Jewelry crime is out of control, but together we can be one step ahead of the bad guys. We can win. But how!? The best way to head off potential theft is to have fast, accurate information about criminals that pose a threat to your store. The answer is JHJ CAN – Jewelers Helping Jewelers Crime Alert Network. CAN is an alert system where jewelers sign up via zip codes to get immediate texts from the victim of any potentially harmful criminal activity within the area. Think of it as a flare that warns your neighbors as fast as possible.
Why texts and why now? Here’s the scoop. In early November criminal activity started popping up all over Jewelers Helping Jewelers. Post after post warned of distraction type thefts. “What can we do?!” I yelled to the industry.
I started talking to every security expert I could find, fishing for ideas to make us safer. James Bond like, world-class security expert and consultant Greg ‘Dutch’ Holland-Merten had the best idea. “If jewelers will just alert their 5 closest neighbors when there is a threat, many crimes can be prevented.”
This was enough for me. If we prevent one crime, it will all be worth it.
I reached out to Anish Densai of Star Gems in Atlanta. Anish built the famous TextMeChat platform that allows jewelers to effectively market to customers via text. For Anish to pivot to a crime alert text network was easy. The site Anish built is JHJCAN.com. Jewelers go to JHJCAN.com and register to get TEXT Alerts when there is a crime nearby.
Text is the fastest most effective way to get needed information. You simply register for what zip codes you want alerts in. The texts come from your fellow jeweler, which is more accurate than from a third party.
The alert is in a standardized form. Descriptions such as clothing, person, accent, actions when entered store, vehicles, and footage is entered into the system. This standardized information is recorded and related.
The goal would be to only alert others when there is information that could avert future crime. For example, there was a man in Michigan selling fake gold who hit 50+ stores all in the same area. If a text alert system had been in place, a picture of this crook would have been sent out, and loss would have been averted. Again, accurate and immediate warnings prevent crime.
To support this alert network JHJ also created a separate Facebook page: JHJ Jewelers Crime Alert Network. In collaboration with Leo Vincent (who already runs a Missouri crime alert system), we created a new page for the information we want to get out to all jewelers with security tips, footage, news stories and advice such as best security camera to use, and what to do when being cased.
JHJ CAN goes live with texting the first week of February with the activation of 350 retailers in the beta phase. Over 500 retailers have already registered.
Jewelry crime is up, but we can do something about it. Be a hero. Sign up today at JHJCAN.com.
