Security Concerns

Another two months has passed, and I checked again to see the status of the cameras. On the last check, a month ago, one camera in in Building 1 was not operational. On this check a different camera in Building 1 was not operational. The security officer working in Building 2 would not let me check the screens, so I cannot say for sure what the status of those cameras is. Director Fran Marino was walking by at the time, and rather than facilitate, she simply advised the guard to advise me to get permission from Jorge Faerman.

Many thanks to GB for helping to collect data for this investigation.

It's been nearly two months since the incident in building 3, and we checked to see whether the problems with our security cameras have been resolved. There is evidence of some new equipment, and some cameras that were not working are working now.... But others that were working are not working now. Indeed, it turns out that there are still as many as seven inoperative cameras in our buildings (a security guard expressed uncertainty as to whether certain blank screens were due to the system configuration or malfunctioning equipment).

I had a coincidental run-in with Mr. Stanley Friedland while I was checking the cameras in building 3, and he stressed "make sure you tell them that they're being repaired!" A follow-up with Mr. Faerman of Rudd Realty resulted in the forecast: "I can approximate completion of all buildings by March 6, 2006".

An incident occurred in Building 3 on December 19th, in which a trespassing youth attempted to rob a shareholder of a cellphone. In the end, the robbery was unsuccessful, but in the ensuing investigation it was discovered that the security camera that was supposed to be recording the scene was not operating. we followed up with this the next day to discover that out of the approximately sixty security cameras deployed throughout our buildings (each elevator, building entrances, mail areas, laundry rooms), at least fourteen cameras and one monitor were inoperative. Security staff were not specific, but suggested that many cameras had been inoperative for quite some time.

During this investigation, however, we learned that Management was responding rapidly to the incident, and that cameral repairs and replacements were in progress. A new survery a few days later showed that only seven cameras were still inoperative. Jeogre Faerman of our management company confirmed that security questions were being addressed, saying:

A company is in our employ to service our closed circuit monitors and cameras, throughout the complex. We are presently experiencing problems with some cameras and are awaiting information prior to conducting repairs or replacement. Some problems may be attributed to damaged traveling cables secured under the elevators. An inspection is being coordinated with the elevator service company. We will be working towards identifying camera locations and security concerns on a master plan for all buildings. We hope this process will enable us to better our efforts.

We intend on implementing a system whereby the Security Supervisor performs visual inspections of all monitors (all buildings) and doors to identify existing problems at the start of each shift. This will enable us to respond more promptly and minimize “down” time of repairs.

Mr. Faerman's prompt response to these issues — and to our inquiry — is greatly appreciated. We'll keep you posted.

Grassroots Approach:
A Case Study

The incident on December 19th prompted the question "are our security cameras working?"

Rather than blindly firing the question off to Board and Management, we set out to investigate. The investigation entailed going to each building and checking each security station — a total of 20 minutes, tops.

This quick investigation disclosed many problems, but conversations with the guards revealed that the problems were being actively addressed. Additional time was therefore permitted before conclusions were published.

A full week after the incident, it was discovered that many problems were indeed addressed, but a number still remained.

An informed and polite message was sent to Mr. Faerman of Rudd to ask about the situation. Mr. Rudd was informed that his response would be quoted.

An informed and polite response from Mr. Faerman was received.

SPBuzz published a report on this issue, and SPBuzz volunteers will continue to monitor the situation on a periodic basis.

No scandal was uncovered with this investigation. That's a good thing! And in the process of investigating, we've forged better relationships with our security staff and management company. These relationships will surely be useful as we continue our work.

We encourage neighbors to participate in our grassroots efforts. Please contact Dan with your name, apartment number, phone number, and the issues that concern you!