Security Myth Busters

Myth – I don’t need to join GPRA Security Program. My taxes pay for adequate police coverage.

Fact – Montgomery County’s budget covers not only the Woodlands, but all of Montgomery County. This includes ambulances, fire trucks, police cars, insurance, liability coverage, search and rescue, the coalition against sex trafficking, jail facilities, and all law enforcement activities (arrests, search warrants, investigation of active cases, court appearances and trials, etc.) in addition to patrolling neighborhoods.  Each village (ours is Grogan’s Mill, which has ~14,000 residents, 3,500+ homes, 8 apartment complexes, 12 parks, a resort and conference center, two golf courses, one swimming pool, multiple tennis courts and three miles of bike trails) is assigned two sheriff’s deputies per day. The Woodlands pays for their overtime.  The GPRA Security Program dues aim to at least double the coverage we would normally get and ensures a much faster response time when deputies are on duty.

Myth – I don’t need to join because there are enough other residents paying dues to cover it.

Fact – The Security Program runs entirely on members’ fees, and it is an annual program. We currently contract for about 140 patrol hours per month. If we do not receive enough paid memberships, we are forced to reduce patrol hours in the neighborhood. 

Myth – My home camera system is all I need to be safe.

Fact – While home monitoring and security systems do help to deter crime and aid law enforcement in identifying criminals, they do not patrol, protect or arrest people. Having Deputies on patrol in Grogan’s Point ensures a much faster response to reports of criminal activity at your home. Given law enforcement staffing in the Woodlands, your response time can be less than two minutes versus fifteen or more, when we have a deputy on duty.

Myth – The speed signs don’t help.

Fact – The speed signs have been proven to lower the speed of traffic. The data obtained from the signs is provided to the GPRA Security Constable Liaison for analysis to identify problem areas and times of the day in which speeding is the most likely. They have been very effective since their installation and serve as a visual reminder of your rate of speed.

Myth – Our cameras are old and no one uses the camera video recordings.

Fact - In 2022, we installed new state-of-the-art Flock Security cameras which serve as deterrents to crime. They record car licenses plates as cars enter and leave the neighborhood. This data is stored in our private cloud database. As the licenses plates are read, they are compared to an official national car license database. Notifications of mismatches are instantly sent to the Constables to be investigated as possible stolen cars. There is a Constable who is assigned the job of Flock Camera liaison, who has permission to directly access our database when it is needed for crime investigations. They can share this data with other law enforcement agencies when requested for crime investigation.

Contact the Security Committee with any questions you may have at gpsec2016@gmail.com.