 Since
moving to the Doral area in 1988--having lived previously in New
England, New York, Washington, DC and the Caribbean--I have watched
the tremendous growth in residential and commercial property with a
particular interest in everyone's personal security and quality of
life.
For those who remember Doral in the early 90's, traffic was limited
and crime was non-existent. It was like living in a small town, with
lots of green grass, trees and grazing cows.
During the growth period since then, despite the fact that traffic
has increased tremendously and much of the grass and trees have been
replaced by more and more residences and commercial properties, crime
has continued to remain at a very minimal level.
Why? Fortunately, the new residents and commercial operators who
have moved into Doral are hard-working, dedicated and law abiding
people.
Support for the residents has come from a strong Miami-Dade Police
presence based at the Doral station and from a number of private
security guard firms responsible for access control and property
patrols.
As the Doral community continues its extraordinary growth into the
future, each of these three groups, citizens, law enforcement and
private security, will need to take strong measures to ensure a high
level of security and peace. This will be true whether or not Doral
becomes a city and takes over its own affairs or remains as part of
unincorporated Dade County.
No matter how vigilant professional law enforcement and security
are, or how many officers are on duty at any time of day or night,
whether they are Doral police or Miami-Dade Police, each person is
responsible to be alert and aware of his or her surroundings. There
cannot be a policeman on every corner, in every parking lot and at
every potential trouble spot.
Do we know or recognize our neighbors? Is the lighting at our
residences or commercial properties adequate, or are there dark,
hidden places to hide? Do we lock our doors and windows? Do we trim
our bushes? Do we lock our vehicles and activate their alarms?
Do we belong to or support a Citizen's Crime watch? Do we know
where our children are and whom they are with? Do we have home or
business alarm systems, and do we use them?
Do we appreciate and respect the Miami-Dade Police? Do we
co-operate with them in observing and reporting suspicious activities?
Do we deal with security guards as professionals or just as
low-paid workers? Do we cooperate in following the rules and obeying
the law or are the rules just for other people?
The answers to these questions and many others go a long way in
determining the safety and security of Doral and the quality of life
we enjoy.
In future columns, I'll discuss many of these subjects in greater
detail, as well as other topics in the security field.
If you have questions or comments, please e-mail me: cscmiami@aol.com
Robert Cohen, a Village of Doral Oaks resident since 1988, is Vice
President Business Development, Command Security Corporation. He is a
State-of-Florida-licensed as security manager, private investigator,
and security instructor.
He serves as Vice President of Miami-Dade County Crimestoppers
Board of Directors and is a member of the Miami chapter of the
American Society for Industrial Security.
He is also Vice President of the Casper House Board, President of
the Village of Doral Oaks Board, Secretary of the Doral Park Country
Club Board and a Trustee of the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce.
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