| Max Fetty, President, Guardpoint Security “Nothing's better than An Armed Security Officer Walking your property at night.” |
We Provide Security for: Apartments, Warehouses, Hotels / Motels, Office Buildings, Chemical Plants, Shopping Centers, Neighborhoods, Parking Lots and Governmental Buildings. |
Guardpoint Security
The Private Security Professionals
Property Owners, Managers and security professionals charged with protecting tenants and the public in apartments have long been aware of the growing threat of security negligence litigation. Forty – two years ago, in 1965, the first significant award for inadequate security in excess of $25,000 was made.
Today, compared to the average settlement of $550,000 and jury awards of 3.5 million, money allocated to security is a sound investment . These record sums help emphasize the concern that those involved in apartment management should have towards the escalating problem of liability.
Unfortunately, it appears that the trend in security negligence litigation will continue, as will the record setting awards and judgments. How then do you protect your tenants, while at the same time limiting exposure to liability for acts of commission or omission related to security?
First, look at your apartment location, the surrounding area, the crime and violence that have taken place in your complex and neighboring complexes, the potential level of danger to your apartment complex occupants. These are questions that will be examined by the opposing legal counsel. Have tenants reported a number of concerns or incidents to the security or property manager? Has there been an increase in assaults or crimes in the neighborhood? Answering these questions before litigation could prevent your property from becoming a defendant.
Did you know that you owe a Duty of Care to provide adequate security?
A criminal act is generally deemed to be foreseeable if past criminal history would lead a reasonable person to believe that the act is more likely than not to occur . The owner or occupant of the property failed to provide a reasonable standard of care and protection: If the security provided does not conform to commonly accepted levels, based on a host of factors, then one more element of the negligence formula is present, and the property owner is one step closer to a breach of that Duty of Care!
An Armed Security Officer walking your property at night IS considered a commonly excepted level of that Duty of Care. If it's worth spending the money on security, it's worth doing it right, and ensuring security officer coverage against the known or reasonably foreseeable risks, provides that reasonable standard of care and protection. Guardpoint Security can protect your property, for more information email us at: info@guardpointsecurityla.com