Cynicism is quite a crutch, but it’s statistically true that most people who are murdered are killed by a family member. It’s also statistically accurate to say most theft is committed by individuals connected to the victim. When it comes to parking, the people with the most access to the money are the operation’s staff, and they, empirically, steal the most and steal the most often.
The FBI recently arrested a Buffalo meter coin collector in connection to the theft of thousands of dollars in parking revenue.
Federal agents now believe Franklin Lopez, Jr. financed his lavish lifestyle by stealing quarters – perhaps $89,000 worth of them – from city parking meters.
Prosecutors are sure that there are more people involved in the crime and that many more dollars have been stolen than they can prove.
The balance for any operation is trusting employees and still being on the alert for inside crime. Choosing good people is the first step, eliminating the temptation to steal is another, and last but not least, creating sensible procedures that foil or reveal criminal activity.
