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Address: 5799 South Main Street,
#1723
Clarkston, MI. 48347
One of your main concerns should be to keep your property, and your tenants, safe. Plus, your tenants want peace of mind, and you need to provide that however you can.
Most properties will have some sort of security feature in place, whether it’s key fobs, cameras or guards. But many property owners and managers opt for one or both of the first two, snubbing security guards in favor of saving money by just installing cameras, hoping they serve as a deterrent. However, there are advantages to hiring security guards.
“Nothing beats a live body,” says Gregory Carbone, IREM office sector advisor. “They are able to see things cameras don’t, and their decision-making is highly valuable.”
In order to determine your need for guards, consider your location and the requirements of the building and tenants, Carbone says. What type of tenants do you have: corporate, retail, office, industrial, other? What type of services or merchandise do they offer: publishing, manufacturing, jewelry?
Carbone has had retailers as tenants in the past, and he says they often employ both guards and a security system due to the amount of expensive merchandise that needs to be protected.
Your location is what matters next, not necessarily the type of structure, Carbone adds. For instance, most structures in an urban downtown area generally have some sort of security system or a guard on patrol, if not both, regardless if it’s an office or industrial building. Meanwhile, the further you get from that urban area, the less likely you are to need as stringent a security system.
Cost to You
You need to assess your existing security operations: Do you have a security system of sensors and alarms or means of access control? Already employ guards? Both? None of the above?
Your tenants want more security, according to a survey of certified property managers from the Institute of Real Estate Management (IREM). Three of the top five security measures most often requested by tenants may require a human presence to increase security (“Implementing or improving security officer service/escorting;” “More police patrolling/police contact;” and “Improved mailroom/parking security”). However, of the top five measures in place only No. 3 relates to human surveillance (“Security officers”). Something isn’t adding up.
Therefore, upon completing your cost-benefit analysis, if you’re still worried about the long-term cost of guards versus security systems, your leases can drive who pays for the security guards—you can write the costs into the lease, Carbone says. Even better for you, some larger, corporate tenants will provide their own security guards and systems, meaning no cost to the property manager or the other tenants in the building, he adds.
Domestic surveillance is the act of observing or monitoring someone who is under suspicion. This person could a wife, husband, boyfriend or girlfriend or even a child or employee. Following an individual, sometimes called “tailing them,” requires a number of different strategies. For example, sometimes an investigator can follow by car without any suspicion. Other times the investigator can tail by foot, motorcycle, even by bike. Sometimes mobile surveillance can be conducted with a GPS device. Other cases may involve investigating via phone and internet. It all depends on the case.
Is Surveillance Legal?
The law does not prohibit surveillance. There is no general right to privacy from observations in public or private. A private investigator sitting in a car outside a home watching others – and even video recording them – is not committing an offense. In fact, anyone may conduct surveillance, provided they do not charge for their services. Charging for private investigations requires a license. However, be warned: Recording of bedroom, bathroom, or clothes changing area is considered invasion of privacy and is illegal. You can find out about your person’s daily activity, places that he or she visits, who they interact with, what they do when not working, what they do in their spare time and the like.
Why Hire a PI for Surveillance?
Surveillance and covert video recording is often the only way to capture evidence of wrong doing such as cheating, stealing and insurance fraud. In today’s litigious, environment even eyewitness testimony can be deemed unreliable. Video evidence is often the best recourse to hold people responsible for their misdeeds against others.
What if I am Wrong?
If there is no wrong doing on the part of your “person of interest,” then you have gained peace of mind. It’s as simple as that. And if you are not wrong? A well-planned surveillance can save you time, money and aggravation. It’s good to know what you are dealing with before going to court, filing for divorce or taking other action. Surveillance will let you know what you are dealing with.
About the Author
Scott Prendergast is the Owner and Principal of Cornelius Investigations LLC, a Licensed and Bonded NYS Private Investigator Agency. His firm is licensed to conduct Investigations, provide Security Services and do Bail Bond Enforcement. Having worked at the NYPD for over 20 years Scott is skilled in a wide range of investigations.
