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You may have noticed in the local news that commercial break-ins have been on the rise in the Metro Atlanta area.  Burglars have become more sophisticated and experienced in their surroundings using police force reductions to their advantage.  This causes concern for many of our EMC Security commercial customers.  Recently, an EMC Security commercial customer in Buford, Georgia had been burglarized.  The monitoring center received an alarm and immediately dispatched the police and notified the owner.  The police arrived at the business and checked the doors seeing no sign of forced entry which led them to believe that it was a false alarm.  When the business owner, went inside the building he called the police back to the restaurant to report the damage inside. The cash register and computer were stolen.  The alarm system functioned properly, but there was not any damaged or unlocked doors.

These types of incidents bring to light the topic of different security products that the customer could also include as a part of their commercial security system.  For example, CCTV (closed circuit television) and video surveillance systems; these systems act as a deterrent and to capture video images that can be used in an investigation.  There are also video and camera capabilities such as low-light or high resolution camera technology that allows easy suspect identification for police departments to use as a part of their investigation or to post images locally on the news, on local news websites, or in local papers.

Another security measure that adds protection to customers is the use of wireless cell backups to prohibit phone line cuts.  A cell backup acts as a dedicated line of communication between the business security system and the monitoring center.  Many times a burglar will cut a phone line knowing that it is the line of communication used for the security system.  With a cell back up in place, businesses have the added protection and reliable communication with the central monitoring station for immediate response.

Businesses should also consider adding additional interior protection to alert the central monitoring station that there is activity inside the business, beyond the perimeter protection (thieves breaking in and then sitting in the facility waiting for the police to clear alarm).  This was the case of our Buford customer as the burglars had remained inside the business waiting for the police to clear the alarm and leave.

Response time of a monitoring station has never been more important.  EMC Security response times are among the fastest in the industry due to live redundant monitoring.

Some additional security measures include:

• Insure that cash and other items that can be removed quickly, such as laptops and computers, be kept in a secure safe that is bolted in to the facility to slow the burglars down.
• Install detectors on safes for high dollar valuables like cash and jewelry.
• Back-up your key data and PC contents at an off-site location due to electronics theft making sure customer credit card information and other is protected.  Burglars are more often interested in contents of PC, rather than the PC itself.
• Update call list with numerous contacts to insure someone can respond to an alarm in a timely manner.
• Use glass film or other hardening of perimeter windows and doors that will deter a smash and grab.
• Have good lighting inside and outside, so the police can easily identify activity in and outside of building in the event of an alarm.
• Choose a good alarm company with solid local commercial references and has been in the commercial business for a long time.  EMC Security has been in the residential & commercial business since 1998 proudly serving Atlanta and the surrounding areas.

If you are considering a commercial security system, please keep these tips in mind as you do your due diligence in choosing a security company.  Please contact one of our Security System Consultants at EMC Security at 770-963-0305 to discuss your security needs today.