Too Bad The Tonight Show Didn’t Use Self Storage

Had the producers of The Tonight Show opted  to store the show’s wardrobes in self storage they could have had their pick of security features offered by self storage facilities near Universal Studios in Burbank where the show is filmed. There are at least nine self storage facilities near the studio, including Kiss Keep It Self Storage and A-1 Self Storage, which are less than one mile away. Self storage facilities fit two of The Tonight Show’s needs nicely. First, self storage companies maintain customer confidentiality -- self storage operators do not tell anyone who rents units at a facility. Second, self storage facilities are secure. These days, most self storage facilities have 24-hour security camera surveillance and security fences. Many also offer biometric security features.

Unfortunately, the Tonight Show did not store its wardrobes in a self storage facility. Instead, it rented space in a warehouse that does not seem to have the state-of-the-art security devices that are standard in the self storage industry. It is unfortunate that the show did not have the benefit of security fences, cameras, and the like, because on Monday a Tonight Show employee discovered that the show’s chosen storage facility had been burglarized.

A wardrobe employee looking for clothing for The Tonight Show’s band members went to the show’s storage facility on Monday and found that about $5,600 worth of wardrobe had been taken. The stolen items included jackets, shirts, and 35 pairs of shoes. The shoes alone were worth $2,000.

There were no signs of forced entry to the storage facility, and no property damage was done. The Los Angeles Police have no suspects in the theft, but say that the items may have been stolen a few items at a time, over a period of a few weeks in May.

“A significant portion of their inventory is missing,” Lt. Bob Binder said in yesterday’s Los Angeles Times. “It’s a grand theft case.”

Not all burglaries are felonies, but grand theft is -- to be grand theft, the property that is taken has to be worth a significant amount of money.

Sources used:

The Associated Press. “Thieves swipe ‘Tonight Show’ band’s wardrobe.” June 1, 2010.

Blankstein, Andrew. “‘Tonight Show’ band clothing, shoes grabbed by thieves.” The Los Angeles Times. June 1, 2010.