(no subject)

[rivka]

I came home from dropping Alex off at nursery school, went through our front gate and garden, and walked down the narrow passage between our house and the neighbors' house, which leads to our side door. Beyond the side door is a tall, solid metal gate that accesses the back of the house and the back outside area. It's all in a fairly tight space:



About fifteen feet away from the house, I saw that there was a man standing very very close to the metal gate to the back of the house. He was obviously trying to get through it or see over it. He was in a dead end, and I was standing in the passage between him and the street. Holding my baby.

"Hey," I said sharply.

He turned around, looking amused. "Hi."

"What are you doing here?!"

"Oh, I'm from BGE [Baltimore Gas & Electric]. I got a call about a tree on a wire at 837."

"This isn't 837."

"No, but I can't get back there. I was trying to see..." He finally got around to pulling out one of those clear plastic ID sleeves people wear on a lanyard around their necks. I could see the BGE logo.

"Can this gate be opened up?" he asked me.

No. No, there is no way in hell I'm going to open up the gate and let you in to the back of my house where you can scope out the kitchen door and the basement door and the back of the neighbors' house. Are you fucking kidding me?

"I really am from BGE," he assured me. "You probably saw my truck when you got out of your car."

I told him that it could only be opened from the other side, and that the back area wasn't shoveled out and that I wasn't going to walk through two feet of snow with a baby to unlock it for him. Which was true. He told me, again, that he couldn't see the neighbor's wire through my gate. I walked up the stairs and let myself in to the house, wishing there was a way to do it without opening the door and making us vulnerable in case he had given himself that BGE ID with a laser printer. Locked the door behind myself. Decided that I probably didn't have sufficient cause to call the police, although now that I write this up I'm second-guessing myself.

Baltimore has massively high crime rates. If you have a job that takes you onto people's property, you have to know that if they didn't call you themselves they are going to be uncertain about you. And, I'm sorry, but if you are a man in American society and you surprise a woman alone in a secluded area where you don't belong, you have to know that she is probably scared. Right? Am I off base with this? So he had no fucking right to be so amused and blase about the situation, and so casual about offering his ID.

I am wondering if I should call BGE to complain - and if I do, what I should say. It is legitimate that utility workers often have to access someone's equipment through a patchwork of neighbors' yards. But when we've had to do that in the past, they've asked us to set it up with our neighbors before the appointment.

I'm also wondering whether I should've handled the situation differently. What would you have done when you saw the guy? Should I have gone back down the passage to the sidewalk and yelled for him to get away from my property? I didn't even have my cell phone on me, since I was just running a ten-minute errand, so just flat-out calling the police from the sidewalk wasn't a possibility. Retreating to a neighbor's house for safety would feel like overkill. And yet.

At the time I didn't think through all the possibilities, but now that I reflect on the situation... if he'd decided to come at me, or come up behind while I was unlocking the door and force his way into the house, I could not have stopped him. There I was, alone with Colin. The more I think about this in retrospect, the more freaked out I am.

Updated to add: I called BGE and at least confirmed that they did send someone out to 837. So there's that.

Comments

[ailbhe]

No right, but lots of entitlement. HE knows he's no harm to you. Schrodinger's Rapist at work.

I'd have been shit-scared. But I'm not sure about calling the police - I might or might not (I call the police a lot). Calling his company and saying "Whatever engineer you sent out to number 837 trespassed on my property, didn't show ID until after I was already frightened, and didn't apologise and leave when it became clear that I wasn't going to let him onto my property," might hold some water.

Then if they say they didn't send anyone out, you call the police.

[jerusha.livejournal.com]

Augh. Augh. Augh.

I would call BG&E. Either they have an employee (or contractor) who needs retraining (pronto), or the guy was a fake. If he was a fake, BG&E may take action (like, oh, making sure their employees identify themselves promptly and properly, and pre-arrange access when needed. And/or, if they get several such calls, letting people know that there are faux BG&E employees around, and how to pick out the real ones.)

Also, if BG&E says he's a fake, call the police. I'd probably call via the non-emergency line (unless he's still around), and let them know that you surprised a lurker, who lied about being with BG&E. The police may also circulate that news, or at least be on the lookout themselves.

And I'm sure I don't need to tell you to re-check your doors and windows, because you've already done that.

And, in conclusion: Eep!

[mactavish.livejournal.com]

I think you handled it very well, and I'm not sure I'd call the cops, but I'd call BGE, just to ask if someone was out there, and let them know that if there was, to tell them to handle it differently next time -- not for them, but for you, so you know.

