Oregon, Ohio

27-year-old Keith Terry of Farmington Hills, Michigan is currently being held in Lucas County jail for stealing a car from an Oregon, Ohio dealership. Apparently, this is only one crime in a series of car dealership crimes (targeted at small sport utility vehicles and GM products) occurring in northwest Ohio. These possibly connected criminals approach dealerships as potential buyers and switch out the dealerships’ car keys with keys of their own. Once the dealerships are closed for the evening, the criminals return for the targeted cars.  Fortunately, in the incident of Keith Terry, the car dealership employee immediately recognized the false key and alerted the police. Keith Terry was charged with auto theft and is being held in lieu of a $25,000 bond.

San Francisco, CA

A burglar breaking into the British Motor Car Distributors dealership in San Francisco through the building’s roof and stealing Food Network star Guy Fieri’s (Guys Big Bite, Minute to Win It, and Diners, Drive-ins and Dives) yellow 2008 Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder.

Las Vegas, NV

There has been a recent increase in catalytic converter theft from underneath parked vehicles in. This theft is especially common for car dealerships in Las Vegas. According to Chapman Dodge Chrysler Jeep General Manager, Don Harrick, “It hasn’t just been in our store. It’s been a number of other dealerships in Las Vegas. I’ve spoken to other dealers within the franchise organization, and they are seeing this happen a lot too.”

Catalytic converters not only assist in filtering car exhaust, but contain highly-valuable platinum (which is currently worth more than gold). The catalytic converter criminals make quick cash at recycling centers.

While these criminals are only stealing a fraction of the car, these costs are amounting to thousands of dollars for dealerships. Though catalytic converters requires quite a bit of effort and hardware to remove, some dealerships still face up to six thefts in a night. Las Vegas Police are staying vigilant about this new theft trend.

Knowing about the kinds of car dealership crimes around the country (false keys, roof entry and catalytic converter theft) is your first step towards taking action. The next step is prevention, and live video monitoring can be a dealership’s first line of defense against would-be perpetrators. Old technology including burglar alarms or event based monitoring is not reliable and reacts to incidents after they have occurred.

Many car dealerships who have existing cameras can contact live video monitoring providers to have their cameras watched at night which is the real value in a camera system.  Live video monitoring can help protect your car dealership with continuously streaming video, real time video analytics, customized virtual guard services, and trained operators who will witness suspicious activity in progress and immediately activate speakers and contact local authorities.

Between increasingly sophisticated technology and competitive product pricing, the market is poised to double over the next three years. Market analysts attribute the boom of growth for the video surveillance industry to an increase in demand from the government, small to medium businesses, and individual consumers. Market growth has led to greater industry awareness and streamlined services that will solidify the industry’s future growth.

Advances in the hardware and software used for video surveillance have significantly reduced the cost of video surveillance, making it a viable security option for even small businesses. The wide variety of technology available ensures that all of your security needs are covered, no matter how big or small they may be. Homeowners can have a few small cameras installed in their home to make sure their families are safe, while businesses are opting for greater more advanced live monitoring systems to protect their assets.

Though advances in technology have made remote video monitoring a great security tool for a variety of different people, analysts say cost is still a big factor in the growth of the industry. Market analysts also believe that further advances in software could cause a boom in the market for video surveillance as a service. Future remote video monitoring software could include business intelligence functions and improvements in remote monitoring capabilities.

While analysts agree that the video surveillance market has the potential for massive growth, they also state that progress in the market depends heavily on video surveillance providers’ abilities to keep costs low while continuing to improve features and technologies. Researchers predict that, with these improvements, the video surveillance as a service industry will be worth $1 billion by 2014.

Here at Stealth Monitoring, we pride ourselves on being at the forefront of the video surveillance industry. We offer a variety of different surveillance options to cover a wide range of needs. Whether you’re looking to protect a large business or an individual property, we’ve got you covered. Our Live Video Monitoring control center ensures that no thief goes undetected, and our well-established relationships with Police Departments across America allow us to deal with security breaches quickly and efficiently.

