Learning a Valuable Lesson in the Fitness Center

Just when your members thought it was safe to go to the gym, it is reported that a series of larcenies at fitness centers in the Ballston and Clarendon areas of Arlington, Va., is being investigated. According to a news release sent out Aug. 9, 2007, from the Arlington County Police Department, at least 10 incidents of stolen wallets and/or credit cards in locker rooms have been reported since June 20. In most cases, those items were taken from unlocked lockers, and the culprits quickly used the credit cards to make expensive purchases after stealing them.

While this string of thefts seems to be limited to the Arlington vicinity, theft in fitness centers is nothing new, and it occurs in facilities everywhere. In January 2004, our publication reported on an FBI investigation into locker room crime in an editorial titled Locker Room Crime Alert. In this operation, the thieves made it a point to not disturb any contents of lockers so that members were unaware that their belongings had been tampered with. All they would take is one credit card from each wallet, and only if that wallet contained multiple credit cards. They would then use the credit cards at casinos to make multiple cash withdrawals until the credit line on the card was reached. This string of crimes began in the early 1990s, and occurred in states all across the U.S., even those that didn’t have casinos.

While one of the perpetrators has been arrested in the Arlington investigation, the others are still up to no good. And, I am unaware of what happened with the FBI investigation, or how many other types of operations are now going on. Therefore, it’s up to fitness center management to let their members know that they need to be extra cautious about their valuables when in the facility. First of all, it would be wise for staff to suggest to members that they not bring any valuables to the fitness center. If that’s not possible, then provide a safe place for them to lock up their valuables near the front desk where they will be supervised by staff members at all times. Or, better yet, encourage members to keep their valuables on them, if possible. If they do store their valuables in lockers, by all means be sure to tell members to lock them!

Other tips for helping your members to avoid getting ripped off in your facility can be found in a recent article in FM titled Locker-Room Crime: The Aftermath.