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Crocodile Story. Another guarded community, 125-home Westlake Island, north of Los Angeles, is reachable only by bridge. A guard inspects visitors at the entrance to the bridge, checks with the resident to be sure that company is expected, and only then allows the guest to drive across the moat. As a result, the island is crime-free. "The biggest problem we have," says one guard, "is keeping sightseers off the island and breaking up teen-age parties that get out of hand." Each homeowner on the island pays an annual $220 assessment (nondeductible) covering the cost of the guards and general upkeep, but Islander Walter Smith, robbed twice in his previous flat, thinks the price is a bargain. "I always used to keep a loaded gun by the bed in our Beverly Hills apartment," he says, "but now I don't give it a thought." Rumors about the surrounding waters may contribute to the islanders' sense of security. "Some people claim there are crocodiles in there," jokes Airline Pilot Richard Neet. "The water is better than a wall," says his wife, Ellie; "I don't feel claustrophobic here."
Water does not always guarantee security. Even Westlake Island could learn something from an exclusive, 21-home development in Florida's Hobe Sound, which uses the Westinghouse system with an added touch: because the community is built along a network of canals, a closed-circuit television system monitors the waterways to keep amphibious thieves away.