Building Security
On April 20 2018 we met with Capreit building management and representatives from GEMS Security Systems to review security procedures at 100 Wellesley St. East. Security is an important issue for all of us, and Capreit is trying to ensure we live in a safe building. Here is a summary of key points from the meeting:
General Security Procedures
Security is on site every day from 6pm to 6am. To request security during that time, call the office number and a building superintendent will answer. Calls are time-stamped and recorded to help ensure that they are acted on correctly. Leave a message if there is no answer.
Our security guards spend the beginning of the shift in the lobby/foyer monitoring people entering the building. They try to familiarize themselves with who the residents are. Later in the shift they conduct scheduled patrols, from the gym/pool area to the stairwells and the grounds around the building (the alcove and garbage area), and the garage and locker areas. Of course, they can be called to a situation in the building at any time.
If you see a security issue that could be resolved with the help of video recorded by the building, be prompt about reporting it. Elevator video is retained for 14 days, and other video is retained for 21 days.
If you are aware of units in the building or areas around the building where illicit activities are taking place, let management know and they will inform security to address the situation.
If you observe a security guard making an arrest and you believe that he is doing something incorrect, do not involve yourself in the arrest. This is unsafe. You can call the police in this situation and let them handle it.
A supervisor from the security company will be called in for assistance in some cases, e.g. where an arrest is made, or where multiple individuals are involved. The supervisor will arrive in a tactical unit that carries handcuffs, batons, and bullet-proof vests. One would not be called in for routine situations like a noise complaint.
Security gives a daily report of all incidents to building management.
If there is an arrest, building management will write an incident report and send it to Capreit corporate management.
For legal reasons, management is often limited in what they can communicate to residents about security incidents.
If you think security is not doing its job or you think of ways security could improve let management know.
People Entering The Building
Sometimes security encounters a person at the front entrance saying he or she is trying to enter to visit a friend. Yet such "visitors" have difficulty calling the purported friend from the entrance. In most cases these are people trying to enter the building for no legitimate reason.
Make sure your friends coming to visit know how to call up to you from the front door. Also, if you have a buzzer code, make sure your friends know it. (You can have a buzzer code at the front door instead of having your name in the directory).
Solicitors/Peddlers
Capreit does not grant permission for charity solicitors or peddlers to enter the building. Occasionally Capreit will allow a business such as Bell or Rogers to set up a table in the lobby to conduct business. But nobody ever has permission from Capreit to go door to door to conduct business. You can call security and report such a person to have them removed.