About our Client

Alice and Friends is a vegan restaurant that offers Asian-inspired dishes, specialty drinks, and house-made desserts in the Chicago area since 2001. In 2015, they installed a VinTech alarm system and indoor and outdoor security cameras. Their outdoor security cameras are registered with the City’s OEMC Program. This allows the Chicago Police Department access to public security cameras and collect evidence to solve crimes.

The night of the incident, Alice and Friends’ outdoor security cameras captured the suspects walking in the alley. The first suspect was slim-build and wore fitted black jeans, a dark-colored hoodie, and light-colored sneakers. The second suspect was medium-build and wore washed jeans, a dark jacket, and white and black sneakers. They were both seen approaching the back door of the business and forcing it open.

As soon as the door was opened, video footage displayed the burglar alarm going off and the suspects running away immediately.

The local alarm monitoring company called our client to confirm it wasn’t a false alarm. They dispatched police right away and law enforcement was able to verify that only one door was damaged.

The next day, police accessed the outdoor cameras to view footage.  At the same time, VinTech’s technical support team worked with Alice and Friends’ owner to review their indoor cameras.  They assisted in saving a copy of the incident’s footage and suggested cloud storage as an add-on service.

String of Business Burglaries in the Chicago Area

Alice and Friends’ incident is only one among a string of business burglaries that are increasing in the Chicago area. Suspects have switched their attention to restaurants, bakeries, and stores because of the possibility of finding cash or small devices that can be easily carried.

Since most businesses now receive payment with credit cards and other forms of e-payments, this means that burglars are willing to break-in and cause property damage over small amounts of cash.

All the meanwhile, small business owners can get stuck with costly repairs or lengthy insurance claims.

How can Burglar Alarms Reduce Property Damage?

A burglar alarm reduces property damage to businesses by preventing or deterring a break in. In the case of Alice and Friends, it prevented further damage to the restaurant and equipment by causing the burglars to panic.

In the aftermath of the incident, our client decided to add cloud storage service. With cloud storage, footage from their cameras is automatically saved to the cloud. This gives them peace of mind that even when physical equipment is destroyed or taken, footage is still stored.  In case an incident happens again, footage will be automatically stored and can be accessed anytime.

How to Choose the Best Security System for your Business

Because there isn’t a one-size fits all solution, the security provider you choose should be an expert in anticipating your unique needs.  Ask for a site survey where you can discuss how to best protect your property and potential challenges.

When securing a restaurant or small business, you are not only protecting your team but also potentially saving thousands of dollars by preventing damage to your property or equipment.

The post Alice & Friends Vegan Kitchen Avoids Theft with VinTech Alarm System appeared first on VinTech Systems.

The beginning of fall season has its perks. There are new menus in our favorite cafes, leaves change color, evening walks in comfortable weather are possible, and we can enjoy a new show-binge on Netflix. The popular Halloween decorations include pumpkins, ghosts and spiders. What most people don’t realize is that these fake spiders and their webs are not the only ones “creeping around” their homes. The problem lies within, really. Female spiders tend to reside indoors and at this time of the year, male spiders intrude homes in search of a mate. These so called “sex-starved spiders” can be big enough to set your burglar alarm off. Needless to say, not only can this be very irritating but they can also set off false alarms. The following five points are useful measures to repel spiders from your home.

Turning off the lights.

This is not to set a romantic mood for the spiders! Insects such as flies and mosquitoes are naturally attracted to light. These outdoor lights can attract spiders seeking food and shelter. If you currently leave the lights on for security reasons, switching to motion sensor lights can be a viable option.

Do you smell citrus?

If you enjoy a fresh citrus scent, this is a great option for you.  Peppermint leaves or oil, and eucalyptus can work as repellents or you can try lemon, orange or grapefruit cleaning solutions.

Fill in the Gaps.

Just like most intruders, spiders commonly make their way into your house through windows and doors. It is essential to seal any gaps under doors and windows. Paying special attention to bathroom windows can pay off. Spiders love moist places, which is why we commonly find them in the bathroom.

Clearing spider webs

In most cases, spider webs reside in blind spots. Unless there is bright light in the house, it is difficult to spot them. These are some of the places you can start with: the ceiling, walls (especially at corners), behind boxes, under the kitchen or bathroom sink, inside the closet, behind the couch, etc. One important thing to remember is to wear gloves before moving any item that has been static for some time. Although most spiders are harmless and aid to control infestations, you probably don’t want to touch them.

Consider Cedar-wood furniture.

For unknown reasons, spiders detest cedar wood furniture. Although most people would jump at the opportunity to change their furniture, it is not always possible. Nonetheless, this is something to take into consideration next time you are looking for a sofa.

It is important to remember that if a false alarm occurs, your security company needs your most updated account information. By updating contact names and numbers, you will be able to verify if it is a false alarm or a real emergency.  If the account is not up to date or if the contacts listed do not respond, the police could be dispatched, possibly resulting in a fee charge.

The post Can spiders set your alarm off? appeared first on VinTech Systems.

Their hopes are that this policy:

• Saves patrol resources and money
• Allows police to respond to more important crimes.
• Eliminates a special service to a small part of the community.
• Ends public service that created private company profits.

However, research concludes that there are no facts supporting neither this policy of its outcome.

Research

Researchers at the University North Carolina Charlotte found that alarm systems are a proven method of protecting life and property. They say that the alarms’ effectiveness based on false alarms is misleading. In fact, studies showed that the false burglar alarm rate is lower than the standard alarm. This is because an accepted standard alarm rate is .5. This means that police responds to a false alarm one time every two years. Nonetheless, in Los Angeles, the alarm rate measures at .4. This means that on average, they have one police response every three years. Furthermore, the alarm rate is calculated by dividing the number of alarm calls into the total number of secured properties. What did they find? Alarm calls only contributed to 1% of all distress calls coming in.

Alarms & Public Safety

One of the main concerns was public safety. Officials concluded that eliminating police response to false alarms would not be a good move. On the contrary, it could “produced empirical evidence that this would have a negative impact on public safety.” Thankfully, the policy did not get approved.

Conclusion

Intrusion alarms have been found to improve public safety. They are effective not just in your property but for the whole community. Rutgers University concluded that “communities that have electronic security systems installed and monitored have a measurable positive impact on public safety.” It also found that this umbrella of enhanced protection extended beyond the protected property and homes or businesses benefited from their neighbor’s alarm system. The Rutgers study also showed that crime was not displaced or moved from the protected property to another part of the community.

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