Crime & Safety

Check the Claims of Strangers at the Door

As crimes this year indicate, utility workers may or may not be who they claim.

A Bowie man was robbed and fatally shot on July 13 after opening his door to two men posing as utility workers police said, as reported by Bowie Patch. Pepco later issued a statement stating the men had purportedly posed as Pepco employees.

Earlier this year, an elderly Germantown couple was robbed when they opened their door to two men posing as Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC) workers, according to a Gazette.Net report.

“Don’t open the door if you don’t know who it is,” Officer Kelly Lawson of the Greenbelt Police Department said. She advised people to request credentials and to look at the credentials through a peephole or window.

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Lawson said people could also call WSSC or whatever company the person at the door says they are with and ask if that company has an employee in the area. She said people in this situation could call the police as well.

In the wake of the Bowie man’s death, the Pepco statement expressed its condolences to family and friends of the victim. Thomas H. Graham, president, Pepco Region also advised, “If a Pepco employee comes to your door, ask them for identification; if they don’t have it, call the police. Do not let them enter. If you have any suspicions whatsoever, do not open your door and immediately call the police.”

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After the Bowie man's fatal shooting, WSSC also issued a statement, concerned that people know how to handle someone showing up at their door claiming to be a WSSC employee. It also sent out advice in its April-June Pipeline Quarterly Newsletter.

The bottom line is, “If you have any doubt, call before you open the door,” said John White, WSSC public affairs manager. “Don’t open the door. Don’t feel under any pressure to open the door. It’s your safety.”

White also said people could look for WSSC vehicles, which are blue and in most cases should be parked nearby. WSSC spokesperson Kim Knox said the vehicles will have a WSSC logo. In addition all WSSC employees are required to carry a WSSC photo ID, she said.

When in doubt, the WSSC number to call is 301.206.8888, where someone from the WSSC police force can check to see if somebody is scheduled to be at your home, Knox added.

Pepco senior media representative Clay Anderson stated if anyone feels that they are being threatened by someone posing as a Pepco employee, they should call 911.


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