In Good Hands:
Security Director Chris Stahly Leads NST’s Tip-Top Security Team
In addition to the many amenities
that North Shore Towers’
residents enjoy, another major
benefit is its excellent security.
While it’s easy for shareholders
to take this exceptional service
for granted, there’s a lot more to
it than meets the eye.
What helps make it all possible
is North Shore Towers Security
Director Christopher Stahly, who
has many years of experience keeping
New Yorkers safe. He arrived
at the Towers more than three
years ago after retiring as a NYPD
Lieutenant about eight years ago.
Chris served in the NYPD for
nearly 27 years, he said, noting that
before retiring he had been assigned
to the Special Investigations
Division’s Major Case Squad. Prior
to that, he was Commanding Officer
of the Manhattan Special Victims
Squad, as well as Commander of
the 19th Precinct Detective Squad
that covers Manhattan’s Upper East
Side.
Among the many reasons why
Chris says he enjoys working here
is that his co-workers are “all professional
and often go above and
beyond their job descriptions for
the shareholders.”
“The people who reside here
are fantastic and are a pleasure to
be around,” he said. “While it is a
challenge to get to know them all
personally, it is great to interact with
them when I see them throughout
the arcade or after an open board
meeting or one of the many programs
held here.”
“I believe North Shore Towers is
the safest small city within the five
boroughs,” he continued. “Even
with 1,844 apartments and over
3,000 residents, crime here at the
Towers is nearly non-existent.”
North Shore Towers General
Manager Glen Kotowski could not
agree more. “There were never any
crime pins on the pin maps used
to identify crime near or around
the North Shore Towers property,”
said Glen who, prior to serving as
the NST’s general manager, was
a Deputy Inspector assigned as
the Commanding Officer of the
NYPD’s 105th Precinct, which
l-r: Tour Commander Leroy Murray; Supervisor of Security Clarence Sookoo; Director of Secu-rity Chris
Stahly; and Dispatch Candy Parmessar
serves North Shore Towers and
Country Club. Since starting at
the Towers more than 18 years ago,
Kotowski has hired several retired
ranking members of the NYPD to
fill key positions.
“The safety and security of our
residents benefit greatly from the
collective amount of experi-ence
these retired police professionals
bring with them,” he added.
In addition to Chris, the Security
Department is staffed by Summit
Security Services, which consists
of an on-site supervisor and
approximately 30 fulltime guards.
Security at North Shore Towers
is a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week
operation, with the main front gate
and the security dispatch office
always staffed. Residents in need
of security services, during both
emergency and non-emergency
situations, can simply call the
security dispatch at any time of
the day or night for help. In addition,
at least one supervisor works
per tour and has vehicle mobile
patrols performed of the grounds
and outdoor visitor’s parking lot
and garage areas.
“We also have security patrols
performed on foot through the
arcade and vertical patrols that are
conducted throughout the buildings
from the penthouse to the lobbies,”
Chris said.
In addition, during business
hours Monday through Saturday,
when the loading docks are open
and in operation, a security officer
is assigned to each of the building’s
loading docks “to ensure that contractors
and vendors arriving are
authorized, scheduled and expected,”
Chris said.
“Each contractor, vendor and
visitor entering through the loading
docks must provide identifi-cation
which is logged in and recorded,”
he explained. “Between the hours
between 8 a.m. and midnight,
there is a concierge and a doorman
assigned to each lobby. From
midnight to 8 a.m., a security officer
is assigned to that post,” he said.
Guests and visitors aren’t permitted
to enter past the lobby without
first being announced and getting
the permission of a resident, Chris
added. “During the overnight shift,
unexpected guests who cannot be
verified are turned away at the main
gate and not let onto the property,”
he said.
He continued, “The resident’s
lane at the front gate is equipped
with an access control system,
which controls the gate arm
allowing residents who have been
issued a passive entry system tag
to automatically enter. There are
also security cameras at the main
security booth, which record an
overall view of the entrance as well
as capture video of visitors driving
onto the prop-erty and a view of
the license plate of the car they are
traveling in.”
“Speaking of video surveillance,”
he added, “there are currently over
100 cameras that are monitored and
record multiple areas throughout
the property.”
Over the next few weeks, a
whopping 37 other cameras will
be operational, covering all exits
and entrances of all three buildings,
he says. Over the coming year,
additional cameras will be installed
within the buildings and, he added,
“We are experimenting with different
software programs to enhance
the abilities of our elaborate camera
system.”
So the next time you see Chris or
one of his team, be sure to smile,
knowing that you are in good
hands.
October 2019 ¢ NORTH SHORE TOWERS COURIER 17