robberies, and door to door solicitors in subdivisions (crime, house)

[Beretta]

Originally Posted by dreamofmonterey

Coupons on doors and people knocking, asking if you want you trees cut: if we want that service we will call.Same with ADT, Apex alarms, assorted and sundry window salesmen.

In some areas there are robberies, and my neighbor called ADT to complain young people were going door to door posing as sales repsand robbing vacant houses. Our neighborhood had to organize community watch, as JC police noted an uprise in robberies during august.

Take note, when people come to your door selling something, they are often there to case the property.

Can you provide a link to this please? I looked on JCPress and couldn't find it.

[dreamofmonterey]

Originally Posted by marmac

Amazing that we can institute a --" do not call"--policy because people don't want to be interrupted by sales people calling, yet people see nothing wrong in physically going to someone's house, knocking on their door, and try to sell them something.


I thought door to door salesmen went out of business about 40 years ago.

I know, its like one step above people begging for money...in the 1970's people sold windows and aluminum siding door to door....lol...its an annoyance, people today are busy and don't have time. I have never bought anything (other than from kids, girl scouts, etc.an exception) from a salesman who rudely pounds on the door.

[jchometeam]

I guess everyone has their opinion. Im never annoyed by anyone knocking on my door. I never buy anything from them, but I dont see it as an annoyance to talk to someone (except the jehovah's witnesses). I know most people are busy and dont have time, but I dont think of that as a positive.....

Regardless, there are many things you can do to make your home a less attractive target to a burglar, other than owning a gun, having a security system, and neighborhood watch. Neighborhood watch doesnt deter very much, though it makes sense that it would. The security system isnt as important as the sign in the front yard, and owning a gun just helps after the fact....

[Beretta]

Since this doesn't seem to be specific to Johnson City it is being moved to the appropriate forum.

[rccrain]

Well, it happened to me and I'm in JC.

[jchometeam]

Yea this discussion has been more specific to JC than many others on this board most of the time, but again everyone has their own opinion and Im not a moderator so oh well...

[gsp4ever]

NOTE: This thread concerns recent happenings in the Johnson City, TN area. This was moved by a moderator to the "Other" forum but is applicable to this geographic area of Tennessee.

[CoastalMaine]

In Massachusetts, during the early to mid 60's, we had the Boston Strangler scare. Because of that evenet, it is illegal for anyone to come door to door selling anything unless they register with the police department in that town/city. That being said, I do not open my door for anyone coming to it that I don't know or don't expect. It's just common sense to me.

This is especially true when I'm at my home in south Florida in the winter. Even more so this year with the high unemployment rate. I will not be leaving the garage doors open this year!

[ShelbyGirl1]

I live in a "no solicitation" neighborhood, with signs posted. Doesn't deter door to door salespeople in the least. Lately it has been the teenagers being dropped off by a white van...they introduce themselves as Dr. so and so's daughter from the down the street and working their way to Europe. Get very irate when told I know everyone in the neighborhood and there is no Dr. ____. Unfortunately, last yr. my neighbor bought their magazines...check cashed within a hr. of her writing it and has never seen a magazine yet.
I rarely answer my door anymore, especially when I am home alone...but do have pepper spray by the door and always have our large dog give a good bark. I also always close the garage door even before I get out of the car.
And to think, at one time, people could leave their doors unlocked without having to worry.

[Crew Chief]

ShelbyGirl, we too, live in an upscale neighborhood that has a "No Solicitation" policy (Actually, the whole township has soliciting restrictions). But we STILL get the usual "we're doing work in the neighborhood..." sales people that approach us when we're outside. (We NEVER answer the door if we don't know who is outside.)

We had a block party and one of the deputy sheriffs came to talk to us. It was right after several of the neighbors had stuff stolen from their yards and sheds... Last night, someone broke into one of our neighbors' cars and stole a GPS unit and some BANK STATEMENTS... When the Sherrif deputies arrived they told our neighbors they have a pretty good idea who the "perp" is; a guy that just got released from prison for the same thing. He has his girlfriend drive him around to case cars in driveways...

We NEVER leave our cars outside or our garage door open unless we are working in the yard. We NEVER put outgoing bills or other sensitive mail in our home mailbox; it goes directly to the post office's mail box. We've even considered a P.O. box. Although no one has ever stolen our mail, I tried to help the next town's police dept. catch a kid looking into mail boxes. (Kid got away )

It's a shame but you really have to think "security" nowadays with the economy like it is.

(WLW's (700 Am in Cincinnati) Mike McConnell brought up an interesting point; look at the nations where the citizens are not allowed to own guns. They all have high fences or walls in front of their homes. He saw that in South American countries he's visited. I noticed that in the Orient, as well.