Gothamist: Police Believe Halloween Rapist Stalked Victim

cc

Thu, 03 Nov 2005 12:11:51 -0500

just want to ditto that firefighters come in droves for the smallest thing. my carbon monoxide detector went off twice last winter and both times, about half a dozen firefighters came into my apartment to check it out, plus two firetrucks outside. i hadn't thought about it before (who would?) but a lone fireman would be pretty unusual. as for cops, i once let two cops into my building. only two were together, but if they would have come to my door, i probably would have asked for their precinct and names and called in before i opened the door.

smitty

Thu, 03 Nov 2005 10:23:14 -0500

Sure, you can ask for ID...but once you open the door slightly anyone can push their way in unless you have your door chained.

liz

Thu, 03 Nov 2005 09:55:35 -0500

Having been asked to open the door for a (legitimate) policeman before, here's the trick: ask for their police ID in addition to the badge. Badges are easy to fake; real policemen also carry NYPD identification cards. I can't really remember what it looked like--it was 5 years ago--but it had a photo, looked pretty standard government-issue, and was laminated like a drivers license. Make sure the picture matches the cop and the number on the card matches the number on the badge. Dunno about firefighters, but my bet is that you would see/hear the truck and that a firefighter showing up before your smoke detector going off would be a little odd.

Billy

Thu, 03 Nov 2005 09:27:38 -0500

Nice photo to go with story.

girasol

Thu, 03 Nov 2005 09:21:36 -0500

Possibly a good way to tell: Judging by the recent small fire in our building, you could look down in the street (or call a friend whose apartment faces that way) and see lots and lots of firetrucks. They send loads of trucks for even minor fires, and there weren't one or two firemen in the building, there were swarms of them, pounding up and down the stairs like a herd of elephants. One lone fireman wandering around - not normal. The cops, too, usually come in small groups, not alone. However, had I not experienced it myself that way, it never would have occurred to me - I might well have opened the door to a fireman (or policeman) myself.