I just wanted to share an incident which has happened here in Bryan. This incident did occur, and the police department was able to identify the person(s) involved. I am taking this time to pass this information on to you all as a Public Service Announcement. Please use caution when answering the door in the middle of the night, if you do not recognize the person knocking on the door call 9-1-1.

-- Officer J. P. Ingram, Bryan Police Department, Neighborhood Enforcement Team 7 Zone

A citizen wrote:

"Last night I was startled awake at 2:20am. A woman was knocking loudly at the door and ringing the doorbell. She was saying, "It's your neighbor I need help." I have no peephole (I will very soon now) so I opened my wooden door but left the screen door closed. I did not recognize the woman and was immediately aware that I should not have opened the door at all. She explained that she lived on the corner and her son's fiancé was in labor in Houston with her first grandchild. She needed to get down there but had no money for gas. I told her I didn't have much cash but that I would see what I could do. I closed the door and went to get $5 so she would leave me alone

"As I walked back to the door she was looking down at the road (I couldn't see what she was looking at) and started cussing. I was very scared at this point but then noticed a Bryan PD car in the street and then saw an officer coming up my walkway. He began talking to her and asked her to step away from my door. To make a long story shorter there was a car parked in front of my house (I couldn't see it from my door) with 2 men inside. The officer wrote her a citation and made them leave the area. He then came and talked to me. He told me that the driver of the car was a known thief and while he has never (to their knowledge) broken in while someone was at home, they very well could have been casing the place as they were able to see inside my house.

"I knew better than to open the door, I am SO thankful for God's protection despite my stupidity. The officers handled everything so well and I am INCERDIBLY grateful that my neighbors called the police and they arrived when they did. I have certainly learned a lesson and hope that others can too. I know we often have a false sense of security living in BCS. Please be careful!!!!""