At Stealth Monitoring, we offer quality video surveillance that is specifically tailored to your business needs and budget. As the video surveillance industry continues to grow you can count on Stealth Monitoring to provide the latest technology and first class service to keep your assets safe from criminal activity.  Contact Stealth Monitoring today at 214-341-0123 to learn more about how remote video monitoring can save money on security guard expenses and property damage.

According to a report released by the National Insurance Crime Bureau, precious metal theft (96% of which is copper theft) has steadily increased since 2009, posing a serious threat to our nation. Specifically, commercial real estate properties, auto dealers, and city owned property are being targeted among other facilities with outdoor assets.  Beyond just being an inconvenience to have items like your catalytic converter taken from you, copper theft causes hundreds of thousands of dollars of property damage.

It seems that especially in areas where no security video monitoring is present, copper thieves will go to absurd lengths to steal the precious metal. There have been incidences of criminals taking the coils out of exposed air conditioners, ripping out the exposed wiring from utility meters, stealing brass plates, and stripping the metal off of rooftops. Often these crimes are committed at great personal risk—people have been electrocuted trying to cut through copper wiring—but the thefts are seemingly lucrative enough for the thieves to persist.

For those commercial businesses that have risk of copper theft and exposed HVAC units it is certainly worthwhile to consider security video monitoring, and Stealth Monitoring is the industry leader in surveillance protection. Stealth can help reduce crime and property damage through a proactive approach to security. Rather than wait for an alarm to be tripped and trying to catch the criminals after the fact, Stealth manages onsite surveillance from a remote Live Video Monitoring control center, which can catch nefarious characters in the act. This control center is staffed not only with IT personnel, but also police and military trained professionals, who have experience catching these trespassers.

Using high-tech video analytics and state-of-the-art surveillance technology, Stealth Monitoring provides virtual guard services that can have you resting easy knowing your business is being safely watched over. Each Stealth client provides specific instructions with the control center regarding what to do as if the client is watching the cameras themselves including remotely locking gates to directly informing the police.

The report about the copper thefts is indicative of a dangerous trend that poses a direct and personal threat to everyday people. Do not wait to deal with the aftermath of damage to your commercial property, but rather take the Stealth Monitoring proactive approach to security. Call Stealth at 1-855-783-2584 for more information.

While most criminals choose to commit their crimes at night under the assumption they won’t be caught in the act, the fact is, rooftop security camera systems can prevent numerous break-ins. Southwest Memphis has been hit especially hard as of late, and two men have recently been charged for causing thousands of dollars in damage to two elementary schools.

The culprits, Martrell Halloway and Devin Hebron, stole copper and coils from rooftop air-conditioning equipment at the schools between Friday and Monday. Weekends offer a unique opportunity for copper thieves targeting schools, since class is not in session, and the locations are usually deserted. The two men confessed to targeting the schools and are being held at Shelby County Jail on $20,000 bond. A third suspect was detained at a nearby recycling center, where he was attempting to sell over 500 pounds of air-conditioning coils and 672 pounds of copper.

Similar crimes are being committed all over the United States, affecting all kinds of communities and businesses. Although it may seem like a minor nuisance, it costs tax payers over $1 billion each year. Construction sites, vacant buildings, communication towers, electrical substations and foreclosed properties are all ideal targets, since they’re often times vacant and unmonitored. While rooftop security camera systems can prevent numerous break-ins, some cannot afford them or simply think it “won’t happen” to them.

It is growing increasingly more important to take precautionary measures, and an ideal way to do so is through installing professional security equipment. What sets Stealth Monitoring apart from other security systems is one key factor: they are proactively watching the videos at whenever the business needs live video monitoring especially at nights and weekends. What’s the point of investing in security systems if nobody is watching?

By choosing Stealth Monitoring, you can rest assured knowing your property is being monitored by trained professionals using advanced technology ready to catch the trespasser in progress. If any suspicious activity is seen, Stealth can activate a speaker and dispatch the police immediately.  Stealth can actually push live video data in real time to certain Texas police departments who use the streaming video information to improve response times and priority.  Stealth Monitoring offers the most advanced types of video monitoring available on the market, including continuous streaming, video analytics, virtual guard tours and hybrid combinations. Call Stealth today for more information about customizing a solution to fit your security needs.

