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Apartment Complexes
MSI has acknowledged the need for additional security services in the apartment community area.
MSI Officers are well trained and arrive on site with the knowledge and experience on how to deal
with situations that arise in close living quarters. We have been effective in decreasing the criminal
elements of car burglaries, auto thefts, vandalism, under age drinking, curfew violation, loud
parties and trespassers. We provide foot patrol, Bicycle Patrol of your complex. We also commit
our officers to do light check, Patio checks, Laundry rooms and Pool Lock-ups.
If you're an owner or property manager of an apartment building, then the safety of your residents
as well as the condition of your building is very important to you. One of the more frightening
crimes that can occur to a tenant is an invasion. A home invasion is when robbers force their way
into an apartment to commit a robbery or other crimes. It is particularly frightening because it
violates our private space and the one place that we think of as our sanctuary.
Burglars work mostly during the day and when a residence is more likely to be unoccupied. Most
burglars work alone and tend to probe an apartment complex looking for the right residence and
the right opportunity. Home invasion robbers work more often at nights and on weekends when
residences are more likely to be occupied.
" We've always said an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,"
Security measures should actually be viewed as an investment at your complex, not merely as an
expense. Because most people cannot see how additional security can directly generate income, it
is often necessary to justify the use of Security Officers. Fortunately, this is not difficult to do.
By providing a safer environment, you may actually notice an increase in the number of tenants
and repeat tenants who come to your property as well as a decrease in employee turnover. It is an
established fact that tenants and families are attracted to environments where they feel safe.
There may also be a corresponding reduction in other areas such as internal theft, armed robbery,
criminal damage, liability costs and insurance premiums.
"Problems aside, we are rapidly approaching a situation where Security of our communities/
apartment complexes is no longer an option. In a highly competitive business environment,
companies cannot afford to have costly or inappropriate security. Metropolitan Security &
Investigation can be nothing less than the defense of your complex profitability."
Security is the first line of defense against the risk of any loss. A thorough survey will look at more
than just lighting, landscaping and locks. MSI can provide you with recommendations that will
provide reasonable, cost effective and appropriate control measures that are commensurate with
the risks to which your organization is exposed.
TARGET HARDENING
Sometimes you cannot remove a target. But you can harden the target. Target hardening involves
the use of locks, electronic devices, or other hardware that will DETECT, DENY, DELAY or DETER
the criminal (away from the intended target). Target hardening is directed to all structures, vehicles
and personal property within the rental community.
DETECT: By utilizing good security techniques, you can cause the person to make more noise,
which will increase the risk of detection. This may also persuade the person not to commit the
crime.
DENY: By engraving valuables, using security electronic equipment, or by moving other valuables
out of view, you can remove the rewards received from a crime opportunity. If the rewards are not
there, this may persuade the person not to commit the crime.
DELAY: Many times crimes are committed because of an easy opportunity. By using good crime
prevention techniques you can increase the time and effort needed to commit the crime. This may
persuade the person not to commit the crime.
DETER: By utilizing the previous three techniques, you may prevent a crime from happening by
deterring the criminal from the property to an easier target elsewhere
Crime Prevention in Apartment Communities
Many people feel helpless against crime, because too often crime is seen as an inevitable part of
our society. It has been said, “If a criminal WANTS to get you, he’ll get you!” This belief leads to
helplessness, fear and apathy. Apathy is one of the most dangerous elements in society today.
When law-abiding citizens refuse to go outside after dark, they have voluntarily turned over their
neighborhoods to the ones perpetrating crimes.
Criminals Are Like Weeds
Many times rental property managers will not battle criminal activity on their rental property
because they feel they cannot be successful. Often, people view dangerous criminals like a large
rock that cannot be moved, or even be budged.
But, dangerous criminals are NOT like rocks. In fact, they are more like weeds. Unlike an inanimate
rock, a plant will grow. As a weed grows, it roots, it sprouts out and it chokes out healthy plants. A
single weed can quickly overtake an entire garden. When criminal activity is allowed to flourish in
apartment communities, the effect is the same.
The typical police approach to crime is REACTIVE. Once a crime has been committed, the police
officer responds, writes a police report and begins the preliminary investigation. It is certainly more
humane and cost effective to prevent a crime from even occurring. Crime Prevention is the
PROACTIVE side of law enforcement. Crime Prevention is more desirable because is addresses
the potential for crime before it becomes a serious problem.
Unfortunately, many people don’t address crime situations until it is too late. (A good example is
the victim of a burglary who suddenly becomes interested in a home security system.)
