Last winter’s World Trade Center bombing and the recent spree of armed robberies at O’Hare International Airport’s parking facilities demonstrate just how vulnerable parking lots are to crime.
An estimated 507,000 violent crimes, such as rape, robbery and assault, occurred in parking lots or garages in 1992, down 117,000 from 1991,according to statistics compiled by the U.S. Department of Justice.
Still, though nothing can stop all crimes, law enforcement experts agree that parking security systems and personnel, coupled with a dose of common sense on the part of parking lot users, can go a long way toward preventing crimes.
“Awareness is the key factor in preventing crime and can definitely reduce the risk” of becoming a victim, said Rose Olivieri, a crime prevention officer with the Chicago Police Department.
At the 10,000-car outdoor lot at Gurnee Mills in the northern suburb, bike, foot and car patrols keep an eye on the mall’s 115-acre lot, and two on-duty Gurnee police officers work at a substation in the mall.
Of the 457,819 cars parked there in October, six were burglarized and one was stolen, according to Gurnee Mills’ usage and crime statistics, but no assaults or robberies were reported.
Gurnee Chief of Police John Ward credits the roving patrols, heavy traffic flow and cameras along the lot’s perimeter for the low incidence of crime.
To minimize thefts in valet lots, General Parking Corp., which manages about 100 valet and self-park lots around the city, administers written psychological evaluations to prospective employees, said Michael Prussian, General’s president.
Theft is more of a problem in self-parks, said Prussian, who cited radios and telephones as prime booty. General counters the security threats with roving patrols and video cameras.
Pictures of suspects in the crimes come in handy, as well. “There’s a handful of guys who work the places, and we have pictures of them,” said Prussian. “We are constantly on the lookout for these guys.”
Assaults are virtually nil in General’s self-parks, with only one robbery in the last two years, said Prussian.
To protect patrons, General uses panic alarms in elevator banks, stairwells and strategic locations on each floor, said Prussian. Cashier booths have alarms that are wired to the police.
Standard Parking Corp., which manages many lots around the city, including the three Grant Park garages, similarly outfits its lots.
At Adams Street and Wabash Avenue, one of the firm’s newest self-parks, cashiers keep tabs on every floor by scanning three monitors that cross-cut between video cameras placed throughout the facility.
Uniform fluorescent lights reflecting off-white semi-gloss paint on the ceilings, walls and columns “give the perception that it’s a bright, safe place,” said Michael E. Swartz, a senior vice president at Standard.
Call buttons at either end of each parking level act as two-way intercoms between patron and cashier.
Standard uses a minimum of three full-time armed security guards on all shifts at Grant Park, said Bob Procarione, general manager for the company’s Chicago Park District garages.
The firm’s efforts may be reducing theft. In the first six weeks after Standard assumed operations at Grant Park in August, three thefts were reported, down from 12 in the six weeks from June 15 to July 31, according to police records.
But even though parking firms take security precautions to protect their patrons and property, there is no sure-fire way to avoid terrorist attacks, short of searching every car and frisking everyone who enters a garage. Some facilities, however, are more penetrable than others.
O’Hare has been deemed a prime target for a terrorist attack by Ed Linder, of Colonial Parking, a Washington, D.C.-based parking firm that manages the lot at Dulles Airport. Colonial and General Parking recently failed in their bid for the management contract of O’Hare’s parking structures.
Linder blames poor lighting and inadequate surveillance cameras for “abysmal” security at the airport parking facilities.
Though Hugh Murphy, a first deputy commissioner with the Department of Aviation, which oversees O’Hare, said he “feels confident” that the O’Hare lots are safe, he acknowledged that “there is no simple answer” to securing the 18,000 spaces in O’Hare’s six parking lots.
Moreover, he acknowledged “the facility is not perfect and we have to make improvements. That’s why (O’Hare has) privatized and brought in outside contractors who specialize in parking structures,” said Murphy.
Lisa Howard, a spokeswoman for the Department of Aviation, said that “ever since the Persian Gulf, Andy Frain (security personnel) have been in the elevated lot doing patrols, and that gives parking patrons” an added sense of security. The Andy Frains are armed with radios.
“That’s a good deterrent against crime,” Howard said. “(Potential criminals) are being observed.”
But once the city finalizes a management contract for O’Hare with a parking firm-negotiations are under way with Standard-Andy Frains will be replaced by armed security patrols, said Murphy, who added that armed guards have been in place at cashier booths since four robberies in August.
“Security is a top item. We want to have the public feel safer and to have our security staff visible,” Murphy said.
When using self-parks such as those at Grant Park, Gurnee Mills or O’Hare, one way to protect yourself is by using common sense, said Olivieri of the Chicago police.
Other tips from Olivieri include:
– Lock your car and lock all valuables in the trunk or take them with you.
– Park in well-lit areas close to stairwells and elevators.
– Report suspicious behavior.
“If you have pulled in and see someone who looks suspicious, go to the exit-where you pay-and let an attendant know rather than parking somewhere else,” said Olivieri. That way, “the parking facility can take steps. You may not be the victim, but someone else could be.”
If you are afraid, request an escort to your car. At Grant Park and many downtown self-parks, for instance, security guards will accompany you to your car by foot or via motor vehicle, said Procarione. Arrangements can be made with cashiers and via panic or emergency buttons.
The most effective way to ensure safety and ensure against property loss, however, is to park in a valet lot, advises Olivieri.
Operators of valet lots are legally responsible for damage to cars, due to “bailment,” a legal term that means they have custody and control of your car, said General Parking’s Prussian. Self-parks hold no liability for damage, because patrons are essentially renting space.
Theft still can happen in valet lots, and Olivieri recommends the following to protect your valuables:
– Lock the trunk and glove compartment. Leave only the ignition key with the attendant.
– “Don’t leave your house keys. They can find out where you live from your license plate,” said Olivieri. “After you leave, they can make an extra set of keys and you could become a burglary victim.”
– Take your car registration with you. If the car is stolen, you have given the thief the paperwork to enable them to sell your car out of state.
– Check the trunk to make sure everything is there before driving out of the lot. If you find evidence of wrongdoing, report it to the police, said Olivieri. “Although the attendants may deny taking anything, at least the claim will go on record. If no one files a case report, there will be no way to pinpoint wrongdoing to that parking garage.”
