SSN Vet
Member
I think this is the best answer.
to take it a step further, walk up to the window and ask "can I help you" and put driver on the spot to explain himself.
Suspicious Vehicle
- Thread starter mmike87
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I think this is the best answer.
to take it a step further, walk up to the window and ask "can I help you" and put driver on the spot to explain himself.
I have a couple of good cameras, one with several long lenses. From inside through a window I would have made a visual record. Of the vehicles proximity to other houses opposite, one closer up of the whole vehicle, one close up of the faces of the occupants as visible, and close ups of any visible stickers, damage or other identifiers.
Then I would have dropped the camera in a bag, entered my car, and like "I had somewhere to go", driven down the street past them - acting as if I were paying them no attention at all - and made the first turn. Then a u-turn. Then come back from behind them, stopped, snapped one of their rear plate, and pulled back in my driveway, then the house minus bag.
Now I might call the police. I say might, because there are a thousand and one reasons someone might park up in a residential area and read a paper. I'd have to be there and see them to decide.
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Then I would have dropped the camera in a bag, entered my car, and like "I had somewhere to go", driven down the street past them - acting as if I were paying them no attention at all - and made the first turn. Then a u-turn. Then come back from behind them, stopped, snapped one of their rear plate, and pulled back in my driveway, then the house minus bag.
Now I might call the police. I say might, because there are a thousand and one reasons someone might park up in a residential area and read a paper. I'd have to be there and see them to decide.
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never_retreat
Member
Mauserguy
Member
I would probably go out, stand right in front of him, and take his picture. If he there legitmately, he will be annoyed, but otherwise he won't mind. If he is up to no good, he would probably think that his cover is blown and leave, never to return.
I actually had something similar happen to me a couple of years ago. I was driving home late one night, and a lady friend, just back from an overseas business trip, call me on my cell. Since I drive a stick shift, I didn't want to talk and drive at the same time, so I pulled over and parked in a residential area.
After a while, I was surrounded by cops. The locals saw me and thought that I was some kind of creep. I explained why I stopped, the cop kind of laughed, and said good night, and the patrol cars sped off.
Good luck with it.
Mauserguy
I actually had something similar happen to me a couple of years ago. I was driving home late one night, and a lady friend, just back from an overseas business trip, call me on my cell. Since I drive a stick shift, I didn't want to talk and drive at the same time, so I pulled over and parked in a residential area.
After a while, I was surrounded by cops. The locals saw me and thought that I was some kind of creep. I explained why I stopped, the cop kind of laughed, and said good night, and the patrol cars sped off.
Good luck with it.
Mauserguy
You say that you, “…could not discretely get the number from where she was standing. So, no plate number.”
Last time this happened to us, I too the digital camera, walked out to the person's car (from front to back, passing the driver). I stopped 20ish feet behind the car and snapped a picture of the license plate. Paranoid? No...prepared. He was put on alert, you don't live here, we see you and unless you have business here, move on and don't return.
If you want to take it a step father, report the car to the police as "suspicious". Request that no car investigate, that you simply wanted document the occurrence and associated vehicle's plate number for future reference if needed.
I say that discrete is not always good. Let them know, that you know they don't belong there.
Doc2005
Last time this happened to us, I too the digital camera, walked out to the person's car (from front to back, passing the driver). I stopped 20ish feet behind the car and snapped a picture of the license plate. Paranoid? No...prepared. He was put on alert, you don't live here, we see you and unless you have business here, move on and don't return.
If you want to take it a step father, report the car to the police as "suspicious". Request that no car investigate, that you simply wanted document the occurrence and associated vehicle's plate number for future reference if needed.
I say that discrete is not always good. Let them know, that you know they don't belong there.
Doc2005
evan price
Member
I've had similar stuff happen, including people who will drive up my private drive for no reason other than to see where it goes. We had some break-ins around here a little while ago. My standard response is to clearly and obviously use my cell phone camera to take a picture of the vehicle and driver and very obviously write down their tag number. I am usually open-carrying a .45 on my property.
What usually happens is people will stop and apologize for going up the road thinking it is a shortcut and when they hit the locked gate 1/4 mile up, they have to turn around.
This one time there was a guy in a truck sleeping all the way at the end of the lane at my locked gate. I saw the truck, took pictures, and the flash woke the guy up, who took off quickly.
My neighbors later that day asked me if I'd seen the guy sleeping in the white truck. They said he had driven by their house and were asking how many kids lived in the houses around me. How old were they. Stuff like that.
Called Sheriff and gave him copies of pictures. They called me back the next day. Turned out the very surprised fella worked for a company that sold children's encyclopedias. He'd been driving from out of state and was catching a nap after lunch. He was trying to find houses that had kids so they would buy his books. Turned out he did not have a peddler's license and was told to keep moving, and the deputy who handled the matter also told him that asking questions like that might not be handled very well. The peddler replied that when he woke up and a big guy with a .45 on his hip was taking his picture so he got the message loud and clear.
What usually happens is people will stop and apologize for going up the road thinking it is a shortcut and when they hit the locked gate 1/4 mile up, they have to turn around.
This one time there was a guy in a truck sleeping all the way at the end of the lane at my locked gate. I saw the truck, took pictures, and the flash woke the guy up, who took off quickly.
My neighbors later that day asked me if I'd seen the guy sleeping in the white truck. They said he had driven by their house and were asking how many kids lived in the houses around me. How old were they. Stuff like that.
Called Sheriff and gave him copies of pictures. They called me back the next day. Turned out the very surprised fella worked for a company that sold children's encyclopedias. He'd been driving from out of state and was catching a nap after lunch. He was trying to find houses that had kids so they would buy his books. Turned out he did not have a peddler's license and was told to keep moving, and the deputy who handled the matter also told him that asking questions like that might not be handled very well. The peddler replied that when he woke up and a big guy with a .45 on his hip was taking his picture so he got the message loud and clear.
sm
member
Jeff White Post # 19
Jeff is correct.
-Just because one has a CCW, a firearm, does not make them Wyatt Earp or Marshall Dillion. Not even if they have a CCW badge .
-Communication is a huge key in life, whether it is calling the Police, or knowing your neighbors.
My mom has been called at work and informed a certain make and model was in her driveway, and this neighbor had called the Police.
It was me, simply in another vehicle, that had gone over to do some minor repair.
Officer was real nice, polite and I even offered to call mom at work and the Officer said it was OK, he remembered me, and then a neighbor came out, visited with the Partner and was embarrassed.
I thanked the neighbor for paying attention, and calling the Police.
-
UC LEOs, PIs, Insurance Investigators, Postal Inspectors, etc. Have a job to do.
I never to spoke to them first, I never walked up to a vehicle they were in or even waved.
They had to speak to me first.
Most often, we used codewords or signals, as sometimes I too might be working and did not need to be tipped off.
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You get a spouse, suspicious the other one is having an affair, and is following the other, and get your nose stuck in where it don't belong, and you are liable to get hurt, or worse - because YOU are the one they suspect is having that affair with a spouse.
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Oldest trick in the book. Attract a victim by feigning getting the wrong address, car broke down on the street in front of a house, or similar.
Easy to kidnap a person, kid, gain access to a house.
Some gun owners do more harm than anti-gunners with postings.
Jeff is correct.
-Just because one has a CCW, a firearm, does not make them Wyatt Earp or Marshall Dillion. Not even if they have a CCW badge .
-Communication is a huge key in life, whether it is calling the Police, or knowing your neighbors.
My mom has been called at work and informed a certain make and model was in her driveway, and this neighbor had called the Police.
It was me, simply in another vehicle, that had gone over to do some minor repair.
Officer was real nice, polite and I even offered to call mom at work and the Officer said it was OK, he remembered me, and then a neighbor came out, visited with the Partner and was embarrassed.
I thanked the neighbor for paying attention, and calling the Police.
-
UC LEOs, PIs, Insurance Investigators, Postal Inspectors, etc. Have a job to do.
I never to spoke to them first, I never walked up to a vehicle they were in or even waved.
They had to speak to me first.
Most often, we used codewords or signals, as sometimes I too might be working and did not need to be tipped off.
-
You get a spouse, suspicious the other one is having an affair, and is following the other, and get your nose stuck in where it don't belong, and you are liable to get hurt, or worse - because YOU are the one they suspect is having that affair with a spouse.
-
Oldest trick in the book. Attract a victim by feigning getting the wrong address, car broke down on the street in front of a house, or similar.
Easy to kidnap a person, kid, gain access to a house.
Some gun owners do more harm than anti-gunners with postings.
elrod
Member
If this is a multiple choice, my answer is "all of the above"-----Around here, we have neighborhood watches. The presence of the sign indicating that we have a watch usually acts as a deterrent. We are nosy about strangers, so no one is bashful.
geekWithA.45
Moderator Emeritus
My ol' college roomy worked a PI firm after he got out of school, basically he was issued a van and some video cameras to see if he could document some disability malingerers not being disabled in their daily life.
If you file for disability, you're pretty much guaranteed to be checked out from time to time, unless there's something obvious like missing limbs involved.
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We had a situation like this a few weeks back. A guy parked in front of my house, and just sat there for a while. After it got dark, I noticed the car was still there, so I called the neighbor to see if it was one of their guests. It wasn't.
Then we called the cops, who showed up about a half an hour later.
They ran the out of state plates, and it turned out the name matched with a former resident of the community. The cops drove around, noticed a house party around the corner, and knocked on the door, asking if anyone was creepily parking in front of my house, a block away.
Kinda strange he'd park so far from the party, ya know?
He slunk in moved his car.
Our cops rock.
If you file for disability, you're pretty much guaranteed to be checked out from time to time, unless there's something obvious like missing limbs involved.
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We had a situation like this a few weeks back. A guy parked in front of my house, and just sat there for a while. After it got dark, I noticed the car was still there, so I called the neighbor to see if it was one of their guests. It wasn't.
Then we called the cops, who showed up about a half an hour later.
They ran the out of state plates, and it turned out the name matched with a former resident of the community. The cops drove around, noticed a house party around the corner, and knocked on the door, asking if anyone was creepily parking in front of my house, a block away.
Kinda strange he'd park so far from the party, ya know?
He slunk in moved his car.
Our cops rock.
PistolPackin'Papa
Member
- Joined
- Jul 16, 2005
- Messages
- 66
As a real estate appraiser, I have had to wait many times across the street from a home I needed a comparable sale picture of because there were a bunch of kids playing in the front yard. Probably 10% of the time, some neighbor would just flat come out and ask me " can I help you?" After I explained who I was, and thanked them for checking, usually they become quite friendly. That only 10% care is terrible.
I also live across from an elementry school. Being in appraisal, real estate, and prop mgmt., I am in and out of the house a dozen times a day. If I spot a strange car in front of the school either going or coming from home, I just drive by him ever so slow, glare rilght at him, with a smile of course, and then filp around and get his license #. If they are legit, they just sit there. If not, they take off post haste, and I have a tag # to call the cops about, along with a discription.
PPP
I also live across from an elementry school. Being in appraisal, real estate, and prop mgmt., I am in and out of the house a dozen times a day. If I spot a strange car in front of the school either going or coming from home, I just drive by him ever so slow, glare rilght at him, with a smile of course, and then filp around and get his license #. If they are legit, they just sit there. If not, they take off post haste, and I have a tag # to call the cops about, along with a discription.
PPP
langenc
Member
Do all ofd the following-not necessarily in order listed:
get plate #-arm yourself-hand in pocket etc-ask the dude "can I help you find someone? Try to get pic on phone. I dont use one so dont know how they function-can it be done descretely?
Sure could be anyone of all those persons mentioned.
get plate #-arm yourself-hand in pocket etc-ask the dude "can I help you find someone? Try to get pic on phone. I dont use one so dont know how they function-can it be done descretely?
Sure could be anyone of all those persons mentioned.
I would advise you not be ostentatious about confronting him, and do not make a scene of your monitoring. Doing so will, IMO, only make the guy more cautious about his behavior if his intent is mischievous. And, if the person has a legitimate reason to be there, it's possible you might blow their cover.
I'm not saying watch him covertly until he snatches a kid; I'm saying make sure you get verification of who he is so that the authorities can intercept him in the future.
I had a situation similar to this happen this past week, actually. I was with my 3.5-year-old son in the car, and we were driving the 8 blocks (or so) to the gas station to get some ice cream (as I'd promised him). The gas station is about 2 blocks from an 'alternative' public high school (for the 'troubled' kids who don't do well in the normal prison/school system). As I drove past the school, there was a full-size white van slowly driving by, half-pulled over in front of the school (it was about 4pm on a school day). There were still some kids about. I slowed to a stop behind him, waiting for him to go instead of passing him (I'm a pretty cautious, low-key driver) when I noticed the van didn't have a license plate at all.
That set off my alarm instantly, and so I decided to tail the guy for a couple blocks. I pulled into a driveway to wait for him to get a ways ahead of me, and then followed after allowing a couple cars to get between us. The white van then commenced going around the school's block again, so I called 911 (I really need to get the PD's # put in my phone). I tailed him for another loop around the block, but lost him at a red light when he apparently noticed me following him. Cops took another 5+ minutes to show up.
I found out later that there had been similar reports recently about someone in an unmarked white van driving slowly around schools. Most likely a sex predator, I'd imagine.
(Why do the sickos always use utility or full-size vans, almost always unmarked? Don't they realize it makes them look suspicious by default? They should just pick up sex offenders on general principle whenever they purchase an unmarked van...)
I'm not saying watch him covertly until he snatches a kid; I'm saying make sure you get verification of who he is so that the authorities can intercept him in the future.
I had a situation similar to this happen this past week, actually. I was with my 3.5-year-old son in the car, and we were driving the 8 blocks (or so) to the gas station to get some ice cream (as I'd promised him). The gas station is about 2 blocks from an 'alternative' public high school (for the 'troubled' kids who don't do well in the normal prison/school system). As I drove past the school, there was a full-size white van slowly driving by, half-pulled over in front of the school (it was about 4pm on a school day). There were still some kids about. I slowed to a stop behind him, waiting for him to go instead of passing him (I'm a pretty cautious, low-key driver) when I noticed the van didn't have a license plate at all.
That set off my alarm instantly, and so I decided to tail the guy for a couple blocks. I pulled into a driveway to wait for him to get a ways ahead of me, and then followed after allowing a couple cars to get between us. The white van then commenced going around the school's block again, so I called 911 (I really need to get the PD's # put in my phone). I tailed him for another loop around the block, but lost him at a red light when he apparently noticed me following him. Cops took another 5+ minutes to show up.
I found out later that there had been similar reports recently about someone in an unmarked white van driving slowly around schools. Most likely a sex predator, I'd imagine.
(Why do the sickos always use utility or full-size vans, almost always unmarked? Don't they realize it makes them look suspicious by default? They should just pick up sex offenders on general principle whenever they purchase an unmarked van...)
45crittergitter
Member
If you pull this stunt in front of my house, you will most definitely get your cover, and perhaps other parts of your anatomy removed. The cops will be called after, and they will thank me for the call.
Devonai
Member
Did I ever state, in my descriptions, anything that I did or might do that would constitute a legitimate threat that would meet the legal definition of the lawful use of deadly force? If so, please point it out, if not, kindly refrain from such rhetoric.
Like it or not, everything I did was legal, and despite the objections of some otherwise uninvolved neighbors, I had every right to engage in them. Don't assume you know how the cops are going to react to this situation.
If a PI is investigating you, he is not going to park himself in front of your house; ergo, if you see one he is not investigating you. MYOB, or call the cops and let them deal with it.
.45crittergitter,
Are you suggesting that you would commit a battery or other criminal offense on anyone parked in front of your house?
I'm sure the police would welcome your call, after all it will give them a chance to put a person who commits a crime in jail. I'm not referring to the PI, I'm referring to the hot headed homeowner who would commit an act of violence against someone who was merely parked in front of their house. Last I checked the streets and roads were still public and as long as a car was legally parked, you couldn't do anything about it being parked in front of your house.
I think you should edit your post and stay on the High Road.
Jeff
Are you suggesting that you would commit a battery or other criminal offense on anyone parked in front of your house?
I'm sure the police would welcome your call, after all it will give them a chance to put a person who commits a crime in jail. I'm not referring to the PI, I'm referring to the hot headed homeowner who would commit an act of violence against someone who was merely parked in front of their house. Last I checked the streets and roads were still public and as long as a car was legally parked, you couldn't do anything about it being parked in front of your house.
I think you should edit your post and stay on the High Road.
Jeff
Shovelhead
Member
If I notice you, it's too late....your "cover" has already been blown. :banghead:
Better luck (and use better tactics) next time.
Devonai
Member
True, true, but 100-150 yards of distance make it hard for most people to see inside a van with tinted windows.
45crittergitter
Member
Y'all misunderstood my statement. Notice I said perhaps parts of your anatomy... the perhaps depends on your reaction to my very public and obvious curiosity, questioning and evidence gathering. Here, there is no legal way to park in front of my house, so that assumption is invalid. Further, I did not assume I know how the cops would react to this situation, as someone stated. We have been there and done that before - what I am assuming is that the reaction by the cops would remain consistent to the previous incidents, at least one of which involved a suspect impersonating a PI and parking out front. Please forgive any unintentional implication on my part.
Devonai
Member
I can see how that would color your thinking.
Shovelhead
Member
The roads in my area are public parking. (including in front of my house)
I know what vehicles belong in my neighborhood.
Any "New" vehicle to the neighborhood that is parked in front of my house, earns a checkout.
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