The Legal Chronicle
(FOX 10)
Parking garages present inherent security challenges as they frequently occupy a large space with low levels of activity and numerous hiding places for would-be attackers.
A woman was sexually assaulted in the RSA Battle House Tower parking garage Tuesday, June 5, 2018, according to FOX 10 reports. Police told media the incident occurred “around 9:20 a.m. in the RSA Tower parking garage on Water Street.”
The attack raises grave security concerns for parking facility owners throughout the state. Mobile police are now making “suggestions to RSA on how to improve security so a crime like this doesn’t happen again.”
“This is a pretty open parking garage. It’s pretty easy for people to get into,” Public Safety Director James Barber told FOX 10. “There is a lot of walk through traffic also that occurs between the RSA and YMCA and so again, what type of measures can they reasonably take to secure the area from unauthorized entry and certainly people that are up to ill will.”
Victims of Parking Facility Violence: Know Your Rights
Parking facility patrons have a right to feel safe and secure while on the premises of the establishment they are visiting. By law, property owners are required to protect all patrons legally on the premises from any foreseeable harm. For example, should a parking garage owner have knowledge of prior violence on or near property, they have a responsibility to implement additional security precautions to protect patrons and deter such crime. Should a property owner fail in this critical responsibility, they may be held civilly liable for any injuries, rapes, sexual assaults, or wrongful deaths which occur as a consequence.
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Defying a culture that has all too often silenced victims of sexual harassment, the #MeToo movement has ushered in a heightened social awareness of sexual misconduct in the workplace and beyond. Predators once protected by corporate profit margins and a social taboo of openly discussing harassment, sexual assault, and rape, are finally being held accountable and a fresh intolerance for such behavior is trickling into other social corners.
College campuses often create a false sense of security for the students who live there. Potentially thousands of students on campus make it nearly impossible for residents to control access to their dormitories or identify an intruder. Additionally, sprawling grounds, buildings and landscaping can provide hiding places for would-be predators.
Hotels and apartments are frequently targets for criminal activity. Guests and tenants have little control over, or knowledge of, those entering and exiting the property, making it difficult to identify a person who does not belong. This is particularly dangerous in isolated common areas, such as a parking lots, laundry rooms, and swimming pools. Hotel and apartment complex grounds are frequently landscaped with trees and bushes, providing ample hiding spaces for criminals, especially at night.
Summer is fast approaching and with it families and friends will flock to community pools. Apartment owners and managers should take this time to ensure property swimming pools and spas are both clean and safe.