IREM unveils safety management program.

According to recent Justice Department statistics, a violent crime is committed in the United States every 17 seconds. A murder occurs every 21 minutes, a rape every 5 minutes, a robbery every 46 seconds, an aggravated assault every 29 seconds and a burglary every 10 seconds.

It might surprise you to learn that the most common crime is a crime against property, such as vandalism or theft, with one such crime occurring every 2 seconds.

While no one anywhere is free from this threat, real estate managers are caught in the crossfire. Whether you manage residential properties, office buildings, or shopping centers, you hear tenants demanding increased security, owners demanding increased efficiency and performance, and a legal system demanding that you provide a safe and secure environment for all.

In response, IREM is initiating a new program to help our members cope with these demands while reducing liability exposure for better properties and stronger communities. The new program is called "IREM SMART Partners." SMART stands for "Safety Management Alliance of Residents and Tenants. " The key word here is partner in that the success of the SMART Partners program depends on the mutual cooperation of managers and tenants for maximum effectiveness.

The IREM SMART Partners program will be applicable to all types of properties -- residential, office and commercial -- and it will provide practical safety and security information relevant to all communities regardless of current demographics and crime rates. This will be an ongoing, effort by all divisions within the Institute and its network of nearly 100 chapters.

IREM believes that real estate managers are in a unique position to contribute to their communities by assisting residents and tenants who are eager to take an active part in forestalling crime and are seeking effective direction. Our members are responsible for managing approximately one trillion dollars worth of the nation's real estate assets. As a group, we have contact with hundreds of thousands of residential and commercial tenants every day.

Our overall aim is to create a better environment for tenants in residential, retail and office buildings by reducing the risks of criminal activity. By reducing the risks, we will also be doing a better job for owners and investors by minimizing tenant turnover, enhancing the property's image, lessening liabilities, maximizing security systems, and improving the overall market potential of the property long-term.

Crime prevention is not only a matter of good conscience; it's good business too. Up until the 1970s, property managers were generally not considered liable for crimes that occurred at or around the properties they manage. However, over the past two decades, the judicial winds have shifted. The courts have broadened their interpretation of landlord/tenant laws and widened the scope of their definition of negligence on the part of owners and managers.

Managers need to be aware that in today's climate of heightened consumer awareness and intensified legislative focus on tenants' rights, suits against property owners and managers are much more common - especially where the issue of security is concerned.

But how do we as property managers prevent crime? Statistics show that community watch programs are effective in reducing crime. A survey conducted by the Florida Attorney General's office covered over 14,000 community watch programs with 2.4 million citizens involved. There was a 15 to 64 percent reduction in crime in programs which could document effects.

Currently, one in four families lives in a community watch protected area, but these are primarily single-family residential neighborhoods. We must make the community effort available at our multi-use properties... and that is where the efforts of coordination by property managers are needed. Based on these statistics, the main thrust of SMART Partners is tenant awareness and involvement. As we create community watch programs they can serve as the foundation for programs to reduce burglary and robbery, strengthen neighborhoods in transition, prevent arson and auto theft, reduce fear of crime, improve relations between police and community, and make communities more stable.