View Full Version : Am I being paranoid.
This morning I noticed a car drive by my house a couple times. The second time I noticed the passenger side window was down and the driver was pointing a camera at my house taking photos.
This really bugged me so I threw on some clothes, grabbed my M&P and a camera and went out to my car. Now I live in a small circular subdivision with less than 30 homes. By the time I got to my car he was only about half way around and it looked like he was taking photos of other houses. I intercepted his car at the entrance to my neighborhood and started following him while calling the local sheriffs office. They seemed quite unconcerned with the situation but took the information I was giving them anyway.
While following him I was quite obvious about taking photos of his car. I recorded his License number and got a description of him. After following him about 2 miles he pulled into a drive so I went a bit passed him and turned around. When I came back he was backing out of this drive so I blocked him in and took a couple more photos before driving off.
I am not sure if I am just being paranoid but I can't shake the feeling this guy was up to no good. He was in an old car and wasn't dressed like a real estate agent or anyone else that should be taking photos of a house. My place is not for sale, I am not behind on my mortgage, and even if I was it would not explain why he was taking photos of other houses in the area.
Should I not have followed the guy? Should I have done something different? I am tempted to work from home the next day or two since I especially worry about my neighbor. Their two 18 year old daughters are home alone during the day right now and I would hate for something to happen to them when I already have a suspicion about this.
Eddiesketti
05-17-10, 13:43
People that case houses also take pictures. Never know peoples motives for anything anymore.
I would probably contact my neighbors and let them know what you observed so they can take appropriate action.
This morning I noticed a car drive by my house a couple times. The second time I noticed the passenger side window was down and the driver was pointing a camera at my house taking photos.
This really bugged me so I threw on some clothes, grabbed my M&P and a camera and went out to my car. Now I live in a small circular subdivision with less than 30 homes. By the time I got to my car he was only about half way around and it looked like he was taking photos of other houses. I intercepted his car at the entrance to my neighborhood and started following him while calling the local sheriffs office. They seemed quite unconcerned with the situation but took the information I was giving them anyway.
While following him I was quite obvious about taking photos of his car. I recorded his License number and got a description of him. After following him about 2 miles he pulled into a drive so I went a bit passed him and turned around. When I came back he was backing out of this drive so I blocked him in and took a couple more photos before driving off.
I am not sure if I am just being paranoid but I can't shake the feeling this guy was up to no good. He was in an old car and wasn't dressed like a real estate agent or anyone else that should be taking photos of a house. My place is not for sale, I am not behind on my mortgage, and even if I was it would not explain why he was taking photos of other houses in the area.
Should I not have followed the guy? Should I have done something different? I am tempted to work from home the next day or two since I especially worry about my neighbor. Their two 18 year old daughters are home alone during the day right now and I would hate for something to happen to them when I already have a suspicion about this.
Google Earth perhaps????
Google earth uses a spinning video camera attached to the top of a vehicle, not some guy driving around with his window down snapping still shots :p
And yes... I think the OP was a bit paranoid IMO. Probably deserved to increase the OP's awareness, but following then blocking a guy in a driveway, is probably a bit much in this case.
Google Earth uses a special car that has cameras mounted to the roof I believe.
You know what they say, just because you're paranoid doesn't mean everyone isn't out to get you.
Could have been a real estate appraiser, or someone from the county also.
NCPatrolAR
05-17-10, 13:52
Blocking the guy in the driveway isn't a smart move.
I'd let the people in the area know about the car and keep the info on hand in case any B/E's happen
PRGGodfather
05-17-10, 13:57
You could report the matter as suspicious activity to the local police. Give them the plate number, etc. so they can follow-up.
Could very well be some kind of investigator -- worker's compensation, divorce attorney, etc.
At any rate, give the plate to the locals so they can ask him what he was doing. The old car probably isn't a rental, so that's a good thing, too.
SpookyPistolero
05-17-10, 13:57
I'd say it was smart until blocking him in. That could too easily have needlessly escalated, when you didn't know his intentions for certain beforehand. But his actions certainly shady and worth reporting/recording.
PRGGodfather
05-17-10, 14:02
Can't comment as to paranoia. I'm not a doctor and I don't play one on TV. Arming yourself and following him might be a perceived as somewhat aggressive -- but you never know. At least you got some decent photos of the car and license plate, which is now actionable.
