Recent crime statistics in the Garden State shows a slight decrease in criminal offenses and lower property loss than what was reported in 2009, according to the latest statistics in the New Jersey State Police 2009 Uniform Crime report.

The report mentions that there were over 207,000 total offenses reported and $347.8 million worth of property loss, both figures which decreased significantly from 2008 numbers. All offenses from murder to assault to larceny/theft were down anywhere from 7 to 23 percent. Nationwide, the violent crime index fell 5 percent overall compared to 4 percent in New Jersey.

But that doesn’t mean you no longer have to be vigilant. There is a violent crime every 19 minutes and 20 seconds and a non-violent crime every 2 minutes and 54 seconds, the report says. So whether you are one of the 8.6 million New Jerseyans that live in a dense metropolitan area or a sprawling suburban townhouse, security is always a concern.

“People are either interested in security or they’re not. There are plenty of options out there for a condo or co-op to better protect their building,” says Harry Squasoni, senior vice president of American Security Systems, based in Long Island City, N.Y. “Most buildings still have keys, which is the worst security alive. Keys go to girlfriends, boyfriends, contractors…you have no idea who has keys to your building.”

As technology has advanced, security system options for multifamily buildings and homeowner associations have broadened as well. The key is getting boards and management companies to institute the changes.

“There is a fear of change and a fear of technology sometimes,” says Colin Foster, vice president of sales and marketing for Manhattan-based Virtual Doorman. “The biggest hurdle is working through a democratic process. When you are dealing with a board and there are 8 to 10 people making a decision, it can be a long, slow process,” he says. Boards and managers need to do their due diligence to determine what will work best for their building or association and decide if the security improvements won’t soon become obsolete.

It’s important that boards and associations get the most cost-effective system they can rather than just relying on the top-of-the-line “bells and whistles.” However, with technology today evolving so fast, and people ever more connected to their cell phones and text messages, it’s also equally important to have a technically sophisticated product that can handle the needs of this rapidly moving environment.

Watchful Eye in the Sky

CCTV, which has been around for decades, has taken on an important role in both new construction and existing buildings.

“With advances in software, CCTV cameras can now be viewed remotely by management companies and superintendents in different locations,” according to Lucien Bohbot, president of New York-based Unitone Communication Systems. “HD cameras have enhanced picture quality and detection methods and can be integrated with real-time video. We have had situations at our company, in which the police have called us asking to review our DVRs in order to help them detect possible robbers.”

Security cameras have improved greatly over the last two decades with the benefits of installing a state-of-the-art security system being that they provide privacy, security and convenience to residents.

Even in this tough economic environment, buildings with top-line security systems are much more attractive to potential buyers. Costs vary, but for a combined video intercom and alarm system, the material cost is about $600 to $800 per apartment, extremely cost effective when you consider the system is running 24/7 and 365 days a year.

The Technical Doorman

The advent of video doorman technology has changed the way that many co-ops and condos run their day-to-day operations when it comes to security, as an off-site concierge accomplishes remotely some of the functions of a real doorman.

“When deliverymen press the button on an outside call panel, they are seen by trained central station operators elsewhere,” Bohbot says. “Through a series of cameras and speakerphones, which are installed in building hallways, the deliverymen are ‘watched’ as they drop off parcels, and eventually leave the premises. It is a great service for buildings that are doormen-free.”

It’s not only deliveries that the video doormen are used for. They also provide residents with a greater sense of safety and security. Since someone is always there if needed, an operator can help someone coming home late get to their door without the fear or trepidation of having someone follow them.

“It’s security with a live interface,” says Larry Dolin, president of Manhattan-based American Security Systems, Inc., which has trademarked the name Video Doorman for its service. “It’s not there to be intrusive. If you don’t want to be bothered, then don’t press the button. But if a young woman is coming back from a date and wants to know that she is safe, the system can monitor her all the way until she gets inside her door.”

The company recently introduced its Safe Lobby surveillance system, targeted at middle and lower income affordable housing.

