[Chat] Suspicious activity

[Greg Alexander]

Great job Steve!  I've always heard that if something just doesn't feel right, it probably isn't.  Thanks for the heads up!
  
Greg Alexander
Freelance Writer/Editor
Editor, Mason-Dixon Arrive
2629 Guilford Avenue
Baltimore, MD 21218
410-243-3387
ugagrad93 at yahoo.com
www.gregoryjalexander.com


--- On Wed, 4/20/11, Stephen J Gewirtz <gewirtz at bellatlantic.net> wrote:

> From: Stephen J Gewirtz <gewirtz at bellatlantic.net>
> Subject: [Chat] Suspicious activity
> To: "Charles Village Discussion List" <discussion at charlesvillage.info>, "The Charles Village Chat List" <chat at charlesvillage.info>, CVCBDQuad4 at yahoogroups.com
> Cc: "David Hill" <davidhill at charlesvillage.org>, northerncommunitycouncil at yahoogroups.com, "Stokes, Carl" <Carl.Stokes at baltimorecity.gov>, Marypat.clarke at Baltimorecity.gov
> Date: Wednesday, April 20, 2011, 12:02 AM
> 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
> 
> 
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