Scottsdale Police Arrest Metal Thieves After Video Surveillance Capture at Vacant Auto Dealership

By Tom Vigilante, Jr.

A large portion of our client base at Centralized Vision that we provide video surveillance monitoring for are auto dealerships throughout the Phoenix metropolitan area. Overall, we provide remote-camera monitoring with real-time response options at 14 car dealerships in Arizona.

The dealerships have a variety of reasons (theft, trespassing, vandalism) of why they would need a company like ours to routinely monitor closed-circuit video cameras on their properties at various times throughout the day. However, a technician at our centralized tech center noticed suspicious activity after seeing two trespassers on camera recently at the vacant Infiniti of Scottsdale dealership we monitor in Scottsdale.

As you can see while watching the video, the cameras we monitor caught two suspects climbing over a locked gate on the property. After numerous cameras on the property provided detailed video images of the two suspects collecting copper pipes and other metals, our technician contacted the Scottsdale Police Department’s dispatch operator to alert local authorities of the criminal activity.

Within five minutes, one Scottsdale police officer was at the property, and another unit arrived at the auto dealership shortly after. Later in the video, the police officers can be seen arresting the suspects and also locating a bag of metal objects the criminals stashed on the property. The Scottsdale police officers were in contact with our technician to verify they were apprehending the correct people.

Although we usually see people trying to steal copper and other metals from recycling facilities we monitor, this video capture is proof that any crime can be committed on the property of various types of businesses.

Tom Vigilante, Jr. is President & Founder of Centralized Vision, which has offices in Phoenix, Las Vegas and Denver. For more information on real-time video verification services or GPS monitoring, go to centralizedvision.com or call 855-888-8094.

Centralized Vision to Provide Video Camera Monitoring at Liberty Automotive Group’s 5 Arizona Auto Dealerships

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 13, 2012

CENTRALIZED VISION TO PROVIDE VIDEO CAMERA MONITORING

AT LIBERTY AUTOMOTIVE GROUP’S 5 ARIZONA AUTO DEALERSHIPS

Phoenix Video Surveillance Company Adds to List of Auto Dealership It Monitors

(PHOENIX) — Centralized Vision announced today they have signed a contract with Liberty Automotive Group to provide pro-active protection of property and assets by using remote-camera monitoring with real-time response options at the automotive group’s five dealerships throughout Arizona.

Centralized Vision is now actively engaged in video camera monitoring at Liberty Buick, Liberty GMC, Peoria Kia and Goodwrench Autobody in Peoria, Ariz. and Liberty Kia in Prescott Valley, Ariz. Overall, Centralized Vision currently provides camera monitoring at 14 Phoenix-area car dealerships, including properties associated with Earnhardt Auto Centers and Van Tuyl Group and independently-owned Arrowhead Honda in Peoria and San Tan Volkswagen in Gilbert, Ariz.

“Centralized Vision treated us like we were old friends, never tried to sell us more than we needed and made us feel like their No. 1 goal was simply to provide the best protection available,” said Autumn Henderson, General Manager of Liberty Buick-GMC. “We are now paying less, have more protection and are satisfied customers.”

Centralized Vision takes pride in its customer service and being able to tailor pricing to fit within a client’s budget.

“We were able to tailor our monthly pricing to fit within Liberty Automotive Group’s budget while also providing them an opportunity to constantly monitor their dealerships in Arizona,” said Centralized Vision Founder and President Tom Vigilante, Jr. “After sitting down with their leadership team and understanding their needs, we enhanced their video surveillance at each dealership by offering them cutting-edge camera technology that works well with capturing motion and in low-light environments.”

With local news organizations reporting last month an overall surge in violent crime in Maricopa County in 2011, Centralized Vision has seen a spike in growth because of the opportunities it provides to monitor closed-circuit cameras in real time, act as a crime deterrent because of posted signs surrounding its clients’ properties and the ability with one-way audio speakers to warn would-be criminals they are being watched. Video technicians monitoring properties from a centralized Phoenix-based location 24 hours a day have been successful in capturing and arresting trespassers, graffiti taggers and thieves as well as reporting other crimes or threats. Centralized Vision currently monitors nearly 90 clients within the Phoenix metro area and also has operations in Denver and Las Vegas.

Centralized Vision, backed by decades of experience in security services, provides real-time visual monitoring of various businesses, such as auto dealerships, retail centers, recycling facilities, office buildings and warehouse distribution centers. By using the latest in security technology that interfaces with all brands of video equipment and proprietary reporting software, Centralized Vision provides affordable pricing options that fit into any company’s budget.

— CENTRALIZEDVISION.COM —

Businesses Investing Into Security Camera Monitoring Can Save Money on Insurance Premiums

By Tami Vigilante

As small-business owners, my husband, Tom, and I are always looking at efficient ways to run our company. Whether it is eliminating unneeded expenses or shifting dollars from one area to another, we look at various ways to be efficient and grow our business at the same time.

