Although many gaming properties have more armed security than a decade ago , the vast majority of gaming properties still do not have armed security personnel .
value to hotel guests . Although important operationally — and using security promotes a certain amount of trust — it will certainly become an issue at trial if someone was hurt as a result of a robbery or other crime and one or more security officers were performing non-security tasks and not patrolling the property .
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Supply Chain Issues
The current supply chain issues in actually receiving the common items used in security and surveillance has also created operational challenges for executives . What was previously quite simple to purchase and receive on loading docks has now become very difficult to actually get . Sales representatives are pushing their products and not truly disclosing the potential time frame from purchase order to delivery , further causing grief for the typical security director and further complicating operations .
What was once a simple purchase of a video camera that covered an important area for surveillance now sometimes has a 12-18-month delivery date delay because of a simple small electronic chip that has become very hard to get . The cost for these goods has also risen , which also has to be considered operationally , especially if that camera is a mandate by regulation or code .
Some directors have told me that what was once discarded as it relates to equipment is now put into a room or vault for possible internal repair or to cannibalize parts to repair others . Finding a technician that has the ability to repair electronics is also quite difficult in today ’ s environment .
Other routine consumables are not immune to supply chain delays either . Uniforms and related supplies have become harder to obtain and the costs for those goods have also increased as a result .
Although many gaming properties have more armed security than a decade ago , the vast majority of gaming properties still do not have armed security personnel .
Increases in Crime
Even the dynamics and characteristics of perpetrators of crimes against casino patrons and employees has shifted . Considering that even criminals have gotten creative to increase their illegal income by victimizing casino patrons , that also creates challenges for the security patrolling to provide a reasonably secure place for people to enjoy gaming and all of its amenities .
Home burglary decreased in 2020 primarily because many people were not working and not leaving their homes , and as a result , the opportunity for the criminal was reduced . As people began to attempt to leave home and venture out , the burglary and property crime came back up . Properties that experience the presence of homeless people near their property also have been impacted with increases in panhandling , TITO thefts and other nuisance-type crimes , which again creates more work for the security personnel charged with herding them away like cats from legitimate customers .
As an example , there has been an uptick nationally very recently in what the press calls “ follow-home robberies ” of patrons who are observed by a criminal inside of a casino with cash who follows them all the way home and then robs them , sometimes with a gun and seriously injuring them . Pennsylvania appears to have a higher rate of those incidents recently than most states historically .
Even in current economic conditions , gun sales continue to dramatically increase month after month in the U . S ., and the sheer availability of guns translates to a future of more gun-related incidents including at gaming properties .
Although many gaming properties have more armed security than a decade ago , the vast majority of gaming properties still do not have armed security personnel . The specialized security squads and response teams of armed security
” personnel that the larger corporate gaming companies have created and had the ability to deploy have proven beneficial in response to major criminal events , but have minimal deterrence value .
In Nevada where there is a large gaming presence , the murder rate rose by more than 27 percent from 2019 to 2020 , according to the FBI . The numbers so far for 2021 appear to increase even more nationally , which is a disturbing trend . Washington state with many rural casinos also saw an increase in homicides by 46 percent in 2020 .
Some of those homicides occurred on casino properties or as a result of a victim ’ s activities at a casino . Aggravated assaults also rose , yet property and other crimes significantly decreased year to year . Violent crimes include homicide , robbery , sexual assault and aggravated assault , and if they occur at a gaming property , they are typically followed by a lawsuit alleging inadequate security or a failure to respond in some manner .
Suggestions Going Forward
The impacts of less security personnel and increased criminal incidents at casino properties will surely create fertile ground for plaintiff lawyers . The higher turnover of personnel will create challenges for defense attorneys in locating important witnesses years from now when lawsuits finally get to trial , or when it is more prudent to settle .
• Continue to assess and evaluate the security functions and narrow the tasks they perform to those that offer the most protection and oversight of the customers .
• Document quarterly in a department report the difficulties in finding personnel and providing them equipment and training to create evidence that the property did what was reasonable to provide safety and security under difficult circumstances .
• Track and monitor the crimes that occur on your property all the way through the prosecution of perpetrators and chart the results . Be diligent in analyzing the crimes that do occur on your property or as a result of a patron ’ s activities on your property and track by day of week , time , location and circumstances , and design countermeasures to deter , reduce or eliminate the opportunity for criminals .
• Continue creative solutions to supply chain issues that pose operational challenges and use more out-of-the-box thinking . Keep doing what the gaming industry does best , adapt to the existing conditions . We know that the customers will continue to come regardless of the Covid conditions as long as regulations allow it .
Alan W . Zajic , CPP , CSP , is an independent security consultant specializing in gaming environments .
24 Global Gaming Business FEBRUARY 2022