Like so many others in law enforcement, I learned early-on that only the dumb criminals get caught and

statistics prove this out. According to data from the Department of ustice, less than 19% of thefts ever result
in an arrest. !any business owners have responded by taking necessary action to turn the odds in their favor.
In fact, according to a recent "ational #etail $ederation %"#$& survey, over '() of retail establishments are
currently employing surveillance e*uipment. +owever, "#$ statistics indicate that many businesses are still
missing the boat , and that much crime is still going undetected.
-ver the course of .//0, the "#$ reports that losses due to theft soared to 123.45n - split between employees,
customers and vendors. 6his increase in theft %over the same period that saw a dramatic increase in the use of
7768& points to the fact that smarter thieves see traditional surveillance as a meager hurdle to great gains.
!y solution9 Augment traditional 7768 with covert video e*uipment. 7overt surveillance is the single tool that
gives :-; the advantage over those crooks, and the power to finally put a stop to your losses.
+ere are ten vulnerable areas in your business that make ideal locations for covert video e*uipment, including
tips on which covert gear to use and how to use it.
1. The Cash Register
ust like a gaming table, cash registers are teaming with temptation.
;nfortunately, in the crook<s favor, transactions with a cash register often
entail a lot of fast action - which blurs even the most suspicion eye.
=easoned shoplifters will look for the more busy registers, hoping the cashier
doesn<t recogni>e the items stuffed underneath the cart, items underneath
the heavy dog food bag, items stuffed into other items, and mislabeled items.
?hat<s more, employees operating the till commonly pocket some e@tra
spending cash, and will even coordinate efforts with friends posing as
customers so that items purchased can be undercharged or not charged at
all.
An eye that never gets blurred by fast action is a tiny covert camera placed
near a cash register. And because of their small si>e, covert cameras can be
placed close to the action - disguised in fi@tures and signage , and often
re*uire little or no disguise.
?hichever kind of camera is used at the register, I always recommend
coupling it with a cash register overlay, that instantly ties in cash register data
with the video and provides an easy way to pinpoint suspicious activity.
2. Back Door & Dumpster
5ack doors and dumpsters are favorites places for thieving employees. It<s easy for employees to camouflage
valuable merchandise with trash leaving the building, even when prevention measures are employed, such as
managers checking trash as it leaves the building.
A covert camera disguised as a utility enclosure or loudspeaker blend in perfectly in these areas. ?hen these
cameras are connected to digital video recorders they<ll not only catch the thieves when they come back to
retrieve the loot, the recorders will also alert you when they do.
3. torage & !a"a#a" $reas
=tockrooms are typically lacking of supervision, and traditional surveillance cameras are easy to avoid or
disable. =tore owners commonly uncover proof that this area is one steeped in vulnerability - finding discarded
packaging and #$ID tags , but long after the crime was committed.
?hile dishonest employees find comfort in these backrooms, these areas also are probably the easiest places to
conceal covert cameras. -ne common place to conceal cameras is in storage bo@es andAor containers. ;ltra-
pinhole cameras, for e@ample, can be easily placed inside a cardboard bo@, needing less than a BAB0th inch hole
for complete surveillance of a room and crystal clear video.
%. &en'ing (achines
8ending machines are often overlooked by managers as a serious item of vulnerability. 6hose that suspect loss
from vending machines, often find themselves giving up investigations *uickly due to the time involved
conducting inventories and money counts. Cven when investigations turn up losses, the relative si>e of a single
incident often doesn<t warrant a confrontation of the employee. 5ut these managers are missing the big picture.
Like most employee theft losses, vending machine losses over the course of a year can be huge - but occur a
little at a time. $urthermore, it is often these employees who are taking advantage of your other vulnerable
areas. 7overt video systems using recorders with both timeAdate search capabilities and large memory si>es will
compile days, weeks and months activity together, e@pediting investigations and ensuring seamless and
confident dismissal and prosecution.
). elf erve $reas
=easonal garden centers or other merchandise displays in store parking lots are favorites areas for both
dishonest employees and shoplifters. 6raditional cameras affi@ed to the top of store facades will typically provide
great documentation of thieves literally helping themselves to valuable merchandiseD but it<s an entirely
different story when it comes to providing identification for the authorities.
7overt cameras placed near the most valuable items can provide close up shots for clear identification, and can
be positioned at the proper angle for identification , a shortcoming of traditional overhead cameras. 7overt
disguises that work well in self serve areas are fau@ rocks, plants and safety cones.
*. +ffice upplies
Eranted, losses due to office supplies are often significantly less than those from other merchandise or company
e*uipment. +owever, it should be noted that the same employees that feel privileged to load up on pens and
pencils either have or will graduate to bigger ticket items. Futting a covert camera into play where office supplies
are stored will not only watch the bottom line today, but prevent those of tomorrow by getting these employees
off the payroll.
,. Theft of Time
According to the company ?ebsense, productivity losses due to web surfing alone costs ;= businesses over
1B(' billion a year. 6hat number grows significantly when you consider how much time your employees spend
talking on cell phones, te@ting, instant messaging, elongated conversations and even sleeping on the Gob.
