Caught in the Act: Video Monitoring in your Neighborhood
More and more neighborhood associations or HOAs are investing in access control and CCTV to protect their residents and assets. After having vandals damage pool equipment and landscaping and seeing trespassers using private amenities, security became an important community priority. What some have found even with cameras is the difficulty in identifying the culprit when footage is viewed later. Video monitoring may be just what is needed to address that gap.
Caught in the Act
Video monitoring is a service that triggers a notification in real-time when an event is taking place. When an event occurs, like vandalism, it may not be noticed or reported right away. This creates a challenge even when there is good CCTV coverage. Reviewing hours or days of video footage is cumbersome, even with today’s search analytics. Then if the activity is found in the footage, there is often no real way to identify the perpetrators, unless they are known to the board or management company. Some HOAs publish the footage on social media or send out to residents, but this can have its own difficulties if the offenders apear to be minors.
With video monitoring, they can literally be “caught in the act.” A clip gets sent to the dispatchers who review it and then call the local contacts and/or dispatch the police if deemed criminal or questionable. This provides a time stamp of the event and can allow for almost immediate intervention.
Damage Control
In addition to blatant criminal acts, neighborhoods often experience damage to equipment or facilities by accident or negligence. It may be trashing the clubhouse after a rental for a party or hitting the vehicle gate when driving through the wrong way. In either case, the repair costs become the burden of the HOA if the offender is unknown. With video monitoring, the security team or law enforcement can be dispatched as the violation is occurring. That way there is no doubt about who was driving or cosplaying as a rock star in a hotel room.
We Can Help
Cultris Security has HOA customers around Houston and surrounding areas. Let us help your neighborhood with their security needs as well! Reach us online or call us at 281-506-8466 for a free security consultation.
