Construction Site Surveillance: The Case for Verified Video

Construction site theft comes with a massive price tag: As noted by Construction Executive, companies lose nearly $1 billion each year replacing stolen tools and heavy equipment. Improved security can help reduce this cost, but comes with a challenge: The size and scope of construction sites. While traditional methods such as on-location guards, motion lights and audio alarms offer some benefit, advances in technology now make it possible to leverage real-time, verified video solutions in the fight to cut construction crime — here’s how they can help.

Reduce False Alarms

Alarm systems give businesses the benefit of always-on protection but come with a caveat: False alarms. For construction managers these false positives are both inconvenient and potentially costly, requiring them to personally check and re-secure sites or pay workers to verify site security.

Video verified technology combined with mobile applications, meanwhile, allows managers to “look-in” on video systems wherever, whenever to determine if motion sensors are picking up criminal activity. High-quality video cameras also help identify potential threats and give local law enforcement more to work with if property is stolen.

Enable Virtual Guards

Video verified systems let construction managers leverage virtual guard services. Professionally trained monitoring personnel use high-quality video cameras and drones to regularly “tour” construction sites and look for any suspicious activity. In addition, guards can check-in with night shift workers on a predetermined schedule (or at the press of a panic button) to ensure personal safety and security. Virtual guards also come with the benefit of lowered cost; instead of paying for a physical guard on-site, all night, construction managers partner with their video surveillance provider to supply reliable, professional monitoring personnel linked via reliable Internet connections and HD video feeds. In addition, virtual guards can help deter potential criminals by activating audio alarms and strobe lights or using two-way speakers to inform personnel that police are on their way. Those who use video verified alarm systems get faster response time from police.

Empower Priority Police Response

Police respond to alarm calls as quickly as possible, but construction managers can empower priority police response with verified video systems. Here’s why: To effectively do their jobs, police need as much information as possible about the type of crime being committed, the number of suspects and their last known position. Basic audio alarms provide very little detail — often, police only know that door or window alarms have been tripped but have no other information. Verified video alarms let monitoring personnel connect with local police and provide ongoing situation updates, in turn allowing law enforcement to adjust their response accordingly. Consider the case of a construction theft in Moline, Illinois; using video surveillance, police were able to catch the criminal in action.

Increase Awareness

Information is power. Surveillance systems equipped with thermal cameras and radar technology provide more reliable alarm triggers and offer a better view of what’s happening in real-time. For example, thermal cameras can detect the body heat of would-be thieves or help pinpoint criminal vehicles driven to the site by discovering which are still warm.

Secure Anywhere, Anytime

There’s a growing market for high-quality wireless video surveillance technology, and with good reason — the ability to install weather-proof cameras anywhere on-site means that construction managers can improve security in parking lots, vacant properties or hard-to-reach spaces that criminals might use to hide. Connected mobile apps give peace-of-mind since managers can quickly check all connected cameras and ensure sites have been properly secured.

Building a Better Defense

Construction sites remain high-priority targets for criminals because their size and scope make effective security difficult. Using verified video technology, however, can help reduce total thefts and catch would-be criminals with always-on access, virtual guard solutions, thermal imaging and weatherproof WiFi cameras.

Ready to improve site security? No matter your size and scope, ECAMSECURE can help. Click here to request a quote.