PRACTICAL CCTV

Sep 1, 2002 12:00 PM

In the continuing war of retailers and shoplifters, one Erie, Pa., grocer is taking advantage of the latest in technology to bring back an old idea — the wanted poster.

Fed up with shoplifters at Serafin's Food Market in Erie, owner Dan Serafin now prominently displays pictures of people he says have been caught in the act of stealing by the store's digital video surveillance system.

“Now I don't chase a guy for a $1.50 bag of chips and risk having him pull a knife or gun on me,” Serafin says. “I just go to my digital recorder, find a good image of the person, print it with the words ‘wanted for retail theft’ and post it near the entry. Within three days, one of my regular shoppers will tell me who the person is and where he lives. Then I just turn that information, along with a copy of the video, over to the police.”

Serafin says several arrests and convictions have resulted. His unusual approach has brought him national attention, with appearances on Good Morning America, ABC Radio News, an Associated Press article and coverage by local news outlets.

Serafin's Food Market previously had a video surveillance system with cameras and a VCR; however, after putting 12- to 14-hour days into his work, Serafin says he was too tired to spend the hours needed to review the tapes each evening.

“It was good for capturing major events such as a robbery, but was far too slow to be of value in reviewing shoplifting incidents,” he says.

Serafin turned to his security equipment provider, ADT Security Services Inc., Boca Raton, Fla., for a better solution. His local ADT representative, Paul Hufford, suggested using a digital video recorder.

“With a digital recorder, there are no tapes to change, the picture is much sharper than that from a VCR, and you can search for and retrieve an incident in a matter of minutes — often only seconds,” Hufford says. “Plus, the digital format is protected so it cannot be altered, and the video is almost universally accepted as evidence in court.”

Serafin was convinced. Early this year ADT installed 18 fixed cameras from Philips, Lancaster, Pa., and Pelco, Clovis, Calif. In addition, a Calibur DVRM digital video recorder/multiplexer from Corvallis, Ore.-based Kalatel was installed into the 76-year-old store founded by Serafin's grandfather.

“Now I have the oldest store in town with the newest technology,” Serafin says.

With the system up and running, Serafin has found multiple applications. If he suspects someone of shoplifting, he goes to his office in the rear of the store and within seconds locates recorded video of the person captured moments earlier. If it proves nothing was taken, Serafin avoids the embarrassment of confronting an honest customer. By reviewing an entire day's recordings in 30 minutes or less, he also has learned who was costing him the most money.

“I had one long-time customer who came into my store almost every day,” Serafin says. “I would never have suspected him of stealing from me, but after reviewing the digital recordings from several days, I found this guy was probably shoplifting $20 worth of merchandise every time he came into the store.”

His display of wanted posters also led to another surprise. One of the first people whose image he posted was that of a woman whom Serafin's surveillance system caught on video stealing a pack of cigarettes. Soon after posting the picture, he received a call from the woman offering to come to the store and pay for the cigarettes — if the poster would be removed.

“After years of chasing people to get them to pay, here was someone calling and offering to make things right,” he says.

Erie police officers have been supportive. Jim Skindell, captain of detectives for the Erie Police Department, says he likes Serafin's idea. “This is an old neighborhood grocery store that has treated people of the area very well for many years. Any way Mr. Serafin can prevent shoplifting is a good idea, as long as he doesn't break any laws, and I don't see that he is.”

Serafin says he is careful to post only the pictures of people he is certain have shoplifted from him. “If I have any doubts, I don't post a picture. We have about 90 percent of the store floor covered with cameras, so I can see most incidents all the way from the time a person puts something into a pocket or bag until he or she leaves the store.”

Since the digital security system was installed, the reduction in shoplifting has been “phenomenal,” Serafin says. He adds that the $6,000 cost of upgrading the system paid for itself in six months.

The security system also has other benefits. Employees feel more secure working in a store with the latest security technology, and it keeps them honest, since their actions are also being recorded and can be reviewed.

The surveillance system has already headed off a potential liability issue. Serafin says he was approached by the parents of a 5-year-old boy who lives across the street from the store, who claimed a car hit the boy as he was crossing the road to buy a soda. The parents said the driver of the car could not see the boy because of the way a truck delivering goods to the store was parked.

Serafin reviewed images taken by two cameras outside the store entrance. He could clearly see the boy crossing an intersection before being hit in an area where the parked truck would have no impact on the accident. “I called the parents in and showed them the recording, and that was the last I heard of that,” Serafin says. “Fortunately, the boy was not seriously hurt.”

Serafin thought about liability issues while planning his next business endeavor — he plans to build a car wash with three self-service and two automatic bays. Before construction, Serafin contacted ADT to plan another digital video surveillance system. “With a system there, I can see if someone breaks an arm off the automatic washer, then check the license plate number and provide it to my insurance agent. If my insurance company can get the driver to pay, it can save me money in premiums.”

In the meantime, back at the grocery store, Serafin seems to have hit upon a winning combination of technology and an aggressive use of wanted posters. On one recent afternoon, he had no wanted posters on display.

“My security system, along with all of the resulting publicity, has been such a tremendous deterrent that few people bother to shoplift here anymore,” he says. “But I expect new people will come to the area and others will forget as time passes. Once that happens, I'll start posting again.”

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