Security Articles
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"Used with permission from Regenesis.net"

Security is mostly perception. And that perception works both sides of the street: resident’s perception and intruder’s perception. Both can perceive a secure environment but not necessarily at the same time. For example, a resident may feel secure because of a new video surveillance system. The intruder laughs because the whole system can be neutralized easily or has major gaps.

One thing is clear. The association needs to be careful about preempting local law enforcement, especially when we're talking about break and enter or physical altercations. Doing so may expose the association to additional liability. There have been a number of significant court cases that found the association responsible for facilitating assaults, rapes and other violent crimes by failing to provide promised "security". In most of those cases, claims of community security were boasted. Never make such boasts. They are a challenge to criminals and great lawsuit fodder for attorneys.

On the other hand, the association should be conscious of the security issue and make the buildings and grounds reasonably safe and secure. There are many relatively inexpensive things the association and the residents can do.  Normal security measures rarely work for long because, as the saying goes, "Locks only keep your friends out". Residents are often the worst gap in security. They leave gates open, hand out keys and codes, and rarely question strangers even if they see them breaking into someone's car.

For this weak link, a Neighborhood Watch Committee is helpful. If resident security laxness is detected, individuals can be reminded personally or periodic reminders sent or posted about specific security issues. The Committee's job is to keep residents aware, not scared. Information distribution and meetings are particularly effective following a crime. The Committee can also host meetings with guest speakers like police, detectives and security companies. We all know what we should do. Reminders help keep us better security focused.

While cameras and guards seem like a good idea, bad guys rarely parade in plain view. It's better to have residents make repeated calls to local police requesting more frequent patrols. Police do count the calls in determining where they should place patrols. Another cheap and effective security measure is posting highly visible "24 HOUR SURVEILLANCE" signs. If the bad guys can read, a fair number of them are deterred. Fake video cameras in visible locations with red blinking lights also work. The fact that there is neither 24 hour surveillance nor real cameras doesn't inform the criminal of that. If you can deter 3 out of 5, you've just reduce crime by 60%.

Security is mostly perception. While the association can pay for expensive guard services, the guards can't be everywhere at once. And you can buy expensive security cameras and recorders but who's going to monitor the equipment? And even if you catch someone on camera, the chances are slim you can identify them.

The association should provide a reasonable level of safety and security. Exterior lighting should be well placed and working. Gates and locks should be industrial grade. Landscaping should be trimmed to reduce cover and to allow light to disperse. Get the resident’s security perception in alignment with the intruder’s. Once both are on the same page, security becomes closer to reality.    BACK

ID Theft Tips
Here are some handy ways to safeguard your identity and credit:

• Order checks with your initials instead of first name and last name put on them. A forger won’t know if you sign your checks with just your initials or your first name but your bank will.
• When writing checks to pay on credit card accounts, just put the last four numbers of the account number. The credit card company knows the rest of the number.
• Put your work phone number on your checks instead of your home phone.
• If you have a PO Box use that instead of your home address.
• Never have your SS# printed on your checks. You can add it upon merchant’s request.
• Photocopy front and back of credit cards in your wallet. That way, you know what was stolen and have the phone numbers to call.
• Carry a photocopy of your passport when traveling.
• Make and carry a list of phone to call if your wallet/purse is stolen
• If your wallet/purse is stolen, file a police report immediately.
• Call the three national credit reporting organizations immediately to place a fraud alert on your name and Social Security number:

Equifax: www.equifax.com
Experian: www.experian.com
TransUnion: www.tuc.com    BACK

Whole Lotta Shakin’
Earthquakes are like rude house guests. They show up when you least expect them, trash your place and leave without picking up. Like rude guests, they are no laugher matter. While earthquakes are unpredictable, there are things you can do to reduce the consequences. If you are in an earthquake vulnerable area, here is some handy suggestions:

• Make sure your house is adequately bolted to the foundation.
• Take a first aid class.
• Install fire extinguishers within easy access.
• Bolt bookcases and other tall furniture to wall studs.
• Install strong latches on kitchen cabinets.
• Strap the water heater to wall studs.
• Purchase a first aid kit.
• Keep canned food and can opener.
• Keep at least three gallons of water per person on hand.
• Have sleeping bags.
• Keep a battery-powered radio, flashlight and extra batteries.
• Cache infant, elderly, or disabled family members necessities.
• Instructions for how to turn off gas, electricity, and water. (Have a professional turn natural gas service back on.)

