By Amy Carboneau
4/26/10
After nine years of owning a convenience store in lower Roxbury, Julio Peña is finally getting a working security system.
One week after the February 21 murder of a Dorchester convenience store owner, Mayor Thomas Menino put into effect a security initiative to ensure better protection for convenience store owners and their staff.
The initiative will provide $500 in city reimbursements for convenience store owners who purchase a camera, monitor and recording equipment. So far, 28 stores of the 141 visited have filled out applications seeking upgrades, said Jay Walsh, of Neighborhood Services.
Peña Market, in lower Roxbury, is one of them. At 1053 Tremont Street, Peña Market has cameras that monitor everything that happens, but no device to record it. "The people don't know that I don't have a recording," said Peña. "They see the camera."
Until recently, that has been enough for him. But there are new people that come to the neighborhood and hang out on the corner just outside the store. "That's no good for me," Peña said, "or for the store." It becomes a game of tag, with Peña shooing them away, or calling the police, and then the people coming back.
There are 190 independently owned convenience stores in Boston. Ninety percent have some form of security in place, said Walsh. But for many of these stores, it's only the appearance of one.
In announcing the security initiative, Menino's press release stated: "The initiative will also include an enhanced police presence around convenience stores and an informational campaign to educate store owners about best security practices.... As a community it is our responsibility to help store owners better protect themselves by educating them of better practices and providing them with resources to make the necessary security upgrades."
So in the past two months, a mob of enforcement - policemen, staff from the Office of Business Development, members of Boston Main Streets - have begun patrolling the streets, offering advice and a sense of security to all store owners who will listen.
Convenience Store Safety Tips from Boston Police
• Have a working security system: including camera, monitor and DVR
• Know how to work it, and where everything is located
• Train employees to know what to do in certain situations
• Place the cameras in full view of all corners of the store
• Avoid clutter: try not to create piles that will block the cameras view
• Place a camera low near the counter to see faces hidden by baseball caps
• Keep windows clear so that people can see in
• Don't keep too much cash available in the register
• Put a measuring tape at the front door, to note people's height when entering
"They look at the windows, they look at the setup of the store, and they tell them what they need to do to make themselves safer within their own store," said Steve Gilman, Boston Main Streets director. "They're going in and seeing, ok, you've got the right equipment, but you don't have it located in the right place."
"So far, the feedback we've been getting is great," said Gilman. "First of all, convenient store owners feel like there really is somebody who's trying to assist them, and some of them have the old VHS tapes, so we're letting them upgrade to a DVR."
Peña has learned that he not only needs a DVR, but he needs to rearrange the system he has in place.
"The police told me it's good to put a camera low. If you have a camera low, you see the face," he said, remarking that many suspects wear baseball caps.
Tremont Market, near the South End is another convenience store that looks like they have a working security system, but with cameras only stationed as props.
Linda Ngo is the owner of Tremont Market. She is excited by the idea of the security initiative, but wary that she won't be able to afford a new system.
Walsh, of Neighborhood Services, helped oversee the outreach program. Walsh said one of the major reasons in going door-to-door was to counter the myth of cost.
"What our research found out is that for $500 you could get yourself a pretty elaborate security system," said Walsh.
Gilman agreed. They checked Radio Shack, Best Buy and Costco, all of whom offered security packages (a camera, monitor and recording equipment) for less than $500.
"I have to say, the city was able to step up fairly quickly to try to focus on this, and I think it can be interesting to see where it goes from here," said Gilman. "If anything, we're breaking down some barriers that have been there before."
"If people aren't even feeling safe on the streets, then you're way up here and you've gotta come back to the safety/security piece... working with the police, making sure you have good contact with them, making sure that businesses know what they should do."
NOTE: Mayor Menino's press release urges stores to take part in the Convenience Store Safety Initiative by calling the mayor's 24-hour hotline, 617-635-4500.