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We live in something of a rough and tumble society. A stark example of our collective reality is that none of us are immune from crime. This includes those of us that own small businesses in Southern California. If you’re a business owner that has become the victim of a crime at your establishment, you may find yourself in need of crime scene cleaners.
Prompt Response to Get Your Business Running
We live in tenuous times. If you’re a business owner, you already find yourself battling the ramifications of the COVID-19 pandemic. If you’re fortunate enough to be open for operations on some level, as more and more California businesses slowly are having the opportunity, the last thing you need is some sort of other upheaval to otherwise upend your operations. This includes an undue interruption in your operations in the aftermath of a crime at your retail business.
A benefit from engaging the services of crime scene cleaners rests in the fact that these professionals rapidly tend to their business to get your business up and running in the shortest period of time possible. Crime scene cleaners have the personnel, equipment, tools, and other resources necessary to remediate the aftermath of a crime at your business efficiently and in the least amount of time possible. Moreover, a reputable, experienced crime scene cleaner is geared for rapid response and can be at your location in no time at all.
Types of Crime Scenes Remediated by Crime Scene Cleaners
The aftermath of a crime scene can call for assistance from crime scene cleaners for a number of reasons. At the top of the list are violent crime scenes. But, other types of crimes can also call for remediation assistance from crime scene cleaners as well, including those that have been subjected to extensive dusting for fingerprints and the application of some other forensic processes. In addition, a crime scene that involves illicit drugs of certain types, particularly meth and opioids like heroin, also represent situations in which the specialized assistance of crime scene cleaners should be considered.
Health Hazards and Crime Scenes
There are two broad areas in which a crime scene can present health hazards and risks. First, at the scene of a violent crime, biological matter that includes blood and other bodily fluids can harbor dangerous pathogens. Pathogens are disease-causing biological organisms like bacteria and viruses.
Second, if a business is the scene of some type of crime involving an illicit drug like meth, a significant health risk exists. A crime scene that has been contaminated with meth, or even some of the component parts of the drug, can present what fairly can be called a grave health hazard to people who come into contact with the scene.
Also bear in mind that there can be some significant emotional hazards associated with a crime scene. For example, a violent crime scene truly can be a horrific situation to behold. Even seasoned police investigators are known to have experienced mental health issues like PTSD after their own exposure to a violent crime scene.
The bottom line is this: the potential physical and mental health perils associated with certain crime scenes call out for intervention and remediation assistance by professional crime scene cleaners.
Importance of Privacy and Discretion
A compelling benefit of engaging a trained, knowledgeable, and reputable crime scene cleaning company is the importance of maintaining privacy. A business owner needs discretion in this type of situation.
Understandably, a good many crimes that occur at a business garner at least some public attention. This particularly is the case with violent crimes. With that said, a business owner necessarily will want to contain or at least control the dissemination of information about a crime, at least to some degree. This objective can be accomplished through the engagement of a reputable, knowledgeable, and understanding crime scene cleaning company.
Paying the Bill: Options for Funding the Costs of Crime Scene Cleanup
If you’re a business owner, you undoubtedly pay sharp attention to the proverbial bottom line. You’ve made a practice out of trimming the budget where you can and not spending money if doing so reasonably can be avoided. If this sounds like you, you probably also understand that you’re not alone in approaching the operation of your business in this manner.
When it comes to reigning in the budget, you may initially be inclined to try to undertake crime scene cleanup at your business on your own. The prime motivation for doing so may be to attempt to save money in the process. The reality is that oftentimes when an entrepreneur elects to undertake crime scene cleanup on his or her own, the process itself takes far longer than would be the case with a professional. As a result, a business remains shuttered or at least experience limited operations for a longer period of time, cutting into revenue.
Of course, if the crime scene involves a biological or chemical hazard (associated with illicit drugs, for example), a business owner puts himself or herself at risk, along with others, if crime scene cleanup is embarked upon personally. A business owner naturally is willing to experience some risk. If risk is to occur, it should be of a financial or similar nature and not to mind and body.
What many business owners do not realize is that the costs associated with crime scene cleaners need not come directly out of their pockets or cash registers. Rather, there may be some alternate funding sources available to them to address the costs associated with employing crime scene cleaners.
It behooves a business owner to ascertain whether some casualty insurance coverage might be in place to address at least some of the costs associated with crime scene cleaning and remediation. In addition, the California Victim Compensation Board may be able to assist in defraying up to $1,000 of the costs associated with a crime scene cleaner.
