Does this guy look suspicious to you?

[JAL]

Yea, those things are great. I've turned away many sales people. It is funny watching them give their pitch to a camera. I also think it has an influence on UPS and Postal workers. I am getting good at installing those. I installed them for my father and my aunt, who are both in their 80's. Both of my daughters have them at their homes, and I am getting ready to install a floodlight/camera to watch my driveway. I can controll them all from my phone. I wonder if they are having any influence on crime.

I've been tempted to get a couple tiny cameras, but not these doorbells. The folks that usually show up at my door are wanting to sell something. Not nearly as annoying as the robocalls, but almost.

I wish I could get one of these . . .

John

 

[eatsnopaste]

yep, it's why god invented suspenders.

 

[Benp]

Doesn't look that suspicious . . . but two things bothered me:

1. Using knuckle to ring doorbell.
2. Leaving after only a few seconds and not ringing it a second time after about ten or fifteen seconds. Wasn't long enough for someone to answer the door if they were home and wanted to. I always ring a second time after about ten seconds and wait another ten or fifteen seconds.

There's a knife in his pocket on a clip, but there's nothing illegal about it and it's a common sight. Be observant and you'll see them everywhere. The pocket clips are very popular now for spring assisted one-hand knives with locking blades. I carry a knife in a case on my belt as it's too large to fit into my pocket. It goes everywhere with me . . . except into those venues where it's prohibited by law (i.e. a courthouse). For all those who want constitutional carry (raise your hands, please; as I thought, more hands than people present), if he had shown a pattern of what appeared to be a concealed handgun, would that be suspicious? A significant missing piece here is how he arrived there. Was it on foot . . . on bicycle . . . in a vehicle? Did he wander around the property before approaching the door?

He looks just like a normal person who would be out working on many jobs around town. If you saw him with a hardhat on and carrying some boards then you wouldn't have a second thought (at least I wouldn't), or if you saw him at the fair, yep just another guy.
Now when I ring a doorbell I use my finger, but in an elevator I always use my knuckle and that is for two reasons
1) I don't know how often the elevator buttons are cleaned and I don't want to carry someone else's germs on me if I can help it.
2) I don't like the idea of my fingerprint being left on the button if someone ever decided to lift a print and place it at a crime scene (Given this is an extremely long shot, but why not put the chances all the way down to 0 instead of a higher percentage?)
I ring a doorbell about once every two years and I just don't consider this a problem.
I agree that it's too bad you can't see how he arrived, this would tell a great deal.
I disagree with some of you about him not waiting long and that is an indication that he was up to no good. I would think that if he was really up to no good then he would have kept ringing and knocking and really wanting to know if someone was there.

 

[rhino]

This topic has convinced me the utility of cameras placed around the outside of the home.

 

[printcraft]

.......
I disagree with some of you about him not waiting long and that is an indication that he was up to no good. I would think that if he was really up to no good then he would have kept ringing and knocking and really wanting to know if someone was there.

He jetted as soon as he realized he was on camera.

yep, it's why god invented suspenders.

Watched a guy on a corner when I was at a stoplight today......
He was looking at his phone in one hand and had ahold of his belt to keep his pants up with the other hand.
He probably needs to get a new belt because it was only able to be buckled around his mid thigh area. Poor guy.

 

[Benp]

He jetted as soon as he realized he was on camera.

Yes, that is a little suspicious.
I just looked up these doorbell cameras, and it seems like it should have been very obvious to him when he went to ring the bell that there was a camera on it ( at least the ones that I was looking at online).

 

[Thor]

He looks just like a normal person who would be out working on many jobs around town. If you saw him with a hardhat on and carrying some boards then you wouldn't have a second thought (at least I wouldn't), or if you saw him at the fair, yep just another guy.
Now when I ring a doorbell I use my finger, but in an elevator I always use my knuckle and that is for two reasons
1) I don't know how often the elevator buttons are cleaned and I don't want to carry someone else's germs on me if I can help it.
2) I don't like the idea of my fingerprint being left on the button if someone ever decided to lift a print and place it at a crime scene (Given this is an extremely long shot, but why not put the chances all the way down to 0 instead of a higher percentage?)
I ring a doorbell about once every two years and I just don't consider this a problem.
I agree that it's too bad you can't see how he arrived, this would tell a great deal.
I disagree with some of you about him not waiting long and that is an indication that he was up to no good. I would think that if he was really up to no good then he would have kept ringing and knocking and really wanting to know if someone was there.

