Not “Your Father’s” Security Company

March 2021July 2022
by GISecurity

We are not “your father’s” security company of just physically-present guards aimlessly walking the premises, relying on their sense of hearing to detect something amiss all the while hoping there isn’t a confrontation with anyone in their near future. We don’t argue that there may still be places where a physical guard presence is needed, but we at Guardian Integrated Security have found ways to improve secure conditions for of our customers.

We attain our unmatched level of security through using A.I.-sourced equipment – either solely or to supplement what the existing physical security presence may be doing for you. The future of security does not include bodyguards and lasers detecting movement through a space. Instead, it will be a simple yet sophisticated system with high intelligence built in.

Technology is rapidly evolving, and with it, both artificial intelligence (A.I.) protocols and our solutions that take advantage of the security benefits these advancements bring.

Todd McCormick

Global Director of Operations

Limits of Security Guards and How We Close the Gap

While the traditional, existing-and-patrolling security officer can still be found at different venues, we feel that A.I. security systems can close the gap on what our client’s true concerns are.

At Guardian Integrated Security, we do not have the hassles, headaches, and issues of security officers not showing up for shifts, long hours and fatigue, sickness, lack of understanding of the position, training failures, and turn-over of employees. And that means you won’t either.

A security officer can, will, and does only see what is in front of them or in their peripheral view with the right light, and only as far in the distance as their eyesight allows. On the other hand, the A.I. systems we utilize can see in multiple directions at once and employ both infrared (IR) sources to see farther at night and motion sensors to pick up items that human eyes (with their limitations) can miss.

We, Guardian Integrated Security, also understand the fiscal challenges our clients must consider. Utilizing our technologically advanced A.I.-sourced systems can reduce our clients’ security costs by 70%. Technology is not the expensive option – in fact, and despite what you may have heard, technology is the more affordable option in most cases.

Typical video surveillance systems can only analyze a crime after it’s been committed. This does nothing for prevention, and in this instance, nothing for deterrence either. While there may be enough cameras scattered around an area needing them, there still might not be enough people to watch the hours and hours of video feeds and scan content for the perpetrators.

Deep-learning A.I. can help overcome this limitation. In real-time, the software can prevent criminal acts and also allows for a quick reaction when attempts occur. We have several incidents where this has been the case. With Guardian Integrated Security, you can have the option of professional monitors, trained in security, being alerted which is triggered by the A.I. software alert, verbally challenging the event over a booming loudspeaker literally as it happens, recording the entire situation, and on the phone with law enforcement all at once. A roaming, physical security guard couldn’t do any of that

In closing, we at Guardian Integrated Security are here to bring a plethora of options to our clients. Whether it be the physical security guard, a roving patrol, an A.I.-based system, or a combination of all of these. We just know the power our A.I. solutions provide, so we emphasize them when appropriate.

With the average project managers in our company having 25 years of very diverse security backgrounds, we feel we can and have successfully tailored specific plans for each of our valued clients. Let us now do the same for you

To receive a free, on-site security threat assessment with one of our Specialists today, call us at (800) 400-3167, or go here.

Real Client Story

Power Outage at Construction Site Leads to a Startled but Impressed Client

A small construction site that we were guarding has experienced a power outage very late at night, and we immediately informed the client about this, and that the box-unit was offline due to the lack of electricity. As it was 11pm when this transpired, the Client – quite understandably – was apprehensive to step on the property himself to assess the situation, not only due to the late hour, but also not having a way to know who (if anyone) could be there. We quickly dispatched two Professionally Trained Supervisors from our team to meet the Client at the site.

The trio fixed the power issue, and the box-unit came back online immediately. Back in the office, right after the power came back on at the site we were guarding, our Monitoring Team noticed three individuals and activated the speaker in an attempt to scare them off, thinking they were the intruders. In this case, the “intruders” were our Client and two of the monitoring staff’s supervisors.

Our Client was in complete shock at how loud the speaker was, as well as very impressed with our quick response time getting the unit back online.

How Artificial Intelligence Can Make Construction Sites More Secure – Part 1

Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) is a powerful tool when used for security purposes and the technology is incredibly versatile too. It can be used near your home’s doorbell (like Ring systems) to catch porch pirates rudely trying to thieve Amazon deliveries or to protect multi-million dollar projects, equipment, and properties. In this 3-part series, we’ll be focusing on how A.I. improves security at construction sites.

For this installment, we’re looking at why Artificial Intelligence makes an ideal adjunct to physical security guard patrols

24/7, 365, Eyes Always on the Prize

Protection programs featuring personnel that roam properties will always have a place, and there’s no denying that over time, they have proven to be successful at deterring nefarious activity. Integrating CCTV and other technological advancements allows there to be more “eyes on” more hours of the day every day. Leaders in the construction industry count this – by far – as A.I.-powered remote monitoring’s most beneficial feature. There is immense value in having access to real-time information from a system that is always on duty and can integrate with many different types of cameras capable of capturing images at night and even heat signatures of potential threats.

