Security for retail plazas and strip malls
For plaza owners, landlords and property managers in Alberta and BC.
Updated
The quick answer
Plaza owners usually secure the shared areas: the parking lot, lot entrances, back lanes, loading areas, garbage enclosures and rooftop equipment. That means cameras with detection that works at night, plate recognition at entrances, and after-hours monitoring through our monitoring partner. Each tenant then runs its own alarm and cameras inside its unit, which we can install too.
What we install, area by area
| Area | What we install |
|---|---|
| Parking lot | Wide and multi-sensor cameras covering rows, entrances and walkways. |
| Lot entrances | Plate recognition, so you can search every vehicle in and out. |
| Back lanes and loading | Cameras with detection tuned for night, and talk-down speakers. |
| Garbage enclosures | Cameras for dumping and loitering. |
| Rooftops and electrical rooms | Door contacts and alarms, since rooftop units and electrical rooms are targets for copper theft. |
| Tenant units | Alarms, cameras and access control for each tenant, if they want them. |
Problems we solve
What we hear from owners
- Break-ins and loitering in back lanes after hours
- Car break-ins in the lot
- Dumping in garbage enclosures
- Copper theft from rooftop units
- Tenants asking for footage after an incident
What we set up
- One view of every plaza you own
- Fast clip export for tenants and police
- Monitoring after hours, with talk-down speakers
- Systems you own, with admin access and documentation
Sharing footage with tenants and police
Have a written policy for who can request footage, how long it’s kept and how it’s shared. Alberta’s and BC’s private-sector privacy laws (both called PIPA) apply to video and door logs recorded by businesses. Keep cameras out of private spaces, post signs, limit who can view footage and keep it only as long as you need it. Not legal advice.
After-hours monitoring
Remote video monitoring through our monitoring partner can watch back lanes and lots overnight, warn people through a speaker and call police or your contact if it’s real.
Own a plaza with problems out back?
We’ll walk the property after dark if needed, and give you a written plan for the shared areas.
Related: small business securitysecurity camerasintrusion alarmsremote video monitoring
Stuck with a system nobody will fix?
We repair and take over cameras, access control, intercoms and alarms installed by other companies, when your current provider has fallen short.
Help: Export Avigilon video
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Retail plaza security questions
Who pays for plaza security, the landlord or the tenants?
Usually the landlord covers shared areas like the lot, lanes and enclosures, and each tenant covers its own unit. Your leases decide.
Can cameras read plates at the lot entrance?
Yes. Plate recognition cameras log every vehicle in and out, so you can search by plate and time.
Can someone watch the plaza overnight?
Yes. Remote video monitoring through our monitoring partner can watch lanes and lots after hours and use talk-down speakers.
Can tenants get footage after an incident?
Yes, under your written policy. We set up fast clip export so you can share what’s needed with tenants or police.
Can you manage several plazas in one app?
Yes. Cloud-managed systems put every property in one app.
Can you take over our existing cameras?
Yes. We take over and fix systems installed by other companies, and regain admin access where you own the system.
More answers: Questions about working with HightowerGlossary: access controlIP camera
Get a plaza security quote
Tell us about the plaza: lot size, units, lanes and what you have now. We’ll follow up to book a site walk.
Call and a real person answers, 24/7 for emergencies.