The following article was written by Jeremy York at HomeSecurityAdvice.com. We are pleased to have Jeremy join SmartSecurityPeople.com and provide an intuitive look at gated communities. If you would like to learn more about Jeremy, please check out his website or follow him on Twitter.

Do You Feel Safer Behind the Gates?

Far too many times it happens: Gates are broken for weeks at a time, security codes to gain access into a complex or community are passed on from one person to another, dare devil kids climb the no-so-tall walls that are supposed to keep them out and security companies hire guards who are careless and could care-less.

So when you choose to live in a gated community is it because you want to feel safer? Of course it is. For the most part, the gates do in fact keep out trespassers. But if you have ever lived in a gated apartment or housing community you can picture this: A car without the code is pulled off to the side, or sitting across the street where they can easily wait and watch for the next person who has the code to open the gate. Unless of course, it’s daytime, when most gated communities leave their gates open until dusk.

Plus, those silly signs say “One car at a time” but everybody who’s lived there knows that’s a bit bogus. You can easily get 3 cars through while the gate is lifted, and if the fourth is trying to creep by, most gates have a security feature within them that senses something in the path and it automatically reopens, only to let the next party train through.

So what can we do to feel safer? Talking to the folks in the clubhouse can sometimes seem pointless however, it’s never a bad idea to express your concerns. Starting neighborhood watches doesn’t always work since apartment style communities is usually temporary living for most families and taking matters into your own hands is out of the question. You can sit there, wait and watch and write down license plate numbers of the cars that do this, however good luck trying to get anyone to do something about this. So again, what can you do to feel safer? Remember this:

Gated communities are supposed to help keep us safer, and the truth is, the term “gated” is false security. There are too many people who have figured out the ways around the gate, walls, codes and guards for us to feel completely safe. Think about it, who has the codes besides the current residents, their friends and family, the mailman, the UPS man, the pizza delivery drivers, the folks in the clubhouse, their friends and families, their delivery drivers, past residents, their friends and family, their delivery drivers, their UPS man, their pizza guy and the other mailman (because they do switch every so often), and the list continues. If you want to feel safer in a gated community, make sure you do extensive research on the complex, the management and the security features/companies all ready set up. Talk about your concerns with other residents, the management team and even the security company. You can never do too much to secure yourself, your loved ones and your possessions.