Neighborhood Drugs & Crime?

[cbzdel]

Long story short as possible, I dont live in the best area, but our block is all full of owner lived in homes, everyone has lived here for a long time and protects what they own, and looks out for other so overall our block is a very safe block, at least for the first year and a half that we lived here. 6 months ago one of the owners moved out and made his house a rental, this house is two doors down from me. Since then nothing had been the same. There are car break-ins happening once or twice a week, nothing serious just a smash and grab type thing, but they steel the weirdest things and will leave items of actual value. The past month people are noticing things getting stolen out of their yards, in the past I would of felt comfortable leaving $2000 worth of tools on my back lawn, but now I wont even leave out a harbor freight tape measure. One day about a year ago I forgot to close my garage and 2 of my neighbors brought out lawn chairs and stayed out there all day to keep and eye on things, I couldnt ask for better neighbors!! I am close with my surrounding neighbors and even talk to the ones down the street and we all keep an eye on things. A few weeks ago I woke up to a loud crash and looked out the window and seen a fat guy jumping over my fence running from my neighbor who just caught him breaking into his car, this guy looked very similar to the one that is always visiting at the rental house 2 doors down. Also over the fast few weeks the city had been doing some sort of work on the street in front of their house, so I noticed alot of traffic parking in front of my house related to them, then I started to notice the cars that would pull up and and someone would walk out of the rental walk up to the drivers window and do a hand off, an obvious drug deal, and this is happening a couple times a day!

What can we as a neighborhood do? They have loud parties all the time, and the police always get called but a hour later when the police show up they seem to have calmed down enough to just get a warning. I took some picture of the "drug deals" going on and the police said its not proof of anything that unless I know its drugs and can prove it I dont have anything. Same goes for the break ins, "he looks similar to someone who visits" is no proof enough..

We all know nothing good comes from the house and we want them gone but besides actually confronting them and causing retaliation what can we do?? If it was just me I would not be worried but my wife is usually home alone, she is firearm trained and she could defend herself, but these guys tend to travel in packs, it seems are there are always 10+ people in that house! The last thing we want to start is some gang war.

We have even tried contacting the owner of the house and he pretty much said we have no proof and they pay their rent, so he has no reason to do anything with them..

Any help guys?? These renters are seriously making us want to move, yet as most we bought our house at the PEAK and are already upside down on it, so it makes moving not the easiest thing to to..

Read More

 

[oldbrass]

burn it

 

[cbzdel]

That topic has been brought up several times when us neighbors get together to chat about BS haha

 

[t.huynh]

burn it

+1.

Keep calling the police so they have a record of their activities. Find your home owners association rules, see if you can get them kicked out from that.



Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk

 

[gunnails]

Walk out to there vehicles and down the sidewalk past there house with a video camera on a constant basis.
Lots of still photos. Be obvious that you are watching them. Get the other neighbors to pitch in.

Let them know you're mad as heck and aint going to take it no more.

In other words not a lot you can do, just try to harass them the heck out of there.

 

[darkminstrel]

Drop the coin on some good, night vision capable video cams. You can find great set-ups in the 2-300 range that'll give you zoom and record capability. If you can get the face of someone breaking the law then the cops will take notice. I'd suggest installing secondary locks on doors and windows at the same time though. Reprisal will be fast and furious.

 

[pokerace]

Walk out to there vehicles and down the sidewalk past there house with a video camera on a constant basis.
Lots of still photos. Be obvious that you are watching them. Get the other neighbors to pitch in.

Let them know you're mad as heck and aint going to take it no more.

In other words not a lot you can do, just try to harass them the heck out of there.

Good Idea but don't do it unarmed... and call the cops every time you see a deal go down and get licence #'s.. call the cops every day if you have to..

If you do this you are setting your self up for trouble..

 

[Mikej]

Welcome to my world in NE Portland, cbzdel!

Nice hood untill the well maintained apartment complex across the street sold and the new slumlord took the on-site manager out and hired a managment company. The MC moved one of their (friends?) tennants from another of their properties into the front townhouse. The man is a drug dealer, spent 16 years in prison(don't know what for), doesn't have an honest job, AND GETS SOCIAL SECURITY. The dealerman has had up to FOUR fine cars at a time, low riders with thumping bass sound systems. He's got a whole bunch of friends, they must not think much of him though as the don't stay around for long when they come to visit, they do keep their cars neat and tidy though, they throw their "Blunt" wrappers and other asorted trash on the street where they park. A lot of the time he delivers, he comes and goes many times a day, and night. I have even seen the MAN, with PAROL OFFICER in big letters on the back of his jacket visit the house. He has an old lady of sorts that works a 9 to 5, somwhere, guessing she's not a doctor or lawyer as she comes home with an apron on. "The Ugly One" as we refer to her, has a daughter that's turned 16 and is driving now (Great way to raise a kid). If the breeze is right in the summer the smell of (unburnt) GANGA can be so strong across from them where I live that I swear I'm getting high!

Shotly after these folks moved in we contacted police, they moved us to the NRT (Neighborhood Response Team), who seemd to care. This is where I got the intel on the dealerman. We took plate numbers and descriptions, and times of day. The NRT guy even came and sat in our garage for a while. Supposedly they even sat down the road and watched for a while. I guess the dealerman didn't deal enough for them to do anything! Since that time the NRT officer (Of the month) has basicly told us they won't, can't do anything and basicly don't give a flying F***! We've been lucky I 'spose, the street is pretty quiet crime wise and we don't have (knocking on wood) our cars or yards messed with like you do.

Sorry to ramble, highjack, speak out of place, but this crap has me looking at a house that wouldn't sell for anything near what the city says it should on our property taxes, and I want out of the city in the worst way. I have this fantasy that involves a .45acp and several loaded clips, and a fine low rider or two....Fantasy only mind you, when I'm being jarred awake for the third time in the middle of the night in the summer by a car alarm that goes off when a car drive past!

cbzdel, it has been suggested to me that I should call drugs and vice, not just the police. OR, set up a camera in an upstairs window to record the goings on. If you have a NRT type thing in your hood rattle THEIR cages. I had a account with a house like you have on THEIR street, the camera in the window is what finaly got it done for her and her neighbors. Get all the neighbors calling the city council? My near neighbors stay to themselves unfortunatly, just resigned to deal with it it seems, sigh.

Good luck my friend, I feel for you.

Mike

 

[rufus]

Get some FRS radios to coordinate with the good neighbors. They are cheap and work great.

 

[parallax]

...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

 

[sadiesassy]

You know that could be an effective way - crerate HOA rules that provide you way to kick them out

Alternatively - go after the landlord - MAke his life misserable everytime yours is. If he had 20 people calling everytime they are an issue - bet you he would look for a way to remove them.

+1.

Keep calling the police so they have a record of their activities. Find your home owners association rules, see if you can get them kicked out from that.



Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk

 

[Cougfan2]

I used to have a problem where I live in Hillsboro with a hillbilly neighbor who was in a rental house 2 doors down from mine. Without going into all the gory details, I finally asked one of the cops who responded to a call one night what if anything I could do as I had contacted the landlord numerous times and they didn't give a rats azz.

I don't know if this would apply where you live ,but in Hillsboro, they have a nuisance ordinance that can be applied if the cops get called too many times to the same address in, if I remember correctly, a six month period. After a certain number of disturbance calls, the city will either start fining the tenant, or the landlord for each call. The cop advised me to call EVERY SINGLE TIME this guy was having a loud party at all hours of the night or cursing and yelling in the street. It took almost a year, but we finally got the guy evicted ( I had a neighbor that helped too). They key is many times dispatch for the PD will try to shine you on for a nuisance call and say they don't have any cars available to respond. I was told to insist on officer contact even if it was at 2 AM in the morning.

Good luck.

 

[jkent26]

I don't live in the city for that exact reason, but I used to. When I lived in Sacramento, we had a similar problem with a rental and a dealer.
We got them evicted by having video and showing it to the landlord. He first tried the "you can't be sure that's what they are doing and they always pay their rent". He changed his mind when we showed him the law that said the house could be seized if there was a raid. Wouldn't matter how much rent he used to get when they took his home. And he couldn't claim ingnorance because all the neighbors said we would testify that he had knowledge and video of the tenants activities.

I don't know about property seizure laws in WA, so check that and then let owner know.

Also ask city if you can post signs that ALL vehicles on street are subject to video taping and illegal activity will be turned into authorities. Buyers might go away if they know the risk of getting caught is higher on your street. If the buyers go the dealer will to or least stop dealing at house.

 

[RVTECH]

Affix some sharpened, steel 'Decorative Spires' on the top of each of your fence posts.

 

[t.huynh]

Last time I had a problem with a neighbor, I constructed a wooden initial of my first name and burned it in their front yard. Then they knew the great Tommy was mad! They moved shortly after that.


Just kidding of course.

I agree with calling the cops and landlord over and over. "The squeaky wheel gets the grease."

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk

 

[Spray-n-pray]

I was thinking along the lines of seizure provisions if it is a known drug house. That should get the owner's attention. Even worse, if it is a meth house, and doesn't even get seized, it is still a loss for the owner. The house would probably be condemned.

 

[sadiesassy]

A couple streets over they had a man + woman occupy this house. Police were to busy doing other things to do anything about it.

So the neighbors set up an observation and photo area where they took turns through out the day and part of night, filming anyone who went there, their activities, etc. But just the fact that there was always 3-5 people sitting in front of the house - His business dried up and they got concerned the police may actually do something.
Think his power and gas went out a few times ( Wonder how that happened).

They also had a lawyer send a letter to the owner of the property threatening a suit if they did not address it

Only option is to really focus on the land owner and have him take responsibility

 

[Cougfan2]

Only option is to really focus on the land owner and have him take responsibility

+1 on this. If it's a rental, the ONLY way is to cause pain for the landlord. Threaten to cut off or curtail their revenue stream and they will respond.

 

[deen_ad]

You know that could be an effective way - crerate HOA rules that provide you way to kick them out

Can't be done after the fact, must be a part of the deed when the property is bought.

 

[Navvet]

Are you sure it was real street workers? Funny how things suddenly happen.