- The various opportunity-reducing methods of situational crime prevention look to increase the perceived risks of committing a crime, enhance the effort required to commit crimes, reduce rewards, and eliminate excuses for crime
- Knightscope’s autonomous security robots (“ASRs”), which are equipped with capabilities such as video recording and streaming capabilities, thermal anomaly detection, facial recognition, and more, help to increase the perceived risks associated with criminal activities, resulting in deterrence
- Following the deployment of ASRs, Knightscope’s clients have reported considerable reductions in the number of crimes reported
- Knightscope recently added another client – a New York shopping center – and visited additional towns as part of its Robots Roadshow, with recent touchdowns in Columbus and Akron, Ohio
In a 1998 paper, Marcus Felson and Ronald V. Clarke, then Professors at the Rutgers University School of Criminal Justice in New Jersey, presented the ten principles of crime opportunity theory (
https://ibn.fm/uUFqw), one of which guides the operations of
Knightscope (NASDAQ: KSCP), an advanced security technology company that builds fully autonomous security robots (“ASR”).
The eighth principle states that crime can be prevented by reducing opportunities. And basing their discussion of this principle on situational crime prevention, the academics noted that the opportunity-reducing methods of situational crime prevention, such as using surveillance technologies, controlling access to targeted assets, and more, “aim, (i) to increase the perceived effort of crime, (ii) to increase the perceived risks, (iii) to reduce the anticipated rewards, and (iv) to remove excuses for crime.”
Knightscope packages capabilities such as eye-level 360-degree HD video streaming and recording, thermal anomaly detection, license plate recognition, people detection, facial recognition, two-way intercom, the ability to operate round the clock and access ramps (mobile robots), and more into the different models of its ASRs, creating reliable security robots that increase the perceived risks of crime by providing 24/7/365 eye-level mobile surveillance.
This surveillance, Knightscope’s website notes, “
provides unprecedented deterrence capabilities, increased awareness with a conspicuous physical presence, and high-quality evidence to prosecute criminals.” And through the Knightscope Security Operations Center (“KSOC”) browser-based user interface, security personnel can interact with the robots as well as receive live alerts and access real-time data, which better informs them on how to secure people, infrastructure, and assets within a given location.
Since the initial rollout of the company’s mobile outdoor K5 ASR, the mobile indoor K3 ASR, and the stationary indoor K1 ASR in 2015, 2016, and 2017, respectively, Knightscope has emerged as a leader in developing autonomous security capabilities that offer deterrence, detection, and even report incidences of crime. The results have been reductions in crime, with Knightscope’s clients documenting wins such as a 46% drop in crime reports in the City of Huntington Park, Los Angeles County, a reduction in the number of 911 calls originating from a Las Vegas Apartment Complex, and an augmented sense of security within installations and car parks, just to mention a few (
https://ibn.fm/pnHiA). And more and more potential clients are taking note of these outcomes.
Recently, Knightscope reported it had signed a new contract with the owner of a shopping center located in Yonkers, New York. Under the terms of the agreement, Knightscope will deploy its K5 ASR to protect the center’s parking lots and structures, helping deter common challenges such as catalytic converter theft, criminal mischief, and trespassing, while simultaneously guaranteeing the safety of employees (
https://ibn.fm/OxJKc).
The latest contract follows on the heels of numerous other deployments reported last month. On April 28, for example, the company received a subscription-based order to deploy 2 K5 ASR and 1 K1 ASR with a San Francisco Bay Area biotech real estate development (
https://ibn.fm/Yw1ax). This announcement came a few days after Knightscope separately celebrated deployments with two new clients that have each operated for a century or more; the first, a centuries-old consumer food manufacturer and Fortune 500 company (
https://ibn.fm/gEni0). The second is a 100-year-old, 4th generation recycling center (
https://ibn.fm/PMGiC).
Still, Knightscope is looking to further advance its market expansion by boosting the market’s awareness of its offerings through its Robot Roadshow. An engaging experiential event aimed at grabbing attention, building direct connections with potential clients, and sparking conversations, the Robot Roadshow has so far made 38 landings in 14 states and Washington D.C., with its most recent touchdowns being in Columbus, Ohio, on May 4 (
https://ibn.fm/fIc1U), and Akron, Ohio on May 5 (
https://ibn.fm/0gt5E).
For more information, visit the company’s website at
www.Knightscope.com, and if you have a need for the subscription-based physical security service, you may request a private demonstration of the technology at
www.Knightscope.com/demo.
NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to KSCP are available in the company’s newsroom at
https://ibn.fm/KSCP
