A Primer on Green Knight’s Operations at the Village Green
By P.J.C.
By P.J.C.
 | NOTE: After a somewhat shaky rollout (in which Public Security, our last security firm, pulled out one week early), the new company is now in place. The VG Account is currently being overseen by Bruce Campbell; he’s assisted by Richard Vasquez, Executive Director of Operations. |
The information below was vetted by both Green Knight and VG's Property Manager Sherri Giles.
How long has Green Knight been around?
Green Knight was founded in 2000 by Stephen O’Neal, an ex-LAPD officer who saw shortcomings in communication and customer service between Security companies and the clients they served. He founded the company with customer service in mind. He has hired other ex-LAPD officers as part of his management team, with decades of experience.
What is a typical staffing level for the Green?
The contingent is fully staffed, which means eight people. There are ten officers in rotation, with some part time. Every full time officer works 32 hours per week, while the part timers ensure full coverage. There are two officers on at all times, twenty-four/seven. (That’s known as 336 coverage, referring to the hours of coverage in a week for two people.) The Post Commander Officer Greg Norris was hired from the old company to ensure continuity and experience. Officer Norris works a swing shift, so he can interact with Management as well as be around for the evening hours, and works Fridays and Saturdays, when it’s busiest for us.
Green Knight is dedicated to having a good response time, to provide good customer service, and to have good visibility on the property so that everyone knows they’re here.
What are some of the new technologies GKS has put in place for this site? Are there new tools? Are there places where techniques diverge?
The biggest change in tools is technological, and the use of a software program called TRACTIC. It covers and accounts for many internal systems. In the past, the old company turned in handwritten reports which needed to be transcribed before Management received them. TRACTIC offers electronic reports, which are processed immediately. TRACTIC also has geo-location and geo-fencing, which tells you where the officers are when they’re on patrol, when they’re clocking in, and can even tell us where they are or if they’re off the property. With all these new incident reports and data we are able to track and map their location, and both management and we can use that information to better prepare and anticipate.
How do these new procedures differ from the old company, Public Security?
Public Security used to use wands to mark the physical location they entered but the marking didn’t actually record this in real time, only in retrospect. Sometimes that recording occurred two or three days later. With TRACTIC we have 24 hour monitoring of officers on site.
Residents who call security now dial into a dispatcher. They can no longer call the officer who’s on the property. Why is that?
Public dispatch creates dialogue between officer and dispatcher so it’s not just a one way communication from resident to officer. The dispatcher becomes a link in the chain, and to an extent holds the officer accountable for follow through. This way the Village Green is able to hold officers accountable in terms of follow ups and responses.
Why was this initiated?
Management decided we needed a better way to keep track of communication and response. Calling officers directly was a poor system. If residents had officers’ phone numbers and were calling them directly, there no way to independently document the communication. Sometimes these calls were unrelated to securing and protecting the property. The Board and Management wanted GKS to have accountability. Now every call that comes in is recorded, and there’s follow up and accountability.
What’s your biggest challenge for a property of this type?
This is a large property, both in acreage and size, with a large population, GKS aims to be friendly and interactive but not so much as to divert security officers from the task at hand. They want to be as helpful as possible, but do their job effectively.
GKS’s hiring coincides with a series of garage break-ins; what are they doing to address this spike?
GKS has increased patrols in Courts 1, 2, and 3, with a visible presence in Court 2. In late December a security officer caught and videotaped a suspected trespasser. But he was not detained.
Why was he not detained? The residents whose garages were broken into were frustrated by the fact that a suspect was caught but not held. What can people expect?
Green Knight offers three levels of security, including various levels of weapons, up to and including using off-duty policemen who are trained to intervene, and arrest as needed.
But coverage for the Village Green is at the first level; no weapons, no handcuffs. Board members and Management have gone with a softer approach, no use of force. All of local officers have been trained in de-escalation and in crisis management and are asked to observe and report, and to be very visible, lights on, frequent rounds, more of a deterrent.