5ecause this category of theft is more of a gray area, managers typically feel powerless to take action to stop the
actions of these less than stellar employees. 7overt cameras can provide clear documentation of this activity,
and instill a great sense of confidence that employees are productive even when supervisors aren<t there to
witness.
-. ervice $reas
!any employers that I speak with never consider employing surveillance in their service areas, but it is in these
areas that some companies are most at risk, not only for theft but for poor customer e@perience.
7ustomers with the confidence in a business to service their vehicles often e@ercise that same trust by leaving
valuables inside the car - which dishonest employees are *uick to steal. ?hen customers recogni>e that items
are missing, the business pays both in compensation and in losing that valuable relationship.
Dishonest employees who overcharge naHve andAor less knowledgeable customers covering their tracks by
turning in a proper invoice, or those who provide less than acceptable service, risk compromising future relations
with that customer. $ortunately, both dishonest and poorly performing employees are easy to catch with covert
video surveillance. 6oday, I work with a leading national car lube chain who has recogni>ed these issues and put
great stock in the benefits of using covert video.
=everal of the managers take surveillance several steps further by placing cameras inside car engine
compartments to monitor the *uality of work done, and use body-worn covert gear to catch e@cessive charges
and poor customer service.
9. .ntellectual Theft
ust as valuable as merchandise and tools is intellectual property. 6rade secrets on how your business operates,
sales numbers, vendor information, customer information, proprietary processes and manufacturing techni*ues
are all very marketable for a dishonest employee - especially so in this information age.
I will be the first to admit that catching employees stealing trade secrets is one of the harder activities to catch.
6his caliber of thief is typically very paranoid, and checks his surroundings carefully for hidden cameras before
committing his crime. 6o make hiding cameras easier, we offer self-contained devices in the form of clock radios,
tissue bo@es, FI# sensor, electric outlets and more - that blend into any work environment, are very difficult to
detect, and install in mere seconds.
1/. Ro00eries
According to the Department of ustice, theft by robbery typically goes unsolved a whopping '() of the time.
#ightly so, many robbers commonly believe they can avoid being identified by traditional 7768 merely by
wearing a ball cap or pulling over a hood. 6he resulting video is great documentation of what happened, when,
how, etc, but sorely lacking the most important answer - who9
7overt video cameras again can play a pivot able role in changing these statistics. #obbers can<t avoid what
they don<t see, making covert cameras ideal for capturing fantastic mug shots of crooks should they rob your
place of business. 5usinesses using covert cameras for this purpose effectively place hidden cameras in
entryAe@it ways, behind counters at eye level and on counters looking up.
$ 1inal Thought2 3atch 4our Blin' pots
?hile your traditional 7768 system is absolutely necessary to capture much of what goes on in the primary
activities of your business, it inevitably has its blind spots. :ou know it. 5ut the problem is, so do the bad guys ,
especially the ones who work for you.
?ithout spending a fortune on security, you will likely never cover every s*uare inch of your facility. +owever,
there<s a common techni*ue that will turn this weakness into your advantage , we in the business refer to it as
IfunnelingI. $unneling is simple, yet effective, and re*uires little investment on your behalf. =imply identify your
company<s blind spot%s&, that you believe is most commonly sought out for illegal activity, and position a covert
camera to track it.
"ot only will you uncover theft, you will literally funnel the thieves to an area where you can get a closer
identifying shot for sure termination andAor prosecution , and you will be ama>ed at how much activity you will
catch when criminals feel they aren<t being watched.
In fact, I believe in this tactic so much that I encourage businesses wanting to use covert video to install at a
minimum a basic 7768 system to help direct the illegal traffic to the hidden cameras.
ome $''itional 5otes
Recor'ers
?hatever form of covert cameras are being used in a business, I also recommend connecting them to either a
"etwork 8ideo #ecorder %"8#& or a networkable D8# %Digital 8ideo #ecorder&, mainly for remote monitoring.
#emote monitoring allows owners, managers and investigators to watch activities in the comfort of a recliner or
even on a cell phone while parked Gust outside the business. 7rime never happens at an ideal time, and as any
business owner knows , the criminals typically wait until you have left the premises.
+aving real-time access to your cameras will provide you with peace of mind, and the opportunity to respond to
any wrongdoing immediately.
$nal"tics
If the covert gear will be used in environments teaming with activity, it is ideal to use some sort of analytics
device in conGunction with your cameras and recorders. Analytic devices digitally process live video and
automatically analy>e it for suspicious activity.
=ome of the better analytic devices can even determine the difference between a customer picking up
merchandise for e@amination and a shoplifter not returning an item. ?hen using these devices in conGunction
with D8#s and "8#s, many can be configured to alert you via te@t or email only when a suspicious activity has
occurred.
I hope I have helped you to recogni>e some potential areas of vulnerability in your business, and some ways to
remove unwanted elements from your payroll.
httpJAAwww.supercircuits.comAhidden-camerasA