Why Parking Lot Security Guards Are A Necessity This Holiday Season

Businesses, especially retailers, understand the value of high-quality security guards during the busy holidays. What is less known is the incredible value of security guards protecting parking lots. One in ten property crimes takes place in parking lots and garages. More than 60,000 people are injured or worse from parking lot crashes. Businesses should take extra measures during the upcoming holidays to ensure the safety of their employees, consumers, and delivery drivers. Black Friday brings enormous crowds, and the Christmas rush begins immediately after. Malls and shopping centers are packed, often with cars waiting for a parking space. Consumers who enter a parking lot deserve to be safe and have professional security overwatch.

Safety for Employees and Customers in Parking Lots and Garages

Uniformed security guards, armed or unarmed, immediately establish safety and security. Employees are often required to park further away or in an off-site area and deserve protection from their employers. To provide top-level protection, not only are vehicles safer, but so are the people. Knowing security guards are monitoring the parking lot and being available makes employees and customers feel better about being in an overcrowded area. Professional parking lot security guards protect assets and allow staff to focus on their jobs and be more productive. Customers feel valued when businesses invest in security to ensure safety and to protect their vehicles in parking lots and garages. When the stores close and the parking lot is dark, parking lot security guards get employees and customers safely to their cars. Customers who need to drop shopping bags in their cars during their shopping day can rest knowing their trunks won't be broken into when excellent parking lot security guards are on the job.

Parking Lot Security Guards Ensure Rules Are Followed

It should be no surprise that car crashes in parking lots go up during busy holiday shopping seasons. When it comes to the basic parking lot and garage rules, when there is more traffic, security guards can ensure the basic rules are adhered to and minimize a greater risk of crashes. Drivers in parking lots tend to drive carelessly, using their phones, or driving too fast or too slowly. Once drivers are in the parking lot, they tend to pay attention to finding a space instead of pedestrians. Some common offenses in parking lots and garages during the holidays include:

• Many drivers today rely on backup cameras, and most cars do not have sufficient camera angles to give an accurate view of the sides of the car's rear.
• People tend to ignore stop signs and directional arrows when they spot the perfect place to park their vehicles.
• Desperate people are known to park in unmarked spaces that may block another person or area, including handicapped marked spaces.

A security guard’s presence is the only thing that effectively encourages people to follow the rules, which creates a safer parking lot experience.

Deterring Theft, Vandalism, and Violent Crimes In Parking Areas

Thieves target parking lots and garages because of the activity and lulls between traffic rushes. After dark, thieves may break into a vehicle or even rob a customer or employee on their way to their parking spot. Trained parking lot security personnel recognize and address suspicious behavior before a crime is committed. Thieves not only break into cars or grab purses and shopping bags, but they may also commit abductions or other personal crimes. Many parking lots are a meeting common place for drug dealers, and a mobile security guard patrol makes sure every corner of the parking lot and every level of the garage is safe. A mobile security front shows criminals that safety is a priority and that they should move on.

Those who forget where they park often wander around, and customer service-oriented security guards can also help those in need. Highly trained and experienced parking lot security guards, like those from Off Duty Officers, serve many roles when on the job—providing excellent customer service, mobile patrol, and emergency preparedness. All of our top security guards can't be matched.

Vandalism is also deterred, whether marking up property or etching a key into a car; when uniformed security guards are present, criminals don't want to risk being caught. Professional parking lots and garage security guards let criminals know they will not get away with anything, and employees and customers feel safer during the holiday rush.

Protect the parking lots and garages if you want to protect your employees and customers during the holiday rush. Thieves are not likely to attack or grab something in the middle of the shopping center, but when someone is alone walking to their car, that is when thieves strike. Hiring private parking lot security guards from Off Duty Officers ensures everyone has a happy holiday shopping experience this year. Contact us today for a free quote and an affordable security solution for your parking areas.