After four vehicles were stolen Saturday from Dolan Auto Group's Lexus dealership in Reno, Nev., while a protest was happening nearby, CEO Ryan Dolan is taking more precautions.
The five-store dealership group has heightened lot security, added more cameras and changed internal processes such as where keys are kept, he said.
"We hope that we can stay safe and protect our businesses and give people the rights to protest peacefully," Dolan said.
The changes at Dolan Auto mirror actions numerous dealerships across the nation are taking in the wake of protests following last week's death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. While many of the protests have been peaceful, some have turned violent and led to property damage, vehicle theft and arson of nearby businesses.
More than 20 U.S. dealerships have faced damage and theft and/or were forced to close their doors because of violence that sometimes escalated. Numerous others have temporarily closed, shortened hours, boarded up storefronts or moved valuable vehicle inventory from parking lots in precautionary moves.
Protests began early last week in Minneapolis following the death of Floyd, an African American who died while in police custody, and quickly spread to cities across the country.
On Friday, the Minnesota Automobile Dealers Association sent a public safety alert to its 375 franchised dealer members alerting them about the possibility that some of the Minneapolis protests could spill into the suburbs and that dealerships could be a "high target for vandalism."
The email listed several steps dealerships might consider to mitigate any losses and ensure the safety of employees and customers.
- Stay in contact with law enforcement and follow social media pages, checking them often.
- Consider moving expensive and/or high-profile inventory to back lots or indoors.
- Lock vehicles and secure keys and cash boxes.
- Block entry to lots with gates or vehicles when the dealership is closed.
- Ensure all surveillance and security equipment is working.
Scott Lambert, president of the Minnesota dealers association and the Greater Metropolitan Automobile Dealers Association of Minnesota told Automotive News that he had not heard of any dealership in his area experiencing problems from protests.
"None of our stores have been impacted so far," he said.
