Commercial burglaries may seem to perpetrators like a victimless crime: no one’s around, no one gets hurt, and it’s only a faceless company dealing with the loss. But considering that nearly everyone who is employed works for a business of some kind, commercial losses can have big effects on communities at large. Social media makes it easy to find out where commercial burglaries are happening in your area, in order to evaluate your business’ potential risk for getting hit. A quick search this morning in Seattle shows seven reports in the last five hours, with information about location and the dispatch. Along with helping determine risk, the public nature of crime data also makes it harder for business owners to deny that commercial burglaries are taking place. Sometimes what you don’t know can hurt you, and businesses that are moving, just opening or expanding put themselves at increased risk for a break-in because criminals often (rightly) assume that owners and facility managers have had too much on their plates to put a security plan into place.   With real crime and false alarms abounding in communities of all sizes, commercial security systems can be both a blessing and a curse for businesses. Four of the seven Twitter reports shown on the right are labeled “false.” False alarms cause major headaches for responding officers and business owners alike. Commercial security systems that prevent false alarms, however, can be a business’ best friend when it comes to real protection. One way to prevent false alarms is by making sure that alarm monitors have the full story before police are dispatched. Live video footage can verify what’s going on without having to put a real person in danger or creating another false alarm. Without verification, alarm companies have two choices: dispatch police to what is likely a false alarm caused by something in front of a motion detector, or let the business owner decide to “let it slide” and risk letting a burglary happen.   Following the Twitter feed for your local police department can be a great way to stay up to date on crime in your area. Investing in a low false-alarm commercial security system can help you make sure that your business isn’t the next one you see on Twitter for false alarms…and in the case of a real burglary, you’ll know you are protected. Learn more about social media and security.