Employee Parking

[SD Security]

I work in a mall setting and we have designated employee parking areas for mall and tenant employees. People do not like parking in these spots because they get here early when the parking lot is empty and they want to park close. I have been tasked with putting together a security action plan to enforce employee parking regulations. I was just wondering if anyone had any experience with this that they could share or any advice on the topic. Thanks in advance!

[N. A. Corbier]

Here's the problem. Those employees work for the stores, I take it, as well as the mall itself? How do you tell who is an employee and who is a patron who shows up early?

If you can answer that, the easiest course of action is to treat any employee vehicle out of the employee area at that hour as an unauthorized vehicle and tow it.

[Mr. Security]

Parking enforcement is a pain in the neck. First they tell you that no one is allowed to park in a certain area. Then when you enforce the policy, you start getting VIP exceptions to the rule. After that you're expected to know who the VIP's are, even though you never get a complete list, they drive different cars to work, and certain visitors are supposed to be VIP's too. Finally, after your guards have been unfairly chewed out for enforcement, you realize it's your fault no matter what you do, so why bother?

[mike booth]

Employee parking in a mall setting is a bad idea, in my humble opinion, on a lot of levels. One, if you are going to have a domestic/stalker situation at a mall, odds are it will be with an employee. Why put all the employees in one place? It just makes it easier for the stalker. Two, shoppers want to get as close to their exit as they can, but.... they just assume any cars parked up in the choice spots are other shoppers. If you move employees out of the choice spots, you are doing the shoppers a favor they don't even appreciate. Putting the employees near the building and near the exits in an open site is a proven plus on a lot of levels. Sounds to me like management is spinning their wheels because business is down. What about after hours, closing time, staff leaving alone, cash bags?

[HotelSecurity]

When you force employees to park in a certain area you are going to have more thefts from & of vehicles. In a parking lot of a mall the customer can return to his or her car at any time. An employee is usually gone for 8 hours.

[Bill Warnock]

Employee parking in a mall setting is a bad idea, in my humble opinion, on a lot of levels. One, if you are going to have a domestic/stalker situation at a mall, odds are it will be with an employee. Why put all the employees in one place? It just makes it easier for the stalker. Two, shoppers want to get as close to their exit as they can, but.... they just assume any cars parked up in the choice spots are other shoppers. If you move employees out of the choice spots, you are doing the shoppers a favor they don't even appreciate. Putting the employees near the building and near the exits in an open site is a proven plus on a lot of levels. Sounds to me like management is spinning their wheels because business is down. What about after hours, closing time, staff leaving alone, cash bags?

Mike Booth:
What are the answers to the following - the right light? In the right place? Illuminating at the right time sufficient given the location and the credible threat?
Have you made a study of any parking areas which you could call vulnerable to either shoppers or employees?
What is the condition of your lighting in the mall parking lot or lots?
What type of luminaries are used high pressure, low pressure sodium, halogen, or fluorescent?
What are the condition of lights, reflectors, lenses and fixture?
Describe the reflectance of lighted surfaces as indicated below:
What are the foot canldle fc power minimums in parking areas? Does provide protective lighting of at least 0.80fc in all areas?
Pedestrian entrances provide protective lighting of at least 2.00fc?
Building entrances provide protective lighting of at least 5.0 to 10.0fc?
Lobbies & hallways provide protective lighting of at least 10.0 to 20.0?
How big is your security force?
Have the mall employees park at any location in the parking lot and mix them up. Then offer escort service for both employees and patrons.
For obvious security reasons, please email me at [email protected] if you are confortable answering these questions.
There are some more detailed questions I would like to have answered but only in an email form.
Enjoy the day,
Bill

[N. A. Corbier]

Mike Booth:
What are the answers to the following - the right light? In the right place? Illuminating at the right time sufficient given the location and the credible threat?
Have you made a study of any parking areas which you could call vulnerable to either shoppers or employees?
What is the condition of your lighting in the mall parking lot or lots?
What type of luminaries are used high pressure, low pressure sodium, halogen, or fluorescent?
What are the condition of lights, reflectors, lenses and fixture?
Describe the reflectance of lighted surfaces as indicated below:
What are the foot canldle fc power minimums in parking areas? Does provide protective lighting of at least 0.80fc in all areas?
Pedestrian entrances provide protective lighting of at least 2.00fc?
Building entrances provide protective lighting of at least 5.0 to 10.0fc?
Lobbies & hallways provide protective lighting of at least 10.0 to 20.0?
How big is your security force?
Have the mall employees park at any location in the parking lot and mix them up. Then offer escort service for both employees and patrons.
For obvious security reasons, please email me at [email protected] if you are confortable answering these questions.
There are some more detailed questions I would like to have answered but only in an email form.
Enjoy the day,
Bill

Bill, not to take away from your usual long list of questions nobody has ever thought of but they should, but I need to be evil and point this out.

Do not offer escort services if your contract is for the protection of "property" only, or if your post orders say, "security guards assigned to this post shall not become involved in any situation, nor shall they confront anyone."

