Residents of Seven Isles often reach out to board members of the homeowners association to provide requests and opinions related to how the security guards should perform their responsibilities. These various and sometimes competing viewpoints are conveyed to Admiral Security Services, our contracted security provider. We also discuss concerns with our assigned off-duty police officer.
“We welcome feedback,” noted one of the senior officials of Admiral Security. “Feedback helps us build upon a well rounded platform in understanding exactly what to focus on more for the HOA and its residents.”
However, it’s important for residents to appreciate that there a myriad of responsibilities involved in providing security, and things are not always what they seem. For example, one of the concerns we sometimes hear is that guards in the guardhouse should continuously face the entrance to greet cars coming into the neighborhood. In order to monitor the security cameras in the guardhouse, the guards need to face north. As a result, they often alternate position, relying on their own eyes as well as the eyes of the cameras. There have been requests for the guards to continuously stand outside the guardhouse during busy commute hours to be highly visible, but this positioning removes their access to the security monitoring equipment. There have been complaints that the guardhouse is empty at times, but there are times when the guards need to leave the guardhouse. Common examples include:
- Regular street patrolling.
- Coordinating with the fire and police departments related to urgent matters, such as investigating a recently reported gas leak on Seven Isles Drive.
- Removing contractor/construction vehicles from blocking the roads.
- Locating lost pets.
- The need to go to a specific home address on an urgent matter, such as a theft or break-in report.
- Gathering of post-event evidence and information for report writing.
In short, there are many variables to consider when providing security. While all recommendations and concerns received by the Seven Isles HOA board members are relayed to our security providers, we also look to their expertise in assuring our continued access to effective security oversight.