Once a crime problem has gotten too large, it is often easier to run away than face it. Equate the
crime problem to killing a dinosaur. The easiest way to kill a dinosaur is while it is in the egg. Once
the dinosaur hatches, it will become larger and progressively harder to defeat. The same is true
regarding criminal activity.
UNDERSTANDING CRIME PREVENTION
To prevent crime, you need to understand crime, and you need to understand the criminal mind.
When you think of criminals, think of predators. Most criminals are like predators, looking for easy
victims.
When you think of predators you might think of a lion. When the lion is hungry, she will go out to
stalk her prey. The lion knows the watering hole is a good place to find food, as this is where all the
animals come to get water. The lion is a skilled hunter. She knows the best approach is from
downwind. This way she can smell the herd, but they cannot smell her. The lion is also careful to
approach slowly, staying low in the tall grass to avoid detection.
At just the right moment, the lion pounces into the herd. The lion does not run past the injured, the
diseased or slowest ones in favor of the strongest one at the lead of the pack. In fact, it usually is
the one that is injured, sick or simply NOT PAYING ATTENTION that gets attacked. This is called
survival of the fittest or thinning the herd.
The two-legged urban breed of predator, the criminal, works the same way. They stalk their victims,
looking for the easy prey. To be successful against an attack, you don’t necessarily have to be the
strongest one, but you don’t want to be the weakest!
Lions only hunt when they are hungry; but criminals are almost always on the prowl. This is why
crime prevention is so important.
Many of our Contracts have involved Apartment Security. The vast majority of these contracts
have resulted from various forms of crimes that have already occurred in apartment Complexes.
Even gated communities are not immune from criminal activity. Property crime at apartment
complexes can diminish the ability to maintain full occupancy and decrease the market value of
rent.
Every apartment complex should require an Apartment Security Expert to conduct a security
survey before throwing money at the problem. We offer Security Awareness Programs can place
some of the oneness on the tenants themselves to take responsibility for their own safety.
We believe that any successful security program must have the buy-in of all employees and
tenants (where applicable). Security Awareness must become an integral part of every employee's
job.
Do not wait for a tragedy to occur before deciding the security of the Tenants was deficient. Once
an incident has occurred, the clock stops and you will have no chance to undo the past.
MSI has acknowledged the need for additional security services in the apartment community area.
MSI Officers are well trained and arrive on site with the knowledge and experience on how to deal
with situations that arise in close living quarters. We have been effective in decreasing the criminal
elements of car burglaries, auto thefts, vandalism, under age drinking, curfew violation, loud
parties and trespassers. We provide foot patrol, Bicycle Patrol of your complex. We also commit
our officers to do light check, Patio checks, Laundry rooms and Pool Lock-ups.
If you're an owner or property manager of an apartment building, then the safety of your residents
as well as the condition of your building is very important to you. One of the more frightening
crimes that can occur to a tenant is an invasion. A home invasion is when robbers force their way
into an apartment to commit a robbery or other crimes. It is particularly frightening because it
violates our private space and the one place that we think of as our sanctuary.
Burglars work mostly during the day and when a residence is more likely to be unoccupied. Most
burglars work alone and tend to probe an apartment complex looking for the right residence and
the right opportunity. Home invasion robbers work more often at nights and on weekends when
residences are more likely to be occupied.
" We've always said an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,"
Security measures should actually be viewed as an investment at your complex, not merely as an
expense. Because most people cannot see how additional security can directly generate income, it
is often necessary to justify the use of Security Officers. Fortunately, this is not difficult to do.
By providing a safer environment, you may actually notice an increase in the number of tenants
and repeat tenants who come to your property as well as a decrease in employee turnover. It is an
established fact that tenants and families are attracted to environments where they feel safe.
There may also be a corresponding reduction in other areas such as internal theft, armed robbery,
criminal damage, liability costs and insurance premiums.
"Problems aside, we are rapidly approaching a situation where Security of our communities/
apartment complexes is no longer an option. In a highly competitive business environment,
companies cannot afford to have costly or inappropriate security. Metropolitan Security &
Investigation can be nothing less than the defense of your complex profitability."
Security is the first line of defense against the risk of any loss. A thorough survey will look at more
than just lighting, landscaping and locks. MSI can provide you with recommendations that will
provide reasonable, cost effective and appropriate control measures that are commensurate with
the risks to which your organization is exposed.
TARGET HARDENING
Sometimes you cannot remove a target. But you can harden the target. Target hardening involves
the use of locks, electronic devices, or other hardware that will DETECT, DENY, DELAY or DETER
the criminal (away from the intended target). Target hardening is directed to all structures, vehicles
and personal property within the rental community.
