With the potential spoils of thousands of dollars in scrap metal and alloy available on the other side of a wall or fence, scrap metal, and recycling facilities are often targeted by thieves looking for a major score. One attempt made on a West Virginia metals facility resulted in the near escape of a trio with more than $95,000 worth of alloys, and $40,000 in damages to the property.
In an even more bold scheme, burglars smashed through a concrete wall and stole more than $137,000 in precious metals and cash from a safe at a Bedford, Ohio scrapyard. Detectives attempting to determine the culprits were left to try and obtain surveillance video from nearby businesses.
With scrap metal theft an ongoing problem, scrap metal and recycling centers need innovative and proactive security solutions to protect their property, inventory, and staff. Occasionally, an effective security solution may capture other criminal activity that may not be as much of a potential loss- but requires police intervention all the same.
Just before 1:00 a.m., Stealth security professionals monitoring an Ohio recycling center noticed a white sedan with two occupants on the property. The activity was monitored more closely to determine whether the pair was lost, loitering, or presented a threat. After closer examination, it was determined that the pair were simply sitting at the front of the property but were clearly engaged in both some kind of domestic dispute as well as unknown substance use within the vehicle. This activity warranted law enforcement intervention, so Stealth’s security operator proceeded to contact local police dispatch and inform them of the activity in progress. Minutes later, responding officers were observed arriving onsite and engaging with the pair before placing them into separate police cruisers. While the pair was detained, officers searched the vehicle, which was later towed from the property. A follow up with law enforcement confirmed that both individuals were arrested.
Help Protect Your Property and Inventory with Proactive Live Video Surveillance
While the case above proved to be one where the property may not have been in danger of burglary, it is an example of how preventative and proactive security measures can help intervene in a potential criminal activity scenario before it escalates to cause losses, damages, or liability risks.
Stealth’s live video monitoring solution helps to deter and disperse criminal activity as it’s happening, thanks to a combination of cutting-edge analytics-based cameras and highly trained security professionals monitoring surveillance in real time.
Our trained security operators watch strategically placed cameras for suspicious or unusual activity, and when they spot someone or something out of place, can respond quickly by sounding audible on-site warnings or contacting local police dispatchers.
Just as in the case above, our ability to provide police dispatch with live, real-time details and information about activity in progress means police typically elevate our call priority and respond on site quickly, leading to arrests often being made before suspects have had a chance to flee.
Are you interested in learning more about how our proactive, cost-effective, and responsive solution can be put to work at your facility? Contact us now and speak with a scrap and recycling facility security specialist for details and a free quote. Texas Private Security License Number: B14187
