3 Businesses That Must Have Security Guard Protection

Security guard protection can be utilized for a great variety of businesses- ranging from retail businesses, industrial and commercial companies, hotels, gated communities, events such as concerts or festivals, and more. There are three industries, however, where security guard protection is especially vital and an absolute necessity: parking lots, cannabis industry businesses, and event facilities. In these sectors, the presence of security guards plays an indispensable role in ensuring safety, mitigating risks, and upholding the overall integrity of business operations.

In each of these industries, security guard services go beyond mere protection; they instill confidence, demonstrate commitment to safety, and minimize potential liabilities. The specialized expertise of security guards tailored to the unique needs of these businesses enhances the overall experience for customers and stakeholders, making security services an indispensable investment for their success.

Parking Lots

There were some 280 million vehicles operating on the roads in the United States in 2020, making the US a highly auto-centric country. With all those cars comes the obvious need to park them. The Parking Lot and Garage Industry provides temporary parking spaces on an hourly, daily, weekly, or monthly basis to consumers and industrial clients.

Parking garages, commercial parking lots, company employee lots, airport parking, and even auto dealerships, are all facets of this $11.3 billion revenue in the US. With that much revenue involved, security in those parking lots and garages is a vital part of a huge auto industry.

Parking areas are known to be high-activity areas that can be open to vehicle theft, property theft, traffic accidents, and violent crimes (parking facilities are the third most frequent place where violent crimes happen!) As a result, the security of parking areas is vital for establishing a reputable business to establish.

Here are some shocking statistics about parking lot-related crime:

• 10% of all violent crimes, including armed robbery, carjacking, kidnapping, rape, assault, and murder, occur in parking lots.
• 70% of all hit-and-runs take place in parking lots.
• 22% of all car thefts occur in parking lots.
• 1400 crimes occur in parking lots every day in the U.S. alone.
• While eliminating crime completely is a nearly unachievable goal, businesses can work to reduce crime by having security strategically placed in their parking lots.

Good security in a parking lot involves some basics:

1. Parking lots and garages must be secured with fencing or dividers, have access controls such as security booths or gates, and have well-designed open stairways with no hidden areas.
2. Landscaping should be limited to minimize hiding spots, and good lighting is key.
3. Phones and panic buttons, security cameras, and clear signage to minimize traffic issues are also some basics.

Security guard protection is where good parking lot security becomes great security.

Companies save money by minimizing their business liabilities- proactively addressing possible situations, crimes, and problems. For instance, unmanned surveillance systems create a false sense of security in patrons, who may be less vigilant to a possible crime, believing in a backup response that is not there. Unmonitored cameras can increase legal liabilities, especially where crimes happen in front of cameras but there is no onsite response to those crimes. An onsite security patrol (on foot, bike, or car) or manned security booth personnel, can respond to situations in real-time.

Security guards that monitor cameras can spot a suspicious person looking into parked cars to steal items or respond to traffic problems in a garage. Motion sensor cameras and VASS (Voice Activated Security Systems) can be utilized to help a proactive security guard service prevent crime before it happens or stop it when it does.

Cannabis Industry Businesses

What market in California is projected to reach $7.2 billion in revenue by 2022?

If you guessed the cannabis market, that would be correct! Cannabis is now the largest market in the US. With such immense revenues, cannabis-related businesses are exploding. These businesses consist of cultivation businesses, laboratories/testing sites, manufacturing plants, distribution operations, dispensaries, and delivery services. Each of these facets has its own set of security needs.

The main problem with cannabis businesses is their primarily cash-run operations. Though cannabis is legal in the majority of states, it remains illegal at the federal level. While there are a few financial institutions that have made decisions to bank cannabis businesses, most federally regulated banks are cautious about dealing with them. Therefore, 70% of cannabis businesses resort to cash-run operations. Cash-run operations with large amounts of money on-site create major safety and other liabilities for employees and customers alike.

Between the large sums of cash and the extremely valuable product itself, burglaries of licensed cannabis businesses have significantly increased over the past couple of years. In 2022, there were 329 break-ins reported by licensed cannabis businesses in California. That’s more than double the number that occurred in 2021.

Despite the alarming number of burglaries, only 10% of all financial and product losses in the cannabis industry are attributed to external theft. The remaining 90% of losses in the industry are attributed to internal employee theft. Security is definitely vital to any cannabis industry business.

A professional security guard agency like ASAP Security could make a difference for a cannabis industry business. Security provided by armed or unarmed guards, foot, bike, or car patrols, and manned security cameras for internal and external monitoring-these customized security plans could make a cannabis business fully lucrative. More than protecting products and profit loss, security could additionally protect customers and employees as well.

Event Facilities

Event facilities are associated with sporting events, concerts, business parties, conventions, press conferences, VIP parties, weddings, and the like. Proactive business owners need to utilize trained professional security at their group events to create the safest environment. Here are just some of the services that ASAP Security will provide for your event.

Event security guards monitor and enforce your designated areas and provide traffic direction. Having ASAP Security guards in your parking lots and borders creates order and deters any thefts or break-ins in the cars of your clients or guests. Trained security agents offer prompt responses to vandalism attempts or car alarms.

Security guards monitor the entrance points of your event and manage your guest lists to keep anyone unwanted from entering. Our security guards also screen for weapons, a very important choice in these times of rising gun violence.

Additionally, many events have vendors that provide important additional services for customer experience at your event. ASAP Security guards smoothly facilitate those vendors, clearing vendor personnel and products at the gates, and helping with any temporary on-site storage needs.

Security guards also provide needed crowd control. Large events often have long lines. Security guards controlling your event’s crowds and lines prevent problems or injuries that could arise. A trained security guard’s presence is especially necessary at venues that serve alcohol. Most importantly, security personnel can specifically protect VIP sections- this gives your VIP guests the exclusive event experience for which they have paid. By utilizing this type of focused security for your premium guests, your company gives its most important customer base the best customer service experience possible during a large event.

Don’t Let Your Business Become A Target For Criminals

Trained security guards like ASAP Security are knowledgeable about all the emergencies that could arise. ASAP Security guards are schooled in evacuation procedures, monitor the entrances, and customize action plans in case of fire, emergency, or medical first aid.