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J. Paul Beitler ofThe Beitler Co.

Owners risk charges of search and seizure.

By John Salustri | Updated on June 28, 2002

The bald statement that building management is not responsible for individual safety in the wake of Sept. 11 seems to be a mantra of late. That was the opinion of major property owners and manager discussing the topic of security at the recent convention of the National Association of Real Estate Editors in New York, and it’s a favorite tune of J. Paul Beitler . But Beitler, who is president of the Chicago-based Beitler Co., takes the issue a step further, as he explained recently to GlobeSt.com. He charges that the stepped-up security measures put in place in buildings around the country in the past nine months are little more than window dressing and virtually ineffective. He likes to compare his distaste for the current state of building security to the fairy tale about the emperor’s new clothes. In a recent discussion, he talked about how exposed we are–despite our attempts to beef up security.

GlobeSt.com: Your problem with building security really begins with the industry’s post-Sept. 11 response, correct?

Beitler: The overreaction to building security really doesn’t predate Sept. 11. That was the turning point. Prior to that, building security was like it is at any Wal-Mart. Security guards were the greeters who reacted to a problem by calling the professionals–ambulances or the police. Literally overnight these people–mostly non-professionals with only a high school degree–were cast into the roll of a professional, including carrying a gun. Therein begins the whole nightmare.

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