(Lawrenceville, Georgia)  Gwinnett County Police Department burglary detectives would like to warn the public about a particular method commonly used by burglars to select targets.  Residential burglars often approach a target home and ring the doorbell.  If no one answers, the burglar goes to the back door and knocks there also.  If no one answers again, the burglar forces entry through the back door and burglarizes the residence.  Part of this scheme is having an excuse for ringing the doorbell in the first place, in case a resident answers the door.  Often the burglar will act as a door-to-door salesman and offer some product or service the resident is unlikely to want.

To counteract this particular scheme, residents should be aware of county ordinances for door-to-door solicitors or canvassers.  Gwinnett County requires solicitors or canvassers to acquire a permit.  The permit ID card must be displayed prominently on their person (example photo below).  Residents should be suspicious of any adult soliciting or canvassing without this ID card and are encouraged to call police.

There are exemptions to this rule; for example, children under age 15 who are going door-to-door for a non-profit organization (a school fundraiser, for example), are exempt from this requirement.  For a full list of rules and exemptions regarding door-to-door soliciting, read Gwinnett County Ordinance 18-391.  This can be found here: https://www.gwinnettcounty.com/web/gwinnett/Departments/BoardofCommissioners/MunicipalCodes

In a related matter, Ring doorbell security devices and similar products are becoming more and more popular with homeowners in Gwinnett.  Most people use the Neighbors App or a similar platform to post videos of suspicious activity or crime captured by their devices—this is a great tool for keeping neighbors informed.  In addition to posting online, GCPD burglary detectives would like to remind device owners to also report these events to police for investigation.  Call 770-513-5100 to report suspicious activity after the fact; call 911 during an incident.

Detectives are currently investigating a burglary that occurred on October 18, 2019 on Normandy Ridge, unincorporated Lawrenceville.  Footage from the victim’s security camera shows an unknown suspect attempting to enter the back door.  Another video from the area, about a week prior to the burglary, shows canvassers approaching a house without appropriate ID.  Anyone with information on this case or the people in the videos is asked to contact burglary detectives at 770-513-5300.