If an actual earthquake occurs:

1. Drop, Cover and Hold On. Drop under a sturdy table, hold on, and protect your eyes.
2. If there's no table nearby, sit on the floor against an interior wall away from windows, bookcases, or tall furniture that could fall on you.
3. If your are in bed, roll out of bed to the floor and wedge against the bedframe with a pillow over your head.
4. If you are outdoors, find a clear spot away from buildings, trees, and power lines and drop to the ground.
5. If you are in a car, slow down and drive to a clear place. Stay in the car until the shaking stops.
6. Expect aftershocks.
7. Use the telephone only to report life-threatening emergencies.
8.Teach your children these techniques.

Steering clear of earthquake zones is the most practical long term advice to avoid disastrous consequences. But since so many ignore the obvious, buy earthquake insurance, be prepared when a whole lotta shakin’ starts and hold on for a wild ride.  BACK

Take a Big Bite
Homeowners associations are often called on to provide security in some form or another. Some provide controlled entry gates or access, security guards, video cameras and other high-tech gadgetry. Others build fences and moats (you heard right...with volunteer alligators...in Florida). All of this is costly, but does it really do the trick?

Security is mostly perception subject to personal experience and bias. For example, while a resident may feel more secure because of a new video surveillance system, an intruder may laugh because the system has major gaps. Effective security aligns both resident and criminal understanding. That means that both perceive there is a security barrier.

In addressing security issues, HOAs should be careful not to preempt local law enforcement or appear as if they are. This is especially true in the case of breaking and entering or physical altercations. Doing so may expose the HOA to additional liability. A number of significant court cases have found HOAs responsible for assaults, rapes and other violent crimes because they failed to provide promised security. In most of those cases, the HOA had boasted about its security. Never make such boasts. They are great lawsuit fodder for attorneys.

On the other hand, HOAs should be conscious of security issues and make the community reasonably safe and secure. There are many relatively inexpensive steps an HOA and its residents can take. Unfortunately, residents are often the worst gap in security. They leave gates open, hand out keys and codes, and rarely question strangers even if they see them breaking into someone’s car.

To address this weak link, a neighborhood watch committee is helpful to remind individuals personally or put out periodic reminders about specific security issues. The committee’s job is to keep residents aware, not scared. Information distribution is particularly effective following a crime. Meetings with guest speakers like police, detectives and security companies also work. Most residents know what they should do, but timely reminders keep them focused on the issue.

While cameras and guards seem like a good idea, bad guys rarely parade in plain view, the equipment is expensive and requires human monitoring. It’s better to have residents make repeated calls to local police requesting more frequent patrols. Police do count the calls in determining where they should place patrols. An effective security measure is posting highly visible "24 HOUR SURVEILLANCE" signs. If the bad guys can read, a fair number of them are deterred. Fake video cameras in visible locations also work. The fact that there is neither 24 hour surveillance nor real cameras doesn’t inform the criminal of that. If you can deter three out of five criminals, you’ve just reduced crime by 60%. Make sure to inform the residents about the true nature of the signs and cameras.

While an HOA can pay for expensive guard services, the guards can’t be everywhere at once. You can buy security cameras and recorders but who’s going to monitor the equipment? And even if you catch someone on camera, the chances are slim you’ll be able to identify them.

Instead, make sure that exterior lighting is well-placed and working. Gates and locks should be industrial grade. Landscaping should be trimmed to reduce cover and to allow light to disperse. Install fence climbing deterrents on likely points of entry. Keep residents informed of neighborhood crimes as they happen. They are reminders to be vigilant.

Take a BIG bite of crime before it takes a bite out of you.  BACK

HOA Access Control
For security reasons, more and more people want to reside in gated communities. In the 1970s there were approximately 2000 gated communities nationwide. In the early 2000s, there were over 50,000 with more being built every year. Gated communities offer both benefits and drawbacks.

Gated communities provide the perception of security, safety and privacy. In affluent neighborhoods, privacy means exclusivity and increased property values. The main purpose of a gates in low crime areas is to provide the perception of security. Any real benefits of crime prevention are a plus.

In higher crime areas, gate systems are intended to keep criminals off the property. In this setting, the intention is to reduce crime by erecting a significant barrier to unauthorized foot and vehicle traffic. Gates are often considered as a cheaper alternative to hiring and managing security guards. That is not always sound advice. Gates can also be a barrier to emergency services like the police or fire departments. It is extremely important to have a system in place that allows quick access like a "Knox Box", a high-security key box system designed for police, firefighters and other emergency services.

Do Gates Reduce Crime? The answer is a qualified "yes". Properly installed and working fences and gates definitely reduce unauthorized vehicle and foot traffic on a property, especially at night. For many properties, traffic reduction alone reduces much of the crime. Gates and fencing works best on a stable property with mature residents. While fencing and gates provide both a physical and psychological barrier for criminals good signage is necessary to announces that security measures are in place. Criminals want to enter a property anonymously and blend in. They like quick escape routes so will bypass a gated community because of the restricted access.

