Building safety is no longer optional, it’s foundational. It defines the future of workplace viability and is a major consideration for tenants when signing leases. It also drives decisions for individuals and families when deciding where to live and establish community. Safety is a core value of KBS, and for me personally, it is a top priority in leading our company and ensuring every person who works and lives in or near one of our office, retail, or residential buildings feels safe. This commitment also extends to our valued employees who work at each of our properties nationwide and their families.

The civil unrest in downtown Portland in May 2020 revealed the direct link between security and tenant satisfaction, tenant retention, and asset value. With violence escalating nightly, we mandated that all staff leave the area by 5:00 p.m. to ensure their safety.

While leasing was never the same at one of our properties in the area, we were fortunate that the most historic building in our portfolio, Meier & Frank, was not damaged as badly as it could have been.

The property encompasses an entire city block and sits at the intersection of downtown Portland. Our operational strategy employed a proactive, layered security model, focused on deterrence, communication, and resilience. We reinforced access points and increased continuous monitoring, while ensuring the well-being of tenants through transparent, real-time alerts and clear emergency protocols.

Today, civil unrest and other threats continue to regularly affect our ability to feel safe in the workplace. Rising crime is often exacerbated by inadequately policed communities, as well as non-vigilant business leaders and owners who fail to take responsibility for their tenants and employees.

This is completely unacceptable.

At KBS headquarters in Orange County, we have an amazing police force and sheriff’s department that safeguard the building. As a result, tenants and employees have expressed how secure they feel. Unfortunately, that is not the case everywhere.

That’s why KBS makes safety a top priority in all our properties — not only because it is good for business, but as importantly, because it is the right thing to do for our tenants, residents, and employees. Our goal is for everyone to know that we are doing everything we can to keep them safe and to provide an environment in which they can be productive and successful.

Safety from the Beginning

Our commitment begins at the acquisition stage where safety is a major consideration of our due diligence process. Prior to purchasing or developing a property, our asset managers walk the surrounding areas corner-to-corner to assess street-level safety, including surveillance cameras, sufficient street lighting, and assess the mix of office, residential and retail.

Every investment is thoroughly analyzed, even those located in historically low crime areas. Once a property is acquired, we consistently look for new and innovative ways of improving security, safety, and the overall experience of being in the building. Our team regularly reviews access and egress in high-profile and high-traffic areas to minimize the threat to each property.

We have an obligation to our tenants to provide the best environment for them to live, work, and thrive.

Safety is One of the Most Important Amenities

Managing the safety of 16 million square feet of properties is a part of our business plan and budget, and encompasses people, protocols, and a commitment to the latest and best technology. In fact, we consider security and safety one of the most important building amenities we offer our tenants and residents. As such, we are consistently exploring ways of improving safety across all our properties.

Here are some of the safety measures and programs KBS offers:

  • Physical Access Control System (PACS):  This includes electronic keycards, fobs, mobile apps, and biometric scanners. Mobile-based access options are the “here and now” of building security, removing the danger of lost or stolen keys and facilitating seamless movement throughout a space. PACS are the first line of defense in all our buildings.
  • Surveillance — Real-Time and Video:  Security cameras are typically placed in high-traffic areas, such as building entrances, lobbies, stairwells, elevators, and parking lots. Security personnel and mobile monitoring teams oversee real-time surveillance, while video can be used for operational analytics. AI helps to analyze video recordings for patterns, behaviors, and events captured to make data-driven decisions for improvement and to identify inefficiencies.
  • Visitor Management Systems (VMS): A software-based building security system that can distribute and monitor temporary access to visitors and record their time on-site to track their movements. Visitor preregistration is often required, and identities can be verified through ID or QR scanning. Additionally, mobile apps can grant or revoke visitors’ access remotely.
  • Multi-Agency Participation and Response Protocols: One of KBS’ premier properties, Accenture Tower, located in downtown Chicago, is a perfect example of multiple agencies working together with our property managers to keep tenants and visitors safe in high-profile and high-traffic areas.Accenture Tower is a 1.4 million square foot building positioned over the Ogilvie Transportation Station. The property includes 40 stories of office and over 70,000 square feet of retail space. With hundreds of thousands of people in and around the building every day, maintaining a secure environment is a top priority. KBS works directly with the Chicago Transit Authority, multiple law enforcement agencies, and fire departments to ensure everyone in the area remains safe. This includes our tenants and KBS employees, as well as thousands of patrons who ride the train into the city every day.
  • The Human Factor: Physically positioning security personnel — often with law enforcement backgrounds — in lobbies and other potentially at-risk public areas is important. Their real-time presence monitoring visitor management systems and accompanying guests to locked floors and limited-access elevators provides an additional layer of safety with a human touch.In a post-pandemic world where many are working more flexible schedules, KBS ensures that our tenants and staff feel safe getting to their vehicles. Tenants and employees can contact building security day or night to be safely escorted to their vehicle.

    Additionally, in the Bay Area at The Towers Emeryville, we have also been considering adding mobile robots to help monitor parking garages, utilizing a combination of sensors, cameras, AI, and mobility systems. Robots detect unusual and suspicious activity, trespassing, unauthorized access, as well as potential dangers such as smoke and hazardous materials. They can also act as mobile communication hubs, allowing security staff to speak through them and receive a live feed.

  • Regular Security Audits: KBS ensures that the software for security equipment and cameras is regularly updated and maintained to be fully effective. Audits also confirm security measures are operating as expected and highlight where there may be inefficiencies or oversights.

The Future of Modern Security

Looking ahead, security will likely include more AI-monitored access gates with optical and facial recognition, combined with adequately staffed lobbies and security patrols. It will include emergency protocols such as lockdown capabilities, mass notification systems, and coordinated evacuation plans with city responders.

Security is an essential factor in where people choose to live and work. It is a responsibility we, at KBS, embrace wholeheartedly.

Beyond systems and technology, wellbeing also comes from a strong sense of community. And that means people looking out for each other. I encourage everyone, at all our properties and beyond, to stay alert, stay connected, and support one another. In today’s world, we need each other more than ever.

God bless America!

This article first appeared in the 2026 edition of KBS Premier magazine, which can be found here. To learn more about KBS and the commercial real estate industry, visit KBS.com/Insights.