In an effort to curb the increasingly unmanageable problem of vandalism and to provide a safer environment for tenants, several area property owners have begun installing video recording equipment in and around common areas of their apartment buildings.

Two of the largest property owners in the Greater Madison area, Steve Brown Apartments and Orosz Properties, have installed security systems and video cameras in some of their larger apartment complexes, including the Statesider and The Embassy.

Most recently, cameras were installed at the Statesider in August. Jim Dale, the resident director at the Statesider, said cameras have been a valuable tool in curbing the growing problem of vandalism.

“There was a lot of vandalism that was going on that was difficult to determine who was doing it,” Dale said. “This past year there was so much damage done that [installing video cameras] became necessary.”

Video camera use in public and semi-public areas has recently brought about strong debate from area residents in light of the recent request by Madison police to install video recording equipment in bars and clubs in high-crime areas, particularly involving the use and sale of drugs.

Although the issue affects a significant percentage of Madison citizens, many members of the City Council have frowned upon the idea of becoming involved in the affairs of how private bars and clubs conduct business, and see no change to policy in the immediate future.

Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, is disappointed that local businesses are increasingly relying on cameras to prevent crime.

“It’s sad that so much vandalism takes place in the common areas of these buildings,” Verveer said. “But it’s even more sad that landlords depend on cameras to catch people and prevent people from doing this. It invokes the sense of big brother watching you.”

Dale says that ideally, all large apartment buildings would have some sort of security system in place, but it is largely a matter of necessity and financial feasibility.

“I know that other apartment buildings would like to do it, but it’s a matter of who can afford to do it,” Dale said.

Will Aquino, a resident advisor at the Highlander, another Steve Brown-owned property, says that the Statesider is different in that its record of vandalism far exceeds any amount of vandalism that the Highlander or the Langdon has seen.

“Rather than being a financial issue, the Statesider had seen a constant trend of vandalism over several years which prompted the use of video cameras,” Aquino said. “The Highlander, which is a smaller community, has far fewer incidents of vandalism and consequently doesn’t require the use of video cameras.”

According to Dale, the initial reactions from tenants at the Statesider were mixed.

“I think some of the tenants were curious about it at first,” Dale said. “But they understand that it’s there to serve as protection for them. We try not to watch them whenever we can, but rather we make sure that when things happen, we find out who has done it and make sure they will be held accountable for it.”

The primary factor in the use of video cameras, according to Dale, is the group of residents and their level of maturity.
“That’s the greatest factor that will say whether or not you will have problems,” Dale said. “The cameras are there just to help determine who did what, and it lets people know they can’t just do whatever they want. We have a good group this year and that has really made the biggest difference.”