Crime Prevention Tips for Business Owners

When leaving your place of business at night, feel free to call the Duluth Police Department for an escort. Most of the time, if we are not all busy on calls, we can arrive at your location within minutes. It only takes a few minutes to walk you to your vehicle and it is one of the many things we offer to make you safer.

We also offer escorts for day time as well. If for any reason you feel uncomfortable about a suspicious person or vehicle in the area, please call the Duluth Police Department immediately. We can respond to check out the individual, or the car, and walk you to your own vehicle for your safety.

Do not keep large sums of cash on hand. When coming or going to your place of business, if you have to deliver or take out large sums (or any sums for that matter) of cash, call the Duluth Police Department for an escort to your vehicle. If banking within the city limits of Duluth, we can even escort you to the bank.

If you have a safe in your place of business USE IT. Do not leave large sums of cash in registers, only to run the risk of customers seeing it when the till is open, and trying to take it then or plan on coming back later for it.

At night, leave tills open and empty. This will allow those who want to “window shop” to see that you leave no monies out and hopefully foil a break in later.

Surveillance cameras are a useful tool. Install them in as many places as you can. This will show would- be robbers that you will capture their image(s) on camera and hopefully deter them from trying in the first place.

If you have large store front windows, please keep them free from signs and displays that would hinder us from being able to drive by your location and see inside to see you or your staff. Many times we drive by locations and look at the clerk in a store, or other employees to make sure that it looks like “business as usual”. We cannot do this if we cannot see inside your location. Window displays are important to draw customers in, but at the same time they can be used by criminals to hide them to the outside officer.

In the event of a robber, DO NOT fight back. Comply with the orders of the robber(s) and give them what they want. There is nothing in the store worth losing your life over. Obtaining a tag number on a vehicle used as a “getaway car” is great, but DO NOT risk your life or health to obtain it. If you have cameras on the outside of your establishment, we may have that tag number anyway.

When arriving at your place of business in the morning, evening, or whenever you first open, drive around the building to check for suspicious activity. If any is spotted, leave the area immediately and notify the Duluth Police Department for a response.

While open, if you notice ANY activity that you feel is suspicious, do not hesitate to notify the Duluth Police Department.