“It’s interactive and proactive,” says Squasoni. “Research shows that 95 percent of problems start at the point of entry. With Safe Lobby, we have cameras and mikes in the lobby and if someone is loitering, it triggers a connection to our central station and an operator will warn them to leave or we will dispatch the police. People don’t like being filmed and having someone talk to them, so they will generally leave.”

Only in its first year, the system will also trigger contact if someone forces the front door open, if the door is left ajar or if strangers are hanging out in the stairwells.

“There’s also latch-key kid notification,” Squasoni says. “When children come home, they us an access control card and we notify their parents that they are safely home.”

The Video Doorman and/or Safe Lobby systems are perfect for those buildings that can’t afford a doorman, as it costs approximately 10 percent of what operating a 24-hour human doorman service would.

With the Virtual Doorman System, individuals can log into a portal and customize their service based on their own preferences. They are able to put family and friends in the system, set up email alerts for packages and even received text message notification if wanted.

“Virtual Doorman created a new industry 11 years ago because we saw a niche in the security industry where service could increase value,” Foster says. “When FedEx or UPS comes to a building and Bill Smith is not at home, it goes remote to our command center. The UPS person comes up on a video screen and we can have a two-way audio conversation. Once we determine who they are, we would let them in by buzzing the front door, opening the package room door and scanning a signature for manifest release into our custody.”

Beyond packages, the command center can let in personal friends or family members and give access to a digital key safe that will release the key for one apartment. It also offers a personal security guard feature, which will allow a resident to talk to an operator as they walk home to their apartment, with the operator checking the cameras to ensure no one is lurking behind a tree.

A one-time cost ranges from $9,000 to $12,000 for the system with service costs based on a management fee and per apartment fee. That’s still a 90 percent savings over union doorman.

Nothing’s Perfect

A system that runs continually and relies on power and the Internet will have occasional outages or breakdowns and can need repairs. Luckily, most usually aren’t serious and can be quickly fixed.

Sometimes, the video can go down, the audio needs to be louder or a new camera needs to be installed. Maintaining a system is the key to keeping it functioning properly.

“When our repairmen go to buildings that have our systems installed, they don’t just check individual apartments, they check the entire riser system and concierge station, to make sure everything is working properly,” Bohbot says. “I am extremely proud of our technicians, who often get complimented for their hard work and efficient service.”

With the video doorman systems if there’s a blackout of loss of Internet, they will go down.

“We can go off-line, but in those rare circumstances, we can fix the problem quickly and the building will still be locked,” Foster says. “Even if you have a regular doorman there are problems. He can be out sick, he can go away for 15 minutes and you have to account for human error.”

Biometrics

A security feature just starting to find its way into high-end condos is biometrics, the science and technology of measuring and analyzing biological data. In information technology, biometrics refers to technologies that measure and analyze human body characteristics, such as DNA, fingerprints, eye retinas and irises, voice patterns, facial patterns and hand measurements.

It is expected that fingerprint biometrics will grow in residential buildings over the next 10 years, but even with that, since every member of a family will have to be fingerprinted, people may be concerned with privacy and that could halt some plans.

And in today’s economy, according to those working in the industry, demand for high-tech devices is trending down. No association wants to lay out scarce cash on exotic security devices that only Hollywood producers could afford. Likewise, no owner wants to grapple with security that requires memorizing a 524-page manual and multiple passwords.

“Biometrics may take a greater role in the future, but that’s not all that will be used,” Bohbot says. “I predict that more and more buildings will upgrade to include DVR activation, apartment video monitors, on-screen messaging, floor-wide announcements and cell phone text alerts.”

To look down the road 50 years is hard to do, but most of our experts don’t see the traditional lock and key going away any time soon. “No way do I see the key disappearing,” Foster says. “What may happen is that it becomes a good supplement to technology. People will have a key lock door with the ability to backup with technology.”

It seems simple lock and keys will always be around in individual apartments, but even there, many residents have their own video intercoms to increase security and provide modern conveniences.

“People want to see their visitors before they are allowed upstairs,” Bohbot says. “They need on-screen messages to alert them they have a package waiting. Many garages have electronic access and electronic gates to homes are commonplace. So the days of only lock and key are long gone.”

Keith Loria is a freelance writer and a frequent contributor to The Cooperator.