Spencer Close is a large, family apartment building with 130 units over 6 stories. As of 2024, it is approximately 4 years old. It is home to many people, including some vulnerable people, such as elderly people, children, and disabled people. It is a community.

In the 4 years of operation, requests by various people have been made to CRHC (Capital Region Housing Corporation, the manager of the building) to install security cameras at various locations throughout the building. These requests were made by concerned residents surrounding intruders entering the building, obstructions being left in hallways and stairwells, dumping of items in the garbage room, and packages/items/mail being stolen from the lobby.

CRHC has consistently denied these requests. They have sited privacy concerns as the primary reason for denying the request. In one response, CRHC informed the tenants that a petition with 100 signatures would be required in order to approve installation of security cameras. Our safety was given lower priority to individual privacy.

There has now been a violent sexual assault on a resident in the building committed by an unknown assailant. The prospect of violent encounters with intruders had been a key concern for requesting security cameras at Spencer Close. Now it is a reality.

We have a right to live free from violent encounters within our building. This building could now become a target location for violent intruders, as it is known there are no security cameras...particularly now that CHEK News has done a news segment detailing this fact.

Security cameras located at all entrances, around the parking lot, in the garbage room, and in the lobby can provide the residents with a degree of safety for a couple of reasons, as follows:

 1) Crime is deterred (and sometimes entirely prevented) by the presence of cameras.

2) When crimes are committed, Police have video evidence to examine to assist in identifying and prosecuting the culprit.

The time to act was 4 years ago, when people first took occupancy. Before people were chased through the hallways with knife wielding people, before meth pipes had been found in hallways, and before a resident was violently attacked in a stairwell. All of this could have been prevented, had actions been taken sooner...years sooner. It is not too late to remedy this situation now, so no one else will be victimized by violent intruders to our home.