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sjfcontrol wrote:

Jumping Frog wrote:

Keith B wrote:Why would you even open the door? That is a major tactical error.

Unless you can spray down from the top of the castle walls, along with the flaming oil, I completely agree with you!

Perhaps they have the "Peep-hole Bear-spray Attachment"

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A bit later on the scanner was

"Warrant out of Austin-Burglary"

Can't say for certain that was the same guy or not, I was busy; but I am pretty certain that after talking to 2 other neighbors from 2 different houses across and down the street later that that guy was no longer soliciting in our city.


Don't know if the clip board was so he'd "look official" and people would open the door, or if it was to draw floor plans for visiting "later" after gaining entry on the pretext of carpet cleaning or just to record addresses for later visits ... when no one is home or whatever.

One neighbor even said "Oh the carpet cleaning guy, yeah he looked shady..." I was like so why didn't you cal police to have them check him for a permit etc?

20 minutes ago;
Unfamiliar knock at my door
I peek out the little window in the door, no one on the porch
I have a window to the right of my door/around the corner
off to the right of the door I see a guy standing with a clip board;
not a typical looking fellow for the city in which I live; he's in a dress shirt instead of a work shirt, holding a clip board
I ask through the door what he wants
He wants to come in the house and clean my carpets

I think, how nice, I have this expensive Dyson vacuum and he doesn't seem to have one with him ...

I ask "Do you have a door to door soliciting permit from the city?"
He says he thinks his boss does when he comes around in the car he can ask ...

I said today isn't a good day, I have papers all on the carpet in stacks sorting them ...
He says ok ... trots on down the street to see who else might answer the door

"Hello Police ... Northbound on ____ Street a ____description of fellow in blue dress shirt with clipboard .... he wants to come in my house to clean carpets but has no cleaning machine and doesn't seem to be able to find a city permit to do door to door soliciting so I dunno if he's casing houses or what ...
there, zooooommmmmmm. there's the police car driving by the front window... thanks

hi-power wrote:

RPB wrote:<snip>...checking city codes at http://www.municode.com/.." onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;.

Thanks for posting that website. I just spent a couple hours browsing through my city's ordinances. Learned a lot.

Yer Welcome
When someone posts a 30.06 sign some city puts up on city property, I often look at their ordinances and see if they have any outdated stuff, often they do under "Parks" ... so I included those obsolete toothless ordinances which are preempted by State law when writing the city atty, city council, city manager/ mayor, police chief etc.

Used to use it to look up city leash laws and other stuff when I worked at a law firm as an Asst., before I retired.

Came in handy when remodeling and the city demanded I clean up construction debris ... of course I had no construction debris ... overnight the old toilets became planters (flower pots) and bathtub a rainwater recycling collection device (moved it under a downspout) the sheetrock became ground up gypsum to benefit the soil ...after going back and forth on it with the car a few times ...

And, I labeled each item, so when the city inspector did a "drive-by" inspection the next day, it was the last I heard from them. I had prepared a letter and al for the city council, didn't get to use it. ... My dad was proud. (remodeling was so he could get a walker/wheelchair into bathroom, and changed out tub for a tub-sized shower .. etc. ..

Yeah, easiest would be checking with your city/secretary/permit office etc
Pretty much the same way a company wanting to do roofing/carpet drying/electrical/sheetrock repair/whatever after a storm hits an area checks to see if permits are required to do work, and solicit to do work, on people's houses ...

I found out that actually riding a bike on the sidewalk at my Courthouse square (even though the library has a bike rack "on the sidewalk at my Courthouse square") is illegal by checking city codes at http://www.municode.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Other cities may post their online but not use Municode.

thenick_ttu wrote:I gotta admit after reading some of the responses, I may now see this situtation through the OP's eyes. I haven't had much experience with solicitors (on the homeowner side, anyway) and I never thought about the fact that these guys might just be fishing for easy targets. This thread has definitely opened my eyes to this situation and I'll have to re-consider my future interactions with these people.

That's what I love about this place... lots of great info and different opinions that can help us all to be enlightened (especially me).

Utility Workers
http://www.google.com/search?q=Imperson ... =firefox-a" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Good video:
Video: Sheriff Taylor video on people Impersonating Door-to-door occupations
" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Sheriff Taylor discusses door-to-door people who impersonate different businesses and services.

http://www.kiiitv.com/story/17160790/mo ... e-invasion" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

"She said she had got punched when she opened the door. They came in and took control of the house.
"The victim opened the door and three White or Hispanic males pushed their way inside her home"
The homeowner told police she was watching television with her 7-year old son when three men came knocking and then pushed their way inside.

The victim of the robbery was unable to give a good description to the police.