Gated communities should never claim to prevent crimes. Support by the residents and management is required to maintain an effective gate system. Residents need to be educated about the use of the gate system and to report abuse and damage. Residents need to challenge unauthorized persons using the gates and not give out gate codes unnecessarily. Management needs to periodically change the master gate code to screen out former repair vendors, pizza delivery companies and former residents.

Video surveillance systems work well in support of access control gates. A well-placed video camera can keep an eye on the gated entry areas 24-hours a day and never blink once. Video cameras should be placed in such a manner to be able to identify the vehicle makes and license plates of anyone who approaches. This is a great deterrent to vandalism and is positive proof should a gate be damaged by a careless driver. Because they operate 24-hours a day, a video camera must be protected from the weather and vandalism by a weatherproof housing. The video lens must adjust automatically to the changing lighting conditions for best picture quality. A well-placed sign should announce to all that they are under video surveillance. To capture these images, a commercial grade time-lapse video recorder is required in a weather protective enclosure.

Video systems can be integrated with the gate intercom system and allow homeowners to view who is at the gate seeking permission to enter. Video signals can be monitored remotely by a security firm which can even carry on a conversation with the person desiring access and open the gate remotely for them.

Which Gate Type is Best? The best gate type depends on the purpose and property types. Swinging gates look the best and are selected more often for private single family residential communities. The downside is the cost and maintenance expense. Two gate operators are required to open each wing of each gate set, which doubles the expense and requires twice the maintenance. Swinging gates also get damaged more often as anxious drivers hit them as they enter the property with their cars.

Gates that slide horizontally are less attractive, but are cheaper to purchase and maintain. Only one gate operator is required and it has fewer vulnerable parts to break. When a car clips a sliding gate, the usual result is getting knocked off the track as opposed to bending or breaking a control arm or weld point.

With any type of gate system, in-ground loop-detectors are required to automatically signal when a car is present so the automatic gate operator and function accordingly. Loop detectors are required to prevent the gates from crashing into a car and to allowing free egress from inside the property. Loop detectors are not designed to prevent tailgating and should not be circumvented to prevent this.

Tailgating is the practice of following an authorized resident vehicle through the open gates before it closes and common during rush hours. Some properties educate their residents to stop and wait for the gate to close behind their car before proceeding. Adding a high-speed swing-arm between the gate keypad and the gate typically does the trick. However, there must be enough front-end real estate for this modification. The swing-arm has to be synchronized to open and close behind each car before the main gate opens.

On exit-only gates, in-ground collapsible traffic-teeth have proved very effective in preventing wrong-way vehicles access. Highly visible signs are necessary to prevent tire damage. These to can be circumvented by clever thieves but work well enough to deter most drivers.

Disclosure to Residents. It is a good practice to always notify the residents in writing about the function of the gates. Since access gates are an amenity, any change in service needs to be explained. For example, if the board decides to leave the gates open during daylight hours, this policy change should be noticed to the residents. If a gate becomes damaged and requires weeks to repair, you should so notify your residents.

The decision to install gates on a property creates a love-hate relationship. Residents love those gates but they can be a pain to maintain.

by Chris E McGoey    BACK

Perception of Protection
Homeowner associations have a responsibility to protect the investments of the members. A person’s home is typically his largest investment, thus protecting property value should be a main concern of any HOA. Perceptions of personal safety influence current residents’ decisions regarding relocation and rank high in perspective buyers’ relocation choices. When the community is faced with real crime, the board should address the issue by asking several fundamental questions:

Has crime increased resident instability? HOAs can measure resident instability in several ways: residential mobility and owner occupancy. Resident mobility measures the frequency in which residents move in and out, while owner occupancy is a rate assessing the number of resident owners. Combining these two measures provides the board insight about HOA instability.

Has crime affected property values? Criminal mischief such as graffiti and destruction of property directly reduce the value of the targeted property.

Has crime affected the quality of life within the community? If crime disenchants HOA members and they believe the board is not addressing the problem adequately, some will withdraw from social activities or focus on crime issues at meetings.

Community Response to Crime. To identify and measure response to crime, four basic questions may be asked:

1.What is the HOA doing to prevent crime? There are several crime prevention strategies that HOAs can implement such as environmental designs (reduce landscape cover, install better lighting, build fences), human capital investments (Neighborhood Watch Program, security guards), and electronic monitoring (cameras), all of which address crime in different ways.

2. How does "perceived" crime influence the HOA’s crime prevention efforts? Perceptions of crime do not always relate to the actual amount of crime. And responding to crime does not address the fear of crime. So, it is important to gauge the residents’ perceptions to determine whether they approve of the board’s response.

