Flock Safety to address pervasive theft issues at a specific store. Upon further investigation by their team with Flock tools, they discovered an entire fraud network operating across multiple locations. This ultimately led to the apprehension of an organized retail crime (ORC) group that committed a string of thefts amounting to approximately $130,000 of stolen merchandise across several stores.

Conclusion

Connecting crime across multiple locations is essential for a comprehensive and effective security strategy. Advanced technologies such as license plate recognition cameras, video, and data analytics enable businesses to identify patterns, link incidents, and respond proactively to threats. By adopting an integrated approach to security, businesses can protect their assets more effectively, improve collaboration with law enforcement, and create a safer environment for their employees and customers.

With criminals often operating across multiple sites, the ability to connect crime is crucial. Investing in advanced security technologies, like LPR cameras, that provide a unified view of criminal activity can make all the difference in safeguarding your business and ensuring long-term security and success.

Read on to part 4: Ensuring Equal Security Coverage Across All Store Locations