Backing up footage

Have a plan to securely store your recordings so you are prepared to review or share them with law enforcement.

It is recommended to keep your recordings for a minimum of four weeks and even longer if possible. Consider the following options to backup your surveillance recordings:

• Digital video recorder (DVR)—Just like you’d record a TV show at home, using a DVR lets you capture a recording for when you’re ready to watch it. DVRs can typically store a large amount of video and can be set to record only when a motion sensor is triggered, if you choose.
• Hard drive—A computer hard drive can serve as a good backup for video files. Keep in mind hard drives are all at risk of failing eventually. That’s why it’s important to use a hard drive as a backup, though not as your sole storage system.
• CDs or DVDs—If your system records to CDs or DVDs, store them so they aren’t exposed to extreme temperature or humidity changes. In addition, avoid keeping them in sunlight.
• USB sticks or SD cards—The same protocol for CDs and DVDs applies to their more compact counterparts. Due to the smaller size of USB sticks and SD cards, they may be easier to misplace, so it is important they are always kept in the same secure place.
• Off-site storage on the cloud—For a monthly fee that may be less than the cost of disks or a hard drive, you can store your recordings via a cloud service so they’re accessible to you at any time on any device.

Having properly stored recordings can be extremely important in the event you are the victim of a crime and to assist your local law enforcement agency in its search for and successful prosecution of the criminal(s) involved. Video recordings and photos can also be shared among jewellers through Jewellers Vigilance Canada (JVC) to alert others in your area, identify patterns of crimes throughout the industry, and assist in quickly bringing the criminal(s) to justice. 

Before you lock up tonight, be sure to take a few minutes to test your surveillance system. 

David J. Sexton, CPCU, is vice-president of loss prevention consulting at Jewelers Mutual Insurance Co., in the United States. A graduate of the University of Wisconsin, Sexton serves on the Underwriters’ Laboratories’ (UL) Security Systems Council, where he is a corporate member of the insurance category. He also sits on the board of directors for Jewellers Vigilance Canada (JVC), and worked on the Central Station Alarm Association’s (CSAA’s) Insurance Liaison Committee that assisted in the development of the UL burglar alarm modular certificate program and revised UL standard. Comments and questions can be sent to lossprevention@jminsure.com.

For training resources regarding safety and security when carrying or working with jewellery, visit JM University at JewelersMutual.com. Jewelers Mutual Insurance Company is the only company specializing exclusively in jewellery insurance in the United States and Canada. It is licensed in all 50 U.S. states and Canada.