Casinos responsible for security

Casinos responsible for security

It's unfortunate that neighborhood casinos have been the target of several armed robberies over the past year.

But casino owners shouldn't expect the Rapid City Police Department to serve as their personal armed security team.

The owners of Jokers Casino recently criticized the police department for its weak response to the robberies and suggested they do more to prevent them.

Police Chief Steve Allender said preventing crimes from occurring inside a business is an unrealistic expectation of a police force.

It's also an unrealistic expectation of taxpayers, who foot the bill for that police force.

Casino operators should consider beefing up security with an alarm system, better lighting, video cameras, or hired guards.

The owners of Jokers Casino said they did that and more: lowered the amount of cash on the property and installed a buzzer system to screen people who want to come inside. Then another robbery occurred.

If employees admitted the robber, that's hardly the fault of the police.

Perhaps they should increase screening to include requiring ID and recording who frequents the establishment. Then if a robbery occurred, they'd have the person's identity in hand.

If would-be criminals knew the casinos weren't an easy target, the rash of robberies might ease up.

Where a casino chooses to locate also plays a role in its vulnerability to crime.

They tend to draw people of limited means hoping to strike it rich, and tend to locate where they live — often in areas plagued with higher crime rates.

That's not the fault of police. It's the choice of casino owners who should take responsibility for their own operations.

Police have plenty of work to do without being expected to babysit casinos.

It's certainly their job to respond when a robbery occurs, and make an effort to nab the criminal.

It's not their job to provide the preventive security that casino owners should be covering themselves. If they don't feel safe, they can always spend their own money to change that.