Championship POA Newsletter

August 30, 2022
Volume 2, Number 8

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THE FACTS about the Remote Monitoring proposal

Over the last few weeks homeowners have been hearing various bits of information about the Championship POA considering remote guarding, often referred to as a Virtual Guard.

Of the information being spread about, some of it was accurate, some inaccurate, and some just plain incomplete. We apologize for the disinformation that is being spread throughout the community.

There are two things you should be aware of:

No decisions have been made and no contracts drafted or signed.

Security is a key element of home ownership in Eagleton and your Board would never compromise that.
We urge you to read this entire lengthy article so you are up to date with the true facts and the actions being taken.

The most inaccurate piece of information you are being told is that this is “a done deal.” The facts are that the Board is still in the discussion phase and evaluating with St. Moritz how this solution would work and doing a cost benefit analysis. No contracts have been received or signed, and when and if they are, homeowners will be advised and the entire proposal will receive a lengthy legal review by our Association Attorney.

The other inaccurate piece of information you are being told is that the Board is being pressured to do this because our security provider is unable to live up to it contractual commitment. One of the comments made was that “St. Moritz is not upholding their end of a relatively new contract.” In fact, the Board has been evaluating a remote guarding solution for nearly two years, long before the end of our contract with Allied Universal Security. Once we had a new signed contract with St. Moritz, it was at that point that we entered into discussion with them on the idea of remote monitoring.

So just what is remote guarding? Perhaps the most important thing for homeowners to know is that if we go with a remote monitoring solution - and we will only go with this on the midnight to 8:00 AM shift - nothing will change from what one currently experiences at the entry to Eagleton except that the overnight guard, in a remote location, will appear on a TV monitor as opposed to in the doorway, when a guest pulls up. The interaction will be exactly the same as it is today.

The remote guard will be in a Security Operations Center (SOC) with multiple gate officers and a supervisor, monitoring numerous gatehouses. He or she will be alerted to a vehicle approaching the Eagleton gate via Artificial Intelligence which is able to distinguish between a vehicle, a raccoon, or a person on foot.

When the vehicle (which by the way will have already been verified at one of the outer manned gates of PGA National) arrives at the kiosk, guest will have the option to scan a barcode or interact with the remote gate officer in a face-to-face 180° video and audio discussion. The remote gate officer will determine where the visitor wants to go and will then check the homeowners list of authorized guests to see if the visitor is listed. If he or she is not listed, the remote gate officer will call the homeowner to enquire if the guest should be admitted.

Once approved, the remote gate officer will have the visitor insert his or her driver's license into the kiosk where it will be photographed and filed along with the information on the vehicle and the vehicle’s tag. Once all of that has been completed, and only then, will the visitor gate arm be opened, and the visitor allowed to enter. This is exactly what transpires today when a guest arrives at the Eagleton gatehouse.

It is also important to note that the armed roving security patrols, which are under contract to the PGA Property Owners Association - not the Championship POA - are the primary backup to our gate officers, followed by the Palm Beach Gardens Police Department. This will continue to operate exactly as it does today if we move to remote guards.

Why are we considering going to remote monitoring? The simple answer is to enhance our security. While the new St. Moritz gate officers are doing an excellent job, you can surely understand the difficulties of them staying alert, focused, and attentive while alone is a room for eight hours in the middle of the night.

They stay awake by texting with other guards, talking on the phone, daydreaming, and surfing the Internet. Given that on most every night, only four or five vehicles arrive at the gate between midnight and 8:00 AM., staying alert and focused is exceedingly difficult.

Remote gate officers, managing multiple communities in different time zones don't get distracted and don't have the ability to simply wave someone through the gate so that they can get back to their surfing or texting. The remote gate officer is required by the system to make a database entry for every vehicle that arrives at the gate before the gate can be opened. And should the driver of that vehicle become hostile or aggressive, the remote gate officer will notify the armed roving patrol officer who will respond and deal with the individual… or request Police assistance if necessary. Again, exactly the same procedure as today.

By going to remote monitoring, and through the use of technology, we expect to get more secure and complete control of who is, and who is not, allowed through the gates in the dark hours of the night.

How about the costs? The current rate for gate officers is $23.80 per hour. The cost of remote gate officers is $3.00 per hour. That saving of over $20.00 per hour can then be spent on improving and adding to our overall security infrastructure.

For example, by adding Artificial Intelligence (AI) cameras at the back gate on General Drive, the SOC can be alerted every time a pedestrian, bicyclist, or vehicle approaches the General Drive gate without a valid barcode. If that vehicle does not turn around and leave, the remote gate officer will immediately dispatch an armed roving patrol officer to investigate. We are also looking into more frequent armed roving patrols within the ten neighborhoods of Eagleton.

And by adding an AI camera on the exit side of the main gate the remote gate officer in the SOC can be alerted to pedestrians walking into Eagleton. All of which will improve the overall level of community safety and security and help to make Eagleton an even more desirable place to own and to live.

So, what are the negatives? The Board is working closely with St. Moritz to identify the negatives, but so far, we have identified very few.

Yes, we will lose the warm and fuzzy feeling of knowing that there are “human eyes” or a “sentient human presence” at the gatehouse. But if that person is texting, chatting, or watching a video on their PC, their services are of limited value.

We discussed with the Palm Beach Gardens Police the likelihood of persons with “nefarious intentions” walking in off Ryder Cup knowing that the gatehouse is not staffed. We were quickly told that “bad guys” are very unlikely to come into a community via the celebrated entryway. They are essentially cowards and prefer to scale a perimeter wall or walk in via unlighted areas such as the golf course where they will not be seen, do their criminal deeds, and escape the same way they came in. But should they try to enter via our main entry, the kiosk or the Artificial Intelligence camera on the exit side of the main gatehouse would immediately alert the SOC.

A further discussion was had about paying higher wages to attract higher caliber gate officers in hopes of getting better services. As we are all aware, nearly every industry, including the security industry, is facing unprecedented challenges trying to attract and retain enough workers to fill open jobs. And regardless of the caliber of the individual, keeping them alert and focused, alone in a gatehouse overnight, is extremely challenging.

Where do we go from here? The most imminent item on our agenda is to ensure that homeowners understand what we are looking into and how we are working to improve the security of their homes and property. Incorrect and incomplete information is not our friend. With that in mind we are meeting with HOA Presidents and interested parties to deliver that understanding. We also want homeowners to know that this is not “a done deal”

As mentioned above, we will continue to work with St. Moritz to identify the pros and cons of remote monitoring, and where possible, counteract them before we make any changes.

Your Board of Directors are your partners in the community. We own property as you do, and are equally as concerned with safety and the welfare and well-being of our families as everyone else. Any action we take will be with that partnership, welfare, and safety in full focus.