Most apartment residents have packages delivered to their apartments’ office. A common practice is for staff to place these packages into a storage area of some sort to await owner pickup. Residents expect their packages to be safely stored until then.
Stealth’s proactive, live video monitoring security solution for apartment communities keeps residents’ belongings safe until they are ready to retrieve their items by helping to deter unwanted behaviors. Our solution helped deter thieves who were initially after packages, but also found residents’ stored bicycles interesting.
At approximately 5:17 a.m., a trained Stealth security operator saw an individual force-access a multifamily community’s outside entrance door. Our operator immediately sounded the on-site speaker warning and the individual walked past the door a few steps but returned.
Gaining unauthorized entry into the community, the individual made his way to and through the parking garage. Our operator contacted local police dispatch and provided the description and location of the trespassers.
He went inside the residents’ bicycle and package storage room and placed packages outside the storage room door. The individual also tampered with some of the bikes. He exited the storage room through a different door.
Our operator changed camera views and saw another trespasser piggyback through a door leading into the community. Both trespassers went inside the storage room and walked the aisles between the bikes, while another individual seemed to put packages into a white bag. The individual was assisted the other trespassers a bit.
Two of the trespassers exited the storage room carrying the bag filled with packages. The other trespasser lingered inside the storage room removing bikes from the rack. The two trespassers quickly returned without the bag and began removing bikes from the rack and placing them along the perimeter of the room.
Police arrived on scene and the three trespassers ran from the storage room, through the parking garage, exited the property and down the outside sidewalk.
Three officers and who appears to be a property manager or other community employee looked inside the storage room. They went into the parking garage where two more officers were already investigating. Four officers went out of camera view while the fifth officer took a statement from the community employee.
Police called Stealth’s operator to report that they arrested one of the three trespassers.
Residents Demand for Package Management Met with Our Video Monitoring Solution
Multihousing News reported on the latest National Multifamily Housing Council (NMHC) survey of more than 2,000 multifamily community managers. 61% said package deliveries have increased year over year. Now, with more people working from home, remotely or a hybrid work schedule – work from home a set number of days per week and the other days in-office – even more are finding ease of ordering products and having them delivered directly to their home.
Apartment owners and managers aim to keep residents happy. Happy residents mean more lease renewals, positive online reviews and the best type of advertising – word of mouth advertising. One way they do this is by offering usable, in-demand amenities that residents have access to and can use as a part of their rental agreement.
Typical amenities include things such as assigned covered parking places, a pool and workout/exercise room to extreme things like tanning beds, on-site laundry service and more. Currently in high demand is a package management program.
No matter where you choose to store received packages, Stealth’s live video monitoring solution is the safety part your package management strategy. Our high-definition, IP video surveillance cameras keep watch 24/7 until rightful owners retrieve their packages.
Advanced video analytics allow the technology to filter live camera feeds in real time. Suspicious activities are recorded for archiving and future retrieval. At the same time, highly trained security operators are alerted to suspicious events, who act immediately. They follow a pre-established protocol which include on-site speaker warning activation and phoning police, as seen in the above video. Other protocols can also be fulfilled such as calling on-call management or courtesy patrol.
Contact our apartment specialists today to discuss your package management strategy and how deploying Stealth’s solution can help you save up to 60% in security-related costs.
