[Chat] Suspicious activity

[Stephen J Gewirtz]

A little before 6 p.m. this evening, my doorbell rang.  I opened the 
inner door but not the outer security door which can only be opened with 
a key.  On my porch were a couple, a black male and a white female, 
college age or more likely a little bit older.  They said that they had 
the wrong person.

A few minutes later, I opened the inner door again.  The couple were 
still there, and the man asked me to open the outer security door.  I 
refused.  He then tried to sell me on saving money by switching to a 
guaranteed fixed electric rate instead of paying BGE.  I told him that I 
was not interested, even though he persisted until I ended the 
conversation.  He was carrying a notebook.  The woman basically was silent.

Something did not add up.  How can they have the wrong person and then 
try to sell me something?  And why were they still there?  Anyway, I 
reported it to 911, to a JHU cop who was parked across the street a few 
minutes later, and to Northern District police who came moments later in 
response to my 911 call.  They said that  they would be looking for the 
couple.  I do not know whether, if I had opened my security door, the 
couple would have rushed in to grab something in my house or worse.  I 
have seen a report that in a nearby neighborhood, people have rung 
doorbells and asked for someone who does not exist on that block.  When 
they have found a house where nobody is home, they have broken in.

I write all this to urge that everyone be very careful about opening a 
door to a stranger.  And if things really do not add up but look 
suspicious, call 911.  What I encountered this evening may be 
legitimate, but my guess is that it is not.  And if it is part of a 
knock, run in and grab something, and run scheme or some other scheme, 
the police will definitely appreciate your giving them a heads up on 
what is happening.  After all, the cops cannot be everywhere, so we have 
to be additional eyes and ears for them.

Northern District does an excellent job, but we need to give them all 
the help we can.

Steve