When choosing an apartment, security tends to make the list of services to ask about before signing a lease.
Apartment complexes vary in the security measures they offer, but some common features are deadbolts for apartments' front doors and having law enforcement officers on property, particularly at night.
At Cabana Beach Apartments, in addition to deadbolts and peepholes on the front doors, there are also four law enforcement officials who live on the property, said General Manager Josie Dykes.
After 10 p.m., the back gate is locked and an employee stays at the front gate. If one of the front gate arms is malfunctioning, which has happened lately, personnel takes down the driver's license numbers of guests, she said.
Otherwise, residents can use swipe cards to gain access, and guests can use a database where they can input a resident's name so that person can let them into the complex.
A fatal shooting occurred at Cabana Beach on Oct. 20, resulting in the death of 22-year-old Theoderick Brown.
There are no plans to make security changes in light of the recent shooting, Dykes said.
"The two young men knew each other, and an argument escalated. It was an isolated incident," she said. "Tragic, but isolated."
The Enclave Apartments, located at the 3000 block of SW 35th Place, also has a law enforcement officer who lives on site who makes his rounds on the property to ensure safety, said Crystal Collins, rental manager.
The Enclave also has security alarms in the apartments, although residents must choose to activate them using a phone line connection.
Due to a city ordinance, the complex can't close its gates because it is located near two main roads and could cause traffic problems if it were to close them, she said.
A woman was raped Oct. 23 at her apartment at the 3000 block where the Enclave is located, but Collins said she doesn't think there are plans to alter the complex's security measures as a result because it wasn't any fault of the Enclave.
Canopy Apartments, located on Southwest 20th Avenue, has alarm systems in its apartments, although it handles them differently.
The alarm system is already set up to chime when windows or doors are opened.
Residents can program them using a pass code for free if they make an appointment with Canopy, said Adrienna Sanchez, leasing and marketing assistant.
Residents can set the alarms to call an agency through a third-party business, although Sanchez can't recall anyone taking that option in the years that she's worked there.
Another security feature at Canopy is the complex's policy of changing the locks of apartments' front doors if a resident moves out or loses a key.
Canopy personnel has the locks changed on the apartments every time new residents move in, but if a current resident loses a key, there is a charge for changing locks and making new keys for residents, Sanchez said. For a four-bedroom apartment, that fee is $60.
Like the Enclave, Canopy wasn't able to have a gated entry policy due to the city ordinance, she said. The complex does have a law enforcement officer who works seven days a week from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.
The District on 62nd, however, does include a gated entry requirement for its residents after office hours.
After about 6 p.m. on weekdays, residents can use their slide keys to open the gate to the property, said Scott Walker, community assistant. Guests can use a call box that is synced to residents' cellphone numbers so they can be given access to open the gate. The gates usually remain closed on weekends.
Residents can flip their TVs to channel 64, which shows a camera view of the main gate, to check who is asking for access to the property, he said.
