Under a Houston City Council proposal, convenience store owners would have to register their businesses with the city and install cameras, drop safes and panic buttons in a measure aimed at reducing crime at hundreds of stores spread across the city. Approximately 1,000 robberies and 10 homicides occur at Houston's convenience stores every year, according to Assistant Police Chief John Trevino. Robberies in convenience stores and their parking lots account for about 8% of all robberies in the city and some 3% of all homicides, Trevino said.

"This is a giant leap," said Houston convenience store owner Zaf Tahir who chairs the Mayor's Task Force on Convenience Store Security. "Now, we have this industry on a path to a very safe and secure environment. This ordinance takes care of the training and of things that can be done at the stores. ... It needs to be coupled with increased presence of law enforcement."

The Houston Chronicle reports that the proposed ordinance would require convenience stores to register with the city to establish a database.  In addition, the following equipment (with an estimated price tag of $1,400) would be required:

• A minimum of two color digital surveillance cameras;
• A drop safe for cash deposits; and
• Panic buttons that alert a security company or police to a crime in progress.

Trevino said that store owners would have until 2010 to comply with the equipment requirements. Other rules regarding training and signage would go into effect within three months of the ordinance's adoption and include:

• Training:  Currently, employee safety instruction consists of viewing a 10-minute DVD provided by the Houston Police Department.
• Signage:  "No loitering" and "No trespassing" signs posted on doors and walls, and "height strips" placed on doors, so a clerk can estimate a robber's height for later discussions with police.
• Visibility:  Police or passers-by must be able to see the cash register from outside. Obstructions must be removed from windows and doors.

Speedy Stop's Director of Loss Prevention and Risk Management, Mike Squillace, served on the task force that helped form the proposed ordinance.  He said that his c-store chain already complies with most of the proposed regulations.  "We have 16-camera systems at most of our locations — or more," he said. Speedy Stop workers have safety training and wear a panic button around their necks, so they can get help even if they are assaulted while taking out the trash, Squillace told the Chronicle. "All these items are deterrents first and foremost, to be proactive," Squillace said. "It also gives law enforcement a leg up to have the evidence they need."