Anchorage police say suspicious contractors are actually legitimate

Update, 5 p.m. Tuesday:

Anchorage police say a group of contractors in local neighborhoods reported as suspicious are legitimate, after officers made contact with them Tuesday.

Police spokeswoman Shelly Wozniak said in a statement that officers responding Tuesday to a call from the Independence Park area spoke with the workers, who said they were subcontractors of “a larger company doing work in the area.”

“The subjects showed ID and explained their work to officers, also showing equipment,” Wozniak wrote. “APD reached out (to) the company to verify the presence (of) the individuals in the area conducting the work reported to officers. The company provided information that comported with APD’s understanding of the case.”

Wozniak said the subcontractor agreed to provide the workers branded visibility gear, “so there are no future misunderstandings from local homeowners.”

Original story:

A group of people allegedly impersonating contractors or utility workers in Anchorage residential areas are being sought by police, who are asking for residents’ help to find them.

An anonymous Sunday post on the Facebook group Alaska Scanner John included photos of three people in yellow safety vests getting into a black Nissan Rogue SUV. The author of the post, which had received more than 100 comments by Tuesday, claimed to have confronted them after spotting them in a neighbor’s backyard.

“I told them I was on the phone with the police and they took off,” the poster wrote.

Another Anchorage resident, who asked to remain anonymous, said Monday on Facebook that she had recently seen a similar group driving a black Volkswagen Golf near 72nd Avenue and Lake Otis Parkway. She said the men were “posing as AT&T or other professionals driving around neighborhoods, casing houses, walking around houses, taking pictures, and attempting to break in.”

“They have been on my street twice in the past two days, both times attempting break-ins,” the poster wrote. “The police were called on both occasions but they were missed by minutes.”

The poster shared photos of the Golf including its license-plate number, which she said she had relayed to police.

Police Capt. Amanda Fisher, head of the department’s detective unit, said Tuesday that officers have received reports of people in high-visibility clothing “lurking” in residential areas around town. None of the reports to date have included actual burglaries.

“We have at least one report of someone challenging them to try and confront them,” Fisher said. “They became what was described as defensive and fled from the area. So that further supports the suspiciousness of the activity, because someone in a utility role would happily present their ID and would happily go through the steps necessary to make sure that they were identified appropriately.”

Although people should feel free to report suspicious contractors to police and challenge them in person, Fisher urged residents not to engage them with firearms as some online commenters have suggested.

“Taking matters into your own hands is really never the answer,” Fisher said. “In fact, it can really make you part of the problem. It can make the problem much worse.”

Fisher credited callers with providing police extensive imagery and descriptions of the people involved. She asked locals to be aware of routine vehicle traffic in their neighborhoods and “keep your eyes open” to anything out of the ordinary.

“When you see someone traipsing around a house and you’re concerned, you don’t need to confront somebody,” Fisher said. “You can just simply call APD and say, ‘Hey, I have some concerns about some people who are wandering around a house.’”

Police have posted a list of tips on how to identify authentic workers in potentially suspicious situations. Real contractors or utility workers should show identification upon request, travel in marked vehicles and be verifiable by calling their companies or utilities.

Fisher asks that anyone with photos or video of similar people or their vehicles call police at 311.