Most recently, governors in five states have signed copper theft laws. Georgia has been hit especially hard with copper thefts. Last year alone, the state had a record number of 143 copper theft incidences, and this year, it has already had 29. Each incident is estimated to cost between $3,000 and $5,000 in damage, and some instances slide by without even being officially reported.

The law passed in Georgia prevents cash payments, requires registration of recyclers, and instituted maintenance of a statewide database. All these measures were put into place to curtail crimes. Tom Parker, vice president of external affairs and member relations at Georgia Transmission Corp., is certain they will work. Scrap dealers in West Virginia should heed caution when dealing with properties marked as being owned by a telephone, cable, electric, water or other utility provider. Kentucky, Iowa and Washington State have all implemented similar pieces of legislature.

For those in states without legislation, or even for those in legislative-protected states who are looking for a bit of extra protection, Stealth Monitoring has experience in preventing copper theft. Stealth Monitoring realizes that copper theft is a serious problem and millions of commercial properties are at risk of thousands of dollar of property damage.

According to sources, approximately $1 billion per year in copper wire thefts plague this country, and preventative measures must be taken. Stealth Monitoring customizes live video monitoring systems to monitor your property/business for a variety of problems: theft, vandalism, suspicious activity and yes, even copper theft. In addition to recording everything that is occurring using DVR technology, the video cameras used by Stealth Monitoring are proactively being watched by trained professionals for a fraction of the cost of security guards. Stealth’s proactive monitoring service is very advanced unlike traditional burglar alarm central stations waiting for an alarm or trigger.  Stealth can activate speakers, lights, gates, and other electronic devices to deter trespassers.  Stealth also works closely with Police Departments to catch criminals in the act.  In today’s economy, the proactive approach is the best to take. So be proactive and call Stealth Monitoring today!

Thus, many business owners opt for a combination of both video surveillance and security guards. This two-pronged security approach tends to be effective in preventing crime, but it is not necessarily the most cost-effective or efficient. Stealth monitoring has revolutionized video surveillance, by offering the most proactive remote video monitoring services.  More specifically, Stealth Monitoring is unlike the traditional central station that reacts to events and alarms because Stealth can often activate speakers or dispatch police before the crime has occurred by using human judgment on the exterior of a property to assess the situation.

Many people are hesitant to trust their security to a video surveillance system, because most systems function only in a reactive capacity, which is to say, they are not activated until an alarm has been tripped. The problem with such systems is that they do not catch would-be criminals in the act. Instead, they simply give you a recording, which usually does not gather enough evidence to find the perpetrator. Even as more advanced technology and camera quality continues to develop, the real value in surveillance systems is seeing the video data in real time.

Stealth Monitoring offers a proactive surveillance solution, with services such as continuously streaming video, Pan Tilt Zoom activity, virtual escorts and virtual guard patrols. Stealth can install your remote video monitoring system or can integrate with an existing system.  Each monitoring client has specific instructions on what course of action to take when suspicious activity is taking place. This allows the trained operators to take immediate action, including dispatching the police to catch those criminals in the act. Beyond just video monitoring, Stealth also offers services whereby gates can be remotely opened and closed, lights can be turned off and on, speakers can be activated, and more.

Stealth Monitoring has helped save commercial businesses thousands of dollars, not only in potential property damage, but also in security guard expenses. Because they are so confident that their clients will love the service, Stealth offers short-term contracts and trial periods. Stealth Monitoring can help keep your business safe and secure, keeping your investments protected from common risks and other unknowns.

Stealth Monitoring has helped many landlords reduce property damage, cut down on guard expenses, and avoid unwanted visitors. We have many references available within the apartment community, and we have a vested interest in the long term reliability of our systems. We propose that onsite property managers will watch the cameras during the day, and certified/trained operators at Stealth will watch the cameras at night. We have captured many undesirables and prevented property crimes, including damaging gates, trespassing, vandalizing clubhouses, HVAC/copper theft, break-ins, and parking lot issues, among others. By catching these undesirables in progress, we can take action in real time by activating speakers, turning on lights, opening gates, dispatching police, communicating with guard patrols, and/or contacting property managers.

