Innovations - IHRSA

Stopping the
‘Gym Bag Bandit’
By Kristen A. Walsh
During a recession, crime rates tend to rise—and the parking
lots and locker rooms at health clubs are often irresistible
targets for thieves. As a result, club operators are now
intensifying their efforts to keep their members from being
victimized. While different solutions will work for different
clubs, here are some strategies for keeping clubs theft-free.
Post reminders of the risks. As criminals become savvier,
the potential costs to victims mount. Their cash and
property may be stolen, and their credit cards can be
used to rack up unauthorized purchases. In some
cases, they can also fall prey to identity theft. In June,
a Deerfield, Illinois, club patron told police that an
iPhone stolen from his secured locker had been used
to make $4,000 in losing stock trades. Remind members—via
signage and other memorandum—of the
risk of theft, and remove liability by stating, “The club
is not responsible for lost or stolen property.”
Implement a parking lot surveillance system. Police say
that burglars gravitate to gym parking lots for several
reasons: Their clients may, despite warnings posted
in the club, leave cash and valuables locked (and
sometimes unlocked) in their cars. And, time is on the
criminal’s side; car owners will probably be occupied
by their workouts for at least an hour, leaving plenty
of time to break in and get away. Unfortunately, members’
vehicles may be damaged—thieves frequently
smash a windshield to gain quick access, a tactic
known as “car clouting.” “More clubs are installing
and using surveillance video and partnering with law
enforcement to reduce crime,” notes the Vancouver,
Oregon, police department. “Police use those images
to identify and arrest criminals committing crimes.”
Safeguard—or eliminate—the key basket. For convenience,
many clubs offer a wall-mounted rack or “key
basket” at the front desk for members to store their
keys. While this practice gives exercisers the freedom
to work out without carrying their keys around, it also
offers thieves an easy opportunity to “borrow” keys
and gain access to cars that don’t belong to them.
If your club offers this option, be sure the keys are
attended at all times.
| IHRSA Report | Club Advisor
Install a locker alarm system. Once inside a locker
room, crooks will sometimes cut off a locker’s padlock,
steal goods from inside, and then replace it with a
new lock to avoid immediate detection. Some will
remove a single credit card from an unsecured locker,
but leave the rest of the wallet untouched. The missing
card may go unnoticed until the next credit card
statement arrives—documenting, perhaps, thousands
of dollars worth of bogus charges. An Illinois club
manager, who requested anonymity, reports that her
company has experienced a “significant increase” in
locker break-ins and thefts thus far this year. “As a
result, we’ve put alarms in several lockers in an
attempt to catch the thieves.”
Be vigilant. In June, a woman dubbed the “Gym Bag
Bandit” by Sacramento police was sentenced to six
years in prison for a series of thefts from a California
club chain. Prosecutors said that she used a stolen
membership card to enter several fitness centers in
Sacramento County. Once inside, she took bolt cutters
out of her gym bag, broke into lockers, and stole personal
items belonging to members. She then used the
victims’ identification and credit cards to commit other
thefts, authorities said. She was apprehended after
a victim called one of the clubs to see if her stolen
membership card had been used; the club’s computer
indicated that it had been scanned just minutes earlier.
As a result, police were able to locate and arrest
the “Gym Bag Bandit.”
For additional tips on curbing theft in and around
clubs, log on to www.ihrsa.org/bestpractice to read
IHRSA’s Best Practice paper on the topic (IHRSA
member log-in required). —|
– Kristen A. Walsh, kwalsh@ihrsa.org
www.ihrsa.org | APRIL 2010 | Club Business International 87