How Jewelry Stores Can Prevent Break-Ins from Adjacent Vacant Properties

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In recent weeks, a string of break-ins has shaken the Los Angeles jewelry community, but these weren’t your typical smash-and-grab incidents. Criminals are getting more creative, entering through the vacant buildings next door to bypass alarms and security systems.

If you’re a jewelry store owner, this is a critical wake-up call: it’s not just your front door you need to secure — it’s your perimeter.

The New Threat: Side Access from Vacant Properties

When a neighboring suite or building sits unoccupied, it becomes an easy target. Thieves can take their time breaching a shared wall or ceiling, often undetected. Once inside your store, they go straight for high-value inventory — usually safes or display cases — before anyone knows they were even there.

Steps to Secure Your Store from the Sides and Behind

1. Perform a Full Perimeter Security Audit
Don’t just focus on your front-facing doors. Inspect:

• Shared walls and ceilings
• Rear service doors and loading areas
• Roof access points
• Adjacent utility closets or crawl spaces

Bring in a professional security consultant if needed.

2. Reinforce Shared Walls and Ceilings
Install:

• Steel mesh or rebar within drywall
• Motion detectors along walls that touch vacant units
• Acoustic sensors that detect drilling or cutting

These low-profile solutions help you catch threats before they become break-ins.

3. Coordinate with Property Management
If you’re leasing, ask the building owner or management to:

• Board up or monitor vacant units
• Add security lighting and cameras to common hallways or rear access points
• Notify you immediately when adjacent tenants move out

4.  Use a UL-rated safe with concrete
Thieves often go straight for the safe — make sure yours can hold its own. A Made in USA TL-15 or A TL-30 safe, should be placed away from shared walls, is a strong deterrent.

5.  Install Multi-Zone Alarm Systems
If your current alarm system only monitors doors and windows, it’s time to upgrade. Look for systems that:

• Cover interior motion near walls and ceilings
• Trigger on vibration or impact
• Include cellular backup in case of power or network outages

6.  “Supervised communication path” or simply “line supervision.”

It means the alarm system constantly checks to make sure the connection to the central monitoring station is active. If the signal is lost — whether due to tampering, power loss, or line cut — the system triggers a trouble alert or alarm event, letting the monitoring center and the user know there’s a problem with communication. This is a critical feature for high-security applications.

7. Maintain a Real-Time Camera System
Modern video surveillance offers remote access and smart alerts. Position cameras:

• Inside the store, aimed at display cases, safes, and side walls
• Outside rear exits and adjacent spaces
• In ceilings, to catch upward entry attempts

Bonus Tip: Get to Know Your Neighbors

Whether it’s a pawn shop, clothing boutique, or empty office suite, a quick introduction could lead to helpful alliances — or early warnings about suspicious activity.

Final Thoughts

Break-ins through adjacent vacant buildings are a growing threat in urban areas like Los Angeles, especially for high-value businesses like jewelry stores. With smart planning, strong physical barriers, and modern monitoring, you can protect your store from every angle.

If you need help reviewing your current safe setup or want a quote on a reinforced solution, reach out to us at bluedotsafes.com

We specialize in helping jewelry and pawn businesses stay ahead of the next threat, not just react to it.

📞 Call us today at (866) 747-7233
📧 Email: [email protected]
🌐 Visit: bluedotsafes.com