Page 20 - Security Today, April 2019

The Next Level
With advanced digital security cameras, owners have more tools to deter theft and fraud while improving store management BCy Del Williams
onvenience stores and mini marts have tradition- ally installed surveillance cameras to deter crime and encourage safety, but too often these have provided images that lacked detail, particularly in low light conditions. Retrieving video has usually been tedious,
requiring endless searching and scanning to find the desired foot- age. Sharing and archiving of the video has also been cumbersome, wasting precious technical and management resources.
Now advanced digital IP video cameras and recorders are cap- turing clearer images inside and outside the store in various light- ing conditions to deter theft, fraud, and unjustified claims such as slip and fall incidents. By providing easily retrievable and emailable surveillance video evidence, this approach is even enabling the swift collection of full compensation when store property is damaged. The surprisingly economical IP network surveillance systems are also en- abling executives to efficiently monitor store conditions from home, headquarters, or anywhere with an Internet connection.
“With an advanced surveillance camera system, a convenience store chain could achieve ROI within a year through better preven- tion of theft, fraud, and unjustified claims as well as improved opera- tional oversight,” said Todd Harrison, IT director who oversees loss prevention camera surveillance for Sprint Food Stores, which oper- ates 20 convenience stores in Georgia and South Carolina.
Previously, Sprint Food Stores used lower resolution cameras that required onsite DVD burning as a means of storage. According to Har- rison, limitations in surveillance video quality and connectivity were the main reasons that the convenience store chain sought an alternative.
As a solution, Harrison turned to an advanced surveillance cam- era system provided by ERC, a supplier and integrator of surveillance and POS systems. The company has provided over 10,000 stores and restaurants with surveillance or POS systems including Arby’s, Pop- eyes, KFC and Burger King.
The integrator supplied Sprint Food Stores with a complete surveillance video system, including various high-resolution digital cameras, network video recorders, and related equipment. This pro- vides comprehensive video coverage inside and outside of stores, the corporate office, and remote offices, even in low-light/varying light conditions, and enables adjusting the angle or focus to capture the visual evidence required.
“ERC worked with us on exact camera placement and suggested slight adjustments to improve visibility and get the maximum cover- age with the minimum number of cameras,” Harrison said.
Deterring Theft
One benefit of implementing the new surveillance system was how it eliminated “blind spots” within stores, such as inside a walk-in beer cool- er, which made it easy to prevent theft and catch thieves, Harrison said.
“We put a camera inside the walk-in beer cooler and at other blind spots so we can monitor them at the front counter,” Harrison said. “This prevents theft so we don’t have to prosecute, and provides video evidence if we do.”
Among the equipment installed in stores, Harrison appreciates a 3-megapixel fisheye network camera that provides a full, 360-degree view over a web browser. This provides three, simultaneous pan, tilt and zoom video streams that can be viewed live or recorded.
“The great part about the 360-degree view camera is being able to
view the whole store,” Harrison said. “You can zoom in for a close up of what you want to focus on, and quickly see which store camera has the best view.”
The surveillance system can also help to identify and deter po- tential cash register transaction theft, which can occur, for instance, through unscrupulous voids or no sale register transactions. The sur- veillance system integrates with the store’s POS system and provides Smart ER exception reports, a type of advanced filtering software included with the surveillance system. So quick analysis of thousands of register transactions can be done to identify suspicious activity and pull up video of it for review.
“The district manager may get alerts from the exception system if there are an extreme number of voids or no sales, so may bring up ten seconds of video after each to review,” Harrison said.
Fraudulent Claims
Deterring and disproving fraudulent claims is another benefit of implementing easily accessible, high quality surveillance video. The information can be used to deter unwarranted claims for slip and fall or workers compensation, for example.
“When a store was involved with a slip and fall claim, we were able to show on video that other customers took the same path as the accuser without incident, and that less harm was involved than stated,” Harrison said. “We retrieved the video, sent it to her lawyer, and her lawyer dropped the case.”
Occasionally, patrons demand chargebacks, claiming that they did not make the purchase. Previously, managers had little recourse. Now
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