Perimeter & Outdoor Security & Surveillance Articles

How Secure Are Parking Garages?

Parking garages can certainly be a breeding ground for crime. Reported by the Security Products Company to rank second in violent crimes after residential theft, there can be no better reason for advanced security installation in parking garages.  Typically, people feel unsafe when coming from or going to their vehicles, especially when their parking space is in an out of the way area of the garage.

According to Access and Control Security Digital Magazine, multilevel parking garages are more susceptible to crime, as are underground parking lots and large flat parking lots which are difficult to monitor.

Not only are patrons unsafe, but belongings left inside the car are at risk of being stolen.

Factors that contribute to the unsafe situation are the general location of the parking garage, the layout of the garage, the time of day it is accessed, and poor lighting in out of the way areas of the garage.

Lighting plays a pivotal role in the safety of parking garages.  Dimly lit areas can easily become hiding places for persons waiting for an opportunity to break into a vehicle, or worse, to attack a patron approaching his car.

The security of the garage with regard to lighting can be addressed by developing a strategic lighting plan, one that uses greater illumination in areas of the garage at greater risk of crime.  This is referred to as a multi-level lighting system, and it works to conserve energy as well.

Another safety measure widely used in parking garages is CCTV, or Closed Circuit Television.  This innovation has increased safety dramatically, enabling parking attendants to monitor trouble spots in real time.  Advances in digital technology offer the security personal the ability to collect and analyze data more efficiently, and as Access and Control Security Digital Magazine recommends, color cameras should be used to enhance images allowing more accurate descriptions of persons and vehicles.

Communication is paramount to security.   It is necessary for drivers to be able to communicate with parking attendants, and for attendants to convey to other attendants when questionable situations arise.  Emergency communication stations are routinely found in garages so that, with the press of a button, an attendant can be alerted and help can be summoned.

The system known as the Parking Sentry by Ciscor is an advancement in communication.  Parking customers can access roving parking attendants when a signal from the security station opens a pathway between the hand held two way radios being used by the personnel. Since the attendants are mobile, and the need for a stationary security kiosk is eliminated.

With these two way radios roving attendants can control normal functions in the garage such as resetting the automated payment machines or opening a re-circulate gate. In addition Ciscor issues wireless emergency call pendants to customers on a monthly basis.  These indicate the position of the customer in an emergency situation.

Ciscor does something similar with its CCTV system.  The images from cameras which are positioned throughout the garage may be displayed on the roving attendants hand held equipment.  By the same token, the cameras may be controlled regarding pan/tilt/zoom/focus by the same hand held apparatus of the roving attendant.

Of course, these aforementioned systems can be used to keep parking lot customers safe from criminal activity, but can also be used to assist them when other issues arise.  Some of these may be health related, or perhaps even vehicle related, but it seems certain that parking garages are greatly aided by the use of any number of security features.

It would seem that nowadays parking garages are equipped with some type of security system, but how sufficient it is in securing its users' safety is an issue to be considered.