Casinos handle enough money every single day to have to be on the lookout for workplace violence. This article highlights a few heists in Las Vegas casinos in particular. Some of the brazen tactics displayed by assailants involved is concerning, especially concerning the public nature of the casinos involved. For this reason, a holdup switch for casinos would be an excellent addition to any incident response plan.

Why Use Holdup Switch for Casinos?

Little known fact: many traditional holdup switches for casinos do not actually connect directly to the police. Most silent alarms contact either an internal security group or a third-party security company. The security personnel may either pull security footage or call the casino to assess the situation before actually contacting authorities. This delay could cause valuable time to be lost when trying to track down a robber. In the event of an emergency situation, every second matters.

A holdup switch for casinos would be especially helpful for several reasons. First, CRS Notify holdup switches connect directly to 911 with the E911 platform integration. This cuts out the middleman. Authorities are also notified instantly of a high alert being raised. Ultimately, this would be helpful in trying to catch a robber as they leave the casino.

Secondly, our two-button wireless hardware devices have a range of 750 feet from the USB receiver. The wireless button is especially useful to employees that may not stay in the same spot at all times during a shift. If the employee feels threatened for whatever reason, they can discreetly raise a low alert to notify their colleagues to keep a lookout. If there is an imminent threat, the employee could quickly and discreetly raise a high alert to contact the police.

One of our unique features allows several computers within a building and campuses alike to be networked together. With a CRS Notify holdup switch for casinos, all people in the network will be notified if an alert has been raised. For example, if a teller behind the casino cage raises a high alert, their off-site manager could receive a text message about the situation just moments after the alert.

How to Avoid Robberies

First and foremost, the most significant thing that casino employees can do to deter robberies is to be aware of their surroundings. Even though the gesture may seem small, casino employees should greet and make eye contact with each and every customer that comes in the door. Robbers usually want to maintain anonymity. There have been many cases where just a simple greeting has deterred a robbery.

Employees should also be trained in spotting suspicious activity. The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network has an annual filing report that includes several different kinds of irregular acts, such as credit card fraud, large currency exchanges and use of multiple accounts. Any suspicious activity should be reported to a supervisor as soon as possible.

Surveillance cameras are also a deterrent of robberies. Again, most robbers want to maintain anonymity. There have been many reported cases of a surveillance camera preventing a robber from robbing a casino.

Tellers should keep in close adherence to company policy when it comes to the amount of cash in their drawers. Amounts should be kept as low as possible to be able to conduct business. Any excess cash should be locked in the vault.

Incident Response Plans

Every casino should have an incident response plan in place that all employees are trained to follow. In addition to a holdup switch for casinos, incident response plans are critical to have in place.

Many robberies involved the robber passing a demand note to the teller. Demand notes are an enormous source of evidence and should be preserved if it is safe to do so. Notes should not be handled or touched any more than is necessary.

The demands of a robber should always be followed. Many robbers do not want to draw attention to themselves. For the safety of employees and customers, the best course of action is to follow the demands of the robber.

A holdup switch for casinos is helpful when trying to catch a perpetrator after the fact. However, holdup switches should only be activated when it is safe to do so. In fact, many security and law enforcement personnel will advise that a holdup switch for casinos not be used until the robber has left the premises. A hostage situation could potentially be triggered if the robber happens to turn around and see police waiting on the other side of the door. Because robbers tend to want to leave as quickly as possible, the best course of action is to allow the robber to leave. This action will lessen potential victimization of those in the casino.

Those who were directly involved with the assailant and other witnesses should be isolated from each other as quickly as possible to fill out statements. Many law enforcement officials advise the separation so that everyone has an individual account of what happened. This way the recollection of the situation is not tainted with the statements of others.

Conclusion

In closing, a holdup switch for casinos would be beneficial in a robbery situation. An alert could be activated within moments of a robbery happening. Police would then be dispatched moments later. A holdup switch for casino also cuts out the middleman when contacting emergency personnel. Instant notification prevents excessive time between alarm and dispatch. Casino employees can rest easy knowing that in the event of having to use a panic button, the authorities will be there within moments.

Still Unsure About a Holdup Switch?

Contact us for more information to make the best decision for your holdup switch.

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