How to Prevent Car Break-ins at an Apartment Complex

Car break-ins pose a significant challenge for multifamily apartment complexes across the United States. They’re  more than a quarter of ALL larceny thefts in the U.S. today. In fact there are:

• More than 2,000 car break-ins per day
• 116 vehicles stolen per hour in the US
• Creating $7 billion in losses

And the numbers are spiking - car break-ins are up 84% YOY. San Francisco & Denver top the list for car break-ins and theft.

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Quite a few of these crimes take place in the parking lots and parking garages of multifamily properties, leaving residents feeling victimized and unsafe. That leads to tenants moving out, and can  even deter potential new  residents from moving in.  It can also increase your  liability risk. According to LegalMatch, in a number of municipalities, if your parking garage or lot is constantly vandalized or robbed, tenants can cite negligent security and sue you for the losses they face from vandalism, theft, or even personal injury if they happen to encounter the thieves in the act.

The worst part is: even if you appease tenants by covering the costs of damage and losses, there’s no guarantee the thieves won’t be back the next night. 

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Preventive Measures for Residents:

Encouraging residents to adopt proactive measures can significantly reduce the likelihood of car break-ins. Nationwide suggests:

• Always lock your doors and roll up your windows when you park.
• Activate your security system if you have one.
• Consider window tinting (if permitted), since it makes casing your car more difficult.
• Use after-market measures, like mechanisms that lock the steering wheel.
• Don’t keep valuables in the  console or glove box as mobile lock boxes, or even worse, sitting on the seat.
• Don't leave your car running, or your keys inside your car unattended. 

Locking the steering wheel is a particularly good idea if your car is a Hyundai or Kia, due to some critical security vulnerabilities. In some municipalities, police are giving steering wheel locks away for these vehicles.

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Real Time Crime Prevention in Multifamily:

Installing extra lighting in parking lots or garages is always a great idea. However, a more advanced and effective solution is now available to stop car break-ins in real time: AI Surveillance and Remote Guarding services.

Ai-powered Video Surveillance:

• By adding a cloud-based AI surveillance platform to your existing video surveillance system, you can transform that surveillance from a forensic tool to a real time, crime-fighting machine. AI can detect unusual behavior in a parking lot, such as individuals inexplicably loitering, or even simply notify you to the presence of individuals in the lot in the wee hours…and send an alert to Remote Guards.

Remote Guarding for Swift Response:

• Remote guards review the alerts to see if the people in the garage are residents or employees, perhaps simply chatting on their phone or with another resident, or if they are in fact opportunists intent on illicit activity - likely moving from car to car in the garage, peering through windows for desirable items. If the latter, remote guards can activate a mic and “Voice Down” through speakers, addressing the individuals and letting them know they are being watched, recorded and that law enforcement is on the way.

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Watch Real Time Security in Action:

Check out this 30 second video to see how Cloudastructure’s  AI and Remote Guarding sends thieves running.

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