By SUE SUCHYTA
Sunday Times Newspapers
TAYLOR – Police Chief Mary Sclabassi presented the first of two seminars on crime prevention techniques to business owners and managers April 8 at Wayne County Community College District’s Downriver campus.
“Business on Watch,” which focuses on communicating the best ways to protect businesses, employees and customers from crime, will be repeated at 7 p.m. April 22 at WCCCD in the Ray Mix room.
For more information, contact Sclabassi at 734-374-1531 or [email protected]
Sclabassi said robbery, shoplifting, burglary, vandalism, and employee theft and fraud, present a huge costs to businesses, and is especially damaging to small businesses.
“You have not only external issues that you are dealing with, maybe people who come into your place of business to either commit crimes or cause problems for your establishment, you also face internal issues,” Sclabassi said. “Sometimes you may have employee theft, embezzlement.”
The program, which covers building security, robbery prevention, surveillance systems, fraud prevention, shoplifting, vandalism and internal theft, is interactive and informal, and allows time for individuals to ask questions when they occur.
Amy Atwood, a Taylor Neighborhood Watch program coordinator, said Sclabassi encourages questions from attendees, and it is important for business own to know that the police are there for them.
“We are willing to work with them to keep their businesses safe,” Atwood said. “These are all hints and ideas that (Sclabassi) has come up with and wants to share with the business owners. People who walk into your stores, what to look for in their behavior, for theft and things like that, ideas to help them.”
Attendees receive a crime prevention business manual, which Sclabassi said will be available online at cityoftaylor.com.
She said a community effort is needed to help businesses reduce and prevent crime, and business owners should work together to alert each other to crime patterns and suspicious activities.
“The Taylor Police Department can work with owners to improve security and reduce risk,” Sclabassi said.