Direction of Attention
Direction of Attention
By Jim Goding
In a Surveillance Room, the attention of operators and investigators most properly is focused outward. When attention of the eyes and mind is directed inward, toward the surveillance room and its people, personnel troubles result. People play in-house social and political games. The casino itself is neglected. Operators properly should be watching games, slots, cage, count rooms, change booths, pits, and monitoring the activities of Security. The only inward attention for surveillance investigators is ensuring that equipment is working properly, that supervisors are informed as to activities and that logs and reports are correctly done. Surveillance Supervisors need to keep a minority of their attention reserved for activities within the room. Part of their job is ensuring that the investigators are doing their jobs and keeping their attention outward on the casino. They share the responsibility with the Director of seeing that the equipment covers all areas of concern. They ensure that reports are full and complete, written so that people outside the room―including both company executives and outside agencies―can understand them. They make recommendations on matters of scheduling, additional equipment needed, repairs, etc. However, even the Supervisors must keep the greatest majority of their attention directed outward. The Supervisors are responsible for liaison with Security, Slots, Cage and Pit management, and for communications with the casino management in the day to day working of the room. When investigators and operators focus their attention on the others in the Surveillance Room, on the people of the other shifts, rivalries and other internal concerns, actual surveillance is being neglected. Minor errors such as a late relief, incomplete entries in logs, etc., should simply be handled and dropped, once reported to the supervisor. More major errors such as cameras being left off live games or predetermined shots, information incorrectly disseminated, and so on, are the concern of the Supervisors, but should still be handled with a minimum of internal attention and correction. It is much more important to handle the problem than to find out who did it. A general notice to staff regarding a problem is just as effective as a heavy internal investigation, and keeps the department's attention focused outward. An outward focus from Surveillance investigators keeps everyone happier. Shifts go by much more quickly when the attention can be focused on the areas under our supervision. People are less likely to harp and whine about other people's actions and performance and generally disgruntled, when their attention is focused on the casino itself.
