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Tulsa Hills Shopping Center Became A Target for Continuous Retail Theft

The Tulsa Hills Shopping Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma is the largest shopping center in the entire city. It is owned and operated by the commercial real estate firm Direct Retail Partners, Norine Bowen, Regional Vice President of Property Management, said the shopping center had become a target for “grab and run” retail theft that put employees, customers, and the store at risk. The rampant thefts often left retailers defenseless as there was no way to approach and apprehend the offenders or retrieve the merchandise without putting their security team in harm's way.

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Initially, the local law enforcement agency suggested that Bowen implement traditional pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) surveillance cameras in its parking lot but upon further research, those systems proved to be too expensive and would not be able to capture the objective evidence needed to solve crime.

Implementing Flock Safety LPR Cameras Cuts Incidents of Theft Nearly 70%*

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Bowen met with a Tulsa Police Captain who told her about Flock Safety. She discovered the power of implementing license plate recognition (LPR) cameras to provide license plates and vehicle data such as the color, make and model to help solve crime on their properties. Flock Safety’s solution intrigued Bowen and the next month in March, she signed the contract and they created a virtual security perimeter of cameras around the shopping center. By April, the cameras were installed and went live within 60 days from the start of the process.

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Within the first two weeks of Flock Safety cameras being on the property, their team in conjunction with local law enforcement was able to recover 2 stolen vehicles. A few months later, Bowen checked in with the shopping center to see the impact and the progress of the cameras. Their regular theft suspects stopped coming to the shopping center because they recognized that they would get caught with the cameras.

Flock Safety is More Than Just A Security Solution 

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Bowen said that having the Flock Safety camera system is an effective complement or partner with their existing system. They still have onsite security coverage including foot patrol and vehicle patrol 12 hours a day. However, the major benefit is that the Flock Safety cameras work around the clock 24/7 to provide coverage even when a security officer is not on call. She said the cameras have replaced the need for law enforcement to have the random drive throughs on the property because the Flock Safety cameras are always there capturing any evidence that may be needed. The camera’s real-time alert capabilities give retailers the ability to create a custom hot list of vehicle suspects and share it with law enforcement. That way, they are notified if the known offenders come on to the property and law enforcement can take swift action.

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“We’ve definitely seen a decrease. We used to have probably 10-15 cars a week that we added to our hot list. And now we’re probably down to maybe 3-5 a week. So I know that the system works and the testimony that I received from the retailers as far as the regulars aren’t coming here any more. The regulars are going down the street or to another center. That really is a testimonial in and of itself,” Norine Bowen, Regional Vice President of Property Management 

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Bowen said the benefits of the technology go beyond security coverage. She said property managers and retailers can leverage the insights from the analytics features to better understand their customers. Whether it’s knowing how many people are coming to your property or which state they’re coming from if you’re in a tourism market.

Direct Retail Partners will be expanding their camera coverage to Corpus Christi, TX. Bowen urges other property owners and commercial real estate professionals to consider implementing Flock Safety to help protect their property.

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“Crime is not going away. It is getting worse and worse. These criminals are smarter than you and I. And we as individuals and property owners and commercial real estate professionals, we have got to take the bull by its horns and get involved. And this is the best way and the least expensive way that I have seen in my umpteen years of doing this. It is so, so worth it.” - Norine Bowen, Regional Vice President of Property Management 

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*This number was calculated from the decrease in hot list incidents reported.