By Pamela Miller, OD, FAAO, JD
Protecting your office from theft and burglary has two action fronts: Equip your office with security enhancements, and institute office procedures so that staff knows what to do if a theft or burglary occurs. Here’s the how-to.
Your office may be located in a safe, upscale neighborhood, but that doesn’t mean your practice is safe from burglary (an illegal entry to commit theft or a break in with no in-person confrontation) or theft (break-ins with no face-to-face contact or a stealing of property). Protecting your office requires establishing office protocols and investing in security enhancements. As with all legal matters, it is best to check with your local law enforcement and attorney before taking any action.
Optometric Offices are Easy Targets
Like most doctor’s offices, an optometrist publicly posts her hours of operation and the thief can lie in wait observing when the flow of traffic through the office is heaviest. That means they know when no one is there and they can easily facilitate a quick and easy break-in. Or it means they can arrive at the office at a time when they have noticed it is busiest and pocket many high-end frames without the harried, distracted staff noticing. Unlike most other doctors’ offices, the OD is more vulnerable to thievery because of the optical dispensaries most of us operate. A quick smash-and-grab job in which the thief smashes the display cases or rips frames from the board can easily bring in a haul worth thousands of dollars. The merchandise is small and light to carry yet often worth hundreds of dollars a piece.
Gauge Your Level of Vulnerability
We are all vulnerable to falling prey to thieves, but some of us may be more vulnerable than others. For that reason, consider asking the local police department or sheriff’s office if they would be able to send an officer to do a security walk-through your office. The officer may be able to point out areas of vulnerability you may have overlooked like a window in the back of the practice that you keep open, an area of the frame board that your front desk staff can’t easily see or expensive merchandise that is not as protected as you think it is.
Also think about having a “secret thief” that operates like the thieve’s version of a secret shopper. Without telling your staff, ask a friend who doesn’t know anything about your practice to visit and try to steal merchandise and see how much they are able to sneak off with. You might be surprised how many frames can be stuffed down a bulky winter coat or how easy it is to simply walk right out the door in plain view with several frames when all of your staff is distracted taking care of patients.
Add Cameras to the Dispensary
Installing cameras in your dispensary is no longer a big investment. It can be easily done in one afternoon and, depending on the added features you choose (real time surveillance by a security company or simply a recording of everything happening in the dispensary), it can be done for under $1,000. In addition to having a recording of everything that takes place in the dispensary, so you can review the tape in case of suspected theft, the presence of cameras has a deterrent effect. A potential thief sees the camera mounted on the wall and knows he won’t be able to retain his anonymity. Depending on the security camera and/or service you invest in, it is often possible for you to watch a real time video of what is happening in the dispensary from any location, even from your home. In addition to the dispensary and reception areas, think about installing cameras right outside the entrance to your front door and in the parking area, as well.
Note that privacy laws require that you post a sign alerting everyone who enters your office that the premises are under 24-hour video surveillance.
If you do not want to install cameras, you also have the option of just making those who enter the office think they are being recorded by video. You can do this by posting a sign stating that the premises “may” be under surveillance. For many potential thieves, even the possibility that their actions may be videotaped is enough to deter theft.
Consider an Alarm System with Motion Detectors
If you already have your office’s front door on an alarm system, and the windows also sound if opened, you may have to take another measure–motion detectors. It is common for thieves to break the windows to enter. Without motion detectors, a thieve who breaks a window without opening it might not trigger the alarm.
It also can help to have a tape measure in a discreet place next to the front door with markers for 5 feet and 6 feet so that if there is a robbery or a person your staff is suspicious of walks out the door, they can take note of the approximate height of the person to aid identification. You could disguise the tape measure with one mark at 5 feet and another at 6 feet.
Put Security Tags on Frames
Just as merchandise that has not been purchased beeps when leaving the door to a department store, you can invest in security tags for your frames that do the same. Choose tags that are impossible for people to remove on their own. You also could take the extra measure of locking all or some of the frames to the board so that an optician has to unlock it for patients to try on. Doing so may inhibit browsing, but for your most expensive designer frames, it might not be a bad idea. You also can keep high-end frames in a locked polycarbonate (hardier than glass, as we ODs know) case near the front desk.
Lower Insurance Costs with Added Security
The money you spend on added security measures may be offset by lower insurance costs. It is to your insurance provider’s advantage to have your office be more secure, so lower rates may be available with office security enhancements.
Train Staff on Handling Potential Shoplifters
Sometimes innocent people accidentally put a pair of frames they are looking at in their purse or pocket merchandise without thinking about it. For that reason, when a staff member notices someone pocketing a frame or putting it in a bag, the best thing to do is to train them to approach the person in a friendly manner: “Can I help you with that? I know you have a lot in your hands right now. Let me hold on to those frames while you look around, and when you’re ready, one of our opticians can go over these selections with you.”
Similarly, if your staff notices a patient walking into the parking lot with frames that have not been paid for, take a non-hostile approach: “Susan, I think you may have accidentally left with that frame you were just looking at. I know we had a lot going on in the office, so I just wanted to make sure you didn’t accidentally take something you meant to leave behind with us.”
When the Suspected Shoplifter is a Patient’s Child
If several frames are missing, and you can see from reviewing the security camera, that the thief is the child of a long-time patient, you have a difficult decision to make. You could just call the police. But you also could call the child’s parent and explain what has happened: “I’m sorry to have to call you, but John was in our office, and unfortunately, we noticed several frames were missing. We checked our security camera and saw him taking the frames. We would be happy to have you take a look at the tape. How would you like us to handle this?” Some parents will simply apologize and pay for the missing frames, while others will bring the frames back in or let the doctor know the frames will be taken out of the child’s allowance. Usually parents are grateful for the chance to work it out with the doctor rather than having to work it out with the police.
When the Suspected Thief is a Staff Member
When hiring staff, let them know, and state it in print in an employee policy guide, that you have a policy of automatic termination that includes, but may not be limited to, theft of merchandise or other office property.
Train Staff on What to Do During Violent Confrontations
Unlike the casual shoplifter who just pockets a few frames, train your staff to never confront or engage a robber who violently confronts the staff by, for instance, smashing the glass of display cases. Instead, instruct them to stay calm, do as they are told and after the robber has left, immediately call the police.
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Pamela Miller, OD, FAAO, JD, DPNAP,has a solo optometric practice in Highland, Calif. She is an attorney at law, holds a therapeutic license, is California State Board-certified and glaucoma-certified to prescribe eye medications, and offers comprehensive vision care, contact lenses, visual therapy and low vision services. To contact her: drpam@omnivision.com.