The services we offer at Centralized Vision can save other businesses money as well.

Investing into a camera surveillance system and video monitoring from Centralized Vision could pay for itself in the form of decreased insurance premiums. Many insurance companies will discount company’s premiums from 10 to 20 percent when CCTV security cameras are in place to provide added safety on the property.

Why would insurance companies discount premiums for a company that has camera surveillance and monitoring?

• Having video cameras in plain sight throughout the property and Centralized Vision-branded signs that warn people they are being monitored is enough to act as a deterrent to warn criminals from attempting anything illegal.
• If a crime does occur, our technicians monitoring the property 24 hours a day can dispatch law enforcement officials to possibly stop the criminal act in process and provide photo or video evidence that could be used to convict the suspect in court.
• Having a video monitoring service available to provide evidence for employees filing false worker’s compensation insurance claims could be very beneficial for small-business owners.

Affordability is one our company’s core principles. Protecting a valuable asset is not an expensive investment because we use the latest in security technology from a centralized location to provide affordable pricing options that fit into any company’s budget.

Businesses with monitoring of a camera surveillance system will not only be able to protect themselves from criminal activity on their property, they will also be able to run a more efficient business due to decreased insurance costs.

Tami Vigilante is Executive Vice President & Co-Founder at Centralized Vision, which has offices in Phoenix, Las Vegas and Denver. For more information on real-time video verification services or GPS monitoring, go to centralizedvision.com or call 855-888-8094.

Video Can Help Tempe Police Nab Beating Suspect


By Tami Vigilante

A male suspect who thought he got away with a crime after beating a defenseless 20-year-old male Arizona State University student in the elevator of a popular residential building in downtown Tempe now must try to evade local law enforcement agencies.

Because West 6th Tempe has video surveillance cameras monitor various areas of their high-rise residential building located just west of Mill Ave. near ASU, Tempe Police now have video footage that clearly identifies a 6-foot white male with short brown hair in his early 20s relentlessly attacking the male victim in an elevator on the property around 2 a.m. on Oct. 6. The victim was knocked unconscious and had an earring ripped out of his ear by the suspect. Tempe Police are seeking the suspect on aggravated assault charges because there is such severe damage to the victim’s face after sustaining numerous facial fractures. Tempe Police have released video footage of the crime to local media agencies to assist them in asking people to help them identify the suspect through their Silent Witness program.

If there had not been any video footage, the Tempe Police Department would have had a hard time trying to solve this crime because it happened early in the morning when nobody else seemed to be around the building to offer information as a witness. That is why Centralized Vision has been so beneficial to our customers by providing real-time video verification services to our clients. We have various properties who use our services to monitor their cameras within the elevators in their parking structures. Not only can we act as a deterrent by catching thieves in the middle of a crime, but we can also capture footage of a serious crime and work with law enforcement authorities to track down the suspects.

Hopefully, you will agree with me that we can make our community safer as more businesses and property management companies use video monitoring to prevent crimes like this from happening in the future.

Tami Vigilante is Executive Vice President & Co-Founder at Centralized Vision. For more information on real-time video verification services or GPS monitoring, go to centralizedvision.com or call 855-888-8094.

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Police Say Dumpster Diving Can Lead to Theft & Property Damage

By Tami Vigilante

I routinely receive various crime prevention tips from local police departments because of the great relationships Centralized Vision has established with local law enforcement agencies. A recent email I received from the Peoria Police Department is worth passing along because it warns businesses about the circumstances if people are going through trash dumpsters on their property.

Peoria Police warn businesses that they could be held liable if information in their trash is left unprotected. While people may be “dumpster diving” for treasures, they can also collect customers’ personal identity information, business information or precious metals that can be resold on the black market. The Peoria Police Department highlighted Sec. 22-9 of their criminal code that addresses “disturbing contents of containers”:

(a) Any person not authorized by the City to utilize for other than its intended purpose the lid from any solid waste or recycling container.
(b) Any person not authorized by the responsible party to remove, collect or disturb the solid waste and recyclables stored in such containers or to remove from a solid waste or recycling container any solid waste or recyclables
(i) set out for recycling or collection and disposable by the City, licenses solid waste contractors, their agents or assigns or
(ii) deposited at a City recycling drop-off center. This prohibition does not apply to law enforcement officers acting within the scope of their official duties.
(c) Any person to scatter solid waste or recyclables upon any private or public property.

Centralized Vision offers an innovative security platform that provides pro-active protection of property and assets for companies by using remote-camera monitoring with real-time response options that act as a crime deterrent. Our technicians visually monitor our clients’ property in real time and can dispatch security or law enforcement officers to prevent dumpster divers from collecting a company’s private information.

Tami Vigilante is Executive Vice President & Co-Founder at Centralized Vision. For more information on real-time video verification services or GPS monitoring, go to centralizedvision.com or call 855-888-8094.

