The Ways New York Office Owners Are Doubling Down on Building Security

The deadly shooting at 345 Park Avenue in July rattled Manhattan’s office world, and also caused owners to think twice about their current security protocols.

On July 28, a gunman killed four people and critically wounded a fifth inside the Rudin-owned office tower, where office tenants include Blackstone, KPMG, the National Football League and Rudin’s own offices.

Killed in the shooting were Blackstone Real Estate Income Trust (BREIT) CEO Wesley LePatner, Rudin associate Julia Hyman, NYPD officer Didarul Islam and Aland Etienne, an unarmed security officer. An NFL employee was seriously injured.

Rudin declined to comment on any specific security measures implemented at 345 Park, but the building had security guards, turnstiles and destination dispatch elevators — all standard security features of a typical New York City office building.

“The building that they attacked probably had more security than any building in the city,” Jeffrey Gural, chairman of GFP Real Estate, told Commercial Observer. “They had a retired police officer. They had everything you could think of. But the reality is, if someone gets out of a car with a machine gun, there’s not a lot you can do.”

While not much could have been done to stop a gunman with an M4-style assault rifle from entering 345 Park (besides tougher gun laws), the incident has spurred many landlords to increase security at their properties.

And the requests to vendors focused on the field are flowing in. Visitt, a security software development firm working with hundreds of office buildings in New York City, has seen an influx of security improvement requests since the 345 Park shooting, according to Jonathan Kroll, co-founder and chief product officer at Visitt.

“Even prior to this — say, the end of 2024 — we started seeing more and more security-related requests from our customers,” Kroll said. “But after what happened in July, it’s increased even more.”

Visitt works with companies such as Newmark and Related Companies to strengthen building security by providing a real-time platform that connects property teams, tenants and vendors. It has mostly received requests related to enforcing stricter protocols when it comes to who can access a building, Kroll said.

Many owners have inquired about turnstile security and a second security check for building visitors. In addition to a personalized QR code, owners want visitors to also get checked in at the front desk to activate a personalized QR code, he said.

“We’re seeing more requests of how to create a customized workflow in terms of who can access the building — not only property protocols, but also tenant-specific protocols in large buildings in New York, as large tenants usually want their own visitor access workflow,” Kroll said.

Jared Epstein, president at Aurora Capital Associates, is working to enforce such protocols at his firm’s roughly 150 assets totaling more than 5 million square feet across New York and other major cities.

“An event like [345 Park] naturally heightens concern, but, more importantly, it has sharpened focus,” Epstein said. “Across the industry, we’re seeing a constructive shift from reactive fear to proactive preparedness. Tenants are more engaged in conversations about safety infrastructure, and landlords are investing accordingly. That dialogue makes the entire ecosystem stronger.”

Aurora — which owns mainly in Manhattan’s SoHo and Meatpacking District neighborhoods — has conducted a “full security audit” at its portfolio since the July shooting. The company plans to implement “layered improvements” at its properties, including tighter visitor pre-registration and ID verification, more lobby staffing and training, emergency drills for tenants, upgraded camera footage and analytics, and updated mass-notification protocols, according to Epstein.

Aurora is also looking to coordinate with local police precincts on response mapping and staging, as well as increase patrol visibility at “select high-traffic locations” in order to “foster a secure environment” around its properties, Epstein said.

GFP, which owns 57 buildings spanning more than 13.8 million square feet in New York City, including office, is doing something similar. The company is working with law enforcement at some of its high-profile properties, such as the Flatiron Building at 175 Fifth Avenue and the Film Center Building at 630 Ninth Avenue, according to Gural.

In addition to having off-duty police officers patrolling lobbies, GFP partners with Excel Security — a provider of law enforcement and security services — at its entire office building portfolio and features destination dispatch elevators for its tenants.

Kastle, a leading provider of proptech for office buildings, is taking steps to help landlords like Aurora and GFP achieve their goals. Kastle has been in business for 53 years, so heightened activity isn’t unfamiliar.

“At the highest level, this is of very topical interest to our client base, but also to the public in general,” Kastle CEO Haniel Lynn said. “Everybody realizes you can’t prevent any of these things from happening, but you also want to be able to manage the impact of it as much as you can.”

