A utility cart includes a sensor or plurality of sensors to determine the state of a cart and secure cart contents. A sensor may be used to determine whether the contents of the cart have been accessed. When the sensor determines that the cart has been accessed, an alarm sequence that sounds an alarm or activates a visual indicator will be initiated. The alarm sequence may be terminated by a kill switch or by using an input device to deactivate the alarm. After the cart is used, the cart is re-stocked and the alarm controller is re-armed to return the cart's alarm system to an access sensing state.