Communities depend on security systems to deter trespassing, prevent crime and monitor homes. However, having the appropriate security in a community can do more than secure the grounds. It can save lives.

In September, a Weston, FL man was lost in a community. A resident found him wandering the neighborhood, and the man was unable to remember where he lived. The community’s security provider was contacted for help.

The virtual guard, working at a remote station, was able to check the community’s central database and quickly determine that the missing man was, in fact, from that very neighborhood. The virtual guard called the phone number listed in the system for the man, but there was no answer. A nearby police officer was called to assist and make sure the man made it safely to his correct home.

It happens more often than you think, and sometimes in much more severe cases. Just a few months earlier, a Silver Alert was issued for a Naples man. He suffered from dementia, and his family was looking for him.

Nearly three hours north of Naples, a virtual guard noticed a man wandering near a neighborhood on the community’s security cameras. Through an active video surveillance system, with one-way video and two-way audio components, the licensed guard voiced down to the man to ask why he was there, and if he was okay.

The virtual guard contacted local authorities who tracked the man’s license plate and determined who he was. After being evaluated at the hospital, the man was reunited with his wife and son back at their home in Naples.

While video surveillance and security systems are recognized for keeping communities safe from trespassers, a proper safety solution can help recognize other possible problems and quickly find a solution.

Article originally published by CAI South Gulf Coast