DETECT: By utilizing good security techniques, you can cause the person to make more noise,
which will increase the risk of detection. This may also persuade the person not to commit the
crime.
DENY: By engraving valuables, using security electronic equipment, or by moving other valuables
out of view, you can remove the rewards received from a crime opportunity. If the rewards are not
there, this may persuade the person not to commit the crime.
DELAY: Many times crimes are committed because of an easy opportunity. By using good crime
prevention techniques you can increase the time and effort needed to commit the crime. This may
persuade the person not to commit the crime.
DETER: By utilizing the previous three techniques, you may prevent a crime from happening by
deterring the criminal from the property to an easier target elsewhere
Crime Prevention in Apartment Communities
Many people feel helpless against crime, because too often crime is seen as an inevitable part of
our society. It has been said, “If a criminal WANTS to get you, he’ll get you!” This belief leads to
helplessness, fear and apathy. Apathy is one of the most dangerous elements in society today.
When law-abiding citizens refuse to go outside after dark, they have voluntarily turned over their
neighborhoods to the ones perpetrating crimes.
Criminals Are Like Weeds
Many times rental property managers will not battle criminal activity on their rental property
because they feel they cannot be successful. Often, people view dangerous criminals like a large
rock that cannot be moved, or even be budged.
But, dangerous criminals are NOT like rocks. In fact, they are more like weeds. Unlike an inanimate
rock, a plant will grow. As a weed grows, it roots, it sprouts out and it chokes out healthy plants. A
single weed can quickly overtake an entire garden. When criminal activity is allowed to flourish in
apartment communities, the effect is the same.
The typical police approach to crime is REACTIVE. Once a crime has been committed, the police
officer responds, writes a police report and begins the preliminary investigation. It is certainly more
humane and cost effective to prevent a crime from even occurring. Crime Prevention is the
PROACTIVE side of law enforcement. Crime Prevention is more desirable because is addresses
the potential for crime before it becomes a serious problem.
Unfortunately, many people don’t address crime situations until it is too late. (A good example is
the victim of a burglary who suddenly becomes interested in a home security system.)
Once a crime problem has gotten too large, it is often easier to run away than face it. Equate the
crime problem to killing a dinosaur. The easiest way to kill a dinosaur is while it is in the egg. Once
the dinosaur hatches, it will become larger and progressively harder to defeat. The same is true
regarding criminal activity.
UNDERSTANDING CRIME PREVENTION
To prevent crime, you need to understand crime, and you need to understand the criminal mind.
When you think of criminals, think of predators. Most criminals are like predators, looking for easy
victims.
When you think of predators you might think of a lion. When the lion is hungry, she will go out to
stalk her prey. The lion knows the watering hole is a good place to find food, as this is where all the
animals come to get water. The lion is a skilled hunter. She knows the best approach is from
downwind. This way she can smell the herd, but they cannot smell her. The lion is also careful to
approach slowly, staying low in the tall grass to avoid detection.
At just the right moment, the lion pounces into the herd. The lion does not run past the injured, the
diseased or slowest ones in favor of the strongest one at the lead of the pack. In fact, it usually is
the one that is injured, sick or simply NOT PAYING ATTENTION that gets attacked. This is called
survival of the fittest or thinning the herd.
The two-legged urban breed of predator, the criminal, works the same way. They stalk their victims,
looking for the easy prey. To be successful against an attack, you don’t necessarily have to be the
strongest one, but you don’t want to be the weakest!
Lions only hunt when they are hungry; but criminals are almost always on the prowl. This is why
crime prevention is so important.
Many of our Contracts have involved Apartment Security. The vast majority of these contracts
have resulted from various forms of crimes that have already occurred in apartment Complexes.
Even gated communities are not immune from criminal activity. Property crime at apartment
complexes can diminish the ability to maintain full occupancy and decrease the market value of
rent.
Every apartment complex should require an Apartment Security Expert to conduct a security
survey before throwing money at the problem. We offer Security Awareness Programs can place
some of the oneness on the tenants themselves to take responsibility for their own safety.
We believe that any successful security program must have the buy-in of all employees and
tenants (where applicable). Security Awareness must become an integral part of every employee's
job.
Do not wait for a tragedy to occur before deciding the security of the Tenants was deficient. Once
an incident has occurred, the clock stops and you will have no chance to undo the past.
Copyright © 2006 Metropolitan Security & Investigations All Rights Reserved. Raven
