10 North Shore Towers Courier n June 2016 2016 NORTH SHORE TOWERS SECURITY SUMMIT SAFETY FIRST Recent security summit provides important info to NST residents Story and photo by Stephen Vratos Introducing Chris Stahly as the new Security Director of North Shore Towers was only part of the security summit in Towers on the Green Thursday night, May 12. The presentation also included an overview of the co-op’s security procedures and safety tips. After Stahly’s introduction, General Manager Kotowski then retook the floor, providing a truncated version of his own career leading up to his tenure as NST General Manager before speaking about the coop’s security. A NYPD veteran of many years himself, Kotowski was Commander of the 105th Precinct for more than five years when he got the call to safeguard NST directly following 9-11. The presence of he and his men patrolling the grounds and Arcade provided much-needed assurance to the residents and brought Kotowski to the attention of the Towers then General Manager who was retiring, which was the first step to his earning the position. One of Kotowski’s first directives was to have an outside consultant do a comprehensive security evaluation to determine what more should be done to safeguard the co-op’s inhabitants. The consultant suggested barbed wire be place around the entire fence which surrounds the perimeter, but Kotowski felt North Shore Towers residents would rather not live in a prison environment. “You can’t overdo it,” he said of security. “But you certainly don’t want to underdo it.” “North Shore Towers is virtually crime-free,” he said, before stressing that the delineation didn’t mean the co-op had no crimes, but that the number was low and “to date, all crimes have been non-violent.” The few that have occurred have been property crimes, such as burglary, and of those, many turn out to be something far less serious, as was the case with one resident, who reported her jewelry stolen after having her apartment painted, months prior to Kotowski’s arrival. He dutifully called the women to introduce himself and reassure her that the theft was not forgotten. “Oh, I found it,” she replied, before explaining that she had apparently secreted her jewelry in a brown paper bag within a shoebox at the bottom of her closet, which she’d discovered one day when she decided to wear a pair of shoes she’d hadn’t worn in a while. NOTE: If you suspect a crime has been committed, call the local police (105th Precinct). Kotowski credited much of this success to the measures put in place by Jim Short, North Shore Towers current on-site Sponsor and former General Manager when Kotowski arrived. There was little for Kotowski to do, though he did add cameras and a license plate reader to the entry station, among various other additions and adjustments. He also praised Summit Security Services, which supplies the Towers with its security personnel. Part of the company’s strict intense training and evaluation procedures includes a psych profile to determine whether a candidate has a propensity for stealing. “Our security guards are an excellent group,” he said. “North Shore Towers is an open property and we employ 40 guards 24/7.” Despite this openness, everyone coming to do business here undergoes rigid scrutiny. Proper insurance and licenses must be submitted before anyone has permission to use the loading dock, where the paperwork is double-checked to insure it is up-to-date and on file before unloading. The few times the system broke down, the fault lay in proper procedures being skirted. For example, once a resident mentioned a hot water leak she was suffering to the PC Richard’s employee who was delivering a new refrigerator. The man said he could do the job for far less than what the resident would’ve had to pay a plumber. While the resident went to the Arcade to retrieve the needed funds from the ATM, the man began work, but severed the line before cutting off the main and fled the premises before he could be discovered. The resident returned to a flooding kitchen, which caused extensive damage to the apartment and several others below. One of the most commonly asked questions by residents is why they are asked for a key to their apartments. As a multiple dwelling community, accidents that may occur in an apartment, such as a pipe bursting or fire, not only affect the resident whose home is having the problem, but also the neighbors, and if the resident is not home, management would then have to resort to breaking down the door, which wastes valuable time and furthers the damages. Someone’s life could be in danger, if they are in a situation where they can make a phone call, but may be unable to get to the door or pass out before they can do so. Kotowski cited many instances where family members have called in an emergency, needing to access a relative’s NST home. No matter the reason, without a key, security will have to resort to breaking down the door of residents who do not place a copy of their key on file. Replacement doors cost no less than $1200 and that charge goes to the resident. Resident keys are locked in a cabinet, which is under camera surveillance, in the security office. When a request for a key is made, the Tour Commander is alerted and the Director of Security is called. A pair of security personnel enter the dwelling—the apartment is never entered alone—and a detailed log is made of the event. Kotowski gets a report every morning of the previous evening’s happenings. Defibrillators are strategically located at the concierge desk of each building, as well as Country Club reception and among the golf carts. Both overt and covert cameras can be found throughout North Shore Towers, the former to help deter criminal activity and the latter, the tapes of which can be available in case of a crime being perpetrated in a particular area. Cameras, which every resident with a television can view in real time, capture everyone who approaches the concierge desks, so the resident can see who it is requesting admittance before allowing them to do so. But residents have access only to the view of their building’s concierge desk see sidebar for concierge desk channel and others unique to North Shore Towers. “We are a very safe community,” Kotowski said. “Still, we are always looking for ways to improve our security and quality of life.” NST CHANNEL SURFING Check out these stations provided through the in-house television system. #994 NST events filmed by John Virga and Marty Ragusa of Towers Video Productions #995 NST calendar of upcoming events #998 Concierge desk of resident’s building NOTE: each must be typed into remote to access SEE PAGE 3 FOR MORE ON SECURITY SUMMIT
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