Building managers gain an edge on war on crime.

While the battle against crime may never be officially over, owners of commercial office buildings in New York City are now armed with a host of weapons that can tip the odds dramatically in their favor.

Technological advances in security monitoring devices have made it significantly more difficult for criminals to ply their trade. Systems range from high-definition color monitors to James Bond-type identification devices that recognize people based on the length of their fingers and the size of their knuckles.

William Cohen, executive vice president of Newmark & Company Real Estate, Inc., is one of the growing number of real estate professionals who recognize the value of these monitoring systems. Newmark is the managing agent for owners of commercial buildings throughout the city, and Cohen has seen tremendous results at the properties he manages by working closely with Excel Security Corp., a Manhattan-based full service security company.

"We've had success apprehending criminals in every single building where these systems are installed," said Cohen. "Security is of paramount importance to our tenants and these systems provide a level of security that was not possible in years past."

Often, the results have been dramatic. For example, on January 20th of this year, a suspicious fire broke out at 115 Broadway in Downtown Manhattan, an office property monitored by Excel Security. A response team assembled by Excel provided authorities with tapes from their video monitoring systems at the building. Instead of grainy black and white images, the tapes provided clear color visuals that identified the arsonist.

One factor fueling the use of high-tech security systems is that the cost of these systems has decreased dramatically in recent years. According to Neal Garelik, president of Excel Security, the price of color monitoring equipment has dipped nearly 50 percent over the past two years, making it much more affordable for building owners. While a relatively small percentage of New York City commercial office buildings currently use this technology, Garelik predicts that it will be the industry standard within the next five years.

Excel Security offers remote monitoring of access control systems. This technology provides total automation and control of a property, as it allows monitoring of building entry, security breaches and fluctuations in temperature, and even allows elevators to be controlled. Excel personnel monitor activity in the building from a local remote location, and if an intruder or some other breach of security is observed, a response team is dispatched immediately to the building. Garelik noted that these systems not only provide tenants with a higher level of security, they also reduce operating costs for the owner, as fewer on-site security personnel are required.

Sometimes a company's life or death can depend upon the successful use of a video monitoring system. For example, prior to Excel Security's involvement at 145 East 32nd Street, a half dozen tenants in the building experienced thefts, and one company was almost forced out of business when prototypes for one of its product lines were stolen. Excel Security, working with law enforcement agencies, installed color covert cameras in various tenant spaces. With the police in the building watching the activity recorded on camera, the perpetrators were caught in the act, arrested and convicted.

For companies with especially high-security requirements, Excel offers a "biometric" system that identifies employees based on their individual physical characteristics. Employees check in and out by placing one of their hands on a reader, which verifies the person's identity based on the size and configuration of his fingers and knuckles. In addition to heightening security, this system also serves as a high-tech time clock, as it makes it impossible for a person to fake being at work.

Cohen of Newmark observed that having these kinds of high-tech security systems installed in commercial office buildings represents a "win-win" situation.

"Tenants are happy because these systems provide them with a safe and secure working environment," he noted. "Owners, meanwhile, are pleased because they experience a tremendous return on their investment, while making their buildings more attractive to prospective tenants."

"The only ones who aren't pleased are the criminals," Cohen added, "but we can live with that."