In the quiet overnight hours at Honda of Westport, a crew of thieves moved fast and clean, stripping four vehicles of their wheels without tripping a single alarm.
It wasn’t until staff showed up the next morning that anyone knew something had happened. Four vehicles were left on bricks. Eight wheels gone. No suspects in sight.
Police later made an arrest, but not before the dealership took a direct hit to inventory, customer trust, and operational flow.
This wasn’t reckless. It was coordinated.
The Problem with Passive Security
Like many dealerships, Honda of Westport had surveillance in place. But static cameras and post-event footage don’t prevent losses, they just document them.
In this case, there was no live monitoring. No voice deterrent. No real-time response. Just quiet precision, and a clean escape.
By the time police were called, the thieves were long gone.
What EyeQ Virtual Guard Would’ve Changed
EyeQ Monitoring’s Virtual Guard isn’t just about catching criminals, it’s about stopping them before they finish the job.
Here’s how the situation could’ve played out differently:
- Detection: AI-powered video monitoring would’ve flagged suspicious loitering or movement around the vehicles well before wheels came off.
- Live Voice Intervention: A real-time voice warning would’ve gone out from EyeQ’s Security Operations Center the moment activity was detected, alerting intruders that they were being watched and law enforcement was being dispatched.
- Rapid Response: With verified footage in hand, EyeQ could have triggered a dispatch in under 60 seconds, shaving critical minutes off response time.
- Deterrence: These weren’t smash-and-grab amateurs. But even experienced crews don’t hang around once they know they’re live on camera and getting called out in real time.
A Pattern Dealerships Can’t Ignore
Targeted parts theft, especially tires and catalytic converters, is one of the fastest-growing crimes hitting U.S. dealerships. Crews operate quickly, often under the cover of darkness, with the expectation that no one’s watching.
And they’re usually right.
Traditional alarms and passive surveillance aren’t enough. What’s needed is a system that sees, speaks, and acts.
No Guards. No Gaps. No Excuses.
EyeQ Virtual Guard combines AI and live operators to deliver real-time detection, deterrence, and dispatch, without the overhead and blind spots of on-site guards.
The dealership in Westport had cameras. What they didn’t have was protection.
Don’t Let It Be Your Lot Next
Theft is getting smarter. Your security has to get faster.
Talk to EyeQ Monitoring and find out how Virtual Guard puts control back in your hands, before your losses make headlines.