[kalmn.livejournal.com]

maybe call bge and say that at this date/this time, there was someone on your property who claimed to be from bge and wanted into your backyard, and because in the past bge had called to set such things up in advance you were not comfortable letting him into your backyard or indeed having him on your property at all and did he really work for bge or should you call the cops?

i suspect this will either get you a very sincere apology and a note on your file to make sure to let you know if anyone is going to be within six blocks of you in the future, or confirmation that you should call the police.

*hug*

[rockstarbob.livejournal.com]

I'd definitely make the call, too.

[nelc.livejournal.com]

Eh, everything I was going to say has been said. Another vote for phoning BG&E, and then phoning the police if he turns out to have been bogus.

I'm no good at second-guessing criminals, but I'd say (assuming the guy was bogus) that with you having made him, he's not likely to be coming back.

[janetmiles.livejournal.com]

You know, I never thought of that. (But Maryville has a fairly low crime rate. And I don't have children.)

When we hired a contractor to take down some lightning-damaged trees that were too close to the house, their estimator said they'd contact our next-door neighbors to get permission to cross their property so as to get at the trees safely. It never even occurred to me that it might be scary for the neighbors to have some random person knocking on their door. (Not that I know the neighbors to begin with. And for all I know, the contractor used a crisscross directory to get their phone number, or sent them a letter or something.)

It has occurred to me at times that I'm too damn trusting -- someone shows me a UT ID, and I'll cheerfully open up our lab to let them into the switching closet. And when I was invited to a party at the home of someone I'd never visited before, I wasn't at all worried about rolling down my car window to take parking directions from the guy outside her house (one of her neighbors, who was letting people park on his property rather than blocking the street), although it occurred to me later that that could have been a bad idea.

I wonder if the BGE worker was trying to be casual, thinking it would ease down the overall stress in the situation? Probably not a good choice on his part, if it was deliberate. Anyway, I agree with everyone else who has posted so far, that calling BGE is not a bad idea.

[rivka.livejournal.com]

Janet, if he had come to the door I wouldn't have been freaked out at all. I would've looked at his ID through the window in the door (it's covered with a metal security mesh) and then possibly even let him walk through the house and out the kitchen door.

What freaked me out was seeing him deep in our yard, trying to get deeper in. I'm trying to think of an equivalent... it was as if you'd left your garage door open and someone was inside your garage. They didn't have to bust through any locks to get there, but they shouldn't be there.

[bemused-leftist.livejournal.com]

/okay i'm logged in/

You weren't home when he arrived.

[ailbhe]

Is that really a good excuse for trespass in the US? "The owner wasn't in"?

[heidi8.livejournal.com]

If I remember correctly (I went to law school in DC and learned a bit of Maryland property law, although I didn't do the MD bar, and it was all very long ago) certain entities have an easement to go onto private property for purposes of repair of electric company equipment regardless of whether it concerns that dwelling or a different one.

But just because it wasn't trespass doesn't mean the jerk was following company policy by not having his badge visible, or, in fact, in any of his responses. In fact, IMHO, their policy should be to say, if anyone comes across them while they're looking for ingress or egress, "Sorry to have disturbed you, I'll go wait in my car while you call my superiors at BGE - you can call the number on the bill so you don't think I'm giving you a fake number that my friends will answer - and they'll call me when they've spoken to you." No, that doesn't remove the issue of him being in a problematic location when you first saw him, but it does remove or at least mitigate the concern that he's going to be standing right behind you as you go in through your door.

Added note: It's not technologically impossible for the power company to know when the power is out in an area, or even to a specific house - their computers can detect it - so it is possible for them to send someone out to fix it without the owners knowing/being home/calling them.

[ailbhe]

That's interesting, thanks; here, they have to make reasonable efforts or give written notice if they're going to enter property other than as far as required to knock on the door, unless it's an emergency (fire, sickness, medical equipment) when they can enter - I think they get the police to break in rather than doing it themselves, though. Not sure.

Of course, *actually* they would walk into a garden and work there without giving notice, but they'd apologise profusely if they were caught. And they wouldn't go around trying to open gates or doors without expecting a lot of shit to hit a lot of fan.

[tropism.livejournal.com]

Actually, yes, for utility companies. They usually have easements, and there's usually something about it in the contract you sign. God knows utility companies deliver vital services, and if someone's electricity is acting up and they're on a ventilator or use some other kind of medical equipment, you don't want to have to wait until your neighbor can get back from vacation before you fix it. And of course there's the need to fix potentially dangerous conditions lest they be liable for negligence.

