Parking Security– Why It Should Be a Top Priority For Your Business
Studies show that a third of all crimes in the United States take place in parking lots, numbering as many as ~1,400 crimes per day. When parking garage operators fail to take the proper precautions, their lots risk becoming a dangerous statistic.
To defend your parkers and revenue, your priority as a parking operator should be to keep your parking lot or garage as safe as possible. After all, the drivers who use your assets daily are real people with lives that could be irrevocably changed by a preventable crime that occurred on your watch.
As a parking operator, multiple steps can be taken to ensure safety and security in your parking lots and garages. Your patrons will greatly appreciate the efforts. This blog will provide four tips to maximize the well-being of your parkers.
Install Security Cameras
Installation and use of security cameras is one simple way to catch and mitigate crime in your lots and garages. Strategic security camera placement around your parking lot can cover all angles in your asset and record everything that happens.
The installation of security cameras, and signs indicating their use can yield both a deterrence of crime and an increased feeling of safety and security for parkers. Criminals wish to remain anonymous, so an array of security cameras installed in your facility sends a message that crime won’t go unnoticed or unpunished.
Security cameras can be integrated into a larger parking management system and provide real-time data through continuous use. This important information comes at a relatively low cost to install and upkeep and can work wonders for your company and its assets.
Turn Up the Lights
Another simple way to deter crime is to turn up the lights in your parking asset, either by using existing lights at a higher capacity or by installing new lights.
Studies have shown that crime is more likely to occur in dimly lit areas and that the installation of bright lights throughout a parking facility will deter crime.
When installing new lights, make sure to consider the placement of nearby buildings and the size of the parking lot. It’s also important to balance safety concerns with other considerations like glare and light pollution.
Implement Access Control
Compared to open-access parking lots and decks, parking facilities with access control are less likely to be the scene of a crime.
Controlled access lots and decks only allow authorized visitors with valid and paid-for parking passes to enter and park their cars in the facility. Access control systems often take the form of security booths with arms that raise and lower to allow cars and pedestrians to enter and leave safely and securely.
Access control systems also create the added potential for integration with existing parking management software and can provide real-time operational and transactional data. With the use of access control systems, operators have more information at their fingertips while their parking assets are safer and more secure.
Hire a Security Guard
Hiring a security guard is one final way to keep your parking facility safe. Having active personnel on hand in your lot or garage is the best way to ensure your company’s assets remain safe and secure.
One downside of hiring a security guard is that it can often be quite pricey, with trained personnel expecting an hourly pay rate that will quickly add up. It should be noted, however, that skilled security guards can be the best line of defense for your parking assets. In the event of a mishap or emergency, having someone on site who can respond immediately can be crucial.
Learn More From a Parking Expert
In the modern parking landscape, long-term success depends on technology and proper resource management to ensure safety and security in and around your parking assets. By working to keep your parking lot or garage and your patrons as safe and secure as possible, you also safeguard your reputation and goodwill with your parkers.
ParkHub allows parking operators to seamlessly control parking operations, such as ticketing and employee management, from one integrated location on the web. Book a demo with ParkHub today to learn more about optimizing your parking assets to ensure you make the best use of them while keeping your facilities safe and secure.