Diane Horswill, Crime Prevention Coordinator for the North Precinct, and I talked about the puzzling, possibly suspicious door-to-door activity that took place on Friday. Ms. Horswill shared some crime prevention tips:
* don’t open the door without having a peek first at who’s on the other side.
* you can, behind your bolted or locked door, ask “Yes?” and give the person at the door an opportunity to state her or his purpose: e.g., UPS or FedEx delivery, political action committee canvasser, Fun Run participant seeking pledges. If they start with “Can I interest you in…” and they’re clearly not interesting you, you can state so and bid them adieu without the awkwardness of face-to-face encounter, spiel, and rejection cycle.
* post a “No Solicitors” sign by the door.
* ask to see the city-issued door-to-door solicitor’s permit. If they can’t produce one, it’s fair to ask them if they know it’s illegal to solicit at people’s doors without a permit, if they know they are breaking the law?
* legitimate canvassers usually have literature to leave behind should you request it. The mail and White Pages phone number listings bring ample charity solicitations as is.
* not necessarily paranoia, but burglars do knock first to see if someone is home. You can acknowledge whoever’s at the door with a wave from a window or by “Yes?” behind the door so as not to encourage illegal entry and theft.
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