The client deployed a dedicated Patrol & Parking Management Team equipped with a Suspicious Person & Vehicle Lookup / Database Search System integrated directly into their mobile guard app. This transformed day-to-day patrol work into an intelligence-led operation.
Core Patrol Duties & Responsibilities
- Parking Lot & Perimeter Patrols
• Continuous patrol of all parking areas, service lanes, and loading zones
• Proactive scanning for expired tags, suspicious behavior, loitering, or abandoned vehicles
• Use of the lookup tool to identify previously cited, warned, or flagged vehicles - Suspicious Person & Vehicle Lookups in Real Time
Before writing a report, issuing a violation, or approaching a suspicious subject, officers would:
• Run a Person Lookup to determine whether the individual had prior incidents, was banned, a former employee, a person of interest, suspect, or victim
• Run a Vehicle Lookup to see if the vehicle had prior violations, was tied to theft or suspicious activity, or was on a Watch or Tow-on-Sight list - Incident Reporting With Historical Context
• Attach person or vehicle histories directly to new incident reports
• Capture photos (plates, faces where permitted, vehicle positioning, damage)
• Tag reports under standardized incident types for consistency and analytics - Tenant & Management Coordination
• Immediate notification to mall management when banned subjects or problem vehicles were identified
• Support to retailers dealing with known shoplifters through instant lookups
• Regular reporting providing trends, hotspot analysis, and accountability tracking - Safety & Deterrence
• Increased visibility during peak hours (evenings, weekends, holidays)
• Strategic presence around previous incident hotspots identified by data
• Safer officer contact thanks to prior knowledge before engagement
The Results: From Guesswork to Data-Driven Control
After six months of utilizing the Suspicious Person & Vehicle Lookup System, the mall experienced significant improvements:
- Fewer Repeat Offenders
• 71% reduction in vehicles with three or more parking violations
• 58% reduction in repeat loitering cases
• Multiple banned individuals intercepted before re-entering tenant spaces
Previously, officers engaged unknown subjects blindly. Now, they knew the full history before a single word was exchanged. - Stronger Incident Prevention & Faster Response
• 32% decrease in calls-for-service related to disturbances and suspicious activity
• 24% reduction in vehicle break-ins, thefts, and vandalism
• Officers reported feeling safer, more confident, and better informed - Better Documentation & Liability Protection
• Incident and violation reports completed 40% faster
• All major cases tied to photos, history, and officer notes
• Management gained a searchable record for disputes, tow decisions, and legal needs - Clear Deterrent Effect
Once word spread that the property maintained detailed long-term records of suspicious vehicles and banned persons, behavior shifted:
• Repeat offenders stopped viewing the mall as an easy target
• Chronic parking abusers moved on
• Tenants recognized the security team as an intelligence-driven operation, not “just guards walking around”
Thought-Provoking Takeaway: The Guard of the Future Is an Intelligence Officer
This case study from Destin, FL highlights a crucial question for property managers:
Are your security officers simply showing up, or are they building an intelligence picture of the people and vehicles that pose risks on your property?
This system helped convert the mall’s security posture from reactive to proactive, incident-driven to intelligence-driven, and from note-takers to true decision-makers. Officers no longer guessed whether a vehicle or person had a history—they knew within seconds.
Key Lessons for Retail Properties
For malls, lifestyle centers, and retail plazas, this model delivers:
• Smarter, consistent enforcement of rules and bans
• Rapid identification of repeat offenders and high-risk vehicles
• Improved officer safety with prior knowledge before contact
• Better tenant satisfaction through visible, professional, data-backed security
• Reduced liability supported by strong documentation and historical records
If your property deals with the same individuals and vehicles repeatedly, this is not a luxury—it’s the difference between hoping things improve and engineering better outcomes.
About the Creator
James DeGeorge (JD) is the founder of Gladiator Security Advisors and a nationally recognized security strategist, subject matter expert, and business development leader. With more than 30 years of combined experience in security operations, leadership, and growth strategy, JD works with security companies on a national scale & brings a proven track record of elevating safety standards and strengthening organizational resilience.
As the Managing Director, JD is dedicated to delivering compliant, high-performance security solutions. He specializes in building tailored security infrastructures for residential communities, commercial properties, retail centers, and institutional environments—helping clients operate with confidence in safer, smarter, and more secure spaces.