The breadth of our experience ranges from challenging distressed properties to high-end communities. No matter the size of the property, we ensure that appropriate security technology is being utilized to maintain a safe and secure home for residents. One satisfied client recently stated, “Our property in East Dallas used to have all types of scary, violent property crimes, and now our residents and neighbors feel like it’s Fort Knox, thanks to the security relationship with Stealth Monitoring.”

For more information about the Apartment Association of Greater Dallas, click here.

For more information about Stealth Monitoring, visit the Surveillance Services page by clicking here.

In 2010, there were a little over 9 million reported property crimes in the entire nation. When compared to the 2009 estimate, this was a 2.7 percent decrease. In comparison to the 2005 statistics, this was a 9.3 percent drop. Although the frequency is consistently dropping, property crime still resulted in an estimated $15.7 billion in damage in 2010. Security cameras are a major reason for the decrease in property damage. However, property crimes still made up 80% of all criminal victimization in the United States in 2010, according to a survey conducted by the Bureau of Justice Statistics.

By using remote video monitoring, like Stealth Monitoring, many major property crimes can be avoided. Through the use of this real time proactive technology, a team of professionals will often be live monitoring your business before the criminal activity has occurred, looking for suspicious behavior. When suspicious behavior is captured on video in progress, they will activate speakers, dispatch police, and/or contact the local management for the subject property.

Remote video monitoring is ideal for use in a wide collection of industries, including auto dealers, apartments, scrap metal dealers, manufacturing facilities, and many other types of commercial property. While many companies merely install equipment and walk away from the project, Stealth Monitoring offers turnkey full service solutions that include design, install, service, and live video monitoring.

By using Stealth Monitoring you can rest easy knowing the safety of your employees and business is in the hands of experts with more than 10 years of experience in the remote video monitoring industry. At Stealth Monitoring, we are proud to be innovators, researchers and expert installers of the “best of the breed” security equipment available on the market. But it’s really the customized real time video monitoring services that makes us different.  Call Stealth today at 1-855-783-2584 or visit www.stealthmonitoring.com.

Video surveillance is useful, but not if no one is watching the live feed, in real time. With recent statistics up for criminal activity, including significant property damage, a surveillance system can be a company’s number one line of deterrence and defense. When choosing a surveillance system there are many factors to take into account including:

1)   The number of cameras needed.

2)   Placement of cameras on the property.

3)   Lighting/ night vision capability for the cameras.

4)   How the video feed is utilized.

5)   Having the cameras watched in real time.

6)   Response protocols for potential crimes.

Without the expertise of an experienced surveillance company, the new monitoring system you purchase will not be as valuable. Why spend money on a surveillance system if no one is watching? Stealth proactively watches from their high-tech control center, which is staffed with police and military trained personnel, IT technicians, and supervisors. In many cases, the quality of the people who are actively watching the footage for any sign of possible criminal activity is as important as the technology you use to monitor your property. Live video monitoring is the key to having an interactive security solution to reduce crimes in progress.

Stealth Monitoring follows the latest CFATS standards for any facilities with sensitive chemicals.  Please contact Stealth for any consultation, design, or security expertise regarding your facility.

Call Stealth Monitoring today for more information at 1-855-STEALTH (783-2584).

Luckily, the Stealth Monitoring system caught this thief in the act, using 24-hour live video surveillance before any damage was done. With copper theft on the rise, businesses need to deter and reduce crime actively, instead of only responding to criminal acts. Using a high tech solution of streaming video, motion detection and video analytics with the experience and skills of live trained operators, Stealth Monitoring is the most advanced monitoring service on the market today.

As Mr. Mills stated in his article, “Because of the live surveillance, false alarms under this new system are rare. Stealth will dispatch police when illegal activity shows up on their monitors, and police are able to respond quickly—not after the fact.”

Be very aware of criminals who will stop at nothing to strip down your business, property or even churches. In early December of this year, copper thieves did $10,000 dollars in damage to The Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church in San Diego. In Baltimore thieves are stealing entire copper gutters. In Lexington, KY thieves have been stealing copper highway lights, over 12,000 feet of wire was taken earlier this month. It is time to do a review of the security measures for your property or business. Call Stealth Monitoring today for more information at 1-855-STEALTH (783-2584).