SURVEILLANCE SPECIAL REPORT


Inside Job T


he days of the “hunt and peck” method in surveillance rooms are over. Surveillance rooms have hundreds—and in most cases thousands—of cameras that stretch from all over the resort complex to the central command center of the casino, the surveillance room.


So the question becomes, how, with that many cameras to watch and a surveil-


lance staff that is typically less than 20 to 30 employees, do we watch everything? We quite obviously don’t have a surveillance person sitting behind every camera on property watching as incidents occur. Instead, in today’s surveillance rooms we rely and require notifications from


outside departments on anything significant. Examples of these are: high action play in gaming areas, jackpots, monetary escorts, employee bank variances, security incidents (trip-and-falls, fights, thefts, etc.) and of course, anything criminal or sus- picious in nature. Also, a surveillance room’s staff must be highly trained, motivated and ready for anything. Some surveillance rooms now use more effective, advanced methods than in


the past to keep one step ahead. Some of these include: 1) conducting regular/routine audits of all outside departments to ensure poli-


cies and procedures, gaming regulations and state and federal laws are being com- plied with, and that internal theft isn’t taking place;


2) utilizing “interface” technology that gives us the ability to view “real time”


what an employee is doing on a computer while watching his general activities with a camera;


3) data-mining departmental reports and financial statements for red flags and


areas of concern; and 4) using analytics built into digital systems that not only expedite reviews of


incidents but notify surveillance staff of problematic areas and employees. These methods being utilized properly in a surveillance room can significantly


increase the detection of incidents of theft occurring at a property, and can turn “reactive” surveillance rooms into “proactive” rooms. What other techniques can be used by surveillance and other departmental


management to prevent, detect and deter internal theft? Here are some suggestions of proactive techniques that every establishment should implement (if not already in place) that will assist in prevention and increase detection of internal theft:


Better Screening and Background Checks Make “integrity” questionnaires part of your organization’s pre-screening process. Every potential candidate should have to take the questionnaire and score within a designated range to be able to continue the hiring process. These questionnaires can help ensure you are hiring a more honest, ethical employee. Use public record information through the internet to assist with employee


background checks. These records are usually free and are a cost-effective way to ensure the employee you hired doesn’t have skeletons in his or her closet. Just running the employee’s name and date of birth through a Google search


could find potential litigation against the employee, or in some cases, you may find the person made the headlines of a newspaper in a less-than-positive light. Some states even have civil and criminal court information that’s available to anyone who can access the internet.


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Proactive techniques in prevention and detection


of internal theft By Jessie Beaudoin


It’s important to remember that just because someone resigned from a com-


pany and wasn’t “fired” doesn’t mean they have a clean slate. You never know; maybe the employee resigned in lieu of termination after being caught stealing and the employer decided not to prosecute to save money. Remember, for liability reasons, a lot of companies give very little informa-


tion about past employees. Some companies have even begun using an 800 number that will just provide information like position held and start and end date of employment. They will typically provide no other specific information as to why the employee is no longer with the company.


Policies and Procedures Ensure you have strong policies and procedures in every department and that they are updated regularly. Departmental standard operating procedures (SOPs) are a must for every


department within a gaming establishment. The SOPs should be the core of the department, and they should outline how aspects of the job are done every day and how specific situations are handled. SOPs should be updated at least annual- ly, and all employees should be required to sign and date them when they receive them to acknowledge that they have received and understand the expectations of the job.


When updating SOPs, learn from your mistakes and experiences, and make


sure to create additions and revisions to your SOPs when necessary. The only way department heads can minimize opportunities for their employees to com- mit internal theft is to put controls in place in their SOPs to make it harder to steal. Another advantage to strong, structured policies and procedures in your department is that they can help you in unemployment hearings. If an employee denies in an unemployment hearing that they knew what their expectations were related to the job, you have documentation to support that they read and signed their job expectations and were held accountable. Finally, strong SOPs help surveillance rooms conduct routine audits.


Surveillance staff should read through departmental SOPs prior to conducting an audit in the area to ensure these SOPs are being adhered to.


Know Your Property Inventory all critical and expensive equipment, materials and supplies in every department. If you were to test inventory controls at your property over a high-value item


you sell—like lobster, for example—would your property pass? If your executive management lets you, try it. Take a box of lobsters (or similar item) out of a freezer when no one is around and see how long it takes someone to report the box missing. In most cases, no one will report the box missing, and instead will pass it off as used product. Too often, equipment, materials and supplies are noticed to be missing and


not reported in a timely manner, or at all. Due to lack of proper inventory con- trol, missing items are reported to security or surveillance teams to be investigat- ed, and when the question is asked, “When was the item last seen in the area?” management’s response is, “I’m not sure.” In these cases, the question becomes, “At what point do we start the review?”


Global Gaming Business • February 2011


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