Upland Capital is a privately held investment company that manages a wide range of properties, including commercial office buildings, residential units, hospitality venues, and golf courses. At one of their commercial office locations, they were dealing with a growing security concern: heavy foot traffic in public-facing areas was leading to frequent loitering, dumping, and illegal activity.

The situation was creating safety concerns for business patrons and tenants, and it placed an increasing burden on the property management team.

To address the issue, Upland Capital partnered with American Alarm to install Advanced Video Monitoring (AVM), a proactive security system designed to deter unwanted activity before it escalates.

The Challenge

The property sits along a busy pedestrian corridor, which made it especially vulnerable to trespassing in areas such as the bench and dumpster zones. Individuals were using parts of the property to sleep, gather, or engage in illegal behavior, particularly overnight.

According to Ryan from Upland Capital, the site was experiencing 50 to 80 incidents every night. Illegal dumping was common, and the property management team was often left dealing with the aftermath the next morning. Despite having cameras in place, the existing system wasn’t preventing incidents — it was only documenting them.

Upland Capital knew they needed a more proactive solution to protect the property and help tenants feel safe.

Why they chose American Alarm

Upland Capital was already an American Alarm customer, but they weren’t using American Alarm cameras at this specific location. When the American Alarm team visited the site to explore camera options, they suggested AVM as an alternative to standard cameras, given the challenges Upland Capital was facing.

Ryan Fay, Director of Construction and Property Management, admitted he didn’t know a service like AVM existed. Once the American Alarm team explained how AVM worked and that it was fully supported by a local, in-house monitoring team he was immediately interested.

As Ryan put it, the system is “a huge convenience,” and far better than hearing from the police the following morning after an incident had already taken place. Preventing incidents saves property managers an enormous amount of time and hassle while ensuring their tenants are safe and content.

The solution: Advanced Video Monitoring

American Alarm installed AVM cameras equipped with analytics that detect when someone enters a designated area. When the camera detects a person, vehicle, or motion the system alerts an American Alarm monitoring agent, who immediately speaks to the person on site through a built-in speaker.

These “live talk-downs” are personalized and direct. Operators can mention clothing, actions, or other specific details to make it clear the person is being actively monitored.

This approach is dramatically more effective than traditional cameras. As American Alarm shared, about 80% of crimes are stopped simply because of the live talk-down.

For Upland Capital’s property, where the areas were considered “non-secure” (open to the public), the team set a schedule so the system monitors more closely during overnight hours, when incidents were most common.

Implementation

American Alarm’s team began with a pre-construction walkthrough to assess the property and recommend the best camera placements. Installation was straightforward, and once the system was live, there was a short trial period to fine-tune the alerts based on the flow of foot traffic.

Signage and additional deterrents were put in place to reinforce the presence of monitoring. Throughout the setup, the American Alarm team worked closely with Upland Capital to adjust and optimize the system for the site’s unique needs.

Despite a few expected adjustments at the start, Ryan described the process as very easy and highly supported by the American Alarm team.

Results

After installing AVM, the property saw a dramatic decrease in nightly incidents, dropping from 50–80 per night to fewer than a dozen.

The system has made the environment noticeably safer for both tenants and visitors. It has also reduced the strain on property management, who no longer spend mornings dealing with cleanup, damage, or illegal dumping.

Ryan emphasized how helpful the system has been in his day-to-day work — and even mentioned that he wishes he’d had this solution available at previous properties.

Stopping problems before they start

American Alarm is proud to deliver proactive security solutions that help businesses stop problems before they escalate. Advanced Video Monitoring gives property managers a simple, effective way to protect their buildings, support their tenants, and reduce the daily strain that comes with ongoing security issues. It can also be used as a tool to manage your business, creating an immediate return on investment.

If you’d like to learn how AVM can make a difference at your property, the American Alarm team is always here to help. Reach out anytime to schedule a site review or explore how this service can strengthen safety and peace of mind across your properties.

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