From the management at Green Knight Security:
Our security team is excited and honored to be part of your community. We are dedicated to ensuring your safety around the clock, to provide you with a secure living environment. We believe in being approachable, friendly and value building relationships with each and every one of you. Your safety is our priority. Our leadership team will be closely involved with the Security Committee to address any needs or issues that may arise.
Look to this space for profiles of our new resident officers.
Green Knight was founded in 2000 by Stephen O’Neal, an ex-LAPD officer who saw shortcomings in communication and customer service between Security companies and the clients they served. He founded the company with customer service in mind. He has hired other ex-LAPD officers as part of his management team, with decades of experience.
What is a typical staffing level for the Green?
The contingent is fully staffed, which means eight people. There are ten officers in rotation, with some part time. Every full time officer works 32 hours per week, while the part timers ensure full coverage. There are two officers on at all times, twenty-four/seven. (That’s known as 336 coverage, referring to the hours of coverage in a week for two people.) The Post Commander Officer Greg Norris was hired from the old company to ensure continuity and experience. Officer Norris works a swing shift, so he can interact with Management as well as be around for the evening hours, and works Fridays and Saturdays, when it’s busiest for us.
Green Knight is dedicated to having a good response time, to provide good customer service, and to have good visibility on the property so that everyone knows they’re here.
What are some of the new technologies GKS has put in place for this site? Are there new tools? Are there places where techniques diverge?
The biggest change in tools is technological, and the use of a software program called TRACTIC. It covers and accounts for many internal systems. In the past, the old company turned in handwritten reports which needed to be transcribed before Management received them. TRACTIC offers electronic reports, which are processed immediately. TRACTIC also has geo-location and geo-fencing, which tells you where the officers are when they’re on patrol, when they’re clocking in, and can even tell us where they are or if they’re off the property. With all these new incident reports and data we are able to track and map their location, and both management and we can use that information to better prepare and anticipate.
How do these new procedures differ from the old company, Public Security?
Public Security used to use wands to mark the physical location they entered but the marking didn’t actually record this in real time, only in retrospect. Sometimes that recording occurred two or three days later. With TRACTIC we have 24 hour monitoring of officers on site.
Residents who call security now dial into a dispatcher. They can no longer call the officer who’s on the property. Why is that?
Public dispatch creates dialogue between officer and dispatcher so it’s not just a one way communication from resident to officer. The dispatcher becomes a link in the chain, and to an extent holds the officer accountable for follow through. This way the Village Green is able to hold officers accountable in terms of follow ups and responses.
Why was this initiated?
Management decided we needed a better way to keep track of communication and response. Calling officers directly was a poor system. If residents had officers’ phone numbers and were calling them directly, there no way to independently document the communication. Sometimes these calls were unrelated to securing and protecting the property. The Board and Management wanted GKS to have accountability. Now every call that comes in is recorded, and there’s follow up and accountability.
What’s your biggest challenge for a property of this type?
This is a large property, both in acreage and size, with a large population, GKS aims to be friendly and interactive but not so much as to divert security officers from the task at hand. They want to be as helpful as possible, but do their job effectively.
GKS’s hiring coincides with a series of garage break-ins; what are they doing to address this spike?
GKS has increased patrols in Courts 1, 2, and 3, with a visible presence in Court 2. In late December a security officer caught and videotaped a suspected trespasser. But he was not detained.
Why was he not detained? The residents whose garages were broken into were frustrated by the fact that a suspect was caught but not held. What can people expect?
Green Knight offers three levels of security, including various levels of weapons, up to and including using off-duty policemen who are trained to intervene, and arrest as needed.
But coverage for the Village Green is at the first level; no weapons, no handcuffs. Board members and Management have gone with a softer approach, no use of force. All of local officers have been trained in de-escalation and in crisis management and are asked to observe and report, and to be very visible, lights on, frequent rounds, more of a deterrent.
From the management at Green Knight Security:
Our security team is excited and honored to be part of your community. We are dedicated to ensuring your safety around the clock, to provide you with a secure living environment. We believe in being approachable, friendly and value building relationships with each and every one of you. Your safety is our priority. Our leadership team will be closely involved with the Security Committee to address any needs or issues that may arise.
Look to this space for profiles of our new resident officers.
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