INSIDE
by Michelle Z. Askeland
In light of recent terrorist attacks
and active shooter incidents in Paris,
California and Colorado Springs, the
role property managers play in pro-
tecting their tenants as well as their
building assets is more important
than ever.
“Security is really front of mind for
all of our property manager custom-
ers right now,” said Steve Claton,
president of Universal Protection
Service, Western Division. “Not only
because they are responsible for
managing core real estate assets,
but also because they are receiving
dozens of requests from their ten-
ants, who are asking, ‘What are we
doing to reduce the likelihood of
something like this happening at
our property?’”
While there is no silver bullet to
secure a property from all threats,
there are several tactics property
managers should incorporate into
their arsenal.
“Property managers should take
the recent unfortunate events as an
opportunity to proactively perform a
security assessment for their prop-
erties, which starts with bringing in
their security service provider, sit-
ting down and really understanding
the risk profile for their property,
and if their current security program
complements that risk profile,” he
said.
Knowledge
Property managers must know
their building inside and out. Hav-
ing an exit plan in place and making
sure everyone in the building knows
the plan is very important, said Lt.
Kevin Edling with the Denver Police
Department.
A manager should analyze his
building to determine if it is a soft
target or hard target. For example, a
soft-target building may have open
access to the general public with
no safety mechanisms or features
in place, he said. A hard target may
include security personnel, con-
trolled access and security cameras.
A security guard hardens the target,
and if that person is armed, it may
deter the threat to an easier loca-
tion, he said.
In order to understand the threat,
the property management team and
the security teammust be aligned
in the characteristics of the property.
Every property is unique, so it’s impor-
tant to assess each property individu-
ally to design a system that comple-
ments the business and security
needs of the building, said Claton.
While increasing visibility can act as a crime deterrent, managers must be cognizant of their responsibility to balance a business-friendly environment with a strong security presence.
