RICHMOND, Texas – If someone knocks on your door in the middle of the night, the Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office said to stay calm, don’t open your door and call the police.
Many people are talking about the surveillance video of a woman wearing a T-shirt and restraints around her wrists frantically knocking on doors and ringing doorbells in Conroe in the middle of the night.
“It startles us," said Maj. Chad Norvell, of the Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office. "We’re asleep. We don’t know what it is. It’s the middle of the night. It’s dark. You can’t see anything."
No one answered in the Conroe case, but it turns out the woman needed help, according to investigators.
“I would interact with them and tell them, 'Stay there. We’re calling 911. Stay here on the porch and wait,'” said Norvell. “We would always recommend (to) call 911 immediately. Let law enforcement figure it out.”
Norvell said there’s no immediate way to determine the person's motives.
“The woman can be there as a bait -- thinking you’re trying to help somebody that needs it and there could be a group of guys waiting behind her for you to open the door," he said. "You never know."
Earlier this year, cameras caught a man ringing doorbells in West University Place. No one answered the doors, and the man broke in, investigators said.
Norvell said that’s the risk when you pretend you’re not home.
“If someone knocks on your door, I would say, ‘Who is it?’ Norvell said. "Talk to them and let them know you’re there.”
Norvell also suggested getting a dog, so their barking can deter potential criminals.
