Community Security and Crime Prevention

Community Security

• Prevention is the most effective action against crime, and it is essential to analyze a community association's authority, legal obligations, and security needs before an adverse situation occurs.

Legal Obligations

• The board's legal obligations in the exercise of its management powers include:
  • Obeying the governing documents
  • Having a duty of diligence in the conduct of its activities
  • Effectively carrying out its fiduciary duty to the association and its members

Theories Used to Sue Community Associations

• Breach of duty to provide adequate security
• Breach of contract
• Misrepresentation

Reasonableness Standard

• When applying the reasonableness standard, determine:
  • Whether the decision is arbitrary or capricious
  • Whether it is non-discriminatory and even-handed
  • Whether it was made in good faith for the common welfare of the owners and occupants of the community

Due Care

• When exercising due care, each board member should:
  • Give the association the benefit of his or her best care and judgment
  • Exercise his or her powers in the interest of the association and the members

Scope of Authority

• The manager and board should analyze their scope of overall authority, including:
  • Reviewing the association's governing documents
  • Conducting an analysis of their legal obligations
  • Consulting with an attorney to review the foreseeability of danger within the community and case law decisions and trends

Responsibility to Protect Property Value

• Community associations have a responsibility to protect the investments of the community members
• A person's home or unit is typically their largest physical investment, thus protecting property value should be a main concern of any association

Measuring Resident Instability

• Two methods to measure resident instability include:
  • Residential mobility (frequency of residents moving in and out of the community)
  • Owner occupancy (rate of resident owners)

Impact of Crime on Community

• Crime can have a negative impact on property values, quality of life, and community activity participation
• Assessing the impact of crime on the community can help an association develop a crime prevention program

Community Response to Crime

• Four basic questions to ask when assessing a community's response to crime:
  1. What is the community doing to prevent crime?
  2. How does "perceived" crime influence the community's crime prevention efforts?
  3. Is the crime response successful?
  4. What are the side effects of the community's crime prevention activities?

Developer's Role in Security

• The developer has a substantial impact on the security systems and features a community association ultimately chooses to obtain and implement
• The developer should consider hiring a professional management company to provide input on the plans and ensure that the association will be able to reasonably maintain the common elements

Establishing a Security Program

• A developer can turn to a number of sources for information on how to establish a security program, including:
  • Local law enforcement
  • Security consultants
  • Marketing studies
  • Insurance consultants
  • Other communities in the area

Security Services

• A contract security firm's role is often misunderstood, and they have many limitations in terms of actions they can take
• The legal powers of a security officer are usually limited to that of a citizen or a client representative on private property

Expectations for Security Officers

• Expectations for security officers must always include:
  • What they are expected to do
  • How they are to do it
  • When they are to do it
  • Actions that are never to be done

Observing and Reporting

• At the heart of a security service's scope is the phrase "observe and report"
• Proper observation and accurate and speedy reporting are critical parts of the security team

Deterrence

• The best goal of any security system is to deter criminal activity
• This is best achieved by striking a balance between high visibility and customer service

Clearly Defined Objectives

• A successful security solution within a community is built upon clear, two-way communication
• Expectations are best managed with detailed "post orders" of what the community expects from the security team

First Responder Roles

• Part of the defined objectives should clearly address what expectations there are for any "first responder" duties
• Training on definitions is critical, and the scope of work for a security officer must be written with as much clarity as possible

Hiring a Security Provider

• Steps to follow when hiring a security provider:
  1. Create an RFP (request for proposal)
  2. Inspect the company's office of operation
  3. Review the security officers' training manual
  4. Ask the company for a complete list of existing clients
  5. Ask for a copy of the liability insurance
  6. Visit existing client communities and speak with security officers
  7. Ask the company to develop a "transition plan"
  8. Ask about vehicles, uniforms, and equipment
  9. Ask the security provider to discuss what sets them apart
  10. Meet with the site supervisor

Key Security Considerations

• Areas to consider when developing terms and conditions for a security program:

  • Residential specific issues
  • Neighborhood watch
  • Video surveillance
  • Residential information
  • Liability issues
  • Entering private residences and alarm response
  • Armed vs. unarmed guards
  • Full-time vs. part-time presence of security
  • Onsite officers vs. periodic or random vehicle patrols
  • Legal issues for providing breaks and meal periods
  • Serving many "masters"—setting up proper reporting procedures### Community Security