One of the big ways Kastle looks to increase security in buildings is through technology, including AI.

“We’ve seen an uptick in interest with security measures like sensors or shot detection technology, or even AI camera analytics that you can put into your camera systems and recognize guns,” Lynn added.

Kastle can also use AI analytics to track a suspicious figure across multiple camera feeds and detect any abnormal behavior, as well as use card readers with biometrics to sync with video systems and monitor door sensors.

“There’s a lot of really interesting technology that continues to evolve, and it should provide extra layers of security and extra layers of protection,” Lynn said.

There’s also a lot of owners joining in on the AI revolution — take Gregory Kraut’s KPG Funds as a prime example.

KPG, which owns five boutique office buildings in SoHo that are nearly fully occupied, is in “ongoing negotiations with an Israeli-based AI company” to enhance its closed-circuit TV and AI to trigger silent alarms and automatically secure elevators, Kraut said. That technology is set to be implemented across KPG’s portfolio by the end of this year.

In addition, KPG’s current security infrastructure includes facial recognition for all doors and elevators, as well as Bluetooth technology through an encrypted cellphone or key to access its buildings.

“We’re constantly looking to enhance our security measures and incubate the newest technology that we hope will significantly improve our safety protocols,” Kraut said. “But, as of right now, because we have smaller buildings, we don’t necessarily have doormen, so we found this is the safest way of action.”

Aurora is also looking to install AI technology at its vast portfolio of buildings, starting with investments into intelligent video analytics, automated alerts, and integrated access systems to identify irregular activity in real time, Epstein said.

“These tools will allow us to connect data across building systems, giving our teams a clearer, faster understanding of potential issues while maintaining tenant privacy and operational efficiency,” Epstein said. “Security is layered — design, technology and disciplined practice — so we’re looking at investing in all three.”

Most of all, Epstein wants to invest in his tenants’ trust.

“Our goal is to make every building feel both safe and welcoming,” he said. “We want our tenants to know that we are not only investing in their protection, but also in the peace of mind that comes from knowing we’re always looking ahead.”

Visitt, too, is leaning into AI. To track who is expected at an office building on any given day, the company has created an AI feature that manages restricted visitors on buildings’ watch lists, which are lists of people not welcome at a specific property (such as past employees or vendors that owners have a bad relationship with).

Usually, those security guards in the lobby manage those watch lists, but Visitt’s new feature all but eliminates human error by using AI to flag matches for potential visitors on the watch list and alert building management.

However, when it comes to using AI in security software development, Kroll said the human element is still “crucial.”

“Technology will eliminate many of the things that security can do today, but not everything,” Kroll said. “At the end of the day, the human element is crucial. You cannot leave it behind. It’s about using technology to help [humans] become much more proactive and much less dependent.”

Like Kroll said, the human element of security is key, but it’s also much riskier to have human security versus technology. That risk was seen when Aland Etienne, the unarmed security officer at 345 Park, tragically died on the day of the July shooting.

Following Etienne’s death, New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams introduced in late September the Aland Etienne Safety and Security Act, which is intended to enhance crisis training and help retain a workforce trained in safety techniques. The legislation would require security employers to provide supplemental 16-hour training covering emergency preparedness and active shooter response within each officer’s initial 120 days of hire.

“Security officers like Aland are integral to New York City’s public safety infrastructure, but too often they are not compensated or treated with the dignity and respect they deserve,” Adams said in a statement at the time. “I’m proud to introduce the Aland Etienne Safety and Security Act, which would establish and enforce minimum pay standards, benefits, and training for our city’s security guards, while ensuring they have the support and preparation they need.”

In addition to training security guards and increasing technology in buildings, there are a few things owners can do to further increase security at their properties.

For one, owners should make sure they have access to the latest control systems on the market and ensure their security teams have the best tools to manage daily activities, Kroll said.

Above all, owners need to have a plan, especially in case of an emergency like 345 Park.

“I think the big message here is that security, obviously, is an important factor,” Kastle’s Lynn said. “But the program around that technology — and the coordinated system training and community that you’re involving to leverage that technology — should be able to help manage some of these unfortunate incidents and outcomes. That’s going to be the thing that really matters.”

Isabelle Durso can be reached at idurso@commercialobserver.com.