Phoenix Police Arrest Metal Thief at Arizona Recycling Facility

A Centralized Vision technician noticed that a male suspect was trespassing on the property of Arizona Recycling Corp. after seeing him on video surveillance going through copper and other metal materials in cardboard bins at 8:45 p.m. on Feb. 13, 2013. The technician immediately called the Phoenix Police Department’s dispatch center and three units were sent to inspect the property near downtown Phoenix.

In the video, the suspect was spotted on Arizona Recycling Corp.’s property by the spotlights from a Phoenix Police Department helicopter. Phoenix Police confirmed seeing the suspect on property at 8:57 p.m. Five police officers, along with a K-9 unit, entered the property at 9:17 p.m. to search for the suspect. At 9:25 p.m., two officers can be seen on video escorting the suspect on the property in handcuffs.

The Centralized Vision technician confirmed with Phoenix Police Department’s dispatch at 10:29 p.m. the suspect was arrested and going through processing at a local jail.

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.

Real-Time Video Monitoring Could Deter Car Thefts at Phoenix Shopping Malls

By Tom Vigilante, Jr.

With Black Friday and the holiday shopping season fast approaching, Phoenix’s ABC television affiliate recently aired a segment on their evening news about the number of car thefts at Valley shopping malls.

According to research done among car thefts at Phoenix-area malls from September 2011 to August 2012, ABC 15 (KNXV-TV, Ch. 15) reported that Metrocenter in Phoenix had the most occurrences with 84 cars stolen on its property during the 12-month time frame. Arrowhead Towne Center in Glendale ranked second with 56 thefts, Arizona Mills in Tempe was third with 33 and Desert Sky Mall in Phoenix was fourth with 31. Car thefts for other malls included Tempe Marketplace (12), Scottsdale Fashion Square (5), Mesa’s Fiesta Mall (5), Mesa’s Superstition Springs Center (3) and Chandler Fashion Center (2).

The National Insurance Crime Bureau reports that New Year’s Day is the leading holiday for reported vehicle thefts, while Christmas Day repeats annually as the holiday with the fewest reported cars stolen. The NICB reminds drivers to be alert during the busy holiday season by parking in well-lit areas at shopping centers, keeping packages in the trunk or out of sight and making sure vehicles are locked while parked.

Although Phoenix led the nation in auto thefts in 2002, NCIB data now ranks the Valley 60th among 366 metro areas in car thefts. According to the Arizona Republic, the decrease in car thefts can be attributed to the creation by the Arizona State Legislature of the Arizona Automobile Theft Authority, which trains police officers, provides funding for prosecutors dealing in auto-theft cases and issues bait cars to lure thieves.

While the decrease in auto thefts in the Phoenix metropolitan area has decreased significantly, there is still work to be done to prevent additional displeasure for car owners in the future.

Centralized Vision provides pro-active protection of properties and assets by using remote-camera monitoring with real-time response actions for companies, including strip malls and shopping centers. We have a technician at our corporate headquarters monitor closed-circuit video cameras throughout parking lots and closed-off areas of various shopping centers 24 hours a day to prevent car thefts, trespassing and personal attacks.

When our technician views a crime being committed on camera, he or she can immediately alert local law enforcement to dispatch police officers to the property, and even provide them with a photo or video in real time to track down the suspect. Some of our client’s CCTV cameras are equipped with voice response features, allowing Centralized Vision technicians to warn a suspect they are being watched on video and deter a crime from being committed.

Although Christmas shoppers can take precautions to prevent their automobile from being stolen at Phoenix shopping centers, it is always a good idea for malls to invest in additional resources to make their customers feel safe during the holiday season.

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.

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.

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.

Catching Female Trespassing Suspect Proves Centralized Vision’s Role as Crime Deterrent


Centralized Vision sees female suspect trespassing on client’s property and calls Phoenix Police at 8:03 p.m.

At 8:50 p.m., Phoenix Police officers escort female suspect from secured area of the property without an arrest.

By Tom Vigilante

What separates Centralized Vision from most security companies is that we offer remote-camera monitoring with real-time response options. Centralized Vision’s 24-hour technicians constantly monitor our clients’ property and assets through video verification and serve as a deterrent to prevent crimes from occurring.

To further prove that point, one of our technicians was recently monitoring the video feed during routine tours of the security cameras at the West Highland Shopping Center in Phoenix one evening. Around 8 p.m., our technician noticed a female walking around the loading dock that was in a secured area behind Food City. At 8:03 p.m., our technician called the Phoenix Police Department’s dispatch and described the female trespassing suspect to them. Phoenix Police dispatched a unit to the shopping center at 8:06 p.m., and by 8:11 p.m. a police officer had arrived on the east side of the property. The police officer did a quick visual inspection while patrolling the property but did not see the female suspect and left the property at 8:16 p.m.

After another tour of the video feed from the shopping center at 8:23 p.m., our technician noticed the female suspect was still trespassing on the property and called the Phoenix Police Department’s dispatch again. Two police officers arrived on site at the shopping center at 8:50 p.m. and found the female suspect. They alerted the female that she was in a secure area at the shopping center and that she was trespassing. The police officers escorted the female suspect off the property at 9:02 p.m. and left the scene.

Although the female suspect was not arrested, an example like this shows how Centralized Vision acts as a deterrent to criminal activity on our clients’ property in addition to the perseverance of our technicians to work with local police departments as a team. We have established great relationships with local law enforcement agencies so that they can trust our technicians for giving them detailed information when we call them after witnessing criminal activity.

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.