ATLANTA — Residents of a downtown Atlanta apartment complex said security changes are starting to take place after taking their pleas for help public.

“And I appreciate it to the fullest,” said resident Keith Gaines.

WSB Tonight’s Courtney Franciso reported Wednesday that the residents of Commons at Imperial Hotel said violent squatters have taken over their high rise on Peachtree Ave. NE. They said strangers off the street easily walk inside and sleep on couches in common areas, fire guns in the lobby, and rob residents.

“I’m still leery. I’m not comfortable,” said Gaines.

Friday afternoon, an Atlanta Police Department van was parked outside the high rise and an officer wearing a bulletproof vest was inside.

After dark, WSB Tonight’s Courtney Franciso spotted a security guard standing outside the building at times.

Residents said strangers are able to come in off the street through a crack in the sliding glass door at the front. They can stick any object inside, wave it in front of the motion sensor on the inside and the door opens.

That’s the flaw the apartment complex management team, Columbia Residential, must fix next.

A repair crew came Friday afternoon to assess the door. Residents said they still want security checking people in the lobby 24/7.

Francisco asked Columbia Residential what is being done to protect those who live at the complex.

The company sent the following statement:

In addition to providing security officers onsite from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. seven days each week, we actively engage with the Atlanta Police Department to address security concerns through community visits. We have also installed access controls and a call box at the entry point of the building and will be adding access controls on the elevator and in the stairwells.

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