I can take care of myself, calling police may save an 87 year old woman or a 7 year old child down the street... from 1) home invasion 2) scammers .....and if they are legit and have a permit... the old woman may get her driveway resurfaced

speedsix said
...let me assure you that those of the first group have once been those of the second group...and our hair and clothing styles, habits, piercings, and tats made just as poor an impression on our adults as they do on the adults today...

...as folks progress from the second group into the first group, they pick up useful info (called life experience) that help them see more than just the surface and realize when something needs looking into...or not...the tats, style of dress, etc just added to the suspicious actions and lack of having obeyed the law before knocking doors asking for our time and money...

That's sooo true as I pointed out to my 16 year old niece who now understands.
The "old people" who might have been wild-haired hippy outcasts had parents who had crazy hairstyles and danced wildly, and their parents listened to crazy band music and had crazy hair and clothing styles
I don't care if it's 1920s flapper dresses or 1950s Ducktail hair styles or 1960s/70s "Mod" clothes ... we do understand, and as we get older, we see our old parents who don't understand .... understood more than we knew they did.
The older I was, the smarter my dad got.

It's about "appropriateness", I once took a girl to church, she wore a miniskirt so short ... that was our last and only date ...
Don't come to my door tats a-showin pants on the ground with no literature pretending you are a salesman. Don't come to a job interview in cutoffs and flipflops.

If you want to go a scuba diving, you dress the part to do it successfully, if you want to sell stuff, you dress the part to do so successfully, if you want to get hired, you ... If a person doesn't care enough to do that, why should people care enough about him earning points selling magazines to earn a trip to Baghdad? So, he won't sell much and I assume he WANTS to fail. Once again, I'd question his mentality or drug use, and why should I open the door or not call police on the illegal activity?

Sure, I'll dress differently to go to a "sock hop" or a rodeo/stock show ... I wouldn't go try to sell things in socks or smelling like a sweaty horse though. It's about "appropriateness"

Otherwise you should know you'll set of an alarm of "Something stinks/doesn't smell right ... Something's fishy (Tip: putting shrimp on your jeans while baiting a hook to get in an hour of fishing... before going to school ... not a good idea. Don't ask how I know) Some people find it "out of place/inappropriate."

Months ago a well dressed man in a suit and a pretty girl came to my door, I use the peephole, they have brochures (any who come to my door without literature, raise suspicion) It was a Baptist Pastor and his daughter passing out info, I didn't call police
Weeks later, 3 well dressed girls/ladies came to my doorstep and they had literature in their hands, I didn't call police ... same church.
I don't know whether to go visit to that church or wait for more girls. <kidding>
I don't call Police on local churches, or girl scouts or middle school kids selling candy ...I do on "Magazine salesmen, and other businesses and scammers"

And yes, you can usually tell by their looks if they are holding literature or girl scout cookies and by their appearance. People who want to sell things, should dress as such, the same way lawyers will tell people they represent (whether Plaintiff or Defendant) to cover up Tats so Jurors don't see them.

Even when I was 14-15 years old hiring people as lifeguards, I didn't hire barefoot applicants in bathing suits, but those who dressed for an interview. It isn't an age thing as much as a "if you really want to sell stuff, dress like a salesman, and if you don't have enough sense to dress yourself appropriate to the task you are trying to do, don't waste my time. If I hire someone to dig a ditch, don't come to work in a Sunday suit, because if you do, I'll suspect a mental issue or alcohol/drug issue and send you away..... Who wants on the job injuries which should have been foreseeable ... It's about what's "appropriate" not what my tastes are in looks. (Though "I have pointed out to my niece that certain body modifications will certainly limit a person's options in careers and choices in the future... I have made no "body modifications, but was born with only 1 hand, that difference in appearance has always limited what people would be willing to LET me do, though I'm capable of doing it. Why would I intentionally limit myself more? (I'm not knocking people with tats in general, I know many, but don't come to my door showing all you have with your earlobes holes hanging down as suspenders holding up your pants on the ground trying to sell me anything I didn't need anyway saying it's to pay for law school)

thenick_ttu wrote:Seems a little overboard to call the police in that situation. Assume these two really were just out soliciting and trying to raise money for a trip, how are they supposed to know they need a permit?

I've done some door-to-door soliciting for my church and I didn't know needing a permit was even a possibility so if that had been me at your door today, you would have gotten me a ticket... thanks alot.

Not overboard at all to call police on criminal activity

Many many, probably most cities have a solicitation ordinance. If they are legit, they'll have a permit. If they aren't legit, they have no permit.
Any legit solicitation program/company would check.
In fact one "Salesman" when I asked to see his permit, took off quickly ...
I've called Police on such before in Bellaire, in Pasadena and in the city where /i now live.
If they do have a permit ... I just say I'm not buying anything anyway.