2020 brought to light a huge vulnerability with relying on just security guards – staffing levels can be subject to unforeseen forces and situations where public health dictates procedures and precautionary measures. If someone tests positive for SARS-CoV-2 in the administrative office, it was recommended that the entire team be tested and anyone in close contact to quarantine until the results came back. In the first few months of the pandemic spreading across the United States, it was an even more dire situation. Due to the long incubation time of the virus, many didn’t even realize they were sick until they had already exposed numerous people, and that affected the ability to work of entire offices and their workforces.

Obtain Evidence for Both Solving and Preventing Crimes

According to the National Equipment Register, losses from reported thefts on construction sites in America is up to $1 billion per year. In last month’s newsletter, we shared an article about this staggering fact, and why it’s so easy for intruders and thieves to steal anything – from a handheld drill to a bulldozer. In some states, video evidence or a witness statement is required to file a police report about this kind of theft. From our experience, we can tell you that the chances are not very good that someone sees the crime happen (both with perfect timing and lighting), the individual knows or looks for whom to tell they did see it and is willing to get involved. Employing A.I.-driven security systems not only gives more eyes to look around your property at any hour, but also more eyes to see when something inappropriate or problematic has happened, allowing you to share the who, what, where, when, how, and other particulars with the appropriate authorities.

Utilizing our advanced A.I. technology, companies can glean data about not only thefts, but accidents, productivity, staffing issues, and safety concerns as well. Guardian Integrated Security is obviously most interested in securing our clients’ properties, but we are always happy to share what our protection solutions find and record when it comes to keeping the workplace safe and workers out of harm’s way while on the job, as well as opportunities to reduce costs or keep them as low as possible.

Next month’s installment of “How Artificial Intelligence Can Make Construction Sites More Secure” will take a more in-depth look at construction site safety.

Newsletters

Not all Security Solutions are created equal

February 2021July 2022
by GISecurity

Everyone is familiar with the typical businesses that do CCTV installation or private security. Specifically, CCTV companies assist businesses and property owners with their security needs by providing (and usually installing) CCTV cameras on-site. Traditional private security firms offer standing guards and vehicle patrol services to protect properties, which often comes with a substantial cost. Both the CCTV and private security options have their own unique benefits, but what if you wanted both, working in tandem and lockstep, to safeguard your assets and space?

Guardian Integrated Security is the perfect marriage between these two types of companies – providing modern solutions for today’s threats. We provide robust security systems using on-site surveillance units such as RoboGuardTM and Guardian3TM. These units effectively take the place of 2-3 traditional standing guards

Guardian3^TM

Guardian3TM is ideal for large properties and construction sites, featuring highly-trained remote guards and advanced A.I. technology that together keep a vigilant eye on your land, equipment, and material goods during the most vulnerable hours. Guardian3TM comes equipped with a mobile base, making installation smooth and swift for all property types. This system eliminates the need for on-site power or Internet, is weatherproof, and highly durable. Guardian3TM can be elevated up to 25 feet, allowing its longrange, high-definition cameras a clear line of sight over your entire space.

RoboGuard^TM

RoboGuardTM is a state-of-the-art, A.I.-powered security solution equipped with advanced technology to ensure protection. This is a compact solution that can fit in any size property, big or small. The artificial intelligence capabilities of RoboGuardTM allow it to accurately assess emergency situations in real time. The smart A.I. can distinguish between a person or people trespassing and a raccoon going dumpster diving in search of food. RoboGuardTM is all weatherproof and can sustain itself in even the harshest weather conditions

We provide robust solutions that we tailor to fit the exact security needs of each property or business we work with. There is no one-size-fits-all, standardized answer when it comes to protection, so let the experts at Guardian Integrated Security provide a free custom security plan for your property today

Todd McCormick

Global Director of Operations

Real Client Story

RoboGuard™ Protects Residential Construction Site from Ongoing Loitering

A small residential construction site, still a work in progress, was dealing with a lot of displaced and homeless sneaking in and loitering on the property. One night specifically, there was an intruder that snuck into the area while RoboGuard™ was “on duty”. Once the individual crossed the line of intrusion of our Virtual Guard, it took less than one second for the system to notify our monitoring staff. The agent immediately transmitted an announcement over the speaker installed with RoboGuard™ notifying the intruder to leave and that local authorities had been contacted.

Unbeknownst to us, while our staff was deterring the intruder, the Client was able to see and hear everything through their Ring app (a Ring device was installed on the property prior to the RoboGuard™ security solution). The intruder was instantly scared off by the sounds through the speaker and left the property expeditiously. The Client called us right away and let us know they were “super happy” with how we handled the situation. At the same time, the Monitoring Team sent word that there was an intruder on-site and dispatched a guard to patrol the property until police showed up.

