At the April 17, 2024, Board of Directors Meeting, Jim and Shirley Barry, six-year Hot Springs Village residents, addressed tailgating and a road rage incident.
Jim Barry commentary
Jim said, “We had a heck of an experience the other day. On the 27th of March as my wife and I were returning to the Village by way of Glazy Peau Gate, we witnessed a very, very aggressive incident.”
“At approximately 11:05, we approached the gate. A dark gray SUV was in front of us when a white Chevy convertible that had been sitting off the side of the road pulled between our car and the SUV and quickly sped up to tailgate. The SUV passed through the gate and stopped, so the Chevy couldn’t make it through. The gate was not closing as the Chevy was partway through.”
“The woman in the Chevy jumped out of her car, angrily waving her arms, and said, ‘Hey, I live in the Village, B****! Get your car out of the way! (undecipherable)'”
“The SUV then begins slowly moving forward and the woman jumped back in her car and began to gun her engine, lurching forward twice in a very threatening manner. Shirley and I were both astonished by what we were seeing.”
“Then we scanned our card and entered. Both cars at this time were approaching [undecipherable street name], but the white Chevy, gunning and revving its engine. The SUV turned right and the Chevy was on its bumper, roaring its engine. So we turned right. We wanted to follow the car to see what was going on.”
“We traveled about a mile, going down to Monterrey and the Chevy turned left, close to its bumper. The SUV pulled over so the car could pass. But the Chevy pulled over again, right on its bumper, instead of going around the SUV.”
“The woman jumped out of her car again. So the SUV stepped on her gas and took off. About a half mile down the road the Chevrolet turned on to [undecipherable street name]. But that was not a happy ending.”
“Tailgating is an issue which the General Manager has turned over to the Village Police Department. Knowing this, we decided to go to the police department with the license plate number XXX XXXX to make a report. The gate camera would verify this. What we were told next was perplexing.”
“The police personnel working behind the dark glass did not make a report. She informed my wife that they were not the DMV and cannot run a license on a vehicle unless there is a misdemeanor. She said it would be a misdemeanor if a gun was involved. She did not take our names and said the next time we see road rage, call 911 and they will try to send an officer.”
“However, this is a gate issue. Right? Tailgating is the issue. If tailgating is not something that our police department handles, why are we told to take our gate issues to the police department and why do we have cameras at the gates if they are not going to enforce the policies.”
“What we witnessed was very aggressive tailgating. We felt threatened just driving behind the Chevy. So who is responsible to address this and to whom do we take our concerns?”
Shirley Barry commentary
Mrs. Barry added, “It was alarming to see how quickly tailgating escalated into road rage. Allowing this kind of behavior at our gates is unacceptable. Chief Bennett acknowledged that tailgating is frustrating and the police department cannot do anything to stop it unless it becomes criminal. So I have a question. Why do we give the police department a job they cannot legally accomplish? Why are we wasting their valuable time for tailgating?”
Mrs. Barry stated, “According to Chief Bennett, if a report of tailgating is made, it is passed on to Compliance. She said, Compliance determines from the member file if the culprit is a Village member or an outsider. Then Compliance decides if the Member should receive a letter of warning – that they could be fined next time.”
“I have a question, when a tailgater is identified as a Member, why would we even consider not fining them? Cameras would verify the incident and who among us is so special that they don’t have to follow policy at the gates? And, who gets to decide who those special, entitled people are?”
General Manager Hale commentary
General Manager Kelly Hale said Chief Bennett would be there in about three minutes to discuss this issue with the Barrys. Hale said he appreciated their concern and “we don’t take it lightly. It is challenging and the problem is 90% of the people who are tailgating in here are Members.” Hale said he has sat at the gates and noticed this. “I can’t man every gate.”
Chief Bennett’s response
I reached out via email to Police Chief Kristi Bennett for a statement. Chief Bennett’s response is below.
“The issue of tailgating at our unmanned gates continues to be frustrating for us all, as it frequently occurs for a variety of reasons. We have found that the majority of tailgating occurs from our members, citing reasons such as they forgot their access cards, they’ve been doing it for years, or they didn’t want a family member to have to drive all the way around to a manned gate, so they meet them there to tailgate in. Whatever the reason, when a member tailgates into the village, it becomes an issue for the Community Support Division to investigate and advise the member of the violation, which can result in a fine. Utilizing a gate access card to enter the unmanned gate is a privilege that we all as members agree to upon moving here, with the understanding that tailgating is not allowed.”
