Posted on 10/26/2004 5:38:03 PM PDT by libertylass
I HAD MY OWN LITTLE EXPERIENCE LAST SATURDAY THAT PROMPTED ME TO CONTACT THE LOCAL POLICE, AND WHEN THAT DIDN'T SATISFY ME, THE HOMELAND SECURITY OFFICE IN SACRAMENTO, CA. THEY IN TURN SENT ME BACK TO MY LOCAL FBI OFFICE, WHO CONSIDERS MY "EVENT" WORTH LOOKING INTO:
I was walking my dog at about 10:30 am when a man pulled up to the curb in front of my condominium units. We have 23 units that are place in a horseshoe shape with the "opening" of the horseshoe facing the street. The "opening" contains the building for our clubhouse and sauna room so you can't actually see into our common area from the street.
Anyway, I didn't pay any attention to him until about a 1/2 hour later when I left with my dog to take her to the vet. As I walked to my truck (on the street) this middle-Eastern looking guy was standing in the middle of the street taking pictures of our condos. Our condos are directly across from a school and less than 1/2 a block from an elementary school where voting takes place for our immediate area.
At first I wasn't going to say anything, thinking he works for a real estate company, but because there are no "For Sale" signs, or "For Rent" signs on our front lawn, I found it odd. I recently refinanced my condo and they never took pictures of the front of the condo units, but only of my interior and immediate outside walls.
So.....as I walked towards him I asked "do you mind me asking you what you're doing?" He replied "I don't know that it's any of your business" at which time I replied "well, I live here and you're taking pictures of my condos, and people are watching out for this kind of thing." (I was getting perturbed at his uncooperative and disrespectful attitude.) I figure if he was a legitimate real estate agent, or an appraiser, he would have offered an explanation or a business card.
He stated "this is a public place" and proceeded to go get in his car. Me, always being a bit bolder than I should be, got a bit mouthy and said "Oh, so now you're going to leave when someone questions what you're doing?" He replied "yeah."
As he got into car I read his license plate number out loud, got into my truck, wrote it down along with the type of automobile (Dodge Intrepid) and drove to my moms to contact the police.
It turns out that they didn't consider him committing any crime (which I knew), so I contacted the dept. of homeland security. They referred me to my local FBI office in L.A. where my story was welcomed, and that I would be getting a follow up call from an agent at some point.
After talking to a co-worker she reminded me that one school is directly across the street from our units and the other one is around the corner just a few houses down.
Perhaps I was overreacting, but taking pictures of PRIVATELY owned homes without offering an explanation from a resident makes me suspicious. He spoke good English, but has a middle Eastern accent.
I keep thinking I'm gonna wake up in the middle of the night with an orange jumpsuit on and my hands tied behind my back. Shiver........
I believe he also wrote down my license plate number, but can't be sure.
Was I over-reacting you think?
We got strangers roaming the yards in our neighborhood too. They even go in the backyards. Intrusive government is hiring and sending out tax spies to look all around your house and lot for anything they can add to the tax bill. Like sheds, airconditioning units, etc. Re-assessments used to be every ten years - but in all their wisdom in CT - they now wrote laws to force it every four years. They even want to enter your house to snoop. I told them plain out NO WAY.
I just start taking their picture and it annoys them like crazy and they leave.
THANKS for your kind words!
Excellent job ! It's people like you that are an important key to winning the war on terror.
Good job!
Exactly. Any normal person not engaged in nefarious activity would have offered some type of short explanation, like "I am working on a photography project for college" or whatever the case may be. It's practically human nature to offer explanations when confronted.
ping
No doubt about it - you did the right thing. I'll keep my eyes open too.
Program all FBI and Homeland Security numbers into your cell phone...almost everyone carries one now a days...better to be on the "safer" side...
Good show! Well done!
A fellow boat owner saw some strange looking characters at our marina, within sight of the Norfolk Naval Base, in the Summer of 2001. They went out to the end of the dock, talked for a while, then left. He thought they looked out of place, but at the time we were not on alert for such problems.
A couple of months later, he saw their pictures on the news. One of them, he is certain, was Mohammed Atta.
Do not take anything for granted.
better to be safe than sorry. Everyone should keep their eyes and ears open, and ready to report any suspicious activity if necessary.
I perform drive-by property valuations for banks and asset management companies, and most of the reports require from one to five photos (subject front, house number, street view, side or rear, any visible damage).
Most of the assignments instruct me not to contact the homeowner or occupant, and I seldom get out of the car unless I have to. But if a resident "catches" me and asks what I am doing, I hand them my card and tell them. If they ask me why, the answer (if I know the reason) is "confidential".
There are some with an attitude (usually those facing foreclosure, or drug/thug types who think you're "the man") to whom I'd like to respond with a "none of your business", but I try to remain professional.
I have had the police check me out a few times and do not take offense. Guys who look like me slowly cruising some of the streets are typically seeking drugs or 'ho's.
No you were NOT overreacting. I would have kicked his freeking ass when he smart-mouthed me [black belt] and dared him to press chages. If he was up to no-good, he wouldn't have pressed charges because then he would have exposed himself.
As you can see, I have little to live for now but that would not necessarily be your situation..
Interesting. The original post to washingtondc.craiglist. has been deleted.
Hmmm. Cover up? False info?
No idea. I did submit all the info to the alphbets last night.
THANK YOU EVERYONE. WHAT GREAT RESPONSES AND INFO. I AM GOING TO SHOW YOU ALL THIS PRIVATE E-MAIL FROM ONE OF YOU POSTERS, BUT I HAVE REMOVED THE IDENTITY SINCE IT'S NOT MY PLACE TO BREAK THEIR ANONYMITY. I FOUND THIS INFORMATION VERY INTERESTING AND YOU WILL TOO.
UPDATE: I'M WAITING ON A PHONE CALL BACK FROM THE FBI. I INTEND TO "READ" THIS TO THE AGENT OVER THE PHONE. AGAIN, THANK YOU "S" FOR THIS RESPONSE.
I ALSO TALKED WITH A WOMAN FRIEND WHO SITS ON OUR CITY'S "CITY COUNCIL." SHE'S GOING TO FOLLOW-UP WITH OUR LOCAL POLICE TO SEE IF THEY RAN THE PLATES.
LICENSE PLATE NUMBER IS: 4MTR290 (dark gray Dodge Intrepid)
Does anyone know how to resurrect this topic up to today's discussions?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
THE E-MAIL:
Congratulations, Lass. You just saw an al-Qaeda recon.
The school and the nearby neighborhood are the area of interest for a possible strike. Given there will be kids, as well as a polling place, makes it an attractive target.
What you probably saw was what's known as a Line-of-Departure sweep. It's one of the last minute things to be done for any operation, military or covert: a final check of the area for any significant changes, like road construction, increased police presence, etc. Anything that could impact on the op.
The profile hits most of the markers. The fact that he was alone, tells me it was probably not the main target, but an alternate site, just in case things don't go well. The hallmark of AQ is their methodical planning and surveillance of the target before the attack. You just bolluxed things for one of them.
Stay alert. If he appears again, or if someone else fitting the profile shows up, IMMEDIATELY call those folks I told you about. The next time you see them, it means the strike is imminent, that they had to make one more surveill of the area.
Stay calm, but stay alert!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.