I guess I'm a drug dealer now?!

[CreamyGoodness]

jy?

 

[D0ug]

Well, I tried talking to them today and the guy just ignored me and went inside. I had the opportunity to talk to the local PD. The officer laughed and said. Yup you in fact have some nosy neighbors. They call the PD at least once a week about suspicious activity. Guess I'm stuck

At least the local PD sounds reasonable, and at least one of them is now aware of what you're really up to.

Sorry to here about the crap neighbors though...

 

[DannyD]

jy?

oops, (i am afrikaans speaking) "jy" means "you" but its a typo anyway

 

[SKBrewer]

Well you ARE making drugs. Just a legal drug. Tell em you're making drugs and to come over if they want any.

 

[wildwest450]

Invite them for a homebrew, explain what you're doing and they'll change from suspicious to groupies.

Do you really want nosy, gossiping **** bags as friends?

 

[copyright1997]

In the "old" days, when you bought and moved into a house, you would have a party and invite all of the neighbors. That gives them all a chance to meet you, and for you to talk and show them your brew setup and to sample the results. Who knows, you might also find a few interested in joining you in brewing.

Another good practice: I sometimes have a spring party at my house. Last year there were over 50 people and their cars. I make sure I invite the neighbors.

 

[CreamyGoodness]

In the same frame as copyright, when SWMBO and I moved in, we made paper plates of homemade cookies and brought them to our immediate neighbors. Worked swimmingly. Sounds like these dunderheads didnt give OP a chance to do anything like that, however.

 

[homebeerbrewer]

This is a good idea, if you actually liked PO. Personally I can't stand any of the PO I have ever met let alone the ones in my town so I would go to war with the neighbors.
...

Which would you rather have? Cops that come over and ask you what you're doing? Or cops that come over for free burgers, and shoot the sh!t while you brew? I'd rather have the latter. Get on the cops good side, and if you ever need them, they'll do everything they can to help. Get on their bad side, and they'll be looking for you to F up.

I'm wondering if the reason you've never met a cop you like is because you gave them a reason to not like you. Cops are people too, and first impressions always leave a mark. You give them an attitude, and they'll remember that the next time they meet you. You invite them over for lunch, and they'll remember that too.

 

[CreamyGoodness]

My first girlfriend was (well she still is, haha) South African, though neither her nor her mother spoke Afrikaans. Redheaded, Jewish South African girl, I'm lucky to be alive really.

oops, (i am afrikaans speaking) "jy" means "you" but its a typo anyway

 

[H-ost]

Yeah all this, try to make friends talk is ridiculous. These people are fools plain and simple. Good thing you tried to talk to the police before the neighbors had them convinced to talk to you.

When I'm brewing (always in the driveway) I make a point to wave and greet any person who might be walking by just so they don't think I'm trying to hide what I'm doing. As if I could hide a 10 gallon orange cooler and a 15 gallon keg sitting on a roaring burner in the middle of my driveway.

I'm lucky with some of my neighbors though. During my first all grain batch my immediate neighbors saw my friend and I frantically moving buckets around and came over to ask if my basement was flooding and if we needed help HAHA. I told them I was brewing and they said "oh we have a friend who does that!"

 

[sirgeoph]

When I first set up everything in the shed outside to start homebrewing, my wife joked to me "Looks like we're running a meth lab". Funny this actually happened.

I started kind of worrying a bit, but once I realized the old man across the street from me was smoking weed on his porch late at night, I stopped worrying about getting a visit from the cops and having to explain to them. Not that I'm doing anything wrong, but that's a hassle I'd want to avoid.

 

[aubiecat]

I'd start brewing while wearing a gas mask, Breaking Bad style

Ha ha, good one. Don't forget the yellow HAZMAT suits and rubber gloves.

 

[xjmox14x]

The kid in me says to have fun with it and play with them for a while.

The adult in me says to have a house warming party and invite them over. For meth.

 

[CreamyGoodness]

Or you can rock Dr. Horrible attire.

 

[bullinachinashop]

When the wind is just right, light a few hop pellets and walk around with a hand rolled cig.
Smells a lot like pot!

 

[ScoRas]

No invasion of privacy if they can see what you're doing outdoors. Even if they rented a helicopter and watched you from the sky.

I thought that the fence demonstrated a reasonable expectation of privacy, and that stepping on the property to look through the holes would be invading that.

 

[downtown3641]

Which would you rather have? Cops that come over and ask you what you're doing? Or cops that come over for free burgers, and shoot the sh!t while you brew? I'd rather have the latter. Get on the cops good side, and if you ever need them, they'll do everything they can to help. Get on their bad side, and they'll be looking for you to F up.

I'm wondering if the reason you've never met a cop you like is because you gave them a reason to not like you. Cops are people too, and first impressions always leave a mark. You give them an attitude, and they'll remember that the next time they meet you. You invite them over for lunch, and they'll remember that too.

So, one is expected to essentially buy good service from cops? I thought our tax dollars already did that. I'll be personable with officers in social situations. But, when they're on the clock, I shouldn't have to feel like I need to suck up to them to not be hassled for doing something legal.

 

[spokaniac]

You're putting your hop trellis on that side of the yard, right?

That's exactly what I am planning with my neighbors. I just started brewing this year, but have always had problems with the coming out to stare at us every time we are in the backyard playing or swimming in the pool. Tried the neighborly thing with them the first couple years, inviting them over etc. But after a while stuff like them telling us the cherries on our tree belong to everyone since it is in the front and them intentionally walking their dog to our roses to urinate we kinda gave up on that. Can't imagine what they'll do when I start brewing outside this summer.

 

[weirdboy]

So, one is expected to essentially buy good service from cops? I thought our tax dollars already did that