My driveway is being used as part of a stakeout by the sherriff's dept.

[SeattleGirl]

This woman came to our door today just after noon. She drove a plain SUV, and was dressed in jeans, tennies, a t-shirt and a hoodie. Oh, and her sherriff's officer badge.

She was asking us questions about one of our neighbors. We live on a dead-end street, and this neighbor is at the very end of it. She said that they had credible information that he was growing pot -- like hundreds of plants, not one or two for recreational use. She also said that he has a very long criminal history, and was not a very good guy (yikes!).

I know there are different procedures that must be followed to arrest someone. Apparently, while they have some pretty good info about this guy and what he's doing, they cannot get a warrant to arrest him at home. They have to arrest him elsewhere, while he's making a deal for his pot. So, she wanted to use our driveway as her spot to surveil him. There were two other officers out on the main road too.

Our driveway is somewhat long, whereas the other driveways on the street are very short. Plus, the neighbor's house sits lower than ours does, and there are lots of blackberry bushes along the road and our yard, so the neighbor can't see the SUV sitting there. So we said, sure.

She came back by a couple of hours ago, and said that the neighbor had left home for awhile, so she and the other officers, each in their own vehicle, started tailing him. Her partner is really new, and he was driving right behind the neighbor. She had to tell him to back off and let a couple of other vehicles get between him and the neighbor's car. Apparently the guy might have thought something was up, because he came back home.

The officer is gone for the day. The neighbor is home. And I've had the theme from "COPS" running through my head all day! :rofl:

And no, this is not an April Fool's Day joke; they really are using our driveway to keep an eye on the neighbor. I have a feeling the officer will be back tomorrow.

[Oeditpus Rex]

1. That must be almost like living

in a certain Dick Van Dyke episode.

[SeattleGirl]

4. LOL! Well, our officer is a very unlikely looking sleuth

which is good. I never would have pinned her as one.

[Floogeldy]

2. That's exciting.

:)

[wain]

3. How do you say no?

Saw on another thread that your mom is improving. Didn't know she was in the hospital (I just can't keep up with all the posting). Hope all continues to go well and she is home and feeling better soon.

Then you've been "recruited" to be a deputy in addition to your mother being in the hospital. Not a dull moment in your life! Don't know how I'd feel about the sheriff hiding in my driveway. They sure seem to be providing you with a lot of information. That seems unusual.

Upon reflection, I do know what I would do. Drugs have hurt my family in the past. I would do all I could to rid my neighborhood of dealers.

Good luck.:hi:

[SeattleGirl]

7. The other thing she told us is that in addition to our neighbor

being watched, when they first started scoping out the street, our house, and the house across the street were also under suspicion. Apparently the initial information the Sheriff's Dept. got was pinpointing these three houses, but additional information narrowed it down to the neighbor's house.

Drugs can wreck havoc on a person and on a family. Not to mention the fact that if this guy is a grower/dealer, even though he keeps to himself, if he has people coming over to his house to make buys, who the heck knows what those folks are like? I'd just as soon not have any of that stuff going on next door to me!

(Thanks for the kind words about my mom.)

[henslee]

23. I think you are crazy to get involved. You don't know these people

who are the subjects of the investigation. What if they are vengeful and nasty? What if it comes out in court records that your driveway was used, (which is a possibility)? I'd stay away from the whole deal. I dont think your stakeout location is the key to breaking the case.

[Wapsie B]

5. Cool.

There was a drug raid in our block a few years ago. They had a SWAT team and everything. Guess who slept through it all and missed all the action? :eyes:

[SeattleGirl]

8. You MISSED it?

You gotta be on your toes, bwa! :hi:

[Wapsie B]

20. Yes I MISSED IT ALL!

Didn't hear a thing and my bedroom windows in that direction are anything but soundproof. Yup gotta be on my toes for a lot of things in life. :hi:

[DS1]

6. I'd have told them to take a fucking hike

or words to that effect

[SeattleGirl]

10. To each their own, right?

We said yes because, first, the officer was extremely nice (and not in a smarmy way -- I mean genuinely nice). And while she could have just told us she was using the driveway, and not taken time to talk to us, she didn't. And finally, I really don't care to have someone like this guy living next door to me. I don't know what his past crimes were (I'm sure some of them were drug-related, given his current activities). I don't care if people want to smoke pot recreationally, but I do care that this guy seems to have quite the businss going for him. I'd just as soon have him outta here.

