How Everlock Systems Can Help Improve Our Community’s Safety

No device can solve the problem of homelessness, but Everlock Systems can at least help control homeless encampments located in risky areas such as highways, rail lines and river beds. These encampments are communities in desperate straits that often do not make reasonable decisions for their own health and safety. This can then create various hazards to the public which often require lawmakers and the community at large to step in and enforce legal protections, prevent crime and increase the level of safety in the area.

This year, the city of Seattle has struggled with this exact problem in an area they’ve labeled, “the Jungle.”  Numerous fatalities have occurred in this area, which is also known for being unsanitary, unhealthy and was the subject of many fire and police emergency calls over the years.  This example is not meant to single out Seattle in any way; this is a pervasive problem around the country and similar actions have taken place in California, Florida, Texas, Alabama, Oregon and Ohio.

The Seattle Times recently published an article on this very topic, suggesting the first step in ending “the Jungle” starts with a fence. To help do this, Senator Reuven Carlyle has put $1 million into a transportation budget proposal for fencing, cleanup and road improvements. The article states that this is the first step to help eradicate the issue.

While the idea of fencing is pretty straight forward, complications arise around the question of access control, and in the case of fences, this usually means gates and locks. In order to be effective, gates need to be locked and all of the various agencies must have proper access to the area. After entry, the gates need to be locked again in order to maintain top security.

The Flaw of This System

Too often, this creates a “daisy chain” of locks that allows authorized users to neglect locking up after themselves, making vandalism and forced entry much easier.  Many agencies tend to return to the old solution of “thick chains secured by padlocks,” but we at Everlock Systems believe that this is an ineffective answer. Any motivated person in possession of a pair of bolt cutters will have any daisy chain cut and the gates open in no time. The result: a troubled homeless community once again engaging in unsafe practices in an unsafe environment.

At Everlock Systems, we believe in buying the right product once rather than trying the wrong solution dozens of times. That’s why agencies facing this kind of situation should try out Everlock’s SLX multi-locking unit. With space for up to ten locks – each allowing independent access for the various work crews and agencies who require access – the use of the SLX turns trespassers away while still allowing authorized individuals access. With metal guards around each lock, the SLX denies access to vandals trying to gain entry with bolt cutters.

While locks and gates alone cannot solve the homeless community’s struggles or provide local government with a perfect solution, the effectiveness of an Everlock Systems unit can at least keep individuals out of harm’s way and provide transportation, safety and law enforcement agencies with a better means of preventing a hazardous trespass. For more information on our variety of locking units, contact Everlock Systems today.