POSEN, Ill. -- Two separate criminal events were open and shut cases for law enforcement when Corporate Safe Specialists' (CSS) products recorded on video a robber and a thief in separate incidents. Ed McGunn, president and CEO of CSS, said these are significant instances of safe locks being used to identify perpetrators instead of closed-circuit television. “We look forward to successful convictions,” he said.
On May 29, 2007, a robber was waiting by a dumpster outside a Sonic franchise in Valdosta, Ga., as a cook took out trash after closing. The cook was held at gunpoint [image-nocss] while the manager was forced to open the safe and empty its contents. The video event monitoring system captured the robber's images, which were used to positively identify the suspect at arraignment.
"The function and premise of the product are excellent," said Detective Ean Oliveto, the technical lead for the Valdosta Police Department.
Eric Daugbwag, general manager of the location, said, "I like [the product] because it tracks money accurately and keeps everybody honest."
On Nov. 12, 2007, Julie Lan, the store manager of the Sonic in Starke, Fla., opened the store's safe after closing to find all bills deposited were missing. She notified Jeff Moreland, district manager of the McCans Sonic Group, as required by procedure. Moreland notified law enforcement and asked Lan to remain on the premises. After reviewing the video stored on the ACCS hard drive, Moreland went on to say, "I thought the store manager had done it, but the video showed beyond a doubt that it wasn't her."
Lan reflected, "I'm glad that the video proved I was innocent, because originally I was the suspect. The video showed that the cook had entered the safe several times that day to remove cash from the store's safe."
Investigator Kevin Mueller of the Starke Police Department summarized the event: "The case was closed right after we arrived on the scene."
CSS' line of smart safes are known as Advanced Cash Control Systems (ACCS) and are being deployed as armored car ready cash management solutions, for bill validation (counterfeit detection) and the ability to integrate with restaurant and retail point-of-sales (POS) systems.Posen, Ill.-based CSS is a provider of security solutions to retailers and restaurants. CSS safes, smart safes (ACCS) and kiosks feature electronic or biometric locks and can be configured to provide closed-loop cash management processes to minimize risk of armed robbery, burglary and internal theft. The company offers 24/7/365 live technical phone support and has a U.S. service network that can provide on-site service within four hours, it said.Members help make our journalism possible. Become a CSP member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.