• Authority issues in community security:

  • Issuing codes, changing codes, and officers' authority to override access denial
  • Access control for visitors, contractors, real estate agents, and vendors
  • Management of public facilities, construction, and animal control

Surveillance Systems

• Components of a surveillance system:
  • CCTV cameras, cabling, recording devices, and monitoring devices
• Design considerations:
  • Determining what the camera will focus on and when it will be used
  • Choosing the type of camera (stationary, PTZ, or day/night)
  • Considering ambient light and using infrared illuminators if necessary
  • Deciding how to connect the cameras (coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, or Cat5 networking cable)

Types of Surveillance Cameras

• License plate cameras:
  • Specially designed to capture license plates without glare
  • Infrared illuminators and infrared cut filters are used
• Overview cameras:
  • Capture vehicles as they pass through
  • Day/night cameras with infrared illuminators for nighttime use

Perimeter Surveillance

• Using a mix of technologies:
  • PTZ cameras for long distances and stationary cameras for areas like building access points
  • Infrared illuminators for areas with low ambient light
• Installing cameras in plain sight or covertly
• Considering the distance of the illuminator and the zoom lens

Community Building Surveillance

• Installing cameras inside and outside community buildings
• Covering entry points, delivery areas, and parking lots
• Considering ambient light and using infrared illuminators if necessary
• Avoiding installation in private areas like restrooms and locker rooms

Alarm Systems

• Community perimeter intrusion detection systems:
  • Electronically monitoring the perimeter of the community
  • Using technologies like point-to-point beams, stellar cables, and outdoor motion detectors
• Residential security systems:
  • Requiring security systems in residences
  • Specifying the types of security systems allowed
  • Limiting the types of security systems to reduce the learning curve for security guards

Access Control Systems

• Components:
  • Device, reader, controller, and security barrier
• How it works:
  • The device is read by the reader, which sends the device number to the controller
  • The controller decides whether to allow access and sends a signal to the gate or door
• Design considerations:
  • Integrating various gate/door locations
  • Using a single database and programming
  • Controlling access through access levels and time zones
  • Limiting access to specific times and days of the week

Security Software

• Benefits:
  • Operational consistency
  • Expedited guest processing
  • Increased accountability
  • Financial rewards
  • Enhanced community marketability
• Common characteristics:
  • User-friendly
  • Customizable
  • Modular design
  • Real-time networking
  • Integration with controller panels and access control technologies
  • Automatic database backups
  • Ability to import data and interface with other software programs### Security Software Requirements
• Security software should not display popup advertisements to resident users
• Ability to operate even when communication with the central database is lost
• Message board system for intersystem communications
• Warning screens with resident-specific messages and pictures
• "Be on the look out" (BOLO) device and license plate warnings
• Medical information and emergency contacts tracking
• Special medical needs tracking
• Second address tracking with mailing capabilities
• Tenant/renter tracking
• Customizable standard reports to meet association needs
• Vehicle citations and violations with mail merge capabilities

Guardhouse and Security Features

• Daily log to track guardhouse activity
• Guard memorandums
• Incident and field investigation reports
• Party guest list management
• Work order systems
• Open garage door tracking
• Out of town resident tracking
• House check tracking
• Package/delivery tracking
• Calendar with event notification
• Traffic statistics by gate location, traffic lane, or community wide
• Handheld units for curbside guest processing
• Roving patrol units for accessing security database in vehicles
• Driver's license scanning for guest access
• Dispatch log for tracking calls and response times
• Resident communication system for sending notifications
• Video integration with CCTV system for guest identification
• Country club interface for greeting members or guests by name
• Photo-ID system for customized photo-ID badges
• Alarm receiver integration for monitoring resident home security and fire alarms

Selecting a Security Software Provider

• Consider years of experience in providing security software to community associations
• Evaluate the number of communities currently using the provider's security software
• Experience with system integration and various community types is essential
• Consider the number of features offered by the security software
• Ensure the software provider allows for future changes and expansion
• Speak to other communities that use the security software
• Evaluate service and the provider's ability to maintain the software
• Determine who maintains ownership of the software and community data
• Consider software training and ongoing support
• Evaluate data transfer and maintenance responsibilities
• Investigate the availability and response time of technical support