24/7 SECURITY
Video Surveillance in New York, Watched Live
Trained operators watch your cameras live, 24/7, and contact police while it's happening.
Monitex Security provides video surveillance in New York with trained operators who watch a property’s cameras live, 24/7. When someone enters a site who shouldn’t be there, an operator warns them through on-site speakers and contacts police. Monitex is headquartered in Brooklyn and monitors apartment buildings, construction sites, dealerships and other commercial properties in New York.
Table of Contents
Live Monitoring for New York Buildings and Job Sites
Video surveillance in New York only stops a problem when someone is watching it. Lobbies, mail areas, garages and job sites see people at every hour, so a camera that only records gives you footage of a loss after it happens. Live monitoring puts a trained person on those cameras while something is still going on.
Monitex Security is headquartered in Brooklyn and watches properties across New York for owners, property managers and contractors. Our operators see the activity, speak to the person through on-site speakers, call the police when it’s needed and send you a report with timestamped footage. We can connect the cameras you already have or set up new ones.
New York Security Snapshot
vehicles stolen in New York in 2025, the fifth-highest total of any state.
Source: National Insurance Crime Bureau, March 2026vehicle thefts in the New York-Newark-Jersey City metro area in 2025, second among U.S. metro areas.
Source: NICB, March 2026The wording New York added to its eviction law in the 2024 state budget.
Source: RPAPL § 711Retailers with 500 or more retail employees in the state must give workers silent response buttons.
Source: New York Labor Law § 27-eApartment Building Security in New York
Apartment buildings are where most New York property managers feel the gap between having cameras and having someone watch them. The building is open all day and night, and residents, couriers, contractors and guests all need to get in. The shared spaces where trouble starts (lobbies, mail areas, stairwells, garages) have no one in them after the super goes home.
What New York Law Already Requires at the Front Door
New York’s Multiple Dwelling Law requires self-closing, self-locking entrance doors in class A multiple dwellings built or converted after January 1, 1968. Those with eight or more apartments must also have an intercom (Multiple Dwelling Law § 50-a). A locked door and a buzzer control who gets let in. They can’t see the person who slips in behind a resident, or the stranger working through the mailboxes at 2 a.m. An operator watching the lobby camera can.
Mail Theft and Break-Ins: Two New York Cases
Monitex has stopped both at New York apartment properties:
- Mailbox theft. Late at night, a person worked along a wall of tenant mailboxes inside a client’s building, opening box after box. Our operators saw it live and alerted police, who stopped the person outside on a snow-covered path. Watch the mailbox theft case.
- Hallway break-in attempt. Two people got into a first-floor hallway and stopped at an apartment door. Operators contacted police, who arrived and checked the building before the attempt went further. Watch the break-in case.
In both cases the cameras were already in place. What changed the outcome was a person watching them while it happened.
Vacant Units and Squatters
A vacant apartment or a building between owners is easy to enter and slow to recover. New York’s 2024 budget added a line to the state’s eviction law: “A tenant shall not include a squatter.” The law defines a squatter as someone who enters “without the permission of the person entitled to possession” (RPAPL § 711). The change helps owners argue a case, but removal still goes through the courts. Live monitoring of entrances and vacant floors means someone sees the first entry, not the third week of occupation.
For buildings that want the lobby covered at the door itself, our remote doorman service adds visitor screening and access control. For the full picture of what we cover in apartment buildings, see our residential building security page.
Live Monitoring: Cameras With Someone Watching
Stopped While It’s Happening
An operator sees the lobby, mail area or gate in real time, so a theft or break-in is dealt with while the person is still there, not found on footage the next morning.
One Team for Every Building
If you manage several properties, one Monitex team watches all of them, with the same alerts and reports for each site.
A Warning They Can Hear
Operators talk through the speakers at your property, so the person at the door or fence knows someone is watching live and can call the police.
Every Hour, Every Day
Monitoring runs 24/7, including nights, weekends and holidays, with a report and timestamped footage after every incident.
