2. Slow Exit and Entry Points
When scoping a community, criminals look for easy access with quick exit routes. Often targeted are those communities that have long, straight roads – they make for easy getaways. Traffic-deadening features, such as roundabouts and speed bumps, may put your community at the bottom of the list of potential targets. A well-landscaped, distorted entry drive calms residents and deters intruders.
A gated entry also slows egress from a property and discourages wrongdoers, though it won’t keep out crime. “Residents perceive the gate as being a safety feature, even though it doesn’t accomplish that,” says Amy Mayes, risk manager at Camden, a real estate investment trust based in Houston. “Nothing secures the property against people who want to get in.”
3. Offer Lighting that Shines
Light is a strong deterrent, too. However, many owners suffer from the misconception that more is better.
In reality, it’s the type of light that matters. “Communities should offer light that elucidates, not illuminates,” stresses Koch. “Quality is far more important than quantity.”
The most economic lighting – wall packs mounted on the face of residential buildings – is also the most dangerous type of lighting, he says.
Residents walking into the light may be temporarily blinded by the bright light. It also gives criminals a chance to hide while making their targets clearly visible. Instead, communities should implement indirect or sheltered light sources that avoid direct fixture glare, says Koch.
At some of Camden’s newer properties, trees close to the buildings are lit. “The light shines down so you can see below the tree,” says Mayes. “It’s a nice way of lighting without creating a prison effect.”
A focus group of young professionals between the ages of 25 and 35, conducted by SAFLOK, a Masco company, a security company with its multifamily division based in Costa Mesa, Calif., confirmed that lighted access to residents’ cars and homes is a top priority, says Glenn Peacock, director of marketing for the company. “They don’t want to walk through the backside of a carport or dark side of a building to get to their homes.”
It makes sense to shine light on the backside of walls, too, says Gregory J. Lozinak, senior vice president of ING Clarion, a real estate investment management company based in New York. “If you light the backside, you take the time frame away to get over the wall without being noticed.”