You could consider reporting the matter as suspicious activity to the local police. Give them the plate number, etc. so they can follow-up: "Vehicle unknown to the area, taking photographs, and could be casing the area for future criminal activity."
Yes, blocking in his vehicle could result in a false imprisonment beef -- not always likely, but people should be very careful when limiting another person's movement and freedom, etc.
Could very well be some kind of investigator -- worker's compensation, divorce attorney, etc. Obviously not too good, as he got burned pretty quick. Still, when in doubt -- call the cops.
Give the plate to the locals so they can run him through, and ultimately, they can ask him what he was doing. The old car probably isn't a rental, so that's a good thing, too.
If it turns out he's legit, no worries. If he's on probation or parole for burglary, a sex registrant or whatever -- the cops can follow it up, which should help with some peace of mind.
I was giving the police a description on the phone as I followed him. That was the reason for following him in fact, to get a description and to bet his plate number. I armed myself because I never go out unless armed.
As for blocking him in, this probably sounded worse than it was, but the point is still taken. I stopped in front of his car and took a couple photos of him inside the car. My intent wasn't really to block him in but was instead to get in a position to where I could get a photo of his face. It also put me in a spot where I partial blocked him in the driveway.
If the guy had been dressed nicely or looked like he was there for a reason I wouldn't have thought anything of it. However his dress and demeanor really put me on edge.
Oh and I contacted my neighbors as soon as I got off the phone with the Sheriffs Dept.
Sounds like an appraiser doing a neighborhood comp job or assessment of some sort. They need not be and often are not well dressed.
Sounds like an appraiser doing a neighborhood comp job or assessment of some sort. They need not be and often are not well dressed.
around here the county assessors are driving vehicles with government plates. I don't know how it is in other parts of the country.
around here the county assessors are driving vehicles with government plates. I don't know how it is in other parts of the country.
I did not mean to imply that it was a county/municipal assessor. A private appraiser will take neighborhood pictures for a variety of reasons, primarily to establish a comp base for a nearby property.
Ah yes, that makes sense. Most of those guys do actually drive beaters.:cool:
How did he seem to take you taking pictures of him?
post the pics! :D
post the pics! :D
That's the ticket!
No, you aren't paranoid, but you should have worn a condom years ago. Child support comin' for ya'.:D
No matter how they were dressed or what they were driving, I'd still be concerned about someone I don't know taking pictures of my house and the homes of my neighbors, at least without permission or announcing their purpose.
How did he seem to take you taking pictures of him?
post the pics! :D
Agreed!!! Pics please
This is an incredibly common event, and generates a lot of "suspicious person/incident" calls to LE. Buyers, sellers, appraisers, agents, builders, and everyone in between roll through neighborhoods and snap pics to consider, compare, or plan. Especially true in new neighborhoods, ones with lots of homes on the market, or areas of planned redevelopment.
You shouldn't ignore it or blow it off, but I also wouldn't get too excited about it either depending on the circumstances.
I also wouldn't expect LE to be too terribly excited about it either, nor to assign it a high call priority, depending on their manpower and call volume.
Pics or it didn't happen.:p
tracker722
05-17-10, 17:19
***********************
I can only guess that he knows without a doubt that you took his picture when you blocked him in. In that case he knows you're onto him and will probably move on somewhere else if he had criminal intentions. However, if something were to happen now you have pictures and descriptions that could be very beneficial.
Could have been a real estate appraiser, or someone from the county also.
I used to be an appraiser. The property owner always knew we were coming. We took measurements for square footage, looked the entire house up and down, the whole nine yards. Took atleast an hour. Although it could have been, they could've been taking pictures of houses that were sold in the last year, but the mls system we used has a list of houses that sold within the last couple years, specs, how much it sold for, etc so we never needed to do drive around and take pictures. On top of the information we had about your house we needed atleast three similiar "cookie cutter" houses to compare and justify the real value of it.
county appraisers will do this, they also use google earth to look up the properties to see if a pool has been installed.
i've driven through neighborhoods snapping pictures... especially the ones i built. i've also taken pictures of other people's work.. taken pictures of older neighborhoods for design reference, etc. and my work truck is definitely not "new" nor "nice." if somebody started following me and then tried to block me in, i think i'd be out of the truck with my carbine in hand and 911 on speakerphone in a heartbeat.
