High-Maintenance Doormen Could Be Replaced by Technology

Ugh, doormen. Always with their hands out for tips and holiday bonuses, always romancing the residents, or winning the lottery and lording it over everyone. Of course they have a union, and the average doorman in New York City can make about $40,000 per year. But their days may be numbered, because voice and face recognition technology is poised to render them obsolete. 30,000 doormen will see their contract expire next month, and today The Post, ever on the side of the working man, gives some free advertising to a company that wants to replace these burdensome humans with "biometric doors" costing $15,000.

The company is Kent Security Services, a provider of "virtual doorman" services. (If you check out their website, don't skip the intro!) Hundreds of buildings in NYC are already monitored with video cameras and audio communication instead of live doormen, but Kent kicks it up a couple of notches with biometrics. When someone approaches the door, the computer takes 40 photos of the subject per second and compares it to the photo of the resident on file. If it's a match, you're in, and spared any awkward chit-chat about the Knicks.

If no match is found, the computer asks, "Do you live in the building?" and the subject's response is subjected to voice recognition comparison. If that doesn't work, "central security staffers" can intervene by phone. Alon Alexander of Kent Security admits that "no one has seen this in action yet," and the doorman's union rep insists, "There's no replacing people with machines and maintaining the same professional service for security." Well, that's not always true, but until Kent Security can invent a way to virtually sign for packages and whistle for cabs, the human doormen aren't really sweating it.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By John Del Signore in News on March 15, 2010 3:07 PM

Comments [rss]

davis212

This is a great system to compliment a doorman or eliminate some hours when doorman are not needed. In small buildings that do not have enough units and cannot afford a 200k-250k doorman, this system will be perfect. The system is backed by a Central Station that can allow entry to deliveryman such as FedEx and your local drycleaners. The Central Station will request the delivery person to show ID, and then guide him into a package room. The delivery person will be monitored the entire time while in the building. The tenant will then receive an email immediately, letting them know they received a package.

I had the opportunity to see it in action at the seminar yesterday by Kent Security Services. This company is a one-stop shop security solution. They do not want to eliminate the doorman since that is part of their business. This is a great system to compliment a doorman or eliminate some hours when doorman are not needed.

For instance from Midnight-7am A doorman usually stays put in the lobby and struggles to stay awake. There is little to no activity between these times. Depends on the building. If you could use the system during those hours and cut the manpower you can save 70k-80k per year!

To improve service- sometimes a doorman is helping a tenant with bags or hailing down a cab. If you have this system in place to compliment the doorman, your doorman can be able to greater assist you in time of need.

Overall I strongly do believe that this technology is the future of Real Estate. I think the media mislead many into believing that this system is mean to replace the doorman, from what I understood from the seminar- This system is mean to enhance access control, compliment a doorman, reduce cost and give a similar doorman feel to non door man buildings.

Eugene

The graveyard shift doorman cannot be eliminated. The union simply won't allow it.

Eugene

What a waste of time and effort. Having a doorman is never a matter of necessity--it's about subservience and oppression; the enforcement of a rigid class hierarchy that makes this shitty world go round 'n round.