[DS1]

13. If it was meth, crack, or any of that junk I'd agree

However, weed is cheap and a lot of people should be on it, they just don't know that yet

[SeattleGirl]

16. Yeah, a lot of people could probably benefit from the

mellowing effects of it!

[YouthInAsia]

9. i knew a guy for whom a hundred pot plants WOULD have been

for person use. HAHAHA. He was a "professional weed smoker."

[SeattleGirl]

11. "Professional weed smoker"! LOL!!!!

:rofl:

[YouthInAsia]

14. Thats what I used to call him. He would smoke pot like some

people smoke newports. He'd put a blunt behind his ear like a cigarette. He actually chain smoked blunts. It was insane.

[SeattleGirl]

17. Oy! He must have built up quite the tolerance for it

Either that, or he was nearly incapacitated by being overly mellow!

[YouthInAsia]

19. he was overly an asshole. n/t

[Nikia]

24. My friend knew a heavy pot smoker

He constantly smoked blunts and weighed almost 500 pounds. He ended up in lock down in a rehab hospital and took almost 9 months to no longer test positive.

[YouthInAsia]

26. yeah. This character went to jail too and was still trsting positive

for weeds 6 months later. Damn.

[Whoa_Nelly]

12. My ex-BIL was a deputy sheriff

Me got into BIG trouble for telling too much about a stakeout in my neighborhood when surveilling a peeping tom neighbor they were trying to catch. Seems your "ossifer" talks a lot :rofl:

[SeattleGirl]

I was surprised at how much she told us, but since he's been

under surveillence for about 7 months, I'm sure they've figured out by now that none of us on this street have any interaction with him whatsoever.

It is pretty interesting, I have to say! :hi:

[Starbucks Anarchist]

15. What's your neighbor's address?

I'm running low right now. :smoke:

[SeattleGirl]

18. I'm sorry, dude. That's classified information!

:evilgrin:

[DarkmoonIkonoklast]

21. DAMN, SG!

hope all this resolves itself peacefully...

Oh, I just got back "on" today, so didn't see your earlier posts: candles lit for your mum!

... and good luck finding a lawn-mower-person... I'd offer (no fee, just lunch and a 4-pack of Reed's Extra Ginger!), but I'm not sure my surgically-rebuilt hip would handle it, and I don't see my "cutter" until next month!

[Scout1071]

22. I think it's really weird the cops gave you so much info.

Sounds fishy to me.

I'd tell them to stay off my property because there are more important things to be doing to protect America and your town than busting someone for weed.

[GinaMaria]

25. I must be paranoid

or come from a family of defense attorneys, or both. My reaction would be suspicion. To get this kind of elaborate story with details sounds like a con to get your consent to be on your property to investigate you.

Even if it's not, neighbors turning on neighbors seems a bit fascist to me and the risk/benefit ratio doesn't play out in my opinion. The risks are way too high, if this neighbor is as bad as you are being told. They can conduct their investigation without you.

Just my 2 cents. Take it or leave it.

[henslee]

27. I am so with you on this post. A bit off topic but I once had my car

stolen and a cop came over to take a report. I invited him in and he starts examining a brown stain on the rug... thinking it was blood. I had just moved in and had no idea what the stain was. Point being.... these guys are in the business of "getting collars". Avoid them. It is my practice to just stay off their radar, period.

But I cannot imagine how someone as nice as Seattle Girl could be anything but squeaky clean.

[crispini]

29. Third here.

I would not want to be associated with this in ANY way. :scared:

[In_The_Wind]

28. I hope you weren't up to any of my old tricks ~ Sky Clad Gardening.

Do you feel violated?