Spotlight on: Keeping Your Building's Garage Safe and Secure
May 21, 2015 — Co-ops and condos with garages can take their security for granted. They hand out door openers to the residents and that's about it. But an unsecured garage can be the entry point for a burglar — not only to get into the garage and swipe someone's car, but also to gain access to the rest of the building and potentially do something worse. From the simple to the high-tech, there are a number of security measures boards can institute to prevent thieves from sneaking in the back door.
Closed-door policy. If the door stays open too long, two or three cars can tailgate in. If your garage has an automatic door closer — and it should — the sensor should be able to detect when a single car has passed through and stay open for the shortest time possible.
Get carded. A card-access system allows you to record whose card was used when. If there's a break-in, you can pull up the information to see whose card was used and trace the security breach to its source.
Out of sight. A door opener that's clipped on the visor or stashed in the glove box is easier for a criminal to get their hands on than one that residents can carry on their key chains or in their wallets. And if one does manage to beat your automatic door system, an opener left in a vehicle will allow them to escape with someone's car.
Nowhere to hide. Hang curved mirrors in corners and other hard-to-see areas to eliminate blind spots and hiding places for prowlers.
No admittance. Access to the building from the garage (and vice versa) should be restricted via keys or cards. You don't want a burglar who finds his way into the garage to be able to access the lobby, and you don't want a burglar in the lobby to get into the garage and make off with someone's car.
Sound idea. An alarm system in the garage can be an effective deterrent. If there's a forced entry, loud sirens and flashing lights may scare the burglar off empty-handed.
Eyes and ears. If you have 24-hour doormen or other security staff, you may consider measures to monitor the garage, such as a panic button for residents who spot a suspicious character or a video surveillance system. Surveillance recordings can be valuable for the police to identify and catch the burglar, but they are not enough on their own — the cameras can be defeated with a simple ski mask.
Shut out. Don't discount the simple effectiveness of solid, tamper-proof locks. If burglars can't pry your doors open, it's that much harder for them to get in at all.
No matter how fortress-like your garage, your tenants shouldn't be lulled into a false sense of security. Tenant negligence is often the leading cause of garage break-ins. They may forget to close a door; be careless with their keys, opener, or access card; or simply let in someone they shouldn't. Encourage them to use anti-theft systems on their cars and exercise caution when entering the garage late at night. After all, a security system is only as good as its users.
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