Crime drives Land and Sea

MILFORD, Conn.—Land and Sea Security Systems, a CCTV and access control integrator servicing Connecticut, has seen an increase in residential and commercial orders recently, since a triple homicide in nearby Cheshire in midsummer when two men broke into a home and murdered a mother and her two daughters. Company president and CEO Irv Shiffrin said the company’s business has increased to the point where he has had to add installation staff, and his company of seven employees has been “just trying to keep up.” “It started with that issue and we are now trying to keep up with the work in residential,” Shiffrin said of the company that launched in 1970. “It also seems along the way that the commercial side went up, although commercial wasn’t directly related to the tragedy.” Since July, Land and Sea has processed more than 60 orders, a lot for a company that usually handles about 40 to 45 orders in the same span. Shiffrin also hired a fourth installer and he said he hasn’t ruled out hiring another person to keep up with the workload. While business has increased, Shiffrin said the commercial to residential ratio has shifted dramatically. Prior to the murders, Land and Sea did about 60 percent residential work to 40 percent commercial. It’s now “70 percent commercial to 30 percent residential,” Shiffrin said. “I think people are more aware now of internal theft and the reality of severe issues,” Shiffrin said. “They want to protect themselves, their customers and also safeguard against liability claims such as slip and falls.”