Centralized Vision Expands Into Denver & Las Vegas Markets

By Tom Vigilante, Jr.

We have seen our company grow rapidly since founding Centralized Vision in 2007. In just five years, we have developed a great book of business in providing real-time visual monitoring of auto dealerships, retail centers, recycling facilities, office buildings and warehouse distribution centers throughout the Phoenix metropolitan area.

Two years ago, we diversified our company after launching an operator division to track GPS devices and monitor convicted felons and individuals with special-needs suffering from cognitive disorders such as Alzheimer’s, dementia or autism.

Now, we are ready to take another step forward by expanding Centralized Vision’s resources into the Denver and Las Vegas markets.

We are excited about the potential Denver and Las Vegas bring to our company because both metro areas are similar to Phoenix. According to 2009 crime data from the U.S. Census Bureau, Phoenix averaged 410 reported property crimes per 10,000 residents. Denver was not far behind with an average of 348 property crimes reported per 10,000 residents, followed by Las Vegas with an average of 345 crimes. All three markets have also seen an increase in the growing epidemic of copper and HVAC thefts from residential and commercial properties.

We have already secured one client in Las Vegas and plan on reaching out to more businesses through sales efforts from our Phoenix headquarters. Our newest employee, Casey Kowal, will lead all of our sales and customer service efforts in the Denver market.

As Centralized Vision’s Business Development Representative, Kowal will be successful in extending our brand throughout the Mile High City because of her great communications skills, an attention-to-detail personality and a follow-through customer service approach. She has been successful in sales efforts throughout her career and we know she will help our company grow in Denver.

We are really excited to start talking to companies in Denver and Las Vegas about how Centralized Vision can be a service to them. However, it is more important that our company can be a solution to prevent increases in property crimes reported in both markets as well.

Tom Vigilante, Jr. is President & Founder at Centralized Vision. For more information on real-time video verification services or GPS monitoring, go to centralizedvision.com or call 855-888-8094. For businesses in the Denver area looking to connect with Casey Kowal, please email her at caseyk@centralizedvision.com.

Well Maintained Video Cameras Can Prevent Costly Obstructions

By Tom Vigilante, Jr.

Living in Phoenix during the summer, one might think the only weather element you have to deal with are the hot temperatures. And although those of us that live in the desert still maintain it’s a dry heat, we also have to routinely deal with large-scale dust storms between May and September each year.

More commonly known as haboobs, these massive dust storms sweep through the entire city, causing low visibility for drivers on the roadways and a flurry of news coverage from local television stations. They also leave layers of dirt transfixed on homes, businesses and parked vehicles.

Haboobs also cause problems for us in the video verification services industry because layers of dirt can block a camera’s view while monitoring a company’s property and assets. Light rain mixed with dust turns into dirt spots on the camera lens, causing a nuisance while trying to accurately identify objects on video. Our company, Centralized Vision, provides pro-active protection of property and assets for businesses using remote-camera monitoring with real-time response options. Any obstruction for video cameras we are monitoring could be the difference in preventing a crime or being able to apprehend a perpetrator.

Because Centralized Vision technicians are constantly monitoring numerous video cameras 24 hours a day, we can always alert our clients if there are obstacles in preventing us from protecting their assets.

Below are a few suggestions on how to maintain video cameras in order to provide optimum viewing:

  • Installation: When installing video surveillance cameras, it is imperative to make sure they are directed properly so they cover a full range of the property. Blind spots in camera coverage could allow thieves to escape without having video footage or a photo image to forward to law enforcement authorities.
  • Landscaping: Each month, it is a good idea to make sure bushes and trees are not blocking each camera’s view. High winds and storms can cause branches to fall and constant rain may cause vegetation to grow rapidly, standing in the way of a camera’s view. Landscapers can also hinder proper viewing if they use blowers to clean pathways, causing dust or dirt to collect on the lenses of video cameras.
  • Wiring: Periodically, it is essential to make sure wiring for each camera is not exposed or in danger of being ruined by moisture, animals or insects. Not keeping an eye on this may cause a loss of power to the camera or interrupted viewing because of a short in the wire.
  • Focus: Having a blurred image or video footage makes it more difficult for law enforcement officials to track down criminals. Wind, moisture or various movements can cause a camera to be out of focus.
  • Lighting: Make sure video cameras are not pointing into direct sunlight at certain points of the day to cause a disturbance in coverage. It is also essential to make sure external lighting sources are working so that maximum video surveillance can be maintained at night or in dark settings.

Having a modern video surveillance system along with 24/7 monitoring from Centralized Vision is a great investment to protect a company’s assets and to minimize financial loss. But just like every other investment, periodic maintenance is key to achieving the maximum results.

Tom Vigilante, Jr. is President & Founder at Centralized Vision. For more information on real-time video verification services or GPS monitoring, go to centralizedvision.com or call 855-888-8094.