Monday, July 18, 2011

Keep Your Doors Locked To Prevent Burglaries Says Roosevelt Island Public Safety Director - Urban American Management Needs To Keep Roosevelt Landings Lobby Doors Closed and Locked Too

Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC) Public Safety Director Keith Guerra reports:

As you may or may not know, there have been a few burglaries on the island.  These have not been reported with forced entry.  Folks are leaving their front doors unlocked (when they leave, and even when they are home).

This campaign is intended to remind everyone that although this community is extremely safe, this is still New York City and folks should keep their doors locked.

These flyers will be distributed throughout the island.  Your support in spreading the message is most appreciated.
The text of the flyer is below:
PUBLIC SAFETY
Community Outreach
Announces: the “Lock your door” campaign
This is a very safe community, but...
Lock your door!
There has been a rash of simple burglaries in the neighborhood...
Lock your door!
You are the most precious thing in your apartment...
Lock your door!
You might be only gone a few minutes...
Lock your door!
If you notice your neighbor leaving without locking their door, please tell them.
Lock your door!
“If you see something, say something!” Roosevelt Island Public Safety Department 212-832-4545
Not only do Roosevelt Island residents need to keep their apartment doors closed and locked but Urban American management at Roosevelt Landings (formerly Eastwood) also needs to keep the front and back building lobby doors closed and locked in order to prevent unauthorized entry.

Image of Open Roosevelt Landings Front Lobby Door

Roosevelt Landings Residents Association President Joyce Mincheff notes in this July 16 message to building landlord Urban American:
I made the rounds to check Roosevelt Landings doors late last night. Even though I had made abundant prior reports to Public Safety, (which I am told are distributed to Urban American), and even though we spoke about the importance of locking all the doors in our meeting on Thursday and I had pointed out to you that both the 546 front door and the 546 door to the rear of the lobby needed to be addressed, both of these doors were in the same state we had discussed. Both were ajar and no one was posted at the doors to secure them even though neither of them will adequately close automatically. I watched as the Main Street entrance was used 3 times, and in each occassion, the door failed to close behind the person who used it in normal fashion.

I have placed a notice on both these doors to tell people who use them that they should take the added security measure to close the doors behind them. You should be aware that even closing and locking the rear door will not secure it. It is easily opened even when locked. PLEASE, for the sake of the safety of our residents, DO NOT REMOVE THESE SIGNS until both of these doors are secured either by stationing someone to guard them until they are repaired, or by repairing them. URGENT REPAIR of these doors is imperative!
Seven burglaries were reported in Roosevelt Landings over the past (aproximately) 6 months.... In addition a shooting took place as well as a number of fights. 
Ms. Mincheff adds:
It is imperative that the landlord lock the doors to the building and that tenants lock the doors to their apartments. The apartment lock that is best to use is the dead bolt.... the one that slides into the door frame and is fastened by either a key from the outside or by turning the small knob that is directly above the doorknob on the inside of the door.

If a tenant is missing their dead bolt or if it does not operate properly, they should contact the landlord for service!

Several Roosevelt Landing exterior doors have been found ajar with great frequency. These doors have been brought to the attention of the landlord on several occasions, We've asked the landlord to post security at doors that are experiencing problems. They have yet to do so, therefore, we are requesting that whenever a tenant exists a door, they make sure the door closes and locks behind them.

Additionally, no tenant or maintenance worker should prop a door open for any reason. When tenants notice open or unlocked doors they should report the problem to management, PSD, and if no response, to 311.

The Roosevelt Landings Residents Association has been vigilant about checking external building doors and reporting their state of repair to the Public Safety Dept. and management. The safety of our tenants is our primary concern.

We believe that the manpower and policies needed to keep our tenants safe are in need of review, modification and enhancement. In the interim, we encourage all adults who are concerned about this issue to donate a small amount of time to a building "watch" program.

All who wish to volunteer, please contact jmincheff@gmail.com immediately. The safety of your family and friends could depend on your support!
More on security at Roosevelt Landings from this previous post.

4 comments :

Anonymous said...

Back door in 556 main st is almost always open day and night. The residents feel unsafe especially since a lot of us make sure to close the door shut after we leave the door.

Nyctenantadvocate said...

Urban American is awful. http://nyctenantadvocate.wordpress.com After the lack of heat and hot water, the evictions, the mold, the bedbugs, the collapsing ceilings, and everything else they put their tenants through, what makes anyone think they'd do something as simple as locking their doors?

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