Clients should feel confident when they hire a New England Security guard - by Daniel Sarno

As the COVID-19 dust settles, one thing that all can agree on is that the pandemic shook us at our core. Countless businesses folded, employees lost their jobs, and families lost loved ones. The sense of doom and despair was real. It took a lot of positive thinking and perseverance for people and businesses to overcome what felt like an inevitable sinking ship. Our company faced its fair share of unique hardships over the past two years, however, thanks to our highly determined management team and dedicated security guards, we certainly found our way on top by adapting to market trends.

As with any company, the overall success is always a team effort. It has been our goal for years to engage our employees in a way that makes us feel like a big family. NEW ENGLAND SECURITY is still a small and emerging company, seeing a 33% growth in revenue year over year since 2009. This has afforded us the opportunity to give back to our hard-working employees. Aside from the standard benefits packages that most tend to offer, we go a few extra steps and cover a multitude of other unique benefits such as wellness programs, free and discounted memberships to top gyms, local and national discounts on retail and restaurants, flexible commuter reimbursement plans, and much more. We hold a monthly town hall meeting for all our employees to participate in a roundtable discussion on company-wide matters. This truly engages and empowers the employee to be part of our day-to-day management decisions. Clients should feel confident that when they hire a NEW ENGLAND SECURITY guard, they are being provided with a well-trained, well-respected, and empowered employee.

Despite our most rigorous efforts to maintain and procure qualified guards, we were still met with major staffing shortages. Most businesses in the service industry felt this impact and it continues today. As clients tightened their security budgets and security companies struggled to supply guards, we sought other options to help supplement our existing services. Remote video monitoring has become a successful solution for both our clients and our company. We immediately started to convert our 24/7 dispatch center to a real-time remote video monitoring department where we took in hundreds of our clients’ IP video feeds. While not a perfect fit for all clients, remote video monitoring certainly diversifies the service we provide and helps supplement our traditional guard service.

NEW ENGLAND SECURITY took it one step further. Instead of just taking in existing video feeds, we developed an in-house proprietary monitoring and camera system called Video Guard Pro. Our system utilizes the most advanced “smart” camera technology, capable of artificial intelligence, two-way audio communication, and even onboard police lights and sirens. Video Guard Pro’s goal is to “Prevent Crime in Real Time.”

We wanted to only utilize the latest technologies and that’s why we partnered with Mobotix. The cameras that Mobotix have designed, developed and produced go beyond the limits of what we were looking for. Additionally, Mobotix cameras offer far more options and are more durable than any other cameras on the market today. The cameras utilize built-in AI technology to detect, observe, recognize, and identify vehicles, license plates, individuals, intruders, and criminal activity.

Today Video Guard Pro provides a proprietary Crime Watch Box and remote video monitoring solutions at over 70 locations across New England, New York, New Jersey, Virginia, Maryland, and DC and are making our way to other parts of the United States. We proactively limit our growth and never take on more business than we can handle. We never want to overwhelm our monitoring agents. This allows them to focus on a limited number of projects and sites, maintaining consistent and optimal dedication to our clients.

Our most recent client success story involves a hybrid of traditional security guarding in conjunction with our Video Guard Pro system. We currently provide neighborhood-wide security surveillance and patrol for the Newmarket Business District. Many Bostonians refer to this area as “Mass and Cass” or “Methadone Mile.” In addition to the 24/7 roving patrol of the district utilizing three guards and two patrol vehicles at all times, we also installed Video Guard Pro boxes around the neighborhood in key hotspots. Combined, we are able to dispatch our guards to trouble areas even before local businesses have the chance to call our dispatch center to report suspicious activity. In addition, the Video Guard Pro system allows for our dispatchers to verbally communicate to loiterers and perpetrators via loud speakers to warn them if they do not leave that law enforcement will be called. The results of the system’s capabilities are overwhelming successful.

We hope that any company considering to install a video monitoring system check out what we have to offer at www.videoguardpro.com.

Daniel Sarno is the chief financial officer for NEW ENGLAND SECURITY, Malden, Mass.