In the 1980s, there was a popular song called “Somebody’s Watching Me,” by Rockwell, with backing vocals from Michael Jackson. The chorus went, “I always feel like somebody’s watching me, and I have no privacy.” Well, since then, and especially in today’s world, isn’t that true? There are cameras seemingly everywhere!
Why Businesses Should Use CCTV Cameras
What is one of the main reasons businesses use cameras? They want to deter crime, and the cameras help with that. When people know they’re being watched, they’re less likely to rob or vandalize a place. This is known as the Hawthorne effect, where people behave differently and tend to be more compliant when they’re being watched.
Think of it like this… you’re a kid and if no one is around, you can steal a cookie out of the cookie jar and you can probably get away with it. But if Mom is watching, you can’t, right? Well, today’s camera systems are like a mom or dad or cop watching over places, making sure people aren’t doing anything wrong or unacceptable.
Businesses today utilize CCTV, which stands for “closed-circuit television.” This is also known as video surveillance. It’s the use of video cameras to transmit a signal to a specific place on a limited set of monitors. For instance, a business in Bedford Hills, NY, could have a CCTV system in place that transmits what’s going on there, and someone in New Milford, CT, could be monitoring the videos, sitting in a room of monitors. If something bad or unusual happens, they can alert authorities. Obviously, this helps prevent burglaries and other bad things from happening.
If you were a burglar, would you prefer to smash a window and grab something from a store that had no cameras or one with cameras. You’d choose the one without any cameras watching you! If cameras are recording and monitoring an area, that tells the would-be burglar to steer clear, since they don’t want to get caught. And, if someone is brazen enough to commit a crime on camera, well then… that footage is evidence that can be used to properly punish the perpetrators.
Do you own a business and you don’t yet have CCTV on the premises? If so, NYCONN Security Systems can help set you up with CCTV that will help protect your business from burglars. Please call 800-783-5004 for more information.