Soi-disant city inspector?
Some dude just showed up in our hallway saying that he's a city inspector investigating some complaints about the building. He wanted to know if he could inspect my apartment.
1. Don't these guys usually coordinate with the super? Our super is in class right now (he's a student), which I know because I ran into him 45 minutes ago as he was leaving and I was arriving.
2. Why would the city need to inspect a coop apartment?
3. My husband is on the board, so wouldn't I know about it if there were some problem requiring a city inspection?
On a scale of 1 to 10, how sketchy is this? Also, WTF is wrong with me for opening the door?
1. Don't these guys usually coordinate with the super? Our super is in class right now (he's a student), which I know because I ran into him 45 minutes ago as he was leaving and I was arriving.
2. Why would the city need to inspect a coop apartment?
3. My husband is on the board, so wouldn't I know about it if there were some problem requiring a city inspection?
On a scale of 1 to 10, how sketchy is this? Also, WTF is wrong with me for opening the door?
Comments
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I'd rank that an 11 on the sketchy skale for all the reasons you name.
The super and/or management company should alert people to these sorts of things, and the board (at a minimum) should know, too. -
An inspector should also have a badge.
This guy was "casing the joint." -
Argh, I should have gone with my gut and confronted him more. He was in here for nearly half an hour while I pondered what, if anything, to do. Shit. Anyway, I did just call the management company and they confirmed that there would be no reason for a city inspector to show up without them knowing and that there are no complaints against the building. I did see the guy leaving and getting into his car, though, and wrote down his license plate number.
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You should call the cops and report him and give his plate number. I believe (although I'm not positive) that impersonating an inspector to gain entry to your place is a crime.
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Good idea.
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Emily check your PM
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it is possible that they would show up without mgmt and the super knowing but it would be in response to a specific complaint from a specific tenant. There would be no need for them to knock on your door if you didn't call.
Also, as others mentioned, these guys have badges and identification, they are very clearly uniformed as building inspectors.
Definitely report this and be sure you have the proper security measures in place for your apt. I would also notify the building mgmt to alert all tenants to not let anyone in, make sure the door is closed behind them, etc. -
We do have renters in our building so perhaps one of them called an inspector. But you're right--wouldn't he have known what apartment he needed to inspect (i.e. not mine)?
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So, I just called the 77th precinct and talked to someone who was ASTONISHINGLY rude. Basically, since I chose to close the door rather than wait around ask this guy for his ID, they can't/won't do anything. I understand the principle at work, but can't believe that the person had to be so rude about it. Apparently since I failed to follow the unknown-to-me proper protocol of asking for ID and immediately calling 911, they can't take any kind of report, even though I have the license plate number. Maybe they'll be interested after our building gets robbed or something.
Yet another lesson for all the people on this board (most of whom seem to have been outed as trolls and left) who think that people shouldn't call 911--apparently it's the only way to get anything done. -
jeez, emily, you must be so freaked out right now. i am truly sorry. hope it turns out to be a real inspector after all. (sigh)
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Hmm... maybe you should post the license number here. We have one or two police officers who read the board...
:evil: -
emily: were the police saying they wouldn't follow up because they couldn't be sure the person was an imposter because you didn't ask for id?
if that's the case, what about calling the city building dept and ask them if they sent an inspector to your building? if they say no then you--and the cops--know it was an imposter and consequently that a crime was committed. they should then go after the car. -
sounds like a scam to case out the building. can you guys get wild wolves and leave them around the hall ways, when they break in. they are dog meat.
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Oooh, or you could call Fox 5!
I'm only half kidding about that. -
Smokin' Joe wrote: emily: were the police saying they wouldn't follow up because they couldn't be sure the person was an imposter because you didn't ask for id?
That's exactly what they were saying, and what I was trying to suggest. "Okay, but what if I call 311 and ask if there was anything planned for my building...?" She was very "NO NO NO, you screwed up." Fine. Humph.
if that's the case, what about calling the city building dept and ask them if they sent an inspector to your building? if they say no then you--and the cops--know it was an imposter and consequently that a crime was committed. they should then go after the car.
The suggestion to call Fox 5 is pretty funny, but those of you who remember my scintillating appearance on UPN 9--the channel for crimes that don't make Fox 5--know that I've been there, done that.
Although.... what if I could finally meet the reporter from my old avatar... ? :idea: -
srsly. call the news. and post the license plate. and call the city. email the mayor. etc. make a big damn stink. oh, and email what's his name - the dude that the guy in prison wanted to blow up - about how rude the 77th was. you write awesome letters, obvi.
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You also might want to try the 77th again at a different time of day. I've found the people who answer the phone there vary hugely in terms of helpfulness and politeness.
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You definitely want that complaint on record. Send a letter to the department, CC some local politicians, local media, and your lawyer and if you get robbed, maybe you can sue the city.
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About 8 years ago I got some calls from "ConEd" asking me what kind of electronics I had in my house --
"Do you have a TV? How large?"
"Do you have a stereo?"
I faked it and pulled the guy along and called bull**** on him. Called ConEd and it was bogus.
Lesson: If it seems weird, it is weird. -
i agree that you should raise hell. "you screwed up" is not the appropriate answer from the police department to someone who is reporting a crime. although i'm not sure i see where sending a letter to your lawyer is going to help, but calling the precinct at another time so you'll get someone on a different shift is a good idea. and if you get the same response, be sure to ask for the name of the person you spoke to and then call or write a letter to the commander of the 77th john cosgrove , the chief of police, commissioner kelly, and letitia james telling them exactly what happened.
