The document discusses the reconsideration of gating the Bethany Lakes community in response to past burglaries, ultimately proposing alternatives such as cameras and enhanced security measures instead of gating. It highlights concerns about the efficacy of gated communities in reducing crime, revealing studies that show minimal differences in burglary rates compared to ungated neighborhoods, and emphasizes the importance of cost-effective solutions for preventing burglaries. The conclusion suggests a multi-faceted approach to security that includes surveillance, improved lighting, and effective communication with residents about security measures.

1. Afterthe stringof “smash and grab” break–insatBayside at BethanyLakes in2013, an understandable
reactionwouldbe toturn BBL intoa gatedcommunity aswas proposed. Afterlookinginto the issues,
variousstudiesandthe resultsof other communitieswhohave dealtwiththistype of issue,Iam
providingasummaryof my findingsandproposingsome alternatives.
While Iwas initiallyinfavorof GatingBBL, I have since reconsideredaftersome researchandam now in
favorof alternates,likecamerasandothermeasures.
The initial problem
Duringthe fall of 2013 at least12 homesinBBL were burglarized. These were crimesof opportunity
where the perpetratorsbroke intounitswhenthe ownerswere absentlookingforitemstofence or
pawnto supporttheirdrug habits.
What are BBL’s Goalsfor Gatingthe Community?
Let’sunderstand andagree upon exactly what our goalsare: The decision of gating the community is
aboutreducing burglaries in BBL. Anysolutionwe choose topayto implement musthave demonstrable
priorsuccessat reducingburglaries,especiallyif we are goingtospend$150,000 for implementation
plusrecurringcosts. If there are incidental secondarybenefitsfromgatingthe community,that’sa
bonus,butany solutionmust firstandforemost meetthe primarygoal of preventingburglaries. There
islessagreementaboutwhatqualitiesthe selectedsolutionmustpossess,butata minimum, the
solutionmustnotinconvenience the BLLresidentsandguests“toomuch”(we needtoclarifyhow we
determine whatis“toomuch”) and the communitymustagree thatthe initial andrecurringcostsof the
solutionare “acceptable”(again,what“acceptable”meansisnotwell defined).
What Are Not Acceptable Reasonto Gate BBL
There are many otherreasonswhypeople wouldchoose togate theircommunities;some of the
reasonscommonlygivenforgatingacommunityare:
 Increasedprestige:Gatedcommunitiesare seenasexclusive enclavesthatare intendedto
provide statustolivinginthe community.
 An amenityto increase rental rates: Gatedrental communitiesgetpremiumrental rates.
 A barrier to entryto non-residents:keepingpeople outof the communitybyestablishinga
significantbarriertounauthorizedfootandvehicletraffic (especiallyif unwantedthroughtraffic
isa concern as is inthe beachside communitiesonthe eastside of route 1).
 Limitinguse ofamenities by non-residents:gatedcommunitiesoftenseektolimituse of the
communityamenitiesbyaccesscontrol.
 An economicsecurity measure:Gates are oftenconsideredasacheaperalternative tohiring
and managingsecurityguards.
 Other securityconcerns: Gated communitiesforEx-Patsworkinginforeigncountriesare very
popularandprovide neededsecurity.
While these reasonsare soundandmaybe desirable,theyare NOTthe reasons underconsiderationfor
gatingBBL norare they reasonswe’dspendmoneyto gate BBL.
Many studies provide results aboutthe efficacyof gatesat reducingburglaries:
http://www.crimedoctor.com/gated.htm
http://www.ccfj.net/HOAFLgatesec.html


2. For example:
 Residential burglariesandstolencarswere reportedatnearlythe same rate ingatedand
ungatedneighborhoods -- five burglariesper100 homesand one stolencarper 100 homes.
 Car burglariesandcasesof criminal mischief,suchasbrokenwindowsorvandalism, were
reportedatlowerratesin gatedneighborhoods.
 In Isleworth,one of Central Florida'smostexclusive gatedandguardedcommunitiesandhome
to sportssuperstarssuchas Tiger Woods,ShaquilleO'Neal and KenGriffeyJr.,there were three
home burglaries,one stolencar,twostolentrailersandthree car burglarieswere reportedin
2003 and 2004, accordingto sheriff'srecords.
http://neighborhoodguard.org/gated-vs-ungated-communities-which-is-safer/
 Whencomparingpropertycrime victimizationinGatedvsUngatedcommunitiesin2012 on a
national level,CriminologistNicholasBranicfoundnosignificantinfluence in crime ratesasa
resultof living inagated community.[Reference]
 In February of 2013 a comprehensivestudytakingamyriadof variablesintoaccountwas
publishedin JusticeQuarterly,whichshowsthatwhile gatingacommunity will reduce riskof
burglaries,how muchof a reductionisunclear.[Reference]
http://homesecurity.inmyarea.com/resources/robbery-statistics-gated-v-non-gated-communities
 “In bothtypesof communities,”(gatedvsungated)“incidence ratesof burglaries andstolen
cars were nearly the same (five burglaries andone stolencarper100 homes). Incidencesof
vandalismorotherlow level criminalmischiefwere seenatlowerratesinside gated
communities.”
http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=5184&context=etd
BlakelyandSnyder(1997; 1998) providedone of the firstmodernassessmentsof how effective gates
are at crime reduction.Accordingtotheirinterviewswithlocal police,“crime ratesvariedbyareabut
not betweengatedandun-gatedneighborhoodsinthe same area.A few [officers] evenbelievedthey
hamperedpolice efforts,because gatesslowedresponse time,wallsblockedsightlines,andresidents
gaineda false sense of security”(p.66).