I read all the posts, and I'm really surprised that no one mentioned this. Why didn't you just kindly wave him down and ask him what he was up too? You can really gather someone's intentions in how they react when you ask what they are up to.
This could have saved you time, energy, and the resultant paranoia.
I decided several years ago to gently and diplomatically confront people that seem suspicious. This guy could have been just like BKB0000, and a simple, "Hey, what's up man? Why you here, what are you doing?" works wonders.
Grayling14
05-17-10, 22:42
I won't address the concerns regarding the potential for inciting a confrontation, others with more experience than myself have already made posts to that effect. My opinion regarding your thoughts on paranoia are, "better safe than sorry". If you think that somebody is acting suspiciously then pay attention.
It involves some time, effort, and cooperation from your neighbors, but you might consider organizing a Neighborhood Watch Program.
This morning I noticed a car drive by my house a couple times. The second time I noticed the passenger side window was down and the driver was pointing a camera at my house taking photos.
This really bugged me so I threw on some clothes, grabbed my M&P and a camera and went out to my car. Now I live in a small circular subdivision with less than 30 homes. By the time I got to my car he was only about half way around and it looked like he was taking photos of other houses. I intercepted his car at the entrance to my neighborhood and started following him while calling the local sheriffs office. They seemed quite unconcerned with the situation but took the information I was giving them anyway.
While following him I was quite obvious about taking photos of his car. I recorded his License number and got a description of him. After following him about 2 miles he pulled into a drive so I went a bit passed him and turned around. When I came back he was backing out of this drive so I blocked him in and took a couple more photos before driving off.
I am not sure if I am just being paranoid but I can't shake the feeling this guy was up to no good. He was in an old car and wasn't dressed like a real estate agent or anyone else that should be taking photos of a house. My place is not for sale, I am not behind on my mortgage, and even if I was it would not explain why he was taking photos of other houses in the area.
Should I not have followed the guy? Should I have done something different? I am tempted to work from home the next day or two since I especially worry about my neighbor. Their two 18 year old daughters are home alone during the day right now and I would hate for something to happen to them when I already have a suspicion about this.
my thoughts are the bold part ? that I would not have done
you might have marked your car for them ? not saying they did ? but I would rather fly under the radar
yes I would have gotten info and called it in as a suspicious vehicle and if its in the area again I would also call it in again !
but I would try to do things in a way they do not notice you or you do not stand out etc...
I might follow someone in my neighborhood ? but I would never follow them out !
you kinda go from protecting to predator in a loose sense and since criminals (if they are) lie and dont care they would lie under oath !
and if someone saw your car in their area and even if they made you react (not saying they have that big of a brain) you following them out of your area into their area is not going to look good ?
officer we were out looking at homes and landscapes we liked and this freak rushed out of his house with a gun and followed us to our house blocked us in our drive and threatened to kill us !!!!!!
YES it would be a lie but if someone saw your car in the area ? if they got a pic of you blocking them in sadly it does not show well on you ?
that is something my brother (a Prosecutor) would tell me !!!
now if you jumped in your car got a shot of the lic plate and ended it their its going to be hard to say much ?
so they have a pic of you in YOUR area following them to get a pic ? well thats not so bad cause you calling in confirms you were suspicious got the tag and called it in
in the other (you go to their neighborhood) worst case even though you called it in ? sounds like you decided to take the law into your own hands !!! (that coming from their lawyer)
again just dumping thoughts and having a brother for a prosecutor makes you look at things in a dif light ? of what they are capable of !!!
OH he puts bad guys away does not defend them :)
but also YES that stuff would make me real real paranoid !!!!!
I read all the posts, and I'm really surprised that no one mentioned this. Why didn't you just kindly wave him down and ask him what he was up too? You can really gather someone's intentions in how they react when you ask what they are up to.
This could have saved you time, energy, and the resultant paranoia.
I decided several years ago to gently and diplomatically confront people that seem suspicious. This guy could have been just like BKB0000, and a simple, "Hey, what's up man? Why you here, what are you doing?" works wonders.
very good point :)
wife and I are looking at redoing our front yard and have been going around looking at others ? a few times if we see people out we say Hello we live down at so and so address and are going to redo our yard ! we really like yours hope you dont mine us looking at yours so closely :) every time it has been met with great and a little talk story etc..
sounds like these people did not wave etc.. that action ( I was not their of course) would make me worry often times just the look of the people (meaning not physical but they way they are acting smiling or not etc..) shows me a lot
others with no foul intent tend to be friendly and wave etc..
