Car theft is a problem that plagues auto dealerships across North America, so hearing about a stolen car on the nightly news is not groundbreaking. It is, however, when the culprit is in the fourth grade. According to an NBC 4 article, the suspect and mastermind of an attempted car theft at a car dealership was a 10-year-old boy with a history of grand theft auto.
Here’s what happened: The boy was with his mother shopping for cars when he stole two sets of keys. Later that night, the car dealership surveillance video showed the suspect returning to the property with an accomplice. Both tried unsuccessfully to unlock and start the vehicles. Car dealership employees had noticed that the keys were missing earlier in the day and disabled their respective vehicles. After the failed car theft, a third suspect arrived and drove them away. Local police are looking for the suspects and have confirmed that the young boy had attempted to steal a car the previous summer.
How Could Video Monitoring Have Impacted This Attempted Car Theft?
The story mentioned that the dealership did have security cameras, however, they were not being watched in real time as they would be with a proactive solution. Live video monitoring combines evolving technologies, like video analytics, with human intelligence. Video analytics is a software that can be integrated into surveillance cameras to alert trained security operators of unauthorized movement on the premises. When the video monitoring operators confirm the suspicious activity, they can activate an on-site speaker warning to let the trespassers know they are being watched. If the suspects remain on the property, the video surveillance operators can call local police. Since live monitoring verifies the incident as a crime in progress, it elevates the priority level and response time from police. As a result, there is a higher likelihood of an arrest. So, our 10-year old culprit and his accomplices might have been caught while they were still at the dealership.
Car thieves are getting smarter and using more sophisticated tactics, so car dealerships need to take precautionary measures to protect their valuable inventory. Live video monitoring can help deter criminal activity and provide peace of mind.
Want to learn more about how live video surveillance can help protect your car dealership? Call us toll free at (866) 382-3873 or contact Stealth.
