Office Thefts Sharpen Focus on Crime

Sheriff's Business Watch Program Aims to Raise Safety Awareness

By Kafia A. Hosh

Sunday, October 26, 2008

The burglaries at the office parks began in the summer. In a four-month period, a handful of medical and dental clinics — all in the Cascades area — were broken into after hours and robbed of checkbooks, petty cash and medications.

The thefts illustrated the need for businesses to get regular briefings on crime in the vicinity, Loudoun County sheriff's officials said.

"The more knowledge they have of what's going on around them, the more likely they are to report suspicious activity," sheriff's spokesman Kraig Troxell said.

To promote that kind of crime awareness, the sheriff's office this month launched Business Watch, modeled on the Neighborhood Watch program. Under the initiative, a shopping district or office park can form a Business Watch community. Sheriff's deputies will meet monthly with each of the communities to provide information on recent crime in addition to general safety and prevention tips.

Retailers will learn how to prevent shoplifting and spot counterfeit money. For office workers, the safety tips will cover topics such as having an emergency exit plan in the event of a natural disaster, gas leak or terrorist attack.

More than 10 businesses in the county have been burglarized since last month, Troxell said. The most recent incident occurred early Monday at an Aldie convenience store, which was robbed of cash, cigarettes and other merchandise. The sheriff's office was investigating.

Retail outlets should consider joining Business Watch as the holiday season approaches, sheriff's officials said. The agency usually notices a spike in shoplifting during that time, and the economic downturn could make it worse this year, said James Spurlock, a sheriff's office crime prevention specialist.

Shoplifters often target the county's larger malls, such as Dulles Town Center, where "closer to Christmas, you have an influx of people in the stores," he said. "Typically, the store gets so busy that they don't have the employee-to-customer ratio that they normally have."

Police said that joining Business Watch will help office workers and store managers learn how to identify crimes and make them more likely to report incidents.

"Sometimes business owners are reluctant to let the police be aware of suspicious activity," Spurlock said. "In some cases, they don't know what to expect. They don't know how we're going to handle the situation."

Business Watch communities can also make it easier for sheriff's investigators to get key information after a crime. "A lot of times, the suspect might not change his methods, but he might change the location," Troxell said. "How do you reach out to all of these different types of businesses throughout the county?"

Tony Howard, president of the Loudoun Chamber of Commerce, said he welcomed the program, which he said would help chamber members create "an extra level of vigilance and awareness about what's happening around them."

Howard said he plans to notify the estimated 1,250 members about the program. "I think it's a great idea," he said. "What's not to like?"

In addition to the Business Watch initiative, the sheriff's office conducts security checks for businesses, in which members of the agency's crime prevention unit test locks and alarm systems. Deputies also make suggestions about outdoor lighting and landscaping.

Overgrown shrubs around a store or office, for example, "would be a characteristic that would lend it to being possibly targeted for robbery," Spurlock said.

Tagged: business, business_news, crime, police, Small Business

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