3. Gate CodesAre a SecurityWeaknessinGated Communities
 Basically,the onlythingagate doesis slow downhow fastpeople drive soit'ssaferfor
children,"Sizemore said."Everypizzaguy,everyworkguy,everybodyknowsthe codes
everywhere."
 The savedaddressinformationonAmazon.com(andothersites) storessecurityaccesscodes
whichisprintedonthe shippinglabel
 Gate codesare oftenlistedinMLSlistingsinthe “private”realtorsection…whichmeansitisn’t
private anymore.
 A gate code forBethanyLakeswas postedonline andsearchablebyGoogle (throughvrbo.com,I
think). Ican’t finditnow,but “0241” was listedasa valid gate code for the rental unitinthe
listing.
 Seminole Countysheriff'sCmdr.BarrySmithisnolongersurprisedwhenhe seessupposedly
secretgate codeswithinpublicview:onthe bulletinboardina pizza-deliveryshop,birthday-
party invitationsandgarage-sale signs.
 Gates whichoperate onsecuritycodesalone provideverylittle security.Residentsoftengive
theirsecuritycodesoutto friends,extendedfamilymembers,contractors,housecleaners,dog
walkersandotherservice providers.
 "You've got residentswhoare lazy,andtheydon'ttake the securityseriously,andthey'llcall and
ordersomethingandsay,'Oh, bythe way, the code is 1234,' " Smithsaid."People willputouta
signfor Joey'sbirthdaypartywith,'The gate code isX.'”

4. Other considerations
 Installingandmaintaininggatesisexpensive.Maintenance andothercostsforgates will
increase HOA fees.
 Anothercriticismisthatgatedcommunitiesofferafalse sense of security.Somestudiesindicate
that safetyingatedcommunitiesmaybe more illusionthanreality,showingthatgated
communitiesinsuburbanareasof the UnitedStateshave nolesscrime thansimilarnongated
neighborhoods.[Reference]
 Gates can alsobe a barrierto emergencyserviceslike the police orfire departments.Itis
extremely importanttohave asysteminplace that allowsquickaccesstothem.Most
communitiesuse a"Knox Box"keysystembutthere are alsouniversal keypadcodes,and
restrictedradiofrequencyaccess.Checkwithyourlocal policeandFire Marshall.
 Automated gatesandentrysystemswill addtomaintenance costs.Althoughthesesystemshave
become verydependable,buttheydocontainmechanical andelectroniccomponentsthat
require propermaintenance. Anaverage monthlymaintenance costwill needtobe calculated
and addedintothe HOA overall ongoingcostswhichwill include monthlyutilityexpensesand
additional reservesforthe long-termupkeepandreplacementof componentsof the gates.
 Poweroutageswill affectautomatedgatesunlesstheyhave batterybackupsystemsorare ona
generator. Batterybackupsystemsgenerallyautomaticallyopengatesduringapoweroutage.
 Inconvenience toBBLownersandguests. It has beensuggestedthatgatescouldbe leftopen
duringbusytimes.Especiallywithrenters, gateswillcause congestion. Thisisevidentfrom
some of the local gatedcommunities. If gatesare effectiveinreducingburglaries,we mightbe
more willingtolive withsome inconvenience.
Are we willingtospend $150,000 andlive withthe quality of life issuestosolve aproblemwe donot
have (vandalism) whenthe mainproblemorburglaries will likely notbe solved?
These references suggestthatgateshave adebatable orminimal effectonburglary rates. If we agree
that thisisthe case, whatshouldwe dothat WILL be effectiveinsecuringBBLagainstburglaries?

