Should Fast Food Restaurants Have Surveillance?

If you work at a gas station, convenience store, or fast food restaurant, then you always run the risk of one serious problem, getting robbed. All across the country, people are hitting these types of stores for some quick cash. In Albany Georgia, a Subway was held up by a gunman and the register was cleaned out Thursday morning following the robbery of a Taco Bell on the same street earlier in the week. But, luckily for the police, the subway had active security cameras.

Unlike stores that sell alcohol, fast food restaurants are not required to have working security cameras. But after recent events, people are beginning to wonder if they should be. All stores that sell alcohol have required working surveillance equipment to deter robbers away from attacking and to aid police investigations should someone attempt to do so. However, fast food restaurants have just as many people if not more traveling in and out of their stores everyday and are at the same risk as these other convenience stores or gas stations. And with the recent outbreak of robberies on them, it looks like they may need security as well.

There are mixed feelings about security cameras being installed at fast food restaurants. Police officials and people of the community think it would be a good idea. Citizens as well as employees would feel much safer in the establishment. Citizens are now starting to fear even going into some fast food places for fear of someone robbing the establishment. On the other hand, fast food restaurant owners would be required to purchase and maintain the equipment themselves, forcing them to handle all the costs. This is the biggest problem with requiring places, like Subway, to have security systems. Owners may not necessarily want to pay for all of the costs yet with the recent robberies, options for the safety of employees and customers is growing thin.

So whether or not fast food restaurants will be required to install and maintain security cameras has yet to be determined. But if robberies, like the ones in Albany, continue, owners and mangers may have no other choice.