“As for nonmembers, we see the majority of tailgating occurring due to visitors using GPS for directions to their destination in the village, which will take them to an unmanned gate as the quickest route. There is no criminal intention, just unaware of our policies and procedures. When nonmembers tailgate into the Village it begins as a possible criminal offense of criminal trespassing. We have and will continue to issue citations for criminal trespass to individuals that we have located with no authorization from a member or business. “
“How do we work to prevent tailgating at the gates?“
“We attempt to spend as much time as possible at our unmanned gates with police presence to deter this behavior. It should be noted that our call volume in the village is much higher than what most Villagers realize, as in the last eight days, we have responded to 208 calls for service. We have approximately four officers on duty at a time, 24 hours a day, responsible for 468 miles of roads and 16,000 residents; no, we cannot be at the gates all the time. Additionally, we are always assessing and attempting to enhance our gates with cost-effective measures for tailgate prevention such as the recent improvements to the Balboa gate with lane markings, signage, and tightening the gate mechanism.”
“We must, as members, adhere to the rules and standards to ensure the integrity of our gates. This will take all of us to effectively continue to reduce the amount of tailgating in the village.
“We will continue to address tailgating at the unmanned gates through both our Police Department and Community Support Division.”
Featured image at top: Glazy Peau Gate, Hot Springs Village
Information compiled and transcribed by Cheryl Dowden
Click here to contact the HSV Gazette.
Click here to join our private Hot Springs Village Property Owners Facebook group. Be sure to answer the entry questions.
Click here to visit the POA website – Explore the Village.
Thanks Jim and Shirley for going the extra mile. At that time of night and her atrocious behavior, if officers could have located her, in which drugs/alcohol could have been involved, she could have been put behind gates which she couldn’t tailgate out of. We dropped the ball on this one but don’t give up.
Make these gates close faster. I am sick and tired of being tailgated and calling the police and nothing is ever being done.
My husband and I take bets every time we use an unmanned gate to see if we will be tailgated. If we see someone without a window sticker behind us, we pull over just so we will not be tailgated.
I think everyone here is tired of this and it has been going on for years. Why can’t action be taken to correct this???? Fine the person. Ticket or arrest the trespasser. JUST Do SOMETHING!!!
If the POA and/or the HSV Police Department do not have the resources to adequately manage the gates to ensure policy compliance then I suggest they offer to recruit and train a team of HSV resident volunteers to do so. The amount of commentary on ND about this issue makes me believe there are enough residents willing to sign up for this service.
When I moved here 5 years ago, I was required to register my vehicle and it’s license number with the POA. Unless this process is no longer followed, if a person is able to provide a license number, it seems to me that at the very least Compliance should be able to identify whether it belongs to a resident, and if the cameras at the gates can confirm the incident, the resident should be fined accordingly. If it turns out to be a non-resident, and the cameras confirm the incident, wouldn’t that give the Police authority to cite the vehicle for Trespass if it spotted in the village after the incident?
So it seems pretty simple to me, just determine who to report the incident to first. Either Compliance first, and they hand it off to Police if non-resident or Police first, and they hand it off to Compliance to check if resident or non-resident, in which case it could be handed back to Police to be on the look-out to hopefully cite the person. Any thoughts on my theory?
Just being an owner doesn’t provide an individual with gate entrance at unmanned gates. The regulation is clear an individual MUST have their card to enter. Period. No excuses. As for meeting family or friends at an unmanned gate to allow them to tailgate you for entrance makes the property owner an accomplice to a crime. The excuse about the guest having to drive further is garbage. Respect the rules and all owners who do follow the law….. drive to a manned gate.
If the police department cannot do a vehicle license check, then how do they know that the majority of the offenders are village residents?
The Police Chief did not say they cannot do a vehicle license check. It was Ms. Barry who stated that. Also, I would venture a guess that many of the property owners tailgating into the unmanned gates may have a decal on their windshield. Thanks. – Cheryl
If you have a guest and need access for them at an unmanned gate pick up a pass for the dates they are here at east or west gate and give them the pass when you let them in with your gate card. Should not be a problem for your visitor.