5. Other solutionsto consider
Secure propertiesbetter:
From thisstudy:http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=5184&context=etd
ConsistentwithFelson’s(1998) arguments,Coupe &Blake (2006) foundthat burglarsare significantly
more likelytotargethouseholdswithmore coveraroundthe premisesaswell ashomesthatare more
distantfromneighboringresidences.
Some other thoughts:
 25% of homeshave electronicsecuritysystem
 Majorityof home invasions(burglaries??) occurduringworkhours - BBL may be different
 Signsfroma real Securitysystemdeterburgers- theyall know all the fake ones,especiallythe
onessoldat Lowe's,HomeDepotandHocker's.
 40% of break-insoccurthroughunlockeddoorsorfrom keysleftinobviousplaces. Burgalars
will findthatwhat you thinkisa cleverlyhiddenhide-a-keyinafew seconds. Use a keyvaultor
a programmable lock- the internetprogrammable onesare cool
 Rental unitsare 85% more likelytobe brokenintothannon-rentals...if yourent,youneedto
consideradditionalprecautions
 Secure PatioSliderDoorswithasecuritybar. The locks on sliders are easilyforced.
 Considerlockpinsinwindows,evensecondfloorwindowsif theyare accessible fromapatioor
roof
Enhanced Lighting:
Otherstudieshave shownthat goodcoverage with motionsensoractivated lightingisaveryeffective
deterrent.
Most burglarsare not deterredby regulartimedlights. Manyburglarsactuallysee these asan indicator
that the house isvacant. Aninterestingalternative tothese are oneswitha“Randomizing”settingthat
turns lights,andsometimesTVs, onandoff at differentrandomintervals(see linkfromLowesbelow)
Utilitech15-Amp2-OutletDigital Residential Plug-InLightingTimer
Item#: 155671 | Model #: UTTNDHD2
In additiontomotionactivatedlights,addingsoundtolightsmakesthe deterrentmore effective.
Cameras:
Addhighquality videocameras withnightvisioncapabilities thatrecordvehicles,licensesanddrivers’
facesgoinginand out the entrances. The camerasmust be effective;poorqualitycamerasare as
effectiveasnocameras andcost money.
http://www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/412403-Evaluating-the-Use-of-Public-Surveillance-Cameras-for-
Crime-Control-and-Prevention.pdf

6. The Boston bomberswere apprehendedquicklydue tosurveillance cameras. The clubhouse
surveillance hasbeeneffective andcouldbe more effectiveif the needarises
Internetvideocamerasinthe homescanbe effective too. Youcanget an internetaccessible video
camera that youcan control the panand tiltfromcell phone,laptoportabletforaround $50 on eBay.
Watch this:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s88vYkgHm0Q
Signage thatcommunicatesthat real videosurveillance is beingdone isaneffectivedeterrent. While
camerasmay not detera junkie looking todoa smash andgrab for a fix,catchingthe junkie andsending
himto jail basedon our videowill be avery effective deterrentforothers. Signsthattell people working
or passingthrough the community isundervideosurveillance are essential. We wantpeople tosee us
as a hard target and notcommitcrimesinour community.
http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/police-camera-crime1.htm
Law enforcementofficialsare usuallythe mostpositiveaboutthe crime cameras.Some of the recent
statisticsprovidedbyU.S.police departmentsclaimthe followingdropsincrime rates:
 Baltimore:17 percent[source: Tanneeru]
 NewYork Cityhousingprojects:36 percent[source: Lee]
 Philadelphia:37 percent[source: Shields]
From anothersource:
Evidence consistentlypointsoutthatcamerasreduce auto-relatedcrimesasmuchas 41 percent
[source:WelshandFarrington].Theyare alsomore helpful withreducingcrime inenclosedareaswith
lessfoottrafficwhencombinedwithotherlaw enforcementefforts.Andthey're helpfulinconducting
post-crime investigations[source:Ratcliffe].
Defense indepth
The bestsolutionisa several solutionsthatoverlap:securingourhouses,addingmotionbasedlighting
and communitycamerasand othersuggestionsfromthe State Police and possibly otherswe consult.
We needtoalsobe sure to coverall areas. Someone coulddrive upKiki’sWaybythe Propane storage
tank anddrive rightup to the back of units 1 to 11. We’dneedto protectthat area withlightsand
camerasalso.
PublicRelations
As manypeople aspossibleneedtoknow BBLis seriousaboutprotectingourpropertiesandwe are
activelydoingsomethingaboutit.
The numberof burglariesthatare committed bypeople whoworkforvendorsorpeople theyknowisa
hard numbertodetermine butthisdoeshappen,unfortunately. Lettingeveryonewhocomestothe
communityknowwe videotrafficandthe communitywill preventagreat deal of crime and shouldbe
an importantpart of the whole securityapproach.