If you are temporarily closing your businesses or reducing operations, please review the following suggestions for securing your business:
- Keep the lights on, inside and out. Consider motion-sensor lights as well.
- Remove ALL cash and receipts.
- Do not leave any valuables clearly visible or accessible.
- All safes and tills should be emptied and moved off-site for safe storage.
- Keep all cash drawers open to show that nothing is in the drawers.
- All ATM's should be emptied and moved off-site for safe storage.
- Remove any computer or account passwords you've posted around the shop.
- Remove all alcohol products from the bar and place in secured storage areas (no alcohol should be left visible from outside).
- Consider posting "NO CASH or Valuables on Premises" signs.
- Deactivate all scheduled FOB door openings (ie. cleaners, deliveries, etc).
- Disconnect all kitchen gas lines from their gas source.
- Make regular site visits to monitor your shop/business and to manage inventory and storage conditions (consider scattering the times this is done to avoid establishing a pattern).
- If you have a camera system, see if you can monitor it from your home computer.
- Remove outside seating, secure outside outlets and water faucets, and remove any rocks, bricks, bottles or other similar items from the surrounding area.
- Remove anything that would allow access to your roof.
- Secure or remove any cars or equipment left outside.
Remember, you are allowed into your shops for functions vital to your business such as invoicing, checking mail, managing deliveries and online sales, and so forth. The concern is gatherings of people, not paperwork! This will give you regular opportunties to be at your business to keep an eye on things.
We have asked the Columbia Police Department to keep an eye on the street during this time. Please note: we typically work with city and county social service agencies to address issues of homelessness, panhandling, and vagrancy but as you might imagine, their priority at the moment is public health.
The police non-emergency number is (573) 442-6131 and as always, call 911 in an emergency.
