- Rising metal prices have led to an increased incidence of catalytic converter thefts from automobiles because of the minerals they contain
- While business security forces work to stem parking area vulnerabilities, California-based Knightscope is demonstrating the importance of its parking area-patrolling autonomous security robots (“ASRs”)
- One of Knightscope’s ASR robot models was featured in a report on a 9-acre Las Vegas apartment complex’s crime-ridden property, which has seen a drop in calls to police since the ASR was deployed
- The Las Vegas apartment complex managers said they were so pleased with the ASR’s performance they intended to order more Knightscope robots for other properties
The rising incidence of catalytic converter thefts from vehicles, particularly in Northeastern states, highlights one of the challenges of maintaining security vigilance against criminal activity on business properties. From Vermont (https://ibn.fm/R7bki) to Minnesota (https://ibn.fm/QVTCh) and down to North Carolina (https://ibn.fm/86bDZ), news agencies have picked up on reports the emissions control devices are being purloined for rare minerals such as platinum, palladium and rhodium.
“This spring, there’s been quite the resurgence,” a Vermont police officer told news reporters. “Right now, our biggest problem is it happens to such an extent that a lot of the businesses don’t report it anymore. … It has gotten so out of control that we’ve had several reports of people trying to cut them off during the day. Usually it would be an overnight shift.”
The North Carolina report noted questions had arisen about thefts from the hospital’s five parking decks despite the hospital’s claims its security force patrols the area and monitors for criminal activity. And Security magazine recently discussed parking deck concerns that go beyond thefts — the efforts to reduce the number of auto vs. pedestrian injuries and deaths when drivers are allegedly reckless, distracted or impaired in an environment where autos and pedestrians are in close proximity with sometimes low visibility (https://ibn.fm/cFjHm).
While businesses can deploy security forces and station cameras strategically to help intercept crime, autonomous security robot (“ASR”) developer Knightscope has developed a solution that provides an unsleeping, ever-vigilant presence on business properties that may be subject to criminal activity or other types of emergency response incidents.
Knightscope’s K series ASRs are capable of using machine learning and artificial intelligence developments to monitor for potential threats, record them, issue warnings, and transmit pertinent information to personnel operating data centers. One ASR model is stationary; two others also deployed to serve clients are mobile and can operate in indoor or outdoor environments, recharging themselves periodically and functioning without human intervention.
In terms of intercepting parking area crime, their effectiveness was demonstrated by a Las Vegas Review-Journal report in March that noted a metropolitan apartment complex with a history of significant criminal activity had deployed one of Knightscope’s robots — the first such client in the Las Vegas area — and that the complex has now become “a quieter, more peaceful place to live” as calls to the police have fallen off (https://ibn.fm/UPrBM).
“It’s been very useful in several ways,” apartment complex manager Carmen Batiz told reporters. “It can advise people when they are out past the 10 p.m. curfew and the four video cameras tend to make people avoid it. When we have vandalism reports we can go through the video and get a time frame of when it happened. It has a button so people can get human help quick in an emergency. … We have eight other properties and we’re definitely going to bring on more robots and even the Wynn (hotel resort-casino empire) had people come check it out.”
For more information, visit the company’s website at www.Knightscope.com and if you have a need for subscription service you may request a private demonstration of the technology at www.Knightscope.com/demo.
NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to Knightscope are available in the company’s newsroom at https://ibn.fm/Knight
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