In short: Generally, utility guys can access your property without your permission, but cannot enter domiciles or do anything that might qualify as 'breaking and entering'. If you deny/revoke permission, I have no idea what happens. :)

[rivka.livejournal.com]

As others have said, yes, the electric company has an easement to access its own equipment.

But you know, in another neighborhood or context? He could have been shot. It's not safe to act like a housebreaker.

[ailbhe]

Shot is less likely here, but yeah, I think part of why they get the police out first is so that they don't end up having to *explain* to the police when someone calls 999!

[janetmiles.livejournal.com]

I'm very sorry; I think I've offended you, and I think I see how. I just sort of wandered off on a tangent, and that wasn't appropriate.

I also think I had a bad mental picture of how your house is arranged; I was imagining someone in an alley between two rows of houses, which is an area that I think of as being every bit as public as the street. After this, and on re-reading, I have a much different mental image.

I apologize. I did not mean to offend you, and I'm sincerely sorry.

[rivka.livejournal.com]

Oh no, Janet, you didn't offend me at all. I was trying to defend you from your thought that maybe your neighbors had been scared by you okaying your contractor contacting them.

And yeah, I also would've seen an alley as a different scenario.

[janetmiles.livejournal.com]

Oh, whew. Well. That's all good, then! Thanks for the reassurances; I do appreciate them.

[curiousangel.livejournal.com]

I guess I can see why a BGE worker would try that, but based on the way the house is built, there's no possible way to see into 837's back yard from where he was standing, and he should have realized that as soon as he saw the three-story bulk of our house extending further back. It could sort of be done by coming at it from the alley off Read Street (or by looking down from the back of 839), but you'd have to know the area to realize where the properties abut each other. Given the history with miscreants coming into 837's back yard, I'd be suspicious.

I recommend calling BGE. The story is vaguely plausible, but the guy's conduct is highly inappropriate. Even with the confused infrastructure in our neighborhood, and the issues with all the snow, he should have been a lot more understanding about how you'd react. I wouldn't be terribly surprised to find out that there wasn't any such call logged, either.

[huladavid.livejournal.com]

Despite being male, almost six feet tall, and sans baby I'd've done the exact same thing.

[wcg.livejournal.com]

I'm chiming in here to urge a call to BG&E.

[ratphooey.livejournal.com]

Call BGE and make sure he was legit. They will know if someone was working in the area.

If not legit, call the coppers.

Glad you are safe.

[(Anonymous)]

/bemusedoutsider here/

Someone forging a BGE id tag?

I wonder if anyone at 837 needed their electricity back on asap to run a medical support machine, or something. If my electricity were out, I'd want a repairman who knew how to fix it, rather than one who would be ... more uptight about showing his ID etc. I'd want a repairman who was more interested in solving my real, practical need for electricty than worried about appearing 'amused' and 'rude'.

If I thought my neighborhood so dangerous, I'd carry my cell phone at ALL times. And maybe a gun.... Or move to somewhere safer.

[(Anonymous)]

Forgot: So, where WAS his truck?

[(Anonymous)]

Of course he might have forged the logo on the truck, too. ;-)

[rivka.livejournal.com]

Beats me. I never saw it. It certainly wasn't parked outside the house. He wasn't wearing a uniform, either.

[rivka.livejournal.com]

Someone forging a BGE id tag?

Well, someone wearing a tag around his neck in a plastic sleeve that has the same logo that comes on the envelope my bill arrives in. I didn't examine it closely.

...But I'm not sure why that strikes you as so farfetched. It's a fairly common criminal technique. Try googling for "diversionary burglary."

I wonder if anyone at 837 needed their electricity back on asap to run a medical support machine, or something.

Nope.

If my electricity were out, I'd want a repairman who knew how to fix it, rather than one who would be ... more uptight about showing his ID etc. I'd want a repairman who was more interested in solving my real, practical need for electricty than worried about appearing 'amused' and 'rude'.

Good point - because it totally has to be one or the other. The human brain only has so much space in it, so the same guy can't be held responsible for both knowing how to fix electrical equipment and knowing to identify himself promptly and be polite when he's discovered trespassing on someone's property and messing with their locked gate.

If I thought my neighborhood so dangerous, I'd carry my cell phone at ALL times. And maybe a gun.... Or move to somewhere safer.

You don't know much about crime, do you?

And BTW: as long as we're talking about manners, it's pretty rude to use anonymous comments to call someone out in her own journal. If you're going to comment anonymously, please sign your name or some handle you are generally known by.