So, guys working a construction job...stranger doing his job, no problem. Same guy shows up someplace it's not convenient to get to and immediately leaves when sees it's not a soft target, different thing entirely.

From what you're saying...you would have opened the door. You would not have notified the police or your neighbors. Just some happy go lucky joe out ringing bells and trying to get some exercise.

I believe there's a topic on situational awareness around here somewhere.

 

[churchmouse]

So, guys working a construction job...stranger doing his job, no problem. Same guy shows up someplace it's not convenient to get to and immediately leaves when sees it's not a soft target, different thing entirely.

From what you're saying...you would have opened the door. You would not have notified the police or your neighbors. Just some happy go lucky joe out ringing bells and trying to get some exercise.

I believe there's a topic on situational awareness around here somewhere.

This leads to a whole new conversation.

 

[BehindBlueI's]

I disagree with some of you about him not waiting long and that is an indication that he was up to no good. I would think that if he was really up to no good then he would have kept ringing and knocking and really wanting to know if someone was there.

We have no idea how long he would have waited had he not noticed he was on camera. This is very much my wheelhouse. He was up to no good. Perhaps not violent "no good" but some variety of "no good".

OP, have you asked the neighbors if he knocked on their door (if they were home at the right time or have cameras to know)

 

[bwframe]

I was watching some random unprofessional looking guy taking pics of the house on my cameras. I talked to him in the driveway and he named the property owner, asking if I was him. I told him I wasn't and asked what he was up to. Said he worked for "the insurance company" as did the blue vest he was wearing.

He told me, "I'm glad you weren't carrying a gun."

 

[saintnick81]

Several years ago my wife's grandmother's house got broken into. The crew that did it would knock on the door and if someone answered they would say they were looking for the Smith's or some other common name and then leave. If nobody answered, brick through a window or kicked in door. All the houses they hit were out in the country.

I'm guessing the guy was looking to do something similar.

 

[rhino]

I was watching some random unprofessional looking guy taking pics of the house on my cameras. I talked to him in the driveway and he named the property owner, asking if I was him. I told him I wasn't and asked what he was up to. Said he worked for "the insurance company" as did the blue vest he was wearing.

He told me, "I'm glad you weren't carrying a gun."

That right there's real' funny!

 

[bwframe]

That right there's real' funny!

It took some real self control not to laugh.

 

[jamil]

I was watching some random unprofessional looking guy taking pics of the house on my cameras. I talked to him in the driveway and he named the property owner, asking if I was him. I told him I wasn't and asked what he was up to. Said he worked for "the insurance company" as did the blue vest he was wearing.

He told me, "I'm glad you weren't carrying a gun."

Did you crack a smile? It'd be hard not to.

 

[Skullglide]

I am rolling with BBI on this one. This reinforces my use of cameras on my property.

 

[Sylvain]

I am rolling with BBI on this one. This reinforces my use of cameras on my property.

We will need to start a new "Shady people at my front door" thread.

 

[TTravis]

We will need to start a new "Shady people at my front door" thread.

I am thinking about a dash or mirror cam next.

 

[hoosierdaddy1976]

Obviously a Strip-O-Gram, and his breakaway pants were in the wash, so he went with the quick dropping jeans. You missed out, OP, someone really cares about you.

 

[halfmileharry]

Obviously a Strip-O-Gram, and his breakaway pants were in the wash, so he went with the quick dropping jeans. You missed out, OP, someone really cares about you.

That one never crossed my mind. No one cares about me I guess.

 

[GNRPowdeR]

I was watching some random unprofessional looking guy taking pics of the house on my cameras. I talked to him in the driveway and he named the property owner, asking if I was him. I told him I wasn't and asked what he was up to. Said he worked for "the insurance company" as did the blue vest he was wearing.

He told me, "I'm glad you weren't carrying a gun."

I've been told that suckers are born every minute... This guy? Yeah...