Crime Free Multi Housing Program

Apartment complexes (click here for Houston, Texas), condos, town homes, high rises, time share property.  They all have one thing in common: a target rich environment.  The premises liability exposure to tenants, visitors, or employees is staggering given the nature of the high concentration of people.  Property managers and owners truly hold their futures in their own hands when it comes to security.  The word "security" is one that would seem to be avoided at all costs because of management's concern about the implied meaning.  The truth is that security measures are already in place and acknowledging that appropriately goes a long way towards enhancing the conditions of a property and mitigating liability exposure.  Also available for property managers in Houston is Apartment Crime Locator for crime mapping.

Consider the following activities and functions as security functions

• Ensuring lighting is in good repair and is "adequate".
• Trimming and maintaining landscaping.
• Vehicle stickers or some other method to identify tenant's cars
• No Trespassing signs.
• Peepholes in doors.
• Controlled access (key, card, digital) to areas such as work out areas or club house.
• Controlled access gates are designed to deter or prevent trespassers.

Where management's definition of "security" may be thought of as 24/7 armed guard or police officer that is not necessarily true.  That is where the disconnect begins.  From the standpoint of liability from an injury resulting incident, the outright denial of providing any security will become a slippery slope for the defendant property.  The common statement of  "We don't provide security." will prove to be the anvil for the hammer during any testimony.

The Crime Free Multi Housing Program employs the methodology called CPTED or Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design.  It simply means:

CPTED is comprised of four components:

• Natural Surveillance
• Natural Access Control
• Territoriality

The use of the above to increase the safety and security of any property is through the optimization of the given surroundings.  Here are some general concepts associated with the above:

• Natural Surveillance:  How well can a person see their surroundings?  Visibility is a key component that allows a person to have an unobstructed view around them.  This is usually accomplished by keeping shrubs and other landscaping from getting too high.  Bushes should not be more than 4 feet tall.
• Natural Access Control:  Think of this in terms of a grocery store layout.  The displays and fixtures tend to point you in a particular direction.  Ensuring that paths are well defined and that lighting is brightest at the focal points of the path.  This is important for two reasons: It obviously it assists a person in getting where they are going but it also allows immediate observation of a person who deviates from that path who may be planning criminal activity.  Defining paths can be accomplished through landscaping, decorative fencing, and lighting.  This concept can also be used to prevent people from going into "restricted" areas.  While they could certainly go through or over a four foot tall hedge, your liability may be reduced because of the person's total disregard of the barrier.
• Territoriality:  Territoriality is the use of physical attributes that express ownership such as fences, signage, landscaping, lighting, pavement designs, etc.
  
  This design concept is directed primarily at decreasing the opportunity for criminal activity by denying access to crime targets and creating a perception of risk for offenders. People are physically guided through a space by the strategic design of streets, sidewalks, building entrances, landscaping and gateways. Design elements are also useful tools to clearly indicate public routes and discourage access to private areas.
  
  This design concept also creates or extends a sphere of influence. People take more interest in something they own or when they feel intrinsically involved. Therefore, the environment should be designed to clearly delineate private spaces.

To read about the use of Courtesy Officers for apartment security click here.

Contact us for a copy of the Texas Apartment Association's Crime Awareness Guide.  This is an excellent and comprehensive guide and recommendations that could be applied in any state.  Click here to request a copy.