[avram]

I love that. Some jackass who's too paranoid to attach his name (or handle) to a comment is lecturing you about your caution. Your calm, only slightly sarcastic reply is much better than he deserves.

[bemused-leftist.livejournal.com]

"the human brain has only so much space in it"

Yes. I'd rather have a repairman who focuses on the repair than on avoiding the moment's pause and smile that seem to have bothered you. I hope the company doesn't distract their employees with complaints about things like this.

Like you I'd have been startled too and perhaps reacted inconsistently. I hope I'd have quickly focused on someone's practical need for electricity.

All the Anon comments here sfiak are mine.

Interesting discussion, hope to get back to it later.

[ailbhe]

I'd rather have a repairman who, when found committing trespass on my property, apologised for breaking the law (it would be technically illegal in both countries I've lived in and they'd know it) and immediately gave me good reason to assume that he was being stupid, not malicious, such as immediately leaving my property and then once off it and back on the sidewalk, offering me ID, pointing me at his logoed truck for verification, and waiting until I confirmed his legitimacy with his company before continuing to try to gain further access to the locked-off sections of my property. Rather than being dismissive, waving ID at me rather than handing it to me and shutting up while I check it properly, and just carrying on trying to gain access to my property, while I stand there listening to him, holding my baby, in the snow.

[redbird]

If he can't be competent to fix electricity and avoid possibly scaring the neighbors, he probably can't be competent to both fix electricity and drive a truck safely, especially in the snow. I don't believe that most qualified electricians have that little brain space available; the only one I know personally can certainly handle more than one area of competence.

Even purely from the "I want to get the electricity fixed as quickly as possible viewpoint," being polite, offering ID immediately, and otherwise reassuring the person whose yard he's in would take less time than explaining all that to the police, if they respond to a 911 call of "there's a prowler in my backyard and I'm worried about my baby."

[laurarey.livejournal.com]

I'm a big fan for buying myself time to check out things without setting off the guy's warning bells. I probably would have sounded very helpful, said I'd have to go find the key and that I'd be back in a moment. (This would be after seeing his id.) Then, a quick call to the utility company from inside my locked house to verify that he was indeed who he said he was. Then, a brief conversation with the utility company about letting him in and perhaps they would like to give a call to the next door neighbors. Then, if everything had checked out, I'd go back out and inform him that no, I can't find the key to open the gate, but that his company was calling the neighbors now and I'm just sure it will get resolved.

Of course, that involves lying, which I never feel good about.

[bemused-leftist.livejournal.com]

Consistent caution would suggest something like retreating without attracting attention (or if noticed, sounding helpful, saying "I'll have to ask someone for the key"). Then going away from one's own (still locked) house to some safe telephone to phone BG&E to check (looking for his alleged truck on the way). If BG&E denied all knowledge, then phoning the police.

If BG&E confirmed the repair assignment, then maybe HELPING the confirmed repairman find access to the problem area?

It is about getting and/or keeping the power on in the neighborhood....

[journeywoman.livejournal.com]

I would've been alarmed by his behavior, too. I think after talking to him, I would've asked a neighbor to use their phone and called BGE from their house, before going into my own house (because he could've forced his way in behind me, and then where would I be?). I think a healthy dose of paranoia is warranted these days, particularly in a high-crime city.

As a woman, I have been trained, or whatever you want to call it, into looking at situations from a self-preservation perspective. For example, it's why I don't wear headphones to listen to music anywhere except inside my house, whereas my husband will plug into his iPod and go walk the dog in the woods at 10 p.m. without a second thought. So I understand perfectly where you're coming from, although it doesn't seem that the BGE employee had much of a clue.

I don't think the people at 837 were having a power emergency. If they were, they could've let the BGE person into their yard themselves.

[rivka.livejournal.com]

I don't think the people at 837 were having a power emergency. If they were, they could've let the BGE person into their yard themselves.

Well, maybe. If they hadn't already DIED because the suspicious bitch next door blocked the repairman from entering the only location from which the problem could be fixed.

What I would normally expect is a call from the neighbor: "Hey, we've got an appointment with a BGE guy between 12 and 4 today - could you leave your gate unlocked so he can access the back of the house?" To which we would say, "Sure, no problem." Failing that, I'd expect the guy to knock on my door and show ID, and it would help if there were a BGE truck parked in front of the house.

When I called, BGE told me that they did have a record of a tech going out to address a complaint from 837, of a tree branch hanging down over a power line. So he probably wasn't a crazed rapist-burglar, just a jerk.

