Aspen Heights management holds community forum to discuss crime

Aspen Heights management met Tuesday with Columbia officials to come up with ideas on how to keep their residents safe.

Columbia and University police attended, as well as MU officials, city council members, and other student housing complexes.

Aspen Heights is a gated community with security cameras at entrances, alarm systems in the homes, and 24 hour police presence on the property.

Greg Vestri, the president of Aspen Heights told ABC 17 News that he thinks students need to be educated more on household and personal safety.

“We have a lot of students that are living in homes and are the head of a household for the very first time in their lives learning life lessons. That is hands down what we find to be our biggest challenge,” said Vestri.

Aspen Heights officials also opened the door to learn something new for themselves Tuesday. They brainstormed safety measures with other student housing complexes in the area.

“My hope for today is that we work collectively and be open with one another. We don’t see safety and security as a strategic advantage,” said Vestri.

The Grove management explained how communication has been their number one tool in fighting crime on their property.

“It has be the constant one on one we have with our residents,” said Mckenna Stockhausen a manager at the Grove.

The idea of a neighborhood watch, social media crime alert, and safes put in each home were all idea brought up at the forum Tuesday.