How Monitex Monitors New York Properties
Every New York site we watch follows the same sequence:
- Cameras stream to our operators. We connect the cameras you already have, or set up new ones where there are gaps.
- AI flags activity; operators verify it. Software points out motion and people. A trained operator looks at the live feed and decides what’s really happening.
- The operator speaks first. A warning through the on-site speakers tells the person they’re being watched live. Most leave.
- Police get called when it’s needed. The operator contacts police with what they’re seeing, while the person is still on site.
- You get a report. Each incident comes with a written summary and timestamped footage.
We serve properties in all five boroughs and across the state, from Long Island and Westchester to Albany, Rochester and Buffalo. Monitoring runs 24/7, so overnight, weekends and holidays are covered the same way.
Industries We Monitor in New York
Residential Buildings
Lobbies, mail areas and hallways watched live.
Apartment buildings are where most New York property managers feel the gap between having cameras and having someone watch them. Our operators watch lobbies, mail areas and hallways live, and have stopped a mailbox theft and a hallway break-in attempt at New York apartment properties by contacting police while they were happening.
Read moreConstruction Sites
Overnight job sites and materials.
At one New York City site, two men loaded road barriers into a rental truck late at night. Our operators called police, the property manager confirmed no one had permission, and both men were arrested. We watch fences, gates and material yards live, 24/7.
Read moreCar Dealerships
Inventory on the lot after closing.
New York had 24,206 vehicle thefts in 2025 (NICB). At a New York dealership, our operators spotted a person tampering with parked SUVs at night and contacted police while they were still on the lot. We watch lots and street frontage after hours.
Read moreParking Lots
Garages and surface lots, overnight.
The New York-Newark-Jersey City metro area had 27,138 vehicle thefts in 2025, the second-highest of any U.S. metro (NICB). Our operators watch entrances, ramps and parked rows, warn people who hang around vehicles and call police when needed.
Read moreWarehouses & Self-Storage
Docks, yards and unit rows.
Loading docks, yard gates and storage rows sit quiet after hours, which is when cargo and unit break-ins happen. Operators watch the perimeter live, warn intruders through speakers and contact police while they're still on site.
Read moreShopping Malls & Supermarkets
Parking areas, entrances and back doors.
New York's Retail Worker Safety Act requires retailers with 10 or more retail employees to adopt a workplace violence prevention policy and train staff. From 2027, larger chains must also provide silent response buttons (Labor Law § 27-e). We watch entrances, lots and loading areas live.
Read moreHotels
Lobbies, garages and service areas.
New York bans hidden recording in hotel guest rooms, restrooms and fitting rooms (General Business Law § 395-b), so cameras belong in lobbies, garages and back-of-house areas. Those are the spaces our operators watch live, around the clock.
Read moreBanks
Branches and ATM areas after hours.
New York's ATM Safety Act requires banks to record people entering indoor ATM facilities and to keep the recordings for at least 45 days (Banking Law § 75-c). We add live eyes on branches, ATM vestibules and parking areas.
Read moreCannabis Facilities
Dispensaries, vaults and parking.
New York requires licensed dispensaries to have cameras at every entry and exit, sales area and parking lot. Recordings must be kept for at least 60 days (9 NYCRR § 125.3). Our operators watch those feeds live, especially after closing.
Read moreHealthcare
Entrances, parking and after-hours wings.
Clinics and medical offices have entrances, parking areas and wings that empty out at night. Operators watch them live, warn people who shouldn't be there and contact police when needed, without placing cameras in patient areas.
Read moreSchools & Campuses
Grounds and buildings after dismissal.
Campuses sit empty on nights, weekends and breaks, when trespassing and vandalism start. Our operators watch the grounds, entrances and parking areas live and contact police while someone is still on site.
Read moreOffice Buildings
Lobbies, garages and after-hours floors.
Office lobbies and garages stay open to tenants long after most staff leave. Operators watch entrances, loading areas and parking live, so someone notices tailgating or a forced door while it's happening.
