A community association board has many responsibilities—setting goals and approving budgets; conducting open, fair, and well-publicized elections; organizing events that foster neighborliness and a sense of community, to name a few. But a board's chief responsibilities, arguably, are to maintain and enhance the common areas and protect home values. Many communities seek to fulfill these responsibilities with security features, vendors, and systems that protect residents and property. The goal of this Best Practices Report is to give you an assessment and review of many community security systems and features—including useful tips and tools—to help meet residents' crime prevention needs.
This report also addresses various security-related options that are available to community associations, including security services, access control systems, alarm systems, gates, and surveillance systems. Along with suggestions about assessing the need for crime prevention, this Best Practices Report provides readers with professional, unbiased information about the most commonly used contemporary crime prevention strategies and a glimpse into the future of community-level crime prevention.
The report includes two case studies, a checklist of things residents can do to secure their community, a survey of items a community can ask prospective security vendors, a list of key security terms, and a comprehensive list of resources offering more information on security.
Community Security is also available as a free PDF download. However, for those who want a printed version, it is available here at cost.
Contents
Introduction
Section 1: Your Association's Obligation to Undertake Security Measures
Section 2: Impact of Crime on the Community
Section 3: Developer Considerations
Section 4: Security Services
Section 5: Video Surveillance Systems
Section 6: Alarm Systems
Section 7: Access Control Systems
Section 8: Vehicular Access Control
Section 9: Pedestrian Access Control
Section 10: Automated Vehicular Gate Systems
Case Studies
Case Study #1: The Polo Club
Case Study #2: Laurel Oak Community Association
Attachments
Attachment 1: Checklist—Tips on Securing Your Community
Attachment 2: Survey—Security Services
Security Acronyms and Key Terms
Additional Resources
