A November 2021 survey reported on by the New York Post found that 210 million packages were stolen from Americans last year. According to the National Apartment Association (NAA), almost 39 million people in the United States call multifamily communities “home.” Based on this, it can be concluded that a large portion of those 210 million packages were stolen from residents.
The following videos highlight four different multifamily communities that have deployed Stealth’s remote video monitoring solution. Each demonstrates ways in which mail, packages and parcels can be stolen from your residents and how our solution helped deter that behavior, ending in arrest of thieves at all four communities.
Trespasser Props Open Door with Stolen Packages to Steal More
In the dark, early morning hours, a well-trained ECAM security operator saw an individual gaining access to the package room of an apartment community. The trespasser used packages to prop open the door. Our operator called local police.
The trespasser carried packages outside and tossed them into a two-wheeled rolling dumpster. Officers arrived during this activity. They handcuffed the suspect and returned the packages to the package room of the apartment community.
Woman Rummaging Through Mailboxes at Apartment Mail Center
One of our security operators saw a female come into camera view of a community’s mail center. She began accessing and rummaging through multiple mailboxes. She kept some pieces of mail but threw others to the ground.
Our operator contacted the on-site guard per community protocol, but there was no answer. So, our operator contacted local police and continued to watch as the woman continued her behaviors.
Police officers arrived and handcuffed the thief. An officer walked around the mailboxes with the handcuffed woman, who pointed out boxes she had accessed. A security guard and potentially a community employee arrived and spoke with officers before the woman was taken into custody.
Woman Doing Early Holiday “Shopping” in a Package Room
A woman was seen by a Stealth security operator entering a multifamily community’s mailroom with a white plastic bag. As the individual placed a box inside the bag, our operator sounded the on-site warning, but the thief ignored it and continued stealing packages.
Our operator then contacted the community’s guard, but the call went to voicemail. Finally, our operator phoned police dispatch to report a potential crime in progress and continued to watch the event.
The thief continued filling her bag with boxes and parcels from the mailroom. When she could carry no more, she boarded the elevator with her stolen goods.
Switching to an outside camera view, our operator saw the individual carrying the bag full of stolen mailroom parcels off the property. A security guard soon arrived and spoke with a police officer who had arrived, carrying a black plastic bag.
The officer and guard enter the community’s mailroom. The officer dumped out the contents of the black bag, which were the packages he had retrieved from the thief.
Stealth was later notified by police that the woman was arrested.
Trespasser Tampered with Package Room Lock Box Wound up in Handcuffs
Around 2 a.m., a suspicious individual with a backpack walked a bicycle inside a multifamily community’s package room. Our operator had been watching the individual and sounded the on-site speaker warning. The individual ignored it, propped his bike and tampered with a lock box. Police were called by our operator.
The suspect opened a door inside the package room, looked inside and dropped his backpack to the floor. He walked back to the entry door and attempted to prop it open. The trespasser then returned to the lock box and fumbled with it.
The individual walked out of camera view but quickly returned and rummaged through his backpack. He tossed it through the door inside the package room and walked his bike inside.
He emerged wearing a different colored shirt and exited the entry door with his backpack and bike. The suspect was met by police officers and handcuffed.
Community Residents Demand Package Management
As consumers shift more and more to online shopping and ordering of products, residents are demanding apartment owners and managers to make package management a priority.
A Boston Consulting Group (BCG) study found that 1 in 5 residents demand package management as an essential amenity. Another study found that 20% of residents are NOT happy with the way their packages are being handled by their property. In fact, the 2020 Kingsley Apartment Resident Preference Report found that 84% of residents would like secure, self-service, 24/7 package access. Based on these rather compelling statistics, deploying Stealth’s proactive security solution at your community can help fulfill each of these wants and needs.
Our solution uses high-definition, IP video cameras to capture events in real time. Pre-programmed on each camera are our advanced video analytics that enable the technology to filter through live video feeds. When the technology detects an incident, it can alert highly trained Stealth security operators who can take over and execute a community’s pre-determined protocols, such as sounding an on-site speaker warning, contacting management, calling security guards and reaching out to police dispatch to request officers on-site for a potential in-progress crime.
Stealth’s solution makes it possible for communities to incorporate a safe and effective package management strategy for their residents. Because Stealth has the ability to watch 24/7 and is efficient at acting when suspicious activity is seen to deter unwanted behaviors and potential crimes, community owners and managers can safely allow self-serve, 24/7 package access to residents. Additionally, residents will know that their packages are safe until they are picked up because they are monitored by Stealth.
Our multifamily experts are excited to speak with you about package management strategies and how Stealth’s proactive security solution can help keep your resident’s packages safe and secure. Contact us today!
