Exclusive to the Multifamily Industry
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Clayton is a National Sales and Project Director at Watchtower Security.
We pride ourselves on
EXCLUSIVELY providing surveillance services to the multifamily industry. There are many companies that will put cameras anywhere they are paid to, often with very limited knowledge of the industry. At Watchtower Security, we know and understand the needs that are specifically impacting you, because we only specialize in providing multifamily surveillance.
Occasionally, I get asked by my clients if Watchtower Security can install security cameras in their homes. While we would love to to do so, we have tailored our approach to the needs of our specific industry. But luckily, there are a few things that are applicable to both!
Let's start with what we consider the most important and often overlooked: your environment. One of the first things we discuss with a client is their lighting and landscaping. If the lighting on a property is dark, not only will the cameras have a hard time seeing at night, you are also creating areas where criminal activity can take place out of sight. A
dding a few solar powered motion lights is a relatively inexpensive and effective preventative measure. You can find many different versions online or at your local hardware store, but I would suggest these from
Litom
.
When it comes to cameras I wish I could recommend using the same ones Watchtower Security uses in our clients' communities (we use only the latest and greatest in surveillance technology), but those cameras are rather pricey. However, I can recommend
my current market favorites. The indoor and outdoor models from
Nest
, and the
LG Circle 2 camera
.
Both of these systems are super simple to setup and can be viewed from your phone.
Thankfully, for as long as I have had my at home cameras installed, I have never had to use them for security purposes. Instead, I have found a few other uses for them. For example, I am constantly forgetting if I closed the garage door when I leave for work in the morning. With my home surveillance system, I can always be reassured. I would be lying, however, if I said I didn't also use my home surveillance system to spy on my newborn triplets or to keep an eye on my neighbors outside of my front door...but mainly to spy on my newborn triplets!
With the addition of three newborns in my household, I wanted to make sure they were safe when I'm away. So, I invested in a home security system. There are a million options out there these days, but I ultimately settled on SimpliSafe. It was super easy to setup and their monitoring fees are about a third of the cost of the competitors'.
My final tip for securing your home is to invest in a few 'smart plugs.' These 'smart plugs' will allow you to turn lights, TVs, etc., on or off from wherever you are. If I were ever to brave a vacation with triplets, I would use these while I'm gone to toggle the lights on and off, giving the illusion that I'm home even when I'm not.
- Clayton P. Burnett
Disclaimer: I am not the foremost expert in home security. Any tips or suggestions in this article should not be taken as a guarantee of safety or protection.
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Forensic Review Department: License Plates
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Have you ever seen a crime drama on television where they were able to catch the bad guy with only a few digits of a license plate? A few years ago that kind of technology seemed more applicable to science fiction, but today it is already a part of your life and you might not know it.
ALPR (Automated License Plate Recognition) is a technology integrated into Watchtower Security's vehicle checkpoint cameras. This technology reads the characters of a license plate that were recorded on surveillance footage. With this technology, our team of forensic review analysts are able to quickly put together a timeline of a specific vehicle's presence on your property, through automation.
In any given forensic video review request, if the report involves a vehicle, whether it be the suspect or victim's vehicle, the license plate(s) of those involved is a vital piece of information. By providing the license plate number(s), within minutes, we can identify if that vehicle has passed through a vehicle checkpoint camera on your property. This can save valuable time when locating criminals on your property and eliminate the confusion of similar vehicles. (You would honestly be surprised by the amount of gray Ford Fusions that are parked on your property.)
ALPR also can have any license plate added to your Alert Recognition System. When added to the alert system, Watchtower is notified when a vehicle passes through a checkpoint camera and a forensic video review will be provided to your staff, confirming the return of the banned vehicle.
So the next time you are putting in a forensic video review request to your portal, remember that if a vehicle was involved (suspect, victim, or otherwise) click the check mark box that indicates a vehicle was involved. Then, after inputting the vehicle information, the forensic review analysts will be able to speed up processing your request.
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My Portal: The Latest and Greatest From Watchtower Security is Finally Here!
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Watchtower Security is proud to announce that My Portal is now active for all properties within your portfolio. As a client of Watchtower Security you already know that no matter where you are, your property is always just a few clicks away from any internet enabled device. Now with the latest edition of your property's portal, My Portal, connecting with your property is even easier!
In addition to all of the features you have become accustomed to in the past, you will now have more control over your property. Would you prefer Watchtower Security to call or email you if any additional questions arise? Now you are able to set that preference in your account, as well as add an additional phone number that is different than the property's. As a manager you are also able to create accounts for all of your staff. If you would prefer certain employees only have access to certain portions, simply let us know and we we would be happy assist you!
These examples are just some of the new functionality waiting for you inside of My Portal. These added features will enhance the user experience, and keep the ease of use clients have come to know.
If you have any questions about My Portal, please email us at [email protected], or call us at 1-855-427-4586.
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Towers of Excellence is thrilled to announce our 3rd year of program implementation! We kicked off the year with a successful 3rd Annual Golf Event on Sept 18! We have an awesome group of students and mentors serving as "Towers" this year. We have a full year ahead of us: academic guidance and test prep for our students applying to selective enrollment schools; character building, centered around our Be SMART core values; yoga hour and meditation, to heighten our students' spiritual paths; high school, college, and career speakers and engagements to prepare our students for their futures; and, several outings focused on cultural engagement.
Academically, we are preparing our students for the selective enrollment test they will be taking in December. In addition to test prep, we require our students to achieve a 3.5 GPA. We support this achievement through tutoring, daily homework checks, and goal setting each quarter. We have seen an increase in student performance over the past 2 years. This is a result of working with them to support their own desires for academic accomplishments. We welcome speakers to inspire our students in making sound academic decisions in their lives.
Socially and emotionally, we work with our students weekly to help them internalize our Be SMART core values- Be Self-Aware, Be Mindful, Be Authentic, Be Responsible & Respectful, and Be Tenacious. Students are engaged in weekly lessons focused on each core value to help them strengthen their character. Our goal is to help each student think positively and make good choices in their daily lives. We want our students' thoughts and actions to model high levels of character in all their choices. We equip our students with meditation and yoga practices to give them calming tools in to balance the chaotic realities they experience in their neighborhoods and daily lives.
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