Neighbors know you are a cop?

[gdowkpc]

I wanted to pose the question to see how you deal with your neighbors. Do they know you are a cop? Do you keep it as low key as possible (like me)? If they know you are a cop, do they try to make you their personal neighborhood policeman? Do you get blamed when the cops show up down the street at a problem house or when parking enforcement tags your neighbor parked in front of the hydrant?

I have had the above problems, even though that when i move, I don't tell anyone. But it gets out. This last time, the realtor wanted to know what my profession was so she could pitch my family to the family selling the house. The vacating family told the neighbors before they moved out. The neighbor kids want me to protect them when they get pivked on and the neighbors want advice on slowing traffic down and how to get rid of the dope dealer around the corner. I don't live in a different city than who I work for.

The last street I lived on had a dope house that the police focused on. The neighbors asked me how to deal with the dope problem. I told them to call the local police. They did, then the dope dealers muscle came knocking at my door to ask why I turned him in (I wasn't home, a neighbor intercepted him.).

Anyways, I may add some of my problems when the posts start coming in. I have lived at my new house on 8 months and I already want to move to a secluded house out in the country.....my neighbors drive me nuts.:mad:

[BAT]

I'm not a LEO, but I can say that in the city I live in ALL the Local police are allowed to take the patrol car they use home with them, essentially it is their car to take care of. This does two things, not as many miles on each car per day, and PR for the city, has helped local communities. A cop in every neighborhood. I know several LEO's and they really like it, never had any problems...

The city figures in the long run, it is the same cost, it is either more cars and less repairs per year or fewer cars and lots of repair cost.. in the very long run it seems to be cheaper for the city haveing more cars

IF your a LEO the word will get out, so just let people know. :p

BAT

[shebear]

I'm a cop from Nassau Co. Florida, we have take home cars.
Everyone in the neighborhood, obviously knows what I do for a living. I am currently assigned to the courthouse, so I no longer have a take home car, but I still live in the same place as when I did. I have never had any problems. My next door neighbor is a State Trooper and I think he has had more people knock on his door for either help or advise.
What I have a problem with is certain family members. You never hear from them unless they have a problem they want you to fix. Especially when they get a ticket they want you to fix and get irked when you tell them you can't.
I don't know about the rest of you guys but I wouldn't want people bugging me at home when I'm off duty either. I think if you continue to give the standard answer of "call the police", for any problems and helping only for emergencies the people in the neighbor will get the message. As far as the drug cronies, I would tell them to get off my property unless they wanted to go to jail for trespassing.
If you like your house and the area you live in I wouldn't move. However, if you have a family and it is a high crime neighbor, I would move to a better neighborhood. Good luck and I hope things work out soon.

[gdowkpc]

We'd love to have take home cars here. Except that we're worried about the person who knocks on your door in the middle of the night because the neighbors are too loud or because he needs directions to the freeway.

The only family problem I've had is when my sister and her husband called me in the middle of the night because they heard a noise downstairs. I asked them if it was easier to call my number than 9-1-1. They were calling to find out if they should call 9-1-1 (come on now). The police came out and it was nothing. I had to have a talk about waking me up during my beauty sleep.

[Officer Moe]

I have a take-home but I live outside my jurisdiction. My neighbors know I have no power but advice is always available between the hours of 6 am and 10 pm.

I called 9-1-1 on a domestic that occured on our street about a year ago. Truck driver parked his rig on our cul-de-sac all the time and walked over to his street. His wife went psycho on him and he attempted to leave in his rig. She jumped up in the drivers window and he tried to drive off. He hit a light pole in the process. They both went to jail. Saw his rig one time after that and that was it. No more problems.

Before that I lived next to a meth-head. She got busted about 2 years after I moved for a lab. She was pretty friendly to all police until she got into trouble with them. Turned her property over to her attorney to bond out on her manufacturing charge.

I try to be friendly to my neighbors but not too friendly.

[Stump]

Even though I am not a cop, my neighbors know what I do, and my hours. I do get people asking me if they should call 911 for some things, and I always get the stories about their run-ins with cops, or where they had to call 911.
I have officers that stop by my house a lot in their cruisers, and I had explained to my next door neighbors not to freak out if they see it.
I also have a cop neighbor and she hasn't had any problems.

I did have a situation once in my apartment where my neighbor had an allergic reaction to a bee sting, and her mom came to get me before calling 911. I am glad to help with stuff like that, but she knows not to waste valuable time like that anymore.

GDow, feel free to move to my street. The house 2 doors down is for sale. :D We are a good neighborhood.

[Lfpdlieu302]

i live in a small "cop town" so to speak, there are at least 4 or 5 cops in our small two road sub-division. we dont get much trouble, but when we do we try and take care of it until the local popo get there. i've also got a county commision so i have jurisdiction even out of my city in my county, i just got that so it should be interesting to see how often i'll use it up here. just recently the hood seems to be turning into a hood. the only problem i've really had is with my bithcy neighbor who doesnt like me for some reason. everything from my supposed trash flying onto their lawn, to my grass clippings from mowing being on "their side".. they actually once had the balls to pick up a bunch of trash that they thought was mine, and place the bag on the hood of my unit!! to say the least, we both had a "come to Jesus meeting" over that one. wanna know whats funny? its the wife thats doing all this, the husband gets home and wont even look at me!! she told me once that i thought that i was above the law because i was a cop!! all because of my boat being too close to her "lawn line"!! its a pain, but besides that no probs. lol;)

[Oldbillplod]

My neighbour called me when her husband had a heart attack before calling the ambulance, because of that he died.
The same neighbour saw funny lights in the sky and thought they were from a UFO, so thought he would ask my advice.....they were from a local nightclub.
I've since moved.

[Charlie]

I've been pretty lucky with this issue and haven't had too many related problems. Whenever possible, I try and keep my professional status to myself and try not to "advertise" what I do. The only time I had a take home vehicle was when I was a motor officer but even then, I did not have too much trouble with the middle of the night door knocks, or questions about how to fix a ticket., etc. I dunno, maybe it is the way I handle things or somethng I guess.

And, I try to be selective about the neighborhoods I've decided to move into in the past when I was looking to move elsewhere. Obviously, it isn't fool-proof because sometimes you'll have the neighbor types who will come to you for every problem imagineable. If you have the "gift of gab," sometimes you can hopefully handle the situations diplomatically and resolve the issue at hand. I try and and be honest and up front about someone's possible options. And, I let them know it is often best to dial 9-1-1 like anyone else to have their probelm handled. Not trying to duck any responsibility but realisitically, what the hell am I supposed to do off duty and at home?

Otherwise, I am not aware of any "magic bullets" and sooner than later it seems, the 'hood finds out what you do to some extent.

--
Charlie

[gdowkpc]

Oh, I am just so frustrated. This is the second place I have moved into since becoming a cop. The last place I was at, a neighbor came over and picked my brain on how to handle her boyfriend who beats her up and does drugs. I assume the boyfriend would resent the advice I gave since it involved recommending she call his P.O. and have his probation revoked.

All the neighbors think I am going to call the police on them when they park funny or light off fireworks. I have to tell them that I do not bring my work home with me (I really don't). And the only thing that I am going to call the police on is violent crime occurring now or property crimes in progress. Although parking problems bother me, I intentionally turn a blind eye so the neighbors can have some breathing room. I dread the day that something so wrong happens that I actually have to get involved (our G.O's require us to get involved in certain major incidents and can be discpilined for failing to act).

I don't understand why I have these problems because I am a really nice guy. I kinda keep to myself. I'm not a partier, and I have 2 small daughters to worry about. I don't chase cars down the street to confront speeding drivers and I don't pound on neighbors doors to complain about music.

Read the next post for my latest saga.

[gdowkpc]

We have a greenspace behind my yard that is owned by the housing accociation. Some kids built a tree house in a pine tree. Not a big deal except for the constant hammering that keeps my kids from napping, the open area peeing, the peering into my windows, constant trash and construction debris on the ground, and kids smoking and starting small fires in the tree.

So, I bite my tongue for a month or two but it keeps getting worse and becomes the teen hangout/hiding spot. I find mariguana butts on the ground.

So finally I go out and ask the kids nicely to please stop building in the tree and ask them if they would just go away and not come back. They tell me they are not doing anything wrong. So I name off the laws they are breaking. They challenge my knowledge, so I tell them I am a cop (broke my own rule, but hoped it would be worth it in an attempt to deter criminal activity behind my yard). It was a friendly conversation, and maybe too friendly because they kept coming back.

I talked to a friend who is a police officer in the jurisdiction that I live in. He said, go out there tell them you are a cop and to knock it off or I would call Troutdale Police. Broke my rule again and I did...a little firmer. Their visits stopped for about a week, but picked up again. I wished I knew where the kids lived because I would have talked to their parents about it.

So I come home one day and there is an abundance of construction materials (plywood) all over the base of the tree and large foam bed pads. It looked like a transient camp out there. I have no fence between my yard and the tree so I have full view. So, I go out and clean up the mess.

Next day, the kids are back. I yell to them that they need to leave or I am calling the police. Parents show up on my doorstep all pissed. I hate tensions between neighbors, so after an initial don't tread on me discussion, we came to an understanding. But not before they accused me of strong arming their kids with cop threats (kids distorted statements to the parents). I spent the better part of an hour smoothing things with the parents and trying to show them that I'm not some a-hole cop down the street, I just had some legitimate issues. They seemed ok when they left, but they were so mad when they showed up that I think it will take time.

So, maybe I should've hunted the parents down and bypassed the kids to that point. But the parents don't think it's a problem that the kids are up in that tree causing these problems, so I would've got nowhere anyways.

I've been honest with both parts of the story. You don't have to assume that you've heard just one side. It's the difference between protective parents not wanting their 'good kids' confronted and me who wants a decent living environment.

What do you think...did I bring the problem on myself, or did they over react?

[Charlie]

My vote is they've most definitely overreacted and you also have the classic case of, "My little Johnny didn't do, or wouldn't do....." AND, of course, "My little Johnny would never lie about......."

I really don't have a good answer for you on this one......maybe you need to do some video taping for "just in case" purposes in the event things get any worse. Sadly, it might be the next step of what you might need to do.

Otherwise, I really don't have any other answers.....

You sure there isn't a black cloud following you around or something?:D

--
Charlie

[Lfpdlieu302]

if it keeps up, you probably need to go ahead and call the agency with jurisdiction and have them take a formal report and speak with the parents and the kids. if they are breaking the law, perhaps some dollars out of mommy and daddy's pocket book as well as explaining to a judge what happened will stop the problem.

[gdowkpc]

Now I know what it feels like to be the victim of crime and not want to press charges because you are worried about dealing with retaliation and neighbors that hate you.

I'm working on a lit bit more tolerance and opening the lines of communication with the parents. I hope that I can earn some trust and respect so that they are more friend-like, and therefore more willing to work with me.

I can be more friendly or more stern. I am going to try to be more friendly and see how that works, while also protecting myself.

[Stump]

GDow, I'm telling ya... move here... no problems.. :D

I wouldn't have the patience you do, and I would call the agency and ask them to up the patrols in the area a little more. That way, if the kids get caught, it wouldn't be because you called - the popo would just happen to be cruising through and see the situation.