Parking lots and garages are the third most common site of violent crimes in the United States.
According to the FBI’s final statistics for 2020, there was a nearly 30 percent increase of homicides since 2019. This was the largest single-year increase the agency has recorded since it began tracking these crimes in the 1960s. The report also concluded that in 2020 violent crime was up 5.6 percent, the estimated number of aggravated assault offenses rose 12.1 percent, and the volume of murder and non-negligent manslaughter offenses increased 29.4 percent. Of the 534,196 violent crimes in the United States during 2019, six percent occurred in a parking lot or garage.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that the FBI considers parking areas to be “among the most dangerous” places. The dangers of these areas are typically due to their design. Parking lots and garages are often poorly lit, isolated, and easily accessible to the general public. Park-and-ride commuter lots have particularly high theft rates. The large areas hold many cars that are left unattended by their owners for most of the day. While some places have attendants, they might only be present at the beginning and end of the day. This means that thieves can often operate in these lots with little chance of detection.
Unfortunately, theft is one of the many crimes that can occur in parking lots and garages. In 2019, a nurse practitioner was murdered while walking to her car after a shift. Just one year earlier in a hospital parking lot, a woman was stabbed over a dozen times. She survived but brought a lawsuit claiming that the parking lot had a lack of adequate security.
Negligent security experts estimate that 80% of all crime that occurs at strip malls, apartment complexes, and shopping malls take place in the parking lot. This means that businesses, such as malls, hotels, stores, and office buildings must secure their parking lots and take reasonable steps to prevent violent attacks. In addition to the horrendous crime statistics, property owners are regularly being sued and held accountable for crimes committed on their lots and garages.
Automated is the Crime Stopper
An automated or valet type parking facility virtually eliminates the possibility of crime. There’s no parking lot or garage to walk through and risk becoming a victim. They aren’t dimly lit, so you don’t have to wonder who is waiting around the corner at all hours. Cars are safely tucked away from theft and drivers receive their cars in secure, well lit open areas. Reach out to us to learn more about our elevated parking solution.