How Green Earth Realty Eliminated Crime and Reclaimed Management Time Across Its Shopping Centers With ECAM
About Green Earth Realty
Green Earth Realty owns and manages a portfolio of retail shopping centers across the Dallas-Fort Worth area, including eight owned properties and a total of eleven under management. With a mix of family-oriented tenants, restaurants, and retail businesses, maintaining a safe, welcoming environment is critical to tenant retention and overall property performance.
The Challenge for Green Earth Realty
Persistent crime and unreliable security were consuming time, money, and tenant confidence.
Across its properties, Green Earth Realty faced ongoing issues with loitering, drug activity, unauthorized parking, and vagrancy. One location in particular required constant attention, consuming the majority of management’s time.
Traditional security measures failed to deliver results. Security guards were inconsistent, expensive, and reactive, often failing to show up or provide reliable coverage.
Beyond cost and reliability, the visible presence of guards created an unintended consequence, making the property feel unsafe to customers and negatively impacting tenant perception. “Having security guards…makes your center look like a problem center,” noted Zimmerman.
The team needed a solution that could reduce crime, restore tenant confidence, and eliminate the operational burden of constant oversight.
How ECAM Helped Resolve Green Earth Realty’s Biggest Concerns
Proactive remote monitoring replaced unreliable guards and delivered real-time deterrence.
Green Earth Realty implemented ECAM’s live video monitoring solution, transforming how security was managed across its shopping centers.
Key actions included:
- 24/7 proactive monitoring: ECAM’s monitoring team actively watched the property, identifying and addressing suspicious activity in real time.
- Immediate police coordination: ECAM contacted law enforcement directly when incidents occurred, often resulting in faster response than traditional calls.
- Real-time intervention: Operators engaged individuals on-site and escalated situations when necessary.
- Incident documentation: The client received video clips of incidents, providing valuable records for reporting and liability purposes.
ECAM’s approach shifted security from reactive to proactive and preventative, stopping issues before they escalated.
The problems now that we have are so minimal…I don’t even worry about the property. You won’t realize how much time you spend on your problem center until you don’t spend that time anymore.
Steve Zimmerman
Green Earth Realty
The ECAM Difference
Crime disappeared, tenants were happier, and management regained control of their time.
ECAM’s solution delivered immediate and lasting improvements across security, operations, and tenant satisfaction.
Key outcomes included:
- Significant reduction in criminal activity, including drug activity, loitering, and unauthorized parking
- Elimination of recurring issues such as overnight truck parking and vagrancy
- Dramatic reduction in management time spent on problem properties
- Improved tenant satisfaction and loyalty
- Enhanced property perception without visible security presence
The impact extended beyond security, allowing ownership to focus on growth rather than constant problem management.
By delivering consistent, proactive protection without the drawbacks of traditional guards, ECAM helped Green Earth Realty transform its properties into safer, more attractive, and more efficiently managed retail environments.
