Countyfairs

Hotels/ Motels

Building security is always a top concern for owners and employees. Opportunity for
crime is everywhere, and criminals will capitalize. Whether it's theft of a guests'
personal belongings, or stealing cars while they are sleeping, thieves will take
whatever opportunity is given them. Metropolitan Security & Investigation has security
officers that are fully trained to combat this threat. Hotel and building security is a top
concern, and MSI is ready to solve the problem.

Hotel Security has special needs that are not present in other situations. Not only do
Officers have to monitor areas such as parking lots, but lobbies and other areas also
must be guarded against theft. Guests routinely leave a bag or two behind when
checking in, providing an excellent opportunity for thieves to grab something and
attempt a quick getaway. These days, you can never be sure that things will go as
planned, so having an MSI security Officer on duty is always a good strategy.

Overnight lodging managers are sometimes quickly frustrated when trying to report
crime problems to the police. It appears the police are in too much of a hurry to get to
the next call.

It just seems the police don’t show enough interest. If they cared, they would arrest the
troublemakers, right? Well, it’s not always that easy.

Under criminal laws, the police must have ‘probable cause’ to arrest someone.
Suspicion is not enough. Probable cause is where an officer knows a crime happened,
and believes the perpetrator is the one being detained. When an officer begins to
question the person who just got arrested, they must tell the suspect about their "right
to remain silent." In most cases, the police cannot enter or search a guest’s room
without a search warrant or other exigent circumstance.

The amount of evidence a police officer needs for probable cause (to make an arrest) is
much higher than the preponderance of evidence a hotel or motel manager would
need to evict a guest. Therefore, it is easier for the management to remove a guest than
it is for the police, in most cases Managers, on the other hand, can question guests
without reading them their "rights" and they can enter the guest’s room without a
search warrant. A police officer doesn’t have the power to evict a guest. Management
has the legal right, and sometimes a legal duty to remove guests from the property.
The manager is the only one who can make that guest go away. Under civil law, it is a
relatively simple process.

Working under criminal laws, this is much more difficult. Even if the officer is able to
build enough evidence to arrest a suspect, there is no guarantee the county attorney
or prosecutor’s office will file charges. If charges are filed, there is no guarantee the
person will be brought to a jury trial. If the person is brought to a jury trial, there is no
guarantee the jury will convict. If the jury convicts, there is no guarantee the person will
go to prison. If the person goes to prison, there is no guarantee they will stay there
very long.

In many cases, plea bargains are made, probation is given, and in some situations, the
charges are simply dropped. In most cases, the people that get arrested at hotel/motel
properties do not go to prison. They are released very soon after being arrested and
many times they return to their life of crime.

Remember, if criminals consider your property a "safe place" or home for their criminal
activity, they will no doubt return to your property and the process begins again.