Millbrae’s mix of residential density, commuter activity, and near-transit movement means a negligent security case often turns on “what the property should have expected.” While every situation is different, these are common settings where we see problems:
- Parking lots and garages used by residents and commuters, including poorly lit walkways, unclear wayfinding, or limited supervision.
- Apartment and condo common areas where access control failures (propped doors, malfunctioning gates, broken locks) can allow unauthorized entry.
- Front entrances and storefronts with cameras that don’t cover key angles, lighting that fails at night, or staffing that’s inconsistent.
- After-hours incidents tied to predictable patterns—when foot traffic is lower but risk can still be foreseeable.
In these cases, the question isn’t “could anything happen?” It’s whether the property’s security measures matched the level of risk a reasonable operator would anticipate.


