Answered Conundrum Next Conundrum

What do you do if there is suspicious activity going on at your neighbor's house?

If you think there may be drug trafficking or something illegal going on at your neighbor's house do you continue to spy and investigate or mind your own business?
Interesting Question? Yes (1) No (0)
RSS

Best Answer Chosen by Asker

Marked as Best! October 17, 2009 06:04 AM
I'm a window peeker. I tend to peek out the curtains when I suspect things. We had an elderly man who was sick a few houses down from us, and before he passed away, the ambulance came to the house a lot. I'd peek out the window and watch. Sometimes the cops would come to the guy across the street who was on parole - not sure why - I'd peek while they were there.

But if I suspected illegal activity... I don't know. If I could confirm anything, I'd report it. If not, I'd probably try to just casually watch for something I could report.

Had a meth house across the street from me once, a long time ago in an old house I used to live in... we had no clue. It was really scary to come home one day with your entire block cordoned off and you can't even get to your own house and there's cops everywhere.
Asker's Rating:
• This is exactly me! The reason I asked was because I'm not one to just go around reporting stuff for looking suspicious. I would like to have something substantial before I call anyone, but I also don't want to stand in my window and stalk my neighbors. The reason I'm suspicious in the first place, though is because of the window peeking...
Helpful Answer? (0)   (0)
Permalink | Report
Reply

Other Answers (6)
Sort By

October 16, 2009 11:17 PM
If I thought that there was something illegal going on at my neighbor's house, I would call the police, especially if I thought it had something to do with drug dealing or anything else that could bring with it a violence component. And while I would try to make sure that I had something more concrete than just an idle suspicion, in this type of scenario I would rather be safe than sorry. I would rather ruin a potential relationship with my neighbors than perpetuate any illegal dealings near my home.
Helpful Answer? (0)   (0)
Permalink | Report
Reply
October 16, 2009 11:17 PM
I would call the cops and have them investigate. You can call the non-emergency number, give them the address and leave an anonymous tip that there is something strange going on at that house and you are worried it may be illegal. They'll send some people out to look into it and hopefully it will be ok and you then you can get back to feeling safe enough to mind your own business. If you don't feel safe and are trying to figure out why, you shouldn't be minding your own business. You should do what you can to protect yourself.

Call the cops every time you feel unsafe and ask for a patrol. Do not call 911 unless there is a clear and present emergency. If all you need is a patrol, call the non-emergency number. If nothing else, increasing police patrols will help deter illegal activity. Remember, though, that by calling the non-emergency number, you may not see an immediate response. It may take a few hours, but as long as there's nothing clearly dangerous going on it should be OK to wait it out.

The cops may find something and do what they need to do to stop it OR they may find nothing, but you need to protect yourself if you suspect drug trafficking or anything illegal.
Helpful Answer? (0)   (0)
Permalink | Report
Reply
October 17, 2009 12:21 AM
I would mind my own business. I live in a small enough town that if the two police stations, that we voted against don't have enough officers, that we voted against to catch a large drug operation then hell, my neighbors deserve to get away with it. Plus I don't think what my neighbors do is any of my business. I wouldn't want my neighbors calling the cops on me because they suspected I may be selling drugs. (and I could see how they could, I have cars come and go regularly and stay up all night) You never know how big of an ass your assumptions can make you, until you make them.

The only exclusion to this answer would be I had actually SEEN hard drugs and the traffic they were attracting was putting my family and belongings in danger.
Helpful Answer? (0)   (0)
Permalink | Report
Reply
October 17, 2009 12:39 AM
I DO have drug dealing neighbors and I ignore them. If I get annoyed by them I will call the police. If they keep it low key, I will continue to ignore them. If I think they are talking to my kids (teens) then I will take a more direct approach and let my inner redneck come out.
Helpful Answer? (0)   (0)
Permalink | Report
Reply
October 17, 2009 07:16 PM
If I thought the suspicious activity was going to negatively affect me, I would definitely report it. I normally try to more or less mind my own business, but it's really important to me that my good neighborhood remains a good neighborhood. However, doing some investigation on your own first doesn't usually hurt.
Helpful Answer? (0)   (0)
Permalink | Report
Reply
October 25, 2009 07:48 PM
Don't do anything, even if you know what it is. You haven't been brought into this, and you should leave it that way. Take care of your own doorstep.
Helpful Answer? (0)   (0)
Permalink | Report
Reply

Answer this Question


View All Belief and Thought Questions

Ask a Conundrum


140 characters left

Categories

Large Glass of Conundrum Wine

Welcome to ConundrumLand

Please enter your zip code.