On Wed, Mar 11, 2009 at 6:27 PM, Peter Beckman <beckman@angryox.com> wrote:
On Wed, 11 Mar 2009, Joe Greco wrote:
In our neighbourhood, we don't have a high crime rate. Despite that, if we saw someone walking from house to house, trying doorknobs, we'd call the cops. The fact that everyone has locks on their doors does not make it all right for someone to go around from house to house to see if they're all locked.
However, it's not illegal, AFAIK. It's only illegal if you enter. Either that, or I'm gonna go prosecute some Girl Scouts.
Actually, in most jurisdictions trying strangers' doorknobs is probably misdemeanor disorderly conduct, typically punishable by fines of a few hundred dollars and jail for a few months. More often than not used as a threat: "Sir, you need to leave the neighborhood or you'll be arrested and charged with disorderly conduct." That's what "disorderly conduct" is for: folks who are obviously doing something they ought not be doing but for which an explicit law has not been written. Regards, Bill Herrin -- William D. Herrin ................ herrin@dirtside.com bill@herrin.us 3005 Crane Dr. ...................... Web: <http://bill.herrin.us/> Falls Church, VA 22042-3004