3. Is the crime response successful? The board’s crime prevention strategy may fail to meet the objectives. For instance, installation of security lights will not affect daytime burglaries. Security guards can’t be everywhere at once. Security cameras may capture an intruder’s image but the image doesn’t identify the intruder.

4. What are the side effects of the crime prevention programs? Some programs can have collateral consequences. For example, gated communities provide a physical barrier to deter crime, however, residents are required to validate themselves and their guests when entering. In this scenario the individual relinquishes certain freedoms for macro-level protections.

Assessing the impact crime has on the community and the board’s response to it is a fundamental service all homeowner associations need to address. Security has both elements of perception and protection. The board should integrate both elements when implementing responses to crime.

Excerpts from Community Associations Institutes Best Practices.  BACK

Perception & Protection
Homeowner associations have a responsibility to protect the investments of the members. A person’s home is typically his largest investment, thus protecting property value should be a main concern of any HOA board. Perceptions of personal safety influence current residents’ lifestyle choices and rank high in perspective buyers’ relocation choices. Assuming that an HOA is faced with real versus perceived crime, the board can address that perception by asking several fundamental questions:

Has crime increased resident instability? HOAs can measure resident instability in several ways: residential mobility and owner occupancy. Resident mobility measures the frequency in which residents move in and out, while owner occupancy is a rate assessing the number of resident owners. Combining these two provides the board insight about resident instability.

Has crime affected property values? Criminal mischief such as graffiti and vandalism directly reduce the value of the targeted property. If this activity is pervasive in your HOA, property values are likely to drop.

Has crime affected the quality of life? If HOA members believe the board is not addressing the crime problem adequately, some will withdraw from social activities or focus on crime issues at meetings.

Community Response to Crime. To identify and measure response to crime, four basic questions may be asked:

1.What is the HOA doing to reduce crime? There are several crime reduction strategies that HOAs can implement such as environmental designs (reduce landscape cover, install better lighting, build more effective fences), organic security measures (security guards) and electronic monitoring (cameras), all of which address crime in different ways. Environment measures are an absolute must to provide the perception of protection. The other two can be effective deterrents but come at a high cost.

2. How does "perceived"crime influence the HOA’s crime prevention efforts? Perceptions of crime do not always relate to the actual amount of crime. And responding to crime does not address the fear of crime; therefore, informing residents of responses to crime is critical to help relieve resident fears. It is also important to gauge the residents’ approval of the board’s response. For example, was the response both timely and appropriate?

3. Is the crime response successful? Sometimes a crime prevention strategy fails to meet the objective. For instance, installation of security lights will not affect daytime burglaries. It’s good to review measures taken every year to determine if improvements can be made.

4. What are the side effects of the crime prevention programs? Some programs can created additional challenges. For example, while gated communities provide a physical barrier as a form of crime prevention, residents are required to validate themselves and their guests when entering. In this scenario, the individual relinquishes certain freedoms in exchange for certain protections.

Assessing the impact crime has on a homeowner association and the board’s response to it is a fundamental service all HOAs need to address. Security has both elements of perception and protection.  BACK

Security Goes Green
Every homeowner association deals with security in one form or another. It could involve an entry gate, clubhouse, elevator, parking garage, fence, wall, storage room or common area lighting. For those HOAs that have an entry access system, it includes a door opener, key fob or card which must be recorded and replaced as needed.

Residents using old technology security access control can relate to how easily security breaks down. Isn’t that person at the pool a friend of Unit 9's owner? But where is the Unit 9 owner? Or, the pizza delivery guy just punched in a code to open the front gate. As the saying goes, "Locks keep your friends out."

High tech access control was once a big city concern but today even areas with few security problems are taking the initiative ahead of time. New technology includes Fingerprint Biometric Access. The physiological uniqueness of each person’s fingers defines the difference between individuals. Other biometric systems include facial recognition, iris recognition, retinal scan, voice and hand geometry. One advantage of biometric systems is never having to use external credentials like keys, etc. Biometric systems can usually be accomplished without any change in wiring and software with little downtime.

The latest security access systems have the capability of controlling access according to time of day. For example, residents can be given 24/7 clearance, renovation contractors Monday-Friday 7 am to 6 pm and security services 8 pm to 6 am. Besides tracking individuals that access the grounds and buildings, lighting and heating/air conditioning can be controlled for maximum energy efficiency and savings. The system can also monitor doors that are ajar or propped open.

And, of course, to stay connected, security alerts can be sent to personal computers and smart phones. There is a plethora of options available to answer the most intricate security conundrum. From self-help Neighbor Watch Programs to cutting edge biometrics system, there is something for every HOA budget. As residents become more and more security conscious, explore what today’s technology has to offer.   BACK