RFC: burglar resistance for apt complex

[downriver]

I'm a resident of a small condo complex with a scenario, not a single lock question.

There's a perimeter keyed lock shared among all the residents, that also opens the storage locker area. The "perimeter" is relatively easily bypassed by entering the gate after a car, but you still can't get into the storage locker area without the key.
We've suffered repeated burglaries of the storage locker area, which are keyed with the same key that opens the perimeter.
The storage lockers are wooden frame (and chickenwire fenced) lockers.
The portals to the storage locker areas (there are two such areas and therefore two doors are involved) are steel doors and frames, protected by double lock deadbolt which residents forget to lock, and a lever cylinder with a spring latch, both keyed the same perimeter keying.
Residents do forget to lock the deadbolts on the way out. The building super also has some... brackets that are hard to describe... that protect the lever lock's bolt from prying, shimming, and straight bar bypass.
What I witnessed was, on a Wednesday I noticed someone went through the storage lockers, using a prybar or claw hammer or screwdriver, attempting to pry the hasps off the wooden frame.
At this point I started the process of purchasing a skunklock bicycle U-lock, which would stop cutting tools, but not really stop cutting through the chickenwire.
Second attempt: they came back with cutting tools, and cut the padlocks off everything, stole my stuff, before the skunklock arrived.
Based on them coming back to defeat the locked hasps with a cutting tool, and the quantity of stuff they stole from several storage lockers, I'm expecting a third attempt & general continuation unless they are stopped cold somehow.
I think the root cause is that someone smashed a realtor lockbox and grabbed the key out of it. Now they have the perimeter key which also opens the storage locker area, so the dead bolt is bypassable.
The building super is frustrated. Cameras get disabled/unplugged/covered, Oakland PD won't do anything anyway.

I think we need to change this keying, at a minimum. But if we're re-issuing keys to every resident and re-keying, how long until this repeats?
I'm thinking of recommending a smart lock system (Amazon, Google, or Apple) so that we can deploy PINs which are easily changeable to replace the deadbolts, and leave the exterior key for the handle as a low bar physical backup.
I'm not sure there's WiFi that can reach the basement, yet, and just wondering on a minimum viable product which will deter the thief.
Does anyone have a recommendation?
Ideally it would not require WiFi at first, and we could deploy an incremental solution that eventually expands to cover front door, cameras, etc.
Kinda leaning towards Amazon key as the infrastructure - the Amazon co-branded devices seem cheaper than the Google co-branded ones.
The Amazon ring cameras etc. are relatively cheap and have abundant suppliers - can combine with motion activated floodlights etc. easily.
The locks sold under Amazon Key are basically Schlage, Yale, and Kwikset (ick).
I'm hoping to find a low-cost way to provide two PIN-entry locks, immediately, with a shared PIN for everyone and eventually move to PIN-per-resident.
I'm assuming that all of them have auto-lock after a certain amount of inactivity, but unsure.
And I'd like, ideally, to find one with a compatible expanding bolt to lock the deadbolt into the strike plate, like mul-t-lock and assa abloy, but I can't find any for schlage, yale, kwikset.
Then I'm going to recommend that they cable the building for interfloor ethernet, deliver PoE to Ubiquiti APs on the ceilings, and have WiFi for building infrastructure.
Then we can deploy motion-activated camera/floodlight combos and attempt to get total coverage from perimeter to residences and lockers, so we have continuous surveillance of potential thieves from perimeter to theft to correlate entry/bypass methods at perimeter, interior doors, etc.
And I'm imagining that maybe later we can deploy some kind of building access control on the perimeter that's more flexible than (or supplements) reissuing keys.
Thanks in advance for your recommendations.

[billdeserthills]

The easiest thing would be to change the latch the deadbolt uses, to make it self-latching-- that way the door leading to the storage area will lock itself when it's closed. That's also the cheapest thing you can do-- that way the keying wouldn't have to be changed either

For example this link shows a self-latching part used with Schlage gatelocks
https://www.craftmasterhardware.com/sho ... gLET_D_BwE

[cledry]

You lose some security with the method Bill mentions. You would also have two latches on the door which would be confusing in operation.

[billdeserthills]

You lose some security with the method Bill mentions. You would also have two latches on the door which would be confusing in operation.

I think folks who have worked with the Schlage E series latch know they are very strong

[GWiens2001]

How about every time the door is opened, a recording is played of a pump-action shotgun being racked.

Gordon

[demux]

How about every time the door is opened, a recording is played of a pump-action shotgun being racked.

Well this took a turn for the amusing. How about adding to that the sound of an angry bullmastiff growling?

In all seriousness to the OP though, it sounds like the first thing you should do is have a competent lock professional out to repair the lever lockset on your door. When functioning properly, it should not be possible to bypass those with any tools/shims/etc. In your case it sounds like the deadlatch is not engaging with the strike plate in the right way and as a result that safety mechanism is not working.

If you're lucky enough that the lockset in question is a mortise lockset and not a cylindrical, you may be able to find an interconnected one that engages the deadbolt when the door is closed. This will likely not be a cheap replacement, however based on the initial description it seems dubious that you have a mortise lockset anyway (posting a pic or two of the door in question might help us give better answers though).

After that, I would definitely look into some sort of auditable access control mechanism for that area. Physical keys do not work well for common areas of apartment complexes etc. You have to either hand out a boatload of keys to all the tenants (a bad idea) or maison key them (a really really bad idea) and in both cases there's no accountability. If you have the budget, something like a Schlage CO series sounds like it would work well for your situation. If you can't afford that, look into a multi user code lock box mounted on the wall with a key inside on a length of small steel cable so it doesn't walk off.