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Studio Security Newsletter

Dan Daley, editor

Issue #1 — July, 2000

Welcome To The Real World, Part I

It's Monday morning, you're about to open the studio up. There was a session over the weekend. No calls from the assistant. That was a good sign. No news is good news. But as you go to put the key in the door, you notice that the door is ajar. You push it open a few inches. You can see papers strewn on the floor, a rack knocked over. Push it open a little more and it's clear from the condition of the reception lounge that something is terribly wrong. What do you do?

Your first reaction is to rush in and see what's happened. That's not always the best idea, however. Security experts suggest that you first exercise caution in approaching a potential crime scene. First, step back from the door; your presence there may have alerted anyone still inside. If they are not supposed to be there, this gives them the opportunity to look for another way out. You don't want to confront criminals -- they may be armed. Next, call 911 and indicate to the operator that you may have been burglarized. Request police assistance before entering the premises. If there was someone who was supposed to be there, such as an assistant engineer working a weekend session, stay near the entrance and call that person's name. Call their home with a cell phone -- you should always have the home and cell numbers of late-shift employees. Often, employees who have been on-site during a robbery will be ordered by perpetrators to move into a closet or other confined space and stay there and not make a sound.

Only after police arrive, or you are sure that there is no one on the premises that is not supposed to be there, should you move further into the facility, and then still very carefully and slowly. Once in, disturb nothing until police arrive.

Sounds melodramatic, but it happens to studios every day. Don't compound a burglary by surprising burglars or contaminating evidence. Treat every potential crime scene as though it were still a crime in progress.

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