Saving Money on Security Costs in Tough Economy

There is a widely held perception that hard economic times are a signal for property managers and facilities directors to beef up security officer coverage. Higher unemployment is often a factor associated with a higher rate of crime. However,the simple truth is that during periods of recession, property management must come to terms with smaller operating budgets. Costs must be cut from all accounts, and security services are not immune from the budget axe. For example, a business park that suffers the loss of a single major tenant, or a string of smaller businesses will likely have to cut back on the 24 hour on-site security officer, and focus on the after-hours coverage exclusively. The same scenario may be applied to office buildings, condominiums and apartment complexes. The bottom line is this; loss of revenue will bring about tough budget decisions.
One option that has steadily gained momentum in recent years is vehicle patrol. To those not familiar with the concept, patrol is intermittent visits to a property by a uniformed security officer in a boldly marked patrol vehicle. Commercial property patrol is not simply drive-by protection . The officers often duplicate the duties of the stationary guard; locking doors and closing gates at specific times, and walking common areas to detect unusual activity.
Since 2001, we have altogether replaced thousands of monthly billable guard hours at office centers, apartment buildings, schools and retail stores. More recently, we introduced the service to a large senior living complex.
Much of the rise in our vehicle patrol business is due to technological advances in video surveillance systems, lighting and access control. Whereas in the past, it was the security officer on the graveyard shift who kept watch, and answered the door when visitors arrived ; the scene is now monitored remotely by either facility directors or even principals in their homes, and code access determines who may be allowed in at any time. Vehicle patrol is the intermediary step between the all night security officer and technology.
Now, this is not to dismiss the concept of the standing or static security officers. There are circumstances when only on-site coverage will do. The common scenarios include hospitals, sporting events, shopping centers and business improvement districts. These are environments where a certain level of safety and security is anticipated and where access and activity must be acutely monitored. Another instance would be the traditional fire watch detail where an officer is required to conduct patrols of a location at regularly scheduled intervals. This is usually occurs in apartment complexes when the fire sprinkler system is out, or is undergoing maintenance.
It is my belief that both static security and vehicle patrol will continue to grow well into this century.