Neighbor smoking weed in public - What to do?

[hurley842002]

Could you clarify? Almost sounds like you are saying it's not legal to have a loaded handgun in your auto.

There is a specific statute that covers loaded pistol in your car, not "the car is your domain" thing that many seem to think.

[D_F]

There is a specific statute that covers loaded pistol in your car, not "the car is your domain" thing that many seem to think.

Any chance you have a quick link? I haven't followed close enough, but it used to be that the prohibition on loaded firearms in an auto was a hunting regulation that specified long guns only. And the car being an extension of home had to do with pemitless concealed carry. I used to have the hunting reg memorized but have fallen out of practice. I need to re-educate myself in any case.

[Jer]

We call the cops for a neighbor smoking weed? Really?

[davsel]

Wait till the next time he and his friends are good and stoned in the car.
You and a couple of buddies dress up in some surplus combat gear.
Bust them in the act with guns drawn.
Zip-tie and hood him and his buddies.
Transport them out East to some isolated field and turn them loose. Nekid.

They will have a good story to tell, and your neighborhood will be safe again.

Or this:

[cfortune]

Play some spooky ghost noises or something every time he's out in his car. Eventually he will think the car is haunted and will stop doing his business in there.

[sampson]

Just talk to the guy.. im sure if you were doing something he didnt like. You would appreciate him talking to you rather than calling the cops or homeowners association or some other government entity.

[Great-Kazoo]

Just talk to the guy.. im sure if you were doing something he didnt like. You would appreciate him talking to you rather than calling the cops or homeowners association or some other government entity.

This should be the end of this discussion. Wouldn't you want the neighbor to talk with you before calling johnny law?

[Jer]

This should be the end of this discussion. Wouldn't you want the neighbor to talk with you before calling johnny law?

Bingo. Be an adult. A big part of being an adult is doing things you don't like sometimes and this seems one of those times. Cops are there to deal with real crime and not babysit or play arbitrator on cursory discussions that should take place w/o their presence.

[RblDiver]

I'd go with:
1. Talk to him. Tell him your concerns, ask if he can change his habits. If he refuses politely, either go to step 2 or accept it and move on. If he is rude, go to Step 2. If he's super horrible, just jump to step 3.
2. Talk to his parents/those at his house. Same thing, try to be reasonable, try to be polite, try not to be confrontational, but be firm. If they take care of the problem, great, if not, again based on everyone's reaction so far, consider if you want to go to Step 3.
3. Call the cops. Even if they end up not coming, I would think getting a record going of how many times this guy does it would be important. Worst case, you waste some time calling them, best case, perhaps they come and bust the guy.

Getting other neighbors involved would also be a good idea, or at least seeing if they have an issue with it too. If you're the only one in the neighborhood who is bothered by it, chances are that you wouldn't get any satisfactory resolution. If everyone else is opposed, strength in numbers.

(Last, slightly tongue-in-cheek: 4) Fire extinguisher. If a fight breaks out, the cops are more likely to come. Sure they'll probably arrest you for something much more serious than the guy, but hey, they'd at least be there!)

[TheGrey]

You have my sympathy. I hate the stench of weed, and ever since it was made legal, every concert we go to is pretty much tainted because of the assholes that think it's perfectly okay to light up inside the venue.

Your situation strikes me as one of those things that you'll have to put up with- or else handle it with some sort of cunning 'diplomacy'.

You'll know best what your relationship is with your neighbors. I had a Cold War going on with our previous next-door neighbors, because the guy was a complete dickhead who thought it was okay for his Bouvier to come and shit in our yard. I won't go into the whole sordid story, but suffice it to say that it was not pleasant. They moved, and we have some wonderful like-minded neighbors now that we get along with just fine. The neighbors living diagonally across the street are classed as "acquaintances"- we'd give them a jump if their battery was dead, and we wave to them if we pass them on the street, but they've never been invited over and I would not ask them to gather our mail.

In other words, proximity plays a large part in this. Is there a street between you, or is this a next-door neighbor that has a yard next to yours?
Are you comfortable in speaking with the parents? Or would you be more comfortable dealing with the smoker? Are you more comfortable with a direct confrontation, or a more passive role?

You could sit in a lawnchair on your property, aim a video camera at him, and listen to bagpipe music while he's out there in the car, smoking. You can't do anything with what he's doing, because it's legal....but the same could be said for you. It's all out in public. It doesn't make for good neighborly relations.

It may be that the kid and/or his parents don't realize it's obnoxious. It may be that they don't care. I think this is a situation were you need a bit more information before you can proceed.

Honestly, I don't think the police will be able to help with this situation. The Parker police take their jobs pretty seriously. What you COULD do is call the non-emergency number, and ask to speak with one of the officers about any recourse you may have. You never know.