I wave at all the cars I recognize in my area :) funny some must think I am nuts !!!! people on the mainland tend to not want to know their neighbors to much ? its strange nothing like the islands where it seemed I knew EVERYONE and everyone would help even with carrying in groceries etc..
totally dif mentality here ???
that is freaking weird. id hop onto my bike and follow them when they circle the end of my street.
I keep a camera handy and take photos of shady stuff here in the neighborhood all the time. Generally just what I can get from the window. My PD ignores the local dealer getting his re-supply (even when I called it in) but I still try and get photos when I can. Non-confrontational is good.
I wave at all the cars I recognize in my area :) funny some must think I am nuts !!!! people on the mainland tend to not want to know their neighbors to much ? its strange nothing like the islands where it seemed I knew EVERYONE and everyone would help even with carrying in groceries etc..
totally dif mentality here ???
Same here coming from Wyoming. I wave at every car I pass on a quiet back country NY farm road. Don't always get waves back, and it is sad, but it is the reality right now. But the thing is, the large majority of people have good innocent intentions, and just communicating with the people around us saves a lot of trouble and lost sleep.
I say this as someone who's general attitude is: Paranoia is A Heightened Sense of Reality! I'm a paranoid dude, have been for most of my life, but one day I woke up and realized that paranoia leads to fear of unknown, and I decided to stop playing into that fear. Yes I am still aware, but I've found that most people will ultimately respond verbally when addressed in a polite way. I can tell a lot more from someone that wont say hello to me when I ask them how they are doing, then I can from someone that "looks shaddy" because their car is ten years old, or their hair is messed up.
If I was in the situation that the OP found himself in, I would have walked up to the car casually to start a conversation. Their reaction would have gauged my secondary response.
DocCasualty
05-18-10, 02:15
I say this as someone who's general attitude is: Paranoia is A Heightened Sense of Reality! I'm a paranoid dude, have been for most of my life, but one day I woke up and realized that paranoia leads to fear of unknown, and I decided to stop playing into that fear.
Paranoia is an urealistic fear, as you have apparently begun to realize. I jokingly have asked for years, "paranoid or paranoid enough?", however, true paranoia is a very uncomfortable and potentially dangerous situation.
As to the OP, I think you certainly have a basis for concern and that's not necessarily paranoid ideation at all. I personally can't see myself ever going in pursuit for surveillance in this case and think that blocking this individual in, even momentarily is a little too aggressive of a move as a private citizen but maybe that's just me. Taking a photo, getting a license plate number and calling the police all make sense. Heightening your awareness and letting your neighbors know all make sense too. Hope it all turns out to be nothing.
rrpederson
05-18-10, 03:18
i dont think it was too paranoid. gathering counter-intel on this guy was a good idea i think. just remember that in a situation like this, try to think like a local police officer in regards to how he will perceive your actions. anyway, keep the information handy. personal information aggregator websites like spokeo.com may use this type method to get the pictures of people's houses. on that website i found pictures of my own house that looked like they were taken with a still camera. in any case nothing bad came out of just gathering info on the guy. how did he respond to taking pictures of him? keep in mind he may be a scum bag picking out targets for residential burglaries. call your local police department and request an "extra patrol." dont ask for just one day, make sure and tell them that u want the extra patrol to go for a few weeks. if they follow suit with other departments, then they should have an element go by your house swing by your house at least once a day. it may help with preventing any possible criminal activity.
good luck, richie
Same here coming from Wyoming. I wave at every car I pass on a quiet back country NY farm road. Don't always get waves back, and it is sad, but it is the reality right now. But the thing is, the large majority of people have good innocent intentions, and just communicating with the people around us saves a lot of trouble and lost sleep.
Sounds like a great attitude. :)
Good for you, hope you continue to be a bright spot to those around you.
No, you're not being paranoid. My guess is you saw some lackey photographing homes for tax assessment purposes.
Am I being paranoid?
My motion lights weren't working in the back of the house. I check them and replace all the lights, one was unscrewed, replaced them all anyways to know if somebody messed with it. None of the neighbors have been working as well, the immediate two houses on each side anyways. I mention it to them and they shrug it off...
Powered by vBulletin® Version 4.2.5 Copyright © 2024 vBulletin Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved.