Odd Phone Call Today

[Don't Tread On Me]

WOW...what a thread. I think virtually every conceivable possibility has been discussed.


I'm not LE nor do I claim to know how they all operate. I'd just like to share something that doesn't seem right to me.


If you were under investigation, they wouldn't call you and ask you for a meeting. Police will one day knock on your door and talk to you unexpected. This catches you off guard. As a result of being caught off guard, you won't have a story cooked up, and you'll also be more likely to allow them into your home. Of all the police actions I've seen - if they're interested in you - they will simply come to you right off the bat, knock on the door, show you badges (if they are not in full uniform) and start asking you questions. They won't call for an appointment, that is just bizarre. Right? I mean if they have something on you - they'll just bring you in no questions asked. If they need your answers to help get them an arrest, then they wouldn't give you a heads up that you are about to speak to authorities.


If they wanted to arrest you and they know you are armed, they won't call you. They'll take you down with an ERT (emergency response team). So you know that they aren't looking to arrest you.


When you were on the phone, why on Earth did you not ask what this was about? If this was all legit - they would easily tell you what this is about. They can do that without revealing details or something sensitive that isn't appropriate over the phone. For example, like discussing some details about a case you were working on or something of that nature.


It seems strange that they didn't fill you in on why they want to talk to you.


This is either something really wrong, this "task force" agent doesn't work very professionally, or this story is internet BS.

 

[starboard]

You guys are totally off the hook with this paranoia.

Just meet the damn guy, look him in the eye, shake hands and offer him a coffee. You know, like adults do.

 

[toivo]

except, for home invasion to be the case, the guy would most likely be more interested in when Jester is NOT there, rather than when he IS there.

My understanding is that "home invasion" is when the bad guys bust in when the occupants are home and rob and terrorize everybody. If no one is home, isn't it actually a burglary? In any case, the caller could be setting up a burglary: If he knows when you ARE home, then he knows when you're NOT home, right?

 

[Torque]

and have a lawyer present.

Best thing I've heard so far! Can't ask you any more questions without one present once you invoke this right.

Thats the only thing in this system I trust.

The only thing.

I've done it and it does work.

Sounds more like the time it would take for a cavity search. I suggest eating a nice big steak tonight.

lol! Trooper Sgt. Analstretch

 

[GhostlyKarliion]

My understanding is that "home invasion" is when the bad guys bust in when the occupants are home and rob and terrorize everybody. If no one is home, isn't it actually a burglary? In any case, the caller could be setting up a burglary: If he knows when you ARE home, then he knows when you're NOT home, right?

Wrong. not to be offensive, but I am not able to rightly apprehend the kind of confusion of ideas that could provoke such a question. that sounds like the gold in china argument (If I say there is gold in china (he is home at a certian time) then all I have to produce is one little bit of gold somewhere in china to be correct (he has to be there at that time to be correct) but if I say there is no gold in china (he isn't home) then I have to have absolute knowledge about everything in china (his schedule) to prove that there isn't (or when he would be home)). knowing when he is home doesn't tell a robber anything about when he would not be, only that he will be tomarrow.

THAT IS NOT YOUR JOB. Don't deal with it. All you do is call 911, and sit back and be a good witness. Take those big clanking things, and stick 'em in trunk, because they'll just get you in trouble.

*toung falls out of head in surprise* bleh!..!!

how the hell is defending your home "not your job"!?!?

load up the high caps, train them on the door, if he barges in, one warning yell, if he keeps coming, start blasting.

 

[toivo]

knowing when he is home doesn't tell a robber anything about when he would not be, only that he will be tomarrow.

I see your "gold in China" point, but all the potential robber really needs is a window of opportunity, not a week's worth of empty house. If you say, "Well, I get home from work at 6:00 on Tuesdays," he could reasonably assume that it's safe to hit your house at 4:00.

 

[Torque]

My local police assured me they would be in the "area" tomorrow morning

Ya, thats because they will be backing up the state police and federal agencies when they come to kick your door in to bring you down. HA!


Your going about this all the wrong way!!!

It is not someone trying to rob or kill you. It is a legitimate officer coming to ask you questions for the purpose of getting you to:

A. Incriminate yourself.
B. Incriminate someone else.


Telling any cop that you are ready to use a weapon on ANYBODY is just plain idiotic (especially a gun)! Not contacting a laywer ASAP is almost as stupid. And finally, YOU ALREADY ARE SAYING TO MUCH. You should not have even answered 1 question, none the less, called back to supply more conversation.

It doesn't matter how many LEO's you know. It doesn't matter if you are bail inforcement. Or a damn judge for that matter! No matter who you are, If FEDs are trying to build a case on you, or one of your friends, they have a long statue of time to do it. (YEARS and years)

Call an attorney's office right now and they will consult you for free. You don't need one until the law starts asking you questions that you shouldn't answer. THEN invoke your right to remain silent. Good old No.5. At that point they will let you go (or I should say 'free to go') unless they have enough evidence to place you in custody. If not, you can get an attorney on your own time and then the cops will contact your attorney.

Plain and simple.

Everyone here should listen to what I say. I know there are plenty of LEO's that frequent this board and they know EXACTLY what I am talking about!!

Too bad there wasn't any attorney's here to back my ass up!

Torque out.

 

[KaceCoyote]

Man and I thought -I- was paranoid.

 

[evan price]

Tag for later today.
+1 on having the hole dug in advance. Remember find cover and/or concealment before engaging if possible.
Seriously don't do anything regrettable until you find out what the angle is. It may really be a little thing regarding a past client or a background check. I had a navy officer arrive at my door after a phone call to check out someone I went to high school with for a top security clearance once.

 

[JCaraker]

tagging for outcome. Lawyer,public meeting place, and the fifth are your friends.

 

[03Shadowbob]

Wow, it must be scary for some of you here to go through life with this much paranoia.
Oh well, tagging to see what plays out.

 

[Evil Monkey]

Wow, it must be scary for some of you here to go through life with this much paranoia.

There is indeed too much paranoia. It's enough to push the fence sitters over to the other side.

You know what the problem is? It's that the topic creator's further decisions in handling his problem are influenced by what others say, and that may not be a good thing. He can be frightened into doing something stupid like telling LE "he's ready to defend himself".

 

[CajunBass]

WOW...what a thread. I think virtually every conceivable possibility has been discussed.

Uhhhh. No, they haven't been. I haven't seen anything about UFO's, black helicopters, the UN, or alligators with radio transmitters atttached to their backs.

 

[230RN]

Tagging and commenting:

230RN said (Page 3),

Could be just a trooper doing a background check on a State Police Candidate. I got interviewed by a trooper when a bud of mine wanted to join the State Police about twenty years ago.

Or maybe someone you know is looking for a federal job... Homeland Security has been really diligent on background checks for employment recently.

And they're using contractors to do a lot of the legwork.

I'll slide $20 worth of chips toward the pot.

dbl0Kevin remarked:

A member of a "federal task force" wouldn't be out doing a background investigation. Plus if it was a background investigator 99% of the time he would conduct the interview over the phone unless it was an address that the applicant lived at.

When I was interviewed, they wanted to do it in person, I guess to verify that I wasn't just some kind of shill set up by the State Police Candidate or some such. And incidentally, it was outside the house.

I'll raise $5.

Paranoia is a survival trait, but...

 

[Dave P]

Why does this sound more and more like a "what if ..." scenerio schemed up by the OP??

 

[Nautilus]

Tag for outcome...

I think your over reacting a little... call a lawyer and have him come to the house. When the trooper arrives meet him on the porch and sit down outside to answer his questions. If you are still nervous about this make sure your brother is there (inside the house) as back up just in case. But I think a lawyer should be your #1 priority.

 

[Meathook]

If it was for federal security clearance it would more likely than not be the Secret Service not the state police. I have done several of these over the years for former employees.

I did an interview a couple weeks ago for a friend who used to work for me. They sent a pretty young girl (I am guessing a contractor). No doubt to distract me and plant bugs in my house when I wasn't looking. I let her in but never out of my sight and only about three steps into the house.

She did show up unannounced and I do live somewhere you don't get to by accident. Made me wonder what she would have done if I wasn't home it is an hour drive from where she is out of (my tax dollars at work). But my buddy had also informed me that someone would be contacting me.

Took about 10 minutes. I do believe one of the tactics they use is to catch you off guard so you don't have time to work on your answers.

 

[Tin Gizel]

Good luck jester....

Keep us updated.

 

[Deanimator]

If it was for federal security clearance it would more likely than not be the Secret Service not the state police. I have done several of these over the years for former employees.

Nah, I've worked in that world.

Office of Personnel Management, Defense Investigative Service, sometimes FBI. Occasionally, they draft BATFE and other types for Federal clearance work if they're really shorthanded.

 

[ZeSpectre]

+1 on Deanimator's comment. I work that world as well.

 

[msimonds]

maybe they believe that you are a terrorist and you are getting ready to be shipped to Guantanamo Bay

 

[Dr. Dickie]

At this point, the suspense is killing me

 

[jerkface11]

Home invaders wouldn't set up an appointment. If you're home they don't care if you aren't home they're lucky. If it were a robber he'd be setting up a meeting OUTSIDE your home a 30 minute or so drive away so he'd have an hour to burglarize your home. The cops don't set up appointments to make arrests or searches either. Maybe you're going to be questioned as a witness. As I see it it's the only logical explanation.

 

[Technosavant]

*toung falls out of head in surprise* bleh!..!!

how the hell is defending your home "not your job"!?!?

Something tells me you need new batteries in your sarcasm detector...

 

[bogie]

how the hell is defending your home "not your job"!?!?

load up the high caps, train them on the door, if he barges in, one warning yell, if he keeps coming, start blasting.

Gee, I love the way the average level of intelligence dives to rock bottom around here occasionally... Life is not a video game, nor is it the latest installment of "Die Hard."

Defending property, while recognized in some states as a legitimate use of deadly force, is not recognized in all. And, for what it's worth, even if I'm in a "castle doctrine" state, I intend to retreat until retreating is no longer an option. Why? My 1911 or Mr. Twelve are there to defend against immediate bodily harm. They are NOT there to go looking. If I can call the cops, and remain safe, while Bubba tries to figure out how to pry the amplifiers out of the rack, the safe out of the closet, and the silverware out from the other stuff, that's the option that works best. If Bubba comes personally looking for me, well, he's in a world of hurt. But I'd rather have police playing at clearing my house than do it myself. They're wearing vests, and they've generally got more experience at that sort of thing than I do...

How much in the way of personal possessions will one lose while waiting outside for 10 minutes for the po-po to show up to handcuff a burglar?

vs.

How much in the way of legal expenses will one lose while ensuring that one does not go to jail, even on a "good" shoot?

Synopsis: Caller got guy's spidey sense tingling, guy now has a plan, and SOME of us have likely learned from it. See what happens, and then we'll hopefully all have a good laugh, one way or another.