A situation arose on Wednesday (December 7th) in Bay Breeze Point that you need to be aware of. A group of people were working our community (two on each side of the street). They appeared to remain at each house for a long period even though no one appeared to answer or open their door to them. One of the groups was approached and asked a few questions: 1) did they have City of Norfolk approval to contact all community residents — their answer was: NO, we’re not required to have City of Norfolk approval for our efforts, we’re representing Jehovah’s Witnesses. The group was informed that not all homeowners endorsed such visits and some have filed complaints regarding unauthorized people visiting and marketing their services/opinions. 2) The group was then asked if they had any identification either personal or related to their church — their answer was: NO. After the one group was confronted and asked the above questions, they contacted the group working the other side of the street and they all departed the community.
Following this situation a representative from the Norfolk Police Department was contacted and asked: Given that not all people are who they say they are and not all people working our neighborhoods have good intentions, would it be possible for the City to initiate some process of endorsing groups, church organizations, etc, that are approved to approach our communities and, most importantly, devise an avenue to let our residents know which groups are approved. It might be as simple as mandating that people carry valid identifications and City approvals when they approach our communities and require that they show these documents to each resident they approach. Norfolk Police responded right away with: I don’t believe the City would endorse any organization such as that –they probably wouldn’t even give them a soliciting permit. Hope that answers your questions and good job watching out for the neighborhood.
Bottom line: If you see something or someone that appears out of place, let someone know immediately — Norfolk Police will be happy to check out the situation. And, most importantly, be careful when strangers appear at your door.