Security Update

Similar to law enforcement, The Landings Association’s Security Department responds to a variety of calls, ranging from requests for assistance to traffic enforcement. During the last few months, patrol officers have responded to an increased number of calls regarding the following two issues:

• Golf carts and pedestrians walking on the golf courses (not while playing golf). Although ignorance of the law (or rule) is no excuse, I was hopeful that most violations were because people simply were not aware of the rule. Unfortunately, I now believe that a few individuals have chosen to ignore the rule. We have 30 miles of community paths and trails on common property, so violating this rule is avoidable.
• Fishing from the golf course side of lagoons. I hoped the individuals in violation were not aware of the rule, but alas, I was again proven wrong. I responded to one of the calls, and when I encountered the fisher and asked if he was aware of the rule, he advised that he did know about it. Upon further questioning about why he chose not to comply, he simply stated, “The fishing is better on this side.” As a reminder, lagoons are owned by The Landings Association (TLA), The Landings Club (TLC), or jointly-owned by TLA and TLC, including the area immediately around the banks. The SAGIS Map Viewer is a great resource to determine ownership of property. You can find the Map Viewer on the SAGIS website (www.sagis.org). Fishing in lagoons, sans the golf course side, is permissible as long as access can be gained via common property. One cannot pass through the golf course or private property to access the lagoon. However, a property owner may give someone permission to access the banks of the lagoon through their property.

As we transition Club-related security issues (such as the two issues mentioned above) to The Landings Club staff on June 1, I sincerely hope they can focus their energy on other matters.

We have written about previous vandalism incidents at the Kids’ Fishing Lagoon, and I draw attention to these senseless criminal acts within our community. In the last 18 months, more than $3,200 in damages has been done to the fish feeders, fish food dispenser, a bench, and stolen signs, all of which had been funded by donations from Landings residents. We have placed cameras in various locations, increased patrols, and added signage to mitigate these crimes. A reward of $1,000 has been offered by the Skidaway Chapter of the Coastal Conservation Association (CCA) for information leading to the arrest and conviction of anyone associated with these crimes or future criminal acts at the Kids’ Fishing Lagoon. I hope the individuals responsible for these senseless crimes are caught and held accountable. If you were involved but did not commit the crime or know of anyone who may have been involved, please call Chatham County Police Department’s Crime Stoppers (912-234-2020) or TLA Security (912-598-1982) to start the process of receiving your reward! As for the person(s) responsible, you may want to consider restitution. It is my opinion that life has a way of balancing the scales in one way or another.

As we continue adjusting to our new “normal,” please take a moment to thank your Security Officers for their dedication, commitment, and professionalism throughout this worldwide pandemic. At one point, we were down to approximately 75% staffing levels, and Officers pulled together to continue providing exemplary service to our community.