80% of respondents to our consumer market study expressed strong interest in receiving alerts from their HOA, including security alerts of all kinds. These included 911 alerts, Amber Alerts, and weather alerts. Additionally, respondents noted they wanted to know about the presence of offenders in or near the community as well as crime reports. The results should serve as a prime opportunity for HOAs, COAs and PMCs to take advantage of the powerful tools they have at their disposal.
You can begin to provide resources on the community news area of your site. There are several potential opportunities where you, as community leaders, can help enhance and improve community safety and visitor management. The challenge is to balance public safety with gossip and fear-mongering and keep information relevant.
Here are a few tips to promote safety and security this summer:
Host a safety seminar for residents. Invite local law enforcement and local elected officials who can speak to the current city climate and introduce any crime or relevant statistics. Prior to the meeting, communicate not only the date and time but give residents a chance to email in questions ahead of time. This gives them an opportunity to be a part of the conversation and feel empowered.
Send regular email or SMS text message blasts. Keeping in touch with your residents when it’s appropriate goes a long way. Stick to short but pertinent messages about the neighborhood. For example, if there was a suspicious vehicle, missing dog, or a bike stolen, an immediate blast will alert neighbors to the potential danger, and again demonstrate an aura of concern. (Here’s a helpful piece on newsletters!)
Organize a neighborhood watch group. Use the survey function to see if enough residents want to take on this kind of involvement. Or alternatively, take a poll on whether to use association funds to pay for more security.
Watch out for kids! Kiddos are out of school which means they are walking dogs, riding bikes (hopefully), and heading to the pool and parks! Remind your residents to slow down and drive with extra caution.
Security is complicated and requires many moving parts. Interested in learning more about you can start to tighten up security in your community? Download our checklist, 7 Tips to Properly Secure Your Community.
