Letter from the Security Committee

Dear Harpeth Trace Estate Residents,

Many of you have had security concerns related to recent vandalism and automobile break-ins around our neighborhood this Summer. In response, the HTSA Board has asked the HTSA Security Committee to share an update on our work with the Metro Nashville Police Department, as well as other security measures being considered for recommendation to the Board.

Recent Incidents May 4: Our property manager was notified by our landscape company that the guard house at the entry to the neighborhood was broken into. There were no contents to take, but the damage to door and frame was considerable.

May 28: Several locations in the neighborhood were “tagged” with spray paint. At that time, a member of our HTSA Security Committee met with MNPD West Precinct officials at Harpeth Trace to review and photograph for further analysis. It has been quickly established that these were not the work of criminal or youth “gangs” after review by the department’s Gang Unit.

July 9: The neighborhood was hit with a series of vehicle break-ins overnight. We understand that the affected residents have made reports with Metro Police, but are not aware of any charges or recoveries at this time.

Action

The Security Committee has been very active since last Fall with proactive efforts to improve the safety and security of our community. This began with the installation of a new motion-activated video system that records all vehicle traffic in and out of the community, complete with license plate information.

This information has been shared with MNPD in each of the above incidents, providing valuable evidence in each investigation. (Note: information of vehicles in/out of the neighborhood are only available for access by the HTSA Security Committee members in compliance with State and Federal Privacy laws, and will never be shared with anyone except law enforcement as mandated by law.) The Security Committee is now gathering information on a number of additional security measures with the goal of deterring future crime with the least amount of impact on our daily lives.

Here are several essential actions necessary by Residents:

Lock Your Car: Many of the cars that were vandalized were unlocked. Most of us also have garage door openers in vehicles that would allow entry to the home.

Don’t Leave Valuables: Leaving anything of value in your car overnight is an invitation to crime.Install Motion-Activated

Lighting: Installation of motion-activated lights on the exterior of your home, especially if vehicles are parked outside is a major deterrent to criminal activity.

Contact the Security Committee: The Security Committee would like to hear from residents about incidents or concerns.

As always, the way we can best track and respond to our community of over 300 homes is to send an email to our Property Manager, Keene Miller at keene.miller@ghertner.com. Keene handles emergency issues immediately, as well as keeping the Security Committee and Board informed of needed action.

EMERGENCY CONTACTS

Police / Fire / Ambulance Dial 911

Police Non-Emergency 615.862.8600

Ghertner After-Hours Emergency 615.255.4736

General comments to the HTSA Board or Security Committee can be shared through our community website: https://www.harpethtraceestates.org/contact or contact@HarpethTraceEstates.org

Sincerely,

Lydia Spragens, Mike Milek, and Eric Elwell

HTSA Security Committee

HARPETH TRACE SERVICES ASSOC. is Professionally Managed By: Ghertner & Company (615) 255-8531 | ghertner.com