‘Tis the season to start seeing those iconic holiday car ads again. You know the ones, where the excited couple surprises their significant other with a bright, shining new car or SUV, complete with a red bow on top?

Indeed, the tradition of gifting cars has woven itself into the fabric of holiday celebrations. However, this festive spirit is now tempered by a worrying trend — a sharp increase in sophisticated thefts at auto dealerships, giving the whimsical notion of “dashing through the snow” a far more serious connotation for luxury car sellers nationwide.

Why Heightened Security is Essential For Dealerships During the Holidays

The holiday season is notorious for an increase in car thefts. Following one robbery last December in Lillington, NC, a dealership lost $700,000 worth of vehicles in a single event. Through interviews and phone records, police discovered that the multi-state car theft ring targeted the dealership because they had the largest selection of vehicles “worth stealing.”

Recent Incidents Underlying The Threat

To grasp the full picture, let’s look at recent thefts. Dealerships nationwide are facing an unprecedented wave of inventory thefts, demonstrating the urgent need for enhanced remote surveillance.

• In Kentucky, thieves made off with six high-performance vehicles – including four right off the showroom floor!
• A New York City car-theft crew was apprehended after targeting dealerships and stealing over 50 vehicles.
• A North Carolina dealership suffered a loss of over $600,000 within a mere 15 minutes!
• A Philadelphia dealership, lacking security cameras, found nearly all of its cars stolen.
• In Massachusetts, a dealership was hit twice in one day by relentless thieves.

Such incidents underscore the necessity of a proactive approach to security — a strategy that goes beyond reaction to preventing crime before it occurs.

Why does this season bring such high stakes:

1. Extended Business Hours: While extended hours offer more service time, they also stretch staff thin and can lead to lapses in vigilance—prime times for thieves to strike.
2. Increased Customer Activity: A busy showroom floor provides a perfect cover for would-be thieves to blend in and execute their plans while going unnoticed.
3. Bountiful Inventory: A higher stock level for the holiday rush means more opportunities for theft.
4. Organized Crime: Organized auto theft rings have turned to more sophisticated tactics, often scoping out dealerships well in advance.

EyeQ’s Advanced Live Video Monitoring: Securing Peace of Mind

EyeQ leverages cutting edge AI and military-grade video analytics to turn cameras into proactive Virtual Guards. Our advanced live security monitoring solutions not only detect, but also respond to threats in real time, with agents from our U.S. based Surveillance Operations Center (SOC) taking charge when incidents arise.

Benefits include:

• 24/7 Proactive Surveillance: Thieves often strike during non-business hours. With continuous monitoring, dealerships remain protected round-the-clock.
• AI-powered Alerts: With AI analytics, EyeQ’s advanced video system can distinguish between routine movements (like a staff member walking around) and potential criminal activity (like someone trying to break into a car). This reduces false alarms and ensures immediate attention to genuine threats.
• Real-time Threat Response: AI-powered video monitoring empowers timely interventions, be it addressing culprits through live Audio Voice Down, or using Video Verification to verify incidents through recorded video and dispatch local law enforcement directly to the scene, cutting response time down to seconds.
• Invaluable Evidence Gathering: In the unfortunate event of an incident, having high-quality video evidence is invaluable. It aids in investigations, insurance claims, and can be crucial in legal scenarios.
• Operational Insights: Beyond just security, remote video surveillance can offer insights into customer behaviors, choke points in store layouts, and areas of improvement for staff – all of which can help in enhancing operational efficiency during the rush.
• Cost-Effective Solution: Our live video surveillance technology cuts down the costs associated with traditional security measures by as much as 30-60%.

Wrapping Up

The holiday season is undoubtedly a high-reward time for car dealerships, but it also comes with its fair share of risks. Leveraging technology, especially live video monitoring with AI, can be the difference between a prosperous season and a disastrous one.

For the first part of the blog, visit the link here.

Stay tuned for Part 3 of our series, where we’ll explore the stakes for multi-family residential properties.