An Incident Across The Street Reminds Us To Be Vigilant And Be Aware

Even when we are just entering the building!

On April 23rd at approximately 4:00 PM, two young females (pictured below) purportedly followed a resident of 5430 North Sheridan Road for several blocks, and then forced their way into the building when the resident used their fob to open the door. The resident immediately contacted 911, and police arrived within 3 minutes, but the trespassers had already left the building by 4:08 PM.

While inside, the individuals opened packages in the mailroom and stole several items, which serves as a critical reminder of how quickly these types of incidents can unfold. This particular situation also demonstrates the limitations of surveillance. It’s great their images were captured, and hopefully that leads to their capture, but in this case it was clearly no deterrence.

Certainly, if you know who these individuals are or observe them here or elsewhere, we would encourage you to contact 911. We’ve advised our staff about this and provided instructions for them to respond as well.

Please stay alert, stay aware and stay vigilant. Don’t let people you don’t know “tailgate” behind you, into secured areas of the building.

HERE ARE SOME TIPS TO HELP SUPPORT A MORE SECURE HOME AND BUILDING

1. Avoid allowing “tailgaters”, that is, people you do not know who follow behind you to secured doorways. If you run your fob at a door anywhere in the building, it is a secured doorway and only folks with fobs or your guests should be going through the door with you. If you do not know someone following you in, do not feel obligated to let them proceed. ASK if they are a neighbor and have a fob. AND LIKEWISE – anyone tailgating, have your fob out, and be understanding if someone wants to confirm you’re a neighbor; it is fair and reasonable. It’s for everyone’s comfort and security.

Certainly, none of us are bouncers, including the staff. No one should try to PHYSICALLY bar anyone. But if someone proceeds anyway, report it to the staff and our team will take over from there, even if it is to review surveillance after the fact.

2. Don’t be offended if the staff stops you,  and requests you identify yourself. It’s not unusual to hear an employee was screamed at and told, “I’ve lived here for 20 years, you should know me by know….”. This is security we are talking about so the staff should not be expected to roll out the red carpet if they don’t recognize you. Security is job number 1. Not everyone knows you and we do have new employees, so it is reasonable to expect you’ll be stopped on occasion.

3. Keep your unit entry doors closed and locked at all times, and do not open for anyone you do not know or who is not appropriately identified to you (such as maintenance conducting a work order). And don’t hesitate to call 911 if someone you do not know or are otherwise not expecting is banging on your door. This is a better approach actually than call the staff in such a moment, just in case it is someone with ill intent. You can follow up with a call to the front desk to inform them police are in route and why. 773-769-3083

4. Report any suspicious persons or behavior with as little delay possible. Anything the slightest bit odd or out of place should be looked into. Depending on the nature of the situation, the staff can respond if you contact the front desk at 773-769-3083. If you feel the situation warrants the involvement of the authorities, it is better to be safe than sorry, so call 911.

5. When entering and exiting the garage, be aware of your surroundings including individuals that may be entering on the sly through the garage doors. If you see someone walking in as you drive in, or after you exit, please report it to the front desk, 773-769-3083. They will coordinate with Security and the Garage Office to investigate immediately.

6. Fobs are automatically set to expire, as a purposefully built in extra layer of security. For Owners they expire every 3 years and for renters, 1 year. There are several reasons, but I think the simplest way to explain is to say that every now and then an unknown individual stops in and says there fob does not work. Typically, this is someone who’s moved in under the radar, and has not been registered. If your fob stops working, DON’T PANIC. The best way to address this is to stop by the office if you can, just in case it is not the expiration and we do need to replace it. But either way it is a quick fix. You can also troubleshoot by reaching out by phone or e-mail, 773-769-3250 or parktowercondo-mgmt@habitat.com.

YOU’RE ALSO WELCOME TO PICK A DATE for your fob expiration, like a birthday or a particular day that is familiar to you, to make this process easier.

Keeping these points in mind, working together with your neighbors and staff, we can continue to keep the Park Tower community as safe as possible. Each person and eye on events and surroundings is a valuable resource in this regard.

Also, never hesitate to contact us with any questions, concerns or suggestions you may have about safety and security. Send the office an e-mail anytime.