Residents at Gables Park 17 Get Security Proactive, Apartment Ratings Site Blasts the Place

We know the sad story of how young Kendra Hatcher was gunned down in the parking lot of Gables Park 17 in September likely involved someone who targeted the vivacious dentist over a love triangle or sick jealousy. We know that woman is still at large, somewhere south of the border. But Gables residents had been complaining about crime (break-ins, car thefts) for months BEFORE the murder.  The parking garage “arm gate” offers little security to the parking garage — drivers can piggyback in through it, and most condos have steel or mesh gates that go up and down. Residents complain the guards posted at the entrance to the parking garage (after the murder) are unarmed and usually dozing, talking on the phone or on a break.

Now the site Apartment Ratings has given Gables Park 17 a bad wrap, saying “don’t look here unless you want to experience crime, corruption and ghetto management”... WOW!

Don’t move here unless you want to experience crime, corruption and ghetto management. You’ll pay the same as other uptown properties, but then pay more for parking and other amenities that pale in comparison to competing places. No valet. Poor security. The absolute worst concierge staff in the city. Noise, fights, thefts, murder and much more are all pretty much what has happened here over the past few years as ghetto management has taken over. They could care less about you as a resident – they just want the rent paid. Look elsewhere.

That was last month’s review. This month’s is still highly negative —

All in all I do not feel safe at this property even though there is security at the back gate (sit on their phone with headphones in and just sit there and allow people to follow others in which they are suppose to prevent!). I love living downtown, but moving out ASAP!

Gables Park 17 residents are becoming pro-active, with a Facebook Group for residents and meetings with management to discuss improving the security in their building. There has been a change in management, Kimberly Bristow replacing the previous manager.

I toured the parking garage before Labor day, shortly after Kendra’s murder, and found many burned out lights in the pits of the parking garage as well as a hanging light fixture over the space where Kendra was shot. The security guards from Ameritec Security did look young, but there were two trucks holding more security guards on another level. They were busy chatting with one another. Residents said they now have seen armed off-duty DPD in the building, but problems still persist: stairwell doors getting stuck and keeping people trapped in, the security guard clad in headphones and told not to talk to residents.

Just curious: does this happen in other luxury apartment buildings?

Josh Lieneman, 35, said there is extensive security. Lieneman, who has lived in the building three years, said residents need a tag on their windshield to get into the garage and have to use a key fob to get into their apartments. And the fob allows residents to go only to their specific floor and community areas, he said.

“What happened could have happened anywhere,” he said.

But Lieneman said he wishes there were more security cameras in the garage. In addition to the slaying, thieves have stolen bikes and broken into cars, he said.

Molly Phillips, who has lived in the building two years, said she received an email from apartment management Wednesday night, several hours after Hatcher’s death, saying “an incident” had occurred.

Phillips said she was shocked by the slaying and wants the complex to brief residents on its longer-term security plans.

“You pay a premium for the added benefit of security,” she said.