Today in the life of...

    I generally arrive in the parkade at the same time everyday I work, So I usually park in one of the same group of stalls. It's a ten story parking garage and I am usually on the fifth floor. This morning, as I drove into my spot, I saw a K-9 security team patrolling my floor. By the time , I got parked, got out, got my stuff, and walked down the stairwell, I saw them again, patrolling on the lower floor.

    Now, when I see something like this, I always wonder what has prompted the company to suddenly start such a service, and I wonder for how long it's going to be around.  I am sure, after a few years of parking here and never seeing security, they haven't suddenly decided to provide for the safety of their parkers. It would be quite the expense, I can imagine. Some event must have happened.

     All in all it seems to be a pretty safe parkade, but then I am coming or going when everyone else is coming or going. I have seen a couple of bums sleeping in the elevator rooms, and the stairwells sometimes have evidence of partying like empty bottles, cigarette butt piles, puke stains and the smell of urine. I don't walk around engaged on my cel phone not paying attention to my surroundings. I make sure I acknowledge everything that I see moving and I know what it is.  You can't be stupid about it. There was a woman killed when coming to work, at regular time I might add, in another parkade, only one block away, a few years ago. She parked her van, got out, was approached by two drunk men and forced back into her van, which they then drove away. She was murdered by one while the other drove. That incident is always in the back of your mind.

     So I wonder if, when before the parkade was okay with it's patrons encountering the occasional drunk or stoned individual, now that our parkade has had an incident so dangerous that it has caused them to hire an outside security team, don't they have an obligation to tell their patrons what happened? So we know to be extra vigilant? And for those who are not vigilant now, they will know there is a danger to look out for? It makes sense to me.

     At one time dangerous offenders were released from jail with $50 and a pat on the back. Now, they have to give notice of the possible places they plan to put down roots, so the local police can release the information to the public. And why not? I would do things differently if I knew a 'reformed' rapist was suddenly moving into my neighborhood. You know....wouldn't hold those naked full moon dance parties in the front yard anymore. Cause, that would probably scare the crap out of the guy, not get him all excited....

     Anyway, my point is, if the police have an obligation to inform the public to be extra vigilant, shouldn't the parkade people have the same obligation? Or am I confusing a tax funded company, aka the police, with a private, profit driven company?