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armchair_warrior wrote: sounds like a scam to case out the building. can you guys get wild wolves and leave them around the hall ways, when they break in. they are dog meat.
this problem sounds grave, I wouldn't enlist a pack of worgs. experience has shown them to be unstable, they might turn on you
a rogue berzerker is overkill and would ruin walls and carpet
its best to use zombie pirates but only if you can turn-undead -
On the surface, it doesnt appear that a crime has been comitted. Complaints are often made by tenants of the building anonymously. Without verifying the credentials, its difficult to assume this guy was an imposter. However calling 911 seems to be the best way to deal with this situation. A license plate check is very easy and could easily provide the answers to this mystery. How bout post a description of the guy, vehicle and maybe a plate number so we can be on the look out.
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On my two brushes with real city building inspectors, they have volunteered their badges immediately, and there were always two of them working together. It looked like that was their protocol. Anyone know?
You might want to post a sign in your hallway for your neighbors that don't read this board... -
Your gut feeling that this guy wasn't a real inspector is not enough to report a crime. Just because he didn't show his ID doesn't mean that he isn't a real inspector.
It's the same as when you "know" that "Frank" stole your television. The cop is going to ask you how you "know" that "Frank" stole the t.v. You reply with "I just know it was him. It could be anybody else." Then the cop asks if you or anybody else saw "Frank" steal the t.v. If nobody saw "Frank" take the t.v. than "Frank" can't be listed as a perp on the complaint. You may be 100% correct in accusing "Frank" but that alone doesn't create probable cause. -
Just replying quickly as I'm at work right now... But to clarify, I wasn't trying to report an actual crime, but rather a sketchy character. The logic of normal people would suggest that it would be sensible to collect information on strange or creepy occurences to see if there is a pattern. The logic of the police officers I have encountered is different.
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It's not the logic of the officers but the logic and policies of the NYPD. There is no way to record these events. There is no database of strange/unusual persons. If it was determined that the person was committing a crime then the police could take a report and there would be a record of this strange creepy guy. It's just the way the system works.
The police need the publics help with this one. If you suspect that somebody is impersonating a city employee or utility employee you should ask to see I.D. If they can't or won't produce I.D or if they flee the scene you should immediately call 911 giving the operator the persons description, vehicle description, direction of flight. Please don't remain annonymous. Give the operator your name and phone number and please answer the door when the police arrive. You won't be recorded as the victim but instead as a reporter/witness. The victim is PSNY (people of the state of NY). -
ParadeRest wrote: If you suspect that somebody is impersonating a city employee. . .
isn't that a crime? and what about trespassing?
and if a call to the housing department confirms that there was no real inspector there that day, isn't that evidence that someone who said he was an inspector was an imposter?
and if emily has the license plate of the guy, isn't it easy enough for the police to stop him and find out who he is and if he works for the city? and if not, and emily can identify him as the person who entered her apartment, then wouldn't you have a criminal suspect in custody?
what part of nypd policy would not allow police officers to follow up on this? -
King without a crown wrote: calling 911 seems to be the best way to deal with this situation. A license plate check is very easy and could easily provide the answers to this mystery. How bout post a description of the guy, vehicle and maybe a plate number so we can be on the look out.
this sounds like a good idea. -
ParadeRest wrote: It's not the logic of the officers but the logic and policies of the NYPD. There is no way to record these events. There is no database of strange/unusual persons. If it was determined that the person was committing a crime then the police could take a report and there would be a record of this strange creepy guy. It's just the way the system works.
Funny, because there was a whole show on Dateline last night about this topic. The guy who was hosting (an ex-NYC police officer and security consultant) went through a variety of scenarios where he 1) Broke into a car in several parking lots in broad daylight while people were around 2) Broke into a house in broad daylight with neighbors watching 3) Got access to hotel rooms without identification or a room key and 4)Was able to lure children to his car (even so far as getting them next to the open trunk) in broad daylight in front of other children. The point of the show was that few people actually call the police when they are suspicious of people's behavior. In the case of the show he actually performed three of the four scams in the tri-state area (the hotel was in NYC, the car in Asbury Park and LI, and the kids in LI).
The police need the publics help with this one. If you suspect that somebody is impersonating a city employee or utility employee you should ask to see I.D. If they can't or won't produce I.D or if they flee the scene you should immediately call 911 giving the operator the persons description, vehicle description, direction of flight. Please don't remain annonymous. Give the operator your name and phone number and please answer the door when the police arrive. You won't be recorded as the victim but instead as a reporter/witness. The victim is PSNY (people of the state of NY).
The advice given on the show was to call police if you thought something suspicious was happening at the time it was going on. Give them a description of the person and ask for someone to come and check it out. From the sounds of it Emily you might have been better off closing the door in the guy's face and calling the police to say there's a strange guy in my building claiming to be an inspector. That might have gotten an immediate response (although its hard to tell with the 77). -
Yes, Smokin'Joe, it would be a crime ito impersonate a city employee. The problem is that Emily has no proof that this person is not a building inspector. If he refused to produce ID, had no ID, produced a phony looking ID, fled the scene upon request for ID then you would have a reason to believe that he was not a building inspector. A call to the Building Dept confirming that there were no visits scheduled for that day would also be sufficient. None of these things occured. If there is probable cause supporting the impersonation claim then you could also assume that the person is trespassing by entering/remaining in a building without permission or authority. He could also be charged with Burglary because he entered/remained unlawfully to commit another crime.
No, a license plate alone is not enough for the police to stop the guy. There would have to be some other factor such as the lack of ID for the police to believe that criminality is afoot and stop the possible impersonator. Emily would have to provide some type of explanation as to why this person is an impersonator other than her gut feeling.
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