Read moreCameras, Audio and the Law in New York
New York is a one-party consent state for recording conversations. Its eavesdropping law covers recording a conversation “without the consent of at least one party thereto” by someone not present (Penal Law § 250.00). Because cameras with microphones can pick up conversations no one consented to, many businesses keep audio recording off and use speakers only for live warnings. Check with your counsel before turning on audio recording.
Other New York rules that shape where cameras go:
| Rule | What it says | Who it affects |
|---|---|---|
| General Business Law § 395-b | Bans hidden video recording in fitting rooms, restrooms and hotel or motel guest rooms | Retailers, hotels, any business with restrooms |
| Multiple Dwelling Law § 50-a | Self-closing, self-locking entrance doors; an intercom in buildings with eight or more apartments | Apartment building owners |
| Banking Law § 75-c | Cameras at ATM facilities; recordings kept at least 45 days | Banks |
| 9 NYCRR § 125.3 | Cameras at entries, exits, sales areas and parking; recordings kept at least 60 days | Licensed cannabis businesses |
This is general information, not legal advice. Rules change, and New York City has its own codes on top of state law.
FAQ
Is it legal to record audio on security cameras in New York?
New York requires the consent of at least one party to a conversation, so recording conversations you aren't part of can break the state's eavesdropping law. Many properties keep audio recording off. Live speakers, which let an operator talk to someone on site, don't record anyone's conversation.
Do New York apartment buildings need an intercom?
Under Multiple Dwelling Law § 50-a, class A multiple dwellings built or converted after 1968 need self-closing, self-locking entrance doors. Those with eight or more apartments also need an intercom. Older buildings must add them when a majority of tenants ask in writing.
Can Monitex use the cameras my building already has?
Yes. We can connect the cameras you already have, or set up new ones where coverage is missing. Our operators then watch the feeds live.
What happens when an operator sees someone on my property?
The operator checks the live feed and warns the person through the on-site speakers. If they don't leave, or the situation calls for it, the operator contacts police with a description of what's happening. You get a report with timestamped footage.
Do you monitor properties outside New York City?
Yes. Monitex is headquartered in Brooklyn and serves properties across New York State, including Long Island, Westchester and upstate cities, and in other states across the U.S.
Keep Your New York Property Watched Live
Tell us about your building or site, and we’ll walk through which areas need live eyes and how monitoring would work there.
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“Extremely efficient from initial setup to daily monitoring. They had our vacant property secured and online faster than any other vendor. The biggest win: visible deterrence. We’ve noticed unwanted activity completely stopped once their signs went up. For any owner or manager dealing with vacancies, this is the service you want.”
“I'm using this company now for almost two years on several of the properties that i manage, Im using their virtual doorman service, and im proud to post on my buildings that the site is being secured by monitex! Recently we had a building which was plageud with packages going missing do to package theft, i hired monitex for that property a month ago, they litterly picked up every out of the ordinary activity, they vetted every single person that came to pick up a package from the package room through their remotely monitored video installed device, Since then their were litterly no package theft whatsoever!!”
“Excellent professional service. They manage our propertys & have live camera feeds flawlessly. The dispatchers are sharp, alert, and incredibly fast to respond.”
“We’ve been using them for our security monitoring, and the service has been outstanding. Their response times are fast, and their team is always professional and attentive. Highly recommend to anyone looking for peace of mind!”
“Súper professional service, secured my property quickly and smoothly. Addressed all my concerns - would definitely use again!”
“Always monitoring every site they have nothing ever gets past the security that they put 10/10 would highly recommend”
“Great experience with Monitex Security reliable, and responsive. Excellent service and great customer support. Highly recommend!”
Mailbox Theft Caught on Camera in an Apartment Building, Suspect Caught OutsideWatch the case →
Apartment Break-In Attempt Caught on Camera, Stopped Before It EscalatedWatch the case →
Construction Site Theft Caught on Camera: Road Barriers Loaded Into a Truck, Two ArrestedWatch the case →
Vehicle Tampering Caught on Camera at a Car Dealership, Police CalledWatch the case →Get reliable, affordable security for your New York property.