[ailbhe]

I'm glad he was just a jerk. But I think the alternatives do sound very plausible, too. I'm glad you weren't hurt.

[adrian-turtle.livejournal.com]

I don't think the people at 837 were having a power emergency. If they were, they could've let the BGE person into their yard themselves.

The people at 837 might have been having a power emergency. If I call the power company at 7am to tell them my power is out, I'm not going to stay home from work in the cold and dark and wait for them to fix a wire or transformer around the corner.

When Rivka confronted this guy at the gate, she didn't know if he was a rude/intrusive/entitled repairman or a dangerous criminal pretending to be a repairman. For rude/intrusive/entitled, appropriate responses would be sternly worded phone calls and letters until he and his manager learn the error of his ways. For dangerous criminals, appropriate responses start with running away and calling 911. The actions don't overlap, and neither do the emotional intensities. Not having any idea which is appropriate makes it quite a bit more distressing.

Even though it looks like this particular guy was a rude/intrusive/entitled repairman, the next one might not be. (And now we're all thinking about the possibility of it happening again. With NStar or Niagra Mohawk or Detroit Edison, not just BGE.) Because really...Rivka had no way to know, with the information available to her at the time.

[journeywoman.livejournal.com]

Is it accurate for me to feel like you're trying to defend rivka from my comments and lack of understanding?

With my comments regarding power emergency, I was, in fact, thinking of the anonymous poster who was suggesting that rivka could have been harming the welfare of someone who needed power for a medical reason. In that case, I certainly would expect someone to be at home at 837. I don't consider being "in the dark and cold" to warrant the term "emergency."

[adrian-turtle.livejournal.com]

Is it accurate for me to feel like you're trying to defend [info]rivka from my comments and lack of understanding?

That was not my intent. I didn't think you were attacking Rivka. My rush to defend her was partly in response to the anonymous poster defending the [apparent] PG&E repairman. Another part of it was in response to a more general concern that fear of doing something wrong (ie, blameworthy) in a dangerous situation can be a significant source of distress, separate from fear of the danger itself. That's a general concern, not related to your comments, nor to this morning's alarm, nor to Rivka personally...but I was trying (however clumsily) to reassure Rivka that she was not to blame.

[naomikritzer]

Since you've established this guy was probably legit, I hope you told BG&E that he clearly needs some customer relations training.

Note to BG&E

[bemused-leftist.livejournal.com]

I've made a screen capture of Rivka's current version of the incident (c. 11 pm PST) -- in case the repairman morphs into nine rogues in buckram by morning.

If it's needed, email me at bemusedoutsider@gmail.com

Re: Note to BG&E

[rivka.livejournal.com]

*blink*

What... exactly are you trying to go for here?

And who are you, and what brings you to my journal as a noble crusader for the rights of utility companies fighting dastardly complaints of, um, poor customer relations?

And are you seriously writing from Tillamook, Oregon to lecture someone in downtown Baltimore about what constitutes a reasonable crime/safety concern?

[fiction-theory.livejournal.com]

You were not wrong and your instincts were spot on! One thing society teaches women to do is to second guess their instinct for safety out of politeness, because it is apparently better to be nice than be alive. We open doors to strangers, we invite people in, we let people in our space because we're sort of socially programmed like that.

I would have called the cops, because even if (and as you say in the ETA, he was) a legit BGE employee, you'd have a record that this person acted in a way that scared you enough to call the cops, and you'll have a record of what happened in the police report in case you need it.

Again, never hesitate to call the cops or run to a neighbor's house if you feel like you really need it. Another social conditioning we have is that we make people feel like unless they're being stabbed right then and there, they're not allowed to call the cops. No, it's okay. And trust me, the police would rather come in, spend half an hour clearing a situation up and then leave with everything peacefully resolved and a quick call to a supervisor than have to call in a rape or a homicide.

And sorry someone had to be a jackass and troll your journal.

You were definitely in the right here to do as you did, and you had a young child with you to think about. Your instincts are good, follow them!

[minnehaha.livejournal.com]

I don't think you're reaction was at all unreasonable. You're right: this sort of impersonation is an increasingly common criminal tactic.

B

[minnehaha.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure if I think her reaction was unreasonable, but I almost certainly would not have had it. Remember, I let a guy walk through our house twice last week, without asking to see any credentials, and with small children in the house. I'm just not wired to be immediately afraid of strangers, I guess. Whether this is good or bad isn't obvious to me.

K.