How to build a CCTV escalation protocol for an after-hours commercial site
The one document that decides whether monitoring works: who gets called, in what order, and what the operator is allowed to do.
An escalation protocol — we call them post orders — is the written agreement between you and the monitoring center about what happens when something is seen. Without it, operators guess. With it, every event is handled the same way, and you can check the work afterwards.
Start with the threshold: what counts as an event worth acting on? "Any person inside the fence after 9 p.m." is a threshold. "Suspicious activity" is not. Then the actions, in order: live audio warning, notification to the on-call contact, mobile response dispatch, police. Decide which actions the operator may take without calling you first.
Next, the contact tree: who is called first, how (phone, text, WhatsApp), how long to wait before the next contact, and who is the final authority at 3 a.m. Include the alarm company if you have one, and the property manager if the site is leased.
Finally, exceptions: cleaning crews, late deliveries, employees who work odd hours, contractors with after-hours access. An authorized-person list with schedules prevents the 1 a.m. phone call about your own night crew. Review the protocol quarterly — sites change, and so do the people on the list.
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