Surveillance Secure is proud to have helped implement community change by working with Dragone Realty and the Prince George’s County Police Department.
John Taylor, Senior Property Manager for Dragone Realty, shares why Surveillance Secure’s involvement was so pivotal to providing safety and security to both residents and investors. “Our owners and investors have a mission to come into communities that need help and to do the things necessary to deliver an improved quality of life for our residents and the community around them.”
John has extensive experience working to manage communities for some of the nation’s largest multifamily residential companies. “Our CEO approaches all of our possible vendor partners with a critical eye. He wants to see that they work hard to earn trust by doing what they say they will do and doing what’s best for the property. That’s what we know we get from Surveillance Secure,” says John.
John describes the process Surveillance Secure used in one such community. Asked to perform an assessment of the community in Suitland, an understanding of the physical environment, the building environment, and the habits and uses of the facility by the residents, Surveillance Secure produced a series of recommendations for video surveillance, access control, and alarm and intrusion measures.
The Prince George’s County Police Department also had a keen interest in controlling the adverse environment that existed and those recommendations were reviewed. By working with these additional recommendations from the police, the original plan was modified to put a reasonable blend of video, access, and physical security measures in place.
John remembers, “The visual deterrent began to produce an immediate effect and by using the video, the police began to make arrests to help combat the drug and gang presence around the community. There was an instance of several people discharging guns in the community and with the video network throughout the property to follow their movements, the police were able to identify those involved and make an arrest less than fifteen minutes later. By the way, the arrest took place right near a school. We have seen less and less of the element that presents a threat to our people and community.”
What elements make this partnership a success? John lists these factors: “First, the technical and IT leadership of Will Biggerman and Kim Hartman and their knowledge helps to produce sensible options for action. Their open-architecture approach lets them select the best solution for each given situation. Once the system is designed, their technicians display attention to detail and care in keeping the workplace clean and safe. Communication during the work keeps the manager in the loop. The training of on-site personnel to make the most of the system ensures good results. Finally, the end-to-end support from the technical to the administrative to the IT and quality assurance from the whole team gives us what we need.”
A major benefit of the new security measures is the increasing closeness of the private and public partnership between the community and the police. From the installation of the system, the police demonstrated their support to meet the goals of the community.
Bottom line? “When we changed the environment in the community, we began to see the different types of residents that choose to live in the community. You see grandparents and kids back out in the green space and on the streets again. The programs we put in place with help from Surveillance Secure did that”, says John.
Virginia DCJS Private Security Services ID #11-6085