Keeping employees honest - the high-tech way

A few posts back, I talked about the best low-tech way to keep a cashier honest. This time we're going to talk about some higher-tech methods.

First of all you have to understand that all surveillance systems these days record video digitally using computers, servers and network-attached storage arrays. (VCR's and videotapes haven't been manufactured in over 10 years, and I don't know any casino surveillance operation that is still using them, of course there may be a few I don't know of.)

Most larger casino operations also use a networked point-of-sale system, instead of just a regular cash register, to ring up guest tickets and collect all payments. Depending on the type of software involved, the POS and CCTV systems can be integrated together through an application that runs on a web browser.

This application allows a surveillance observer to watch what a cashier is ringing up and collecting for payment, both in real time and when doing a review. It will also allow surveillance, and/or an income auditor from accounting, to go back and review a cashiers entire shift looking for more errors, procedural violations and discrepancies.

If a cashier is over or short on their shift, a report is generated and an observer or an auditor will spend a certain amount of time looking at that cashiers shift in its entirety. Usually the threshold is around $100. But if a cashier is off $25 or $50 several times in a work week, that will initiate a review also.

The most effective way to audit a cashier, is to do it live, using both the point-of-sale system interface and both fixed and pan tilt and zoom (PTZ) cameras to follow the cashier around the front and back of house areas. This allows surveillance to literally watch every move that they make, from the time they pick up their bank the time they drop it off at the cashier's cage. If anything is found, video will be saved in (usually) both storage array and on a DVD. If problems are noted then a report is also generated and forwarded to management.

Here's a little-known surveillance fact. They always like to get multiple pieces of evidence against an offender. This means that if a cashier is observed to be not ringing up cash sales and pocketing the cash themselves on a Monday, they will go back and review however many shifts they have stored in their system of the same cashier. Also, the cashier will not be terminated (on but allowed to continue working their shifts as surveillance will watch them live to see if they can catch them red-handed. Only then is disciplinary action taken.

That's all for now.  Please click here to visit my Patreon page and consider becoming a patron. I want to expand into audio and video podcasts and get my radio show back on the air locally, here in Reno.

Thanks and good luck everybody.