I would bolt the door and not risk with the chain. Wait it out and stay up till the thing walks away, while closing my windows and putting the bars up.
A knock at the door
- Thread starter SlaveNumber23
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If being wary of strangers makes me a psychopath then so be it. I think its better than giving someone a chance to take advantage of you. Good for you if you are confident enough in your ability to defend yourself unarmed but some of us aren't and like to have a weapon lying around in case push comes to shove. Its not like we're running around the streets with knives and guns hoping someone will try to mug us so we can kill them.mjcabooseblu said:
Also come on, DoomyMcDoom's post was a blatant joke, don't be so serious about it.
Well I'm not saying you should throw open the door with your eyes closed and bare your chest for whatever blows may come.Tuesday Night Fever said:
But calling the police because someone's knocking on your door at an unusual time as a fair number of posters seem to be suggesting? That's a bit much right? Right?
I dunno, I think I'd rather call the police and embarrass myself when it turns to be a woodpecker or something knocking on the door than not call the police and get murdered. I mean someone knocking at your door in the dead of night who makes no communication attempts other than the knocking can't be up to any good. Anyone with good intentions is going to try to talk to you.Hagi said:
Not really I'm just a paranoid person honestly, I've watched way too many horror movies to put any trust into strangers at night.Hagi said:
If its someone I know, let them in. If its someone I don't know, stare into their eyes, if they don't leave in five minutes I would go to the fridge, get an apple, and start eating it in front of them.
I don't know... I mean I personally don't go around talking to closed doors when I'm not sure there's anyone home. I just knock or ring the bell and wait. If nobody answers I'll knock/ring again most insistently and if that yields no result I'll leave.SlaveNumber23 said:
So I definitely disagree that it's certain said person is up to no good.
Not saying you're wrong to call the cops, if you absolutely feel that you need the police then it's basically their job to show up. Making people actually feel safe and secure is part of their package.
I just find it a bit curious that it's such a common reaction.
I'm not those posters.Hagi said:
As I said in my original post, I'd try to visually identify the person first. If I'm not able to, that's when I'd try speaking to the person through the door. If I'm still not able to identify who is on the other side, or if their reason for being at my door sounds fishy, that's when I'd resort to calling the police.
I live in a fairly small town. Not quite "everyone knows everyone else" small, but small enough that the cities we border generally aren't even aware we exist. The police station is literally two minutes away from my home, and I know a number of the officers pretty well. I know that usually they're pretty bored since this place is usually pretty quiet. So if a call comes in, they'd likely respond to it immediately because it's their job and also because it's something to do.
The example that seems to come up a few times in this topic is the hypothetical injured person. I have no medical training. None. I'm lucky I can put on a band-aid without causing a compound fracture. If there's an injured person at my door, I'm not going to know the first thing about how to help them. My parents both worked in hospital emergency rooms for over thirty years, and more often than not, good Samaritans who don't know what they're doing actually cause the injured person more problems. It's in the injured person's best interests that they're helped by the emergency responders from our local police and fire departments rather than myself.
EDIT:
Also, I'm going by the hypothetical scenario given in the original post where the person on the other side just keeps knocking. If there's a couple knocks and then nothing, I'll still make the effort to check and make sure my home is secure, but I won't be making a call to the police. The original post assumes we know for a fact that there's someone (something?) on the other side of the door.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that it doesn't hurt to be cautious if you have the means and ability to do so. I'm not advocating opening the door and sticking the barrel of my Remington into the person's face and shouting at them to back off or I'll shoot. That's ridiculous. Force should always be a last resort. I'm sure any other responsible firearm owners here would agree.
Well of course it isn't certain but I think its enough of a risk, or at least enough of a perceived risk to not give your stranger the benefit of the doubt. The thing about this scenario though is that whoever is knocking doesn't want to give up, you would think that if they needed help they would shout it out to you, right?Hagi said:
Do exactly what i do every other time it happens.
Shout "Fuck you maynard" and proceed to amble towards the door after confirming my friends presence.
in the unlikely case that the doorknocker happens to not be maynard, precautionary measures will be considered and taken in an appropriate manner.
Bonus option: tell the dog to fuck off and stop making a racket.
Shout "Fuck you maynard" and proceed to amble towards the door after confirming my friends presence.
in the unlikely case that the doorknocker happens to not be maynard, precautionary measures will be considered and taken in an appropriate manner.
Bonus option: tell the dog to fuck off and stop making a racket.
Well, we gots a peephole installed in each door just for these situations!
So I'd quietly and sneakily creep to the door and look through said peephole. Depending on what's on the other side, I'll go from there.
So I'd quietly and sneakily creep to the door and look through said peephole. Depending on what's on the other side, I'll go from there.
Call the police, and wait in my room with some defensive tool (probably this large, pointed, archaic wrench I have on display), more for the comfort of having it there than the possibility that I'm going to need it.
If it was all a big misunderstanding, the police will probably be sympathetic (the police around where I live are pretty cool about these things). In the unlikely case that it's not, then I've just aided the authorities in apprehending a potential burgular, or even less likely, murderer.
If it was all a big misunderstanding, the police will probably be sympathetic (the police around where I live are pretty cool about these things). In the unlikely case that it's not, then I've just aided the authorities in apprehending a potential burgular, or even less likely, murderer.
It happened to me once too, actually. In my case it was a repo man who went to the wrong house. He was apparently trying to repossess a car from my neighbors on the other side of the street. That was a fun night. He woke up the whole family with his pounding, although fortunately he was willing to recognize that his dumb ass had gone to the wrong house. He then proceeded to go do the same thing to the neighbors.Phasmal said:
If it happened again, I'd look through the peep hole to see who it was. What I did would depend on whether or not I recognized them and what they were saying. Because as Phasmal's and my experiences illustrate, it can range from someone you want to let in to someone you really ought to call the cops on.
We have windows lining the door.
So I can see out.
From upstairs.
Where they can't see me, unless they're crouching and paranoid.
So I'll see who it is.
If I don't recognize, I'll yell "SHOVE OFF! I'VE ALREADY SAID I DON'T WANT YOUR PORN! YOU'RE NOT EVEN THAT HOT!"
That oughtta mess with them a bit.
If they persist, out come the phone a 911, if only because of disturbing the peace.
In the event that they break the windows and enter, I'll be standing at the top of the stairs, with lots of chuckable objects nearby, with a backup fire extinguisher if they start coming up the stairs.
So I can see out.
From upstairs.
Where they can't see me, unless they're crouching and paranoid.
So I'll see who it is.
If I don't recognize, I'll yell "SHOVE OFF! I'VE ALREADY SAID I DON'T WANT YOUR PORN! YOU'RE NOT EVEN THAT HOT!"
That oughtta mess with them a bit.
If they persist, out come the phone a 911, if only because of disturbing the peace.
In the event that they break the windows and enter, I'll be standing at the top of the stairs, with lots of chuckable objects nearby, with a backup fire extinguisher if they start coming up the stairs.
Turn on the light, see who it is. And if they're some axe wielding murderer.... we'll they first have to get through the door, it's glass, but plenty of time to step into the kitchen and grab knives, or I'll use a chair, so that I can defeat him comically.