When you offer escort services, you have created a contractual obligation to the client that you will specifically protect people. If your post orders say that you are there to protect property only, you have invalidated them and exposed your employer (who will most likely fire you for it) to excessive liablity from "playing cop" or "protecting people."

If you do offer escort services, and the guard does nothing but call 911 when the person escorted is confronted by a criminal or otherwise harmed, you (the guard) and the company (through respondant superior) are liable for "failure to maintain standard of care," "failure to protect persons," and most likely criminal negligence since you offered "people protection" and failed to protect.

If your company believes you are an observe and report only security guard, then that's what you are. Don't ever take on more than that without written permission from your company, because they'll hang you out to dry for raising the standard of care to the client.

[Bill Warnock]

Bill, not to take away from your usual long list of questions nobody has ever thought of but they should, but I need to be evil and point this out.

Do not offer escort services if your contract is for the protection of "property" only, or if your post orders say, "security guards assigned to this post shall not become involved in any situation, nor shall they confront anyone."

When you offer escort services, you have created a contractual obligation to the client that you will specifically protect people. If your post orders say that you are there to protect property only, you have invalidated them and exposed your employer (who will most likely fire you for it) to excessive liablity from "playing cop" or "protecting people."

If you do offer escort services, and the guard does nothing but call 911 when the person escorted is confronted by a criminal or otherwise harmed, you (the guard) and the company (through respondant superior) are liable for "failure to maintain standard of care," "failure to protect persons," and most likely criminal negligence since you offered "people protection" and failed to protect.

If your company believes you are an observe and report only security guard, then that's what you are. Don't ever take on more than that without written permission from your company, because they'll hang you out to dry for raising the standard of care to the client.

Nathan:
You are 100% correct. I did not consider the contractual aspects of what duties are owed and by whom for whom to whom. Mike may be in a lose-lose situation. I was just looking at the physical security aspects of this problem.
I always preach the "whole-part-whole" aspects of security and I forget what I preached.
Around here you can't just put up signs that state "park and shop and your own risk." Courts have found if you have a mall setting you are in effect establishing an attractive nuisance and vicarious liability rears its ugly head.
Warm regards,
Bill

[mike booth]

Bill, I think you meant to direct your questions and your generous offer to help to SD Security. ;-)

[Bill Warnock]

Bill, I think you meant to direct your questions and your generous offer to help to SD Security. ;-)

Mike:
No, young man; just you. When I write email that is just it, you the sender and I the receiver. You have to play it that way otherwise no one will trust you.
Enjoy the day,
Bill

[mike booth]

I'm not in mall security. I just feel parking all the employees in one place makes it easier to target them, among other things. Unless Bill, your list of questions was just to get me thinking, then thanks.

[Bill Warnock]

I'm not in mall security. I just feel parking all the employees in one place makes it easier to target them, among other things. Unless Bill, your list of questions was just to get me thinking, then thanks.

Mike:
There will be a PM to you as soon as I gets my wits about me.
Bill

[Bill Warnock]

I'm not in mall security. I just feel parking all the employees in one place makes it easier to target them, among other things. Unless Bill, your list of questions was just to get me thinking, then thanks.

Mike:
There is a little of both. All of us can benefit from another's knowledge and esperience.
Hopefully the PM is of some assistance.
Enjoy the day,
Bill

[Eric]

Is this workable?
Employees of the Mall and individual stores who start work at or after 1500, or finish after 1830, are asked to park close to the store, near good lighting, along well travelled paths and in close available spaces. Others are asked to keep the X number of spaces / rows away from building entry points.

Is there an area under camera watch they could park?

Store owners should come onboard, as employee cars that are not as easily assessible, are not as easy to "relocate" products.

Employees should be able to understand getting customers in easier and any late departing employees concerns are being addressed.


I do not like the idea of signs directing staff of malls where to park.

[Bill Warnock]

Is this workable?
Employees of the Mall and individual stores who start work at or after 1500, or finish after 1830, are asked to park close to the store, near good lighting, along well travelled paths and in close available spaces. Others are asked to keep the X number of spaces / rows away from building entry points.

Is there an area under camera watch they could park?

Store owners should come onboard, as employee cars that are not as easily assessible, are not as easy to "relocate" products.

Employees should be able to understand getting customers in easier and any late departing employees concerns are being addressed.


I do not like the idea of signs directing staff of malls where to park.

Eric:
Most of us have been in the security business for at least a day understand that it is not prudent to highlight potential targets. We had a hard sell for general and flag officers, senior civilians, judges (federal, state and county), mall directors and sundry folks who wanted to be recognized. It is a prestige thing. The only Army General who never parked in the general officer's parking area while I was assigned to AMC was MG George S. Patton, son of the famous General Patton. He never parked twice in the same place.
Vehicle license plates or vanity plates is another thing we in this business should have our clients avoid like the plague.
All of us were glad to help you.
Enjoy the day,
Bill