To receive a free, on-site security threat assessment with one of our Specialists today, call us at (800) 400-3167, or go here.

Construction Theft Accounts for How Much in Losses?!

There’s not a lot of crime committed on construction projects, you say? And that your equipment has GPS, so no worries, you’ll get it back? Insurance will cover the loss, no hassle? These are all misconceptions! First, the National Equipment Register, or NER, estimates equipment that is stolen from construction sites in the United States yearly to be up to $1 billion in losses. That’s only the reported items that were stolen, and doesn’t take into account the value of stolen hand tools, supplies, and materials.

It also doesn’t include the time lost chasing down the insurance company, filing a police report, tracking down a machine only to find the GPS was stripped from it and left on a random road somewhere, and replacing what was thieved. And don’t forget the company’s concerns about why you didn’t keep the site secure and how that will affect your future and career.

Trespassers can easily blend in, strolling through your property, “going shopping” for whatever they can boost while your workers are on a lunch break. Intruders with a bigger catch in mind might wait until late at night to break locks, gain illegal entry, then drive off with your equipment and quickly sell it online. Though it seems like someone would notice a machine weighing a few dozen tons and half a football field long not being where it is supposed to be, they are surprisingly easy to steal… and make ill-gotten gains off of, considering California construction is a very busy, year-round industry

Paul Werner Tobeler, known to some by one of the three aliases he created, seems to have made a second career out of such thefts between 1991 and 1993, having stolen over 80 pieces of construction equipment during that time. He was also the owner of Los Angeles County equipment rental companies. He was found guilty on 42 counts in May 1998, including interstate transportation of stolen vehicles, conspiracy, and related crimes. If only Mr. Tobeler had met up with a Guardian Integrated Security solution at the scenes of his crimes – then they would’ve been attempted thefts!

Newsletters

Modern Solutions for Today’s Threats

January 2021July 2022
by GISecurity

We live in a completely different world compared to just a year or two ago. The threats facing every business and every facility have truly multiplied, and the stakes are high! Consider the following examples:

Riots
Vandalism
Break-ins
Theft

Trespassing and loitering
Natural disasters
Fraudulent injury and Worker’s Comp claims

Any one of these alone can wreak havoc on your operation, cost an exorbitant amount of money, damage your reputation, and may even force you to shut down your business.

The experts at Guardian Integrated Security have been passionate about security for three decades, and we offer our clients the best solutions that utilize advanced technology to handle practically all security challenges – and we do it better than anyone else – with more efficient and affordable options to meet every budget.

Your security, your personnel’s safety, and your business are important to us. Over the years, we have mitigated the security challenges of organizations big and small, and we have seen every situation imaginable. We can do the same for you! We would like to offer you a completely free threat assessment, with absolutely no obligation on your part. Please continue to read and see what the free threat assessment can do for you.

Todd McCormick

Global Director of Operations

What’s A Threat Assessment and Why You Should Get It

By Michelle LaFontaine, Executive Admin

At Guardian Integrated Security, we understand each business has unique security vulnerabilities and therefore specific security needs. Instead of offering clients a ‘one-size- fits-all’ standardized service, we conduct a free on-site Security Threat Assessment by an expert Security Specialist from our team.

Our Security Specialists have collectively been in the industry for three decades and use the gained expertise and knowledge to thoroughly assess your property’s security needs. Once on-site, they will consider a plethora of variables that all have a significant impact on security, such as:

Local crime activity in the surrounding area of where your property is located
Property size and shape
Potential weak points (i.e. – poor locking mechanisms, blind spots, unsecured fences)
Current criminal activity that might be taking place at your site and its severity
Goods and materials on the property that could be targeted by thieves or vandals
Activity occurring on the site daily (foot traffic, employees, customers)
Distance from nearest police department
Previously utilized security measures and their effectiveness (if applicable)

All these factors along with the expertise and knowledge resulting from years in the field equip our Security Specialists with the ability to provide you with an expertly designed security service plan designed to address your specific needs.

Some security companies offer a handful of security solutions such as CCTV cameras, traditional guard service, etc. Here is the problem with that method: Effective security cannot be a one-size-fits-all solution. Think of it like car insurance – to provide you with the perfect policy, agents take a multitude of factors into consideration such as requested coverage limits, previous accident history, number of people on the policy, age of each driver, etc.

Guardian Integrated Security believes that to secure our clients’ properties and personnel properly and effectively, a thorough security assessment needs to be completed. This should always be the first step in any new initiative to secure your property. Because we believe the wellbeing of your personnel and the security of your facility are of paramount importance, we are offering you a free security assessment with no obligation on your part.

To receive a free, on-site security threat assessment with one of our Specialists today, call us at (800) 400-3167, or go here .

Workers’ Comp Fraud Hits California Especially Hard

Workers’ compensation fraud happens in every state in America, though it is difficult to really know how much exists because much of it goes on under the radar, and countless perpetrators have yet to be caught, found, and investigated. The National Insurance Crime Bureau estimates that across the USA, $30 billion is tied to these nefarious activities, and in California alone, the amount is a staggering $1 -$3 billion every single year.

In California, employees who report injuries under workers’ compensation insurance as happening on-the-job do not have to show proof that someone else caused the situation in order to receive benefits. This is called a “no-fault system”. Some fraudulent claims involve a simple, straightforward plan (like one employee pulling the scam), while others can include several people and be a more involved conspiracy (such as fabricated injuries leading to false or embellished documentation that a doctor and lawyer work together on with the employee)

Funding for the workers’ compensation program comes from California employers who are legally required to be insured or self-insured. The total aggregate assessment for fiscal year 2017-18 was $62,211,350
During fiscal year 2017-18, the Fraud Division identified and reported 4,106 suspected fraud cases; (SFCs) assigned 419 new cases, made 159 arrests and referred 140 cases to prosecuting authorities. Potential loss amounted to $273,249,723.
In fiscal year 2015-16… The total chargeable fraud was $969,486,865 representing only a small portion of actual fraud since so many fraudulent activities remain to be identified or investigated.

Employers can deter employees from temptation to commit workers’ compensation fraud by ensuring monitored and recorded security services are installed. Having such a system in place also protects the company against vandalism, theft, and trespassing, and allows for the presentation of video and audio surveillance evidence when necessary.

CCTV Has Come A Long Way

Closed-circuit television, or CCTV, has become commonplace in our streets, stores, businesses, and houses. It provides law enforcement with the ability to track the movements of persons of interest, and provides employers and homeowners with security and peace of mind. We think of these systems as very modern (in both design and capabilities), but you might be surprised to learn that the earliest use of CCTV on record was almost 80 years ago!

German engineer Walter Bruch designed a CCTV system in 1942 for the purpose of live monitoring the country’s V-2 rockets (which were long range guided ballistic missiles). Seven years later, the technology was introduced commercially, and that’s when American government contractor Vericon got into the CCTV business. Even though the movie industry was putting images to cellulose film at that time, these early closed-circuit TV setups were only capable of live monitoring. Perhaps the cost and bulky recording equipment were the biggest barriers to preserving CCTV footage in the 1940s, but that would soon change with a different innovation from the same decade.

Reel-to-reel systems came into use with CCTV – albeit rarely – and were used to record and preserve what the cameras picked up. The heavy magnetic tapes (reels) were manipulated by machine operators, who threaded the full reel down through the recording device and over to catch through on the empty side, which would eventually become the recorded tape. The process was expensive, unpredictable, and difficult, which is no doubt why this CCTV-recording solution was also rare to see.’’

The 1970s brought video cassette recorders, or VCRs, and the small tapes and ease of use helped this solution become popular for recording closed-circuit television systems. A live set of eyeballs didn’t have to sit in front of the monitors keeping said eyeballs peeled for hours on end anymore! The CCTV-VCR solution was installed, set up, and then it was left to do its thing. These systems basically ran themselves with very little input from an operator, other than changing to a fresh tape, re-writing over an old one, and fixing any jams that may have occurred. The emergence of video cassette recorders was a major advancement for CCTV systems, and the biggest issue seemed to be finding a place to store the VCR tapes if an historical account over a period of time was wanted or needed.

If only multiple cameras could send their signals to just one monitor, that would certainly make things easier to keep an eye on and less costly. Enter multiplexing – the next significant step into the future for CCTV! The 1990s brought this innovation, which not only worked on the monitor, but also for recording, so whatever was seen on the screen was seen during playback. No longer was the ratio one camera to one monitor, and that made it easier to set up and monitor CCTV systems, and helped reduce the overall cost of the equipment needed.

Just like DVRs replaced our home VCRs, the same happened with closed-circuit TV solutions. Digital recording made operating the systems more user-friendly and easier to learn. The multiplexing stayed, as the efficiency that technology brought about really is indispensable (even today). Storing the surveillance footage digitally also meant no separate room required to keep the recordings over time (unlike those VCR tapes from earlier).

NVRs, or network video recorders, are also in use now. The video being captured by the CCTV is encoded and processed, then streamed to the NVR where it can be stored or viewed remotely. When many different places – like worksites, departments, company satellite locations, and construction projects, for example – need subsequent monitoring, the NVR works well, because many viewers in different locations can see the footage at the same time in great quality, whether on the organization’s network or over the internet.

CCTV is all around us and serves very important functions for a variety of enterprises and organizations. Next month, we’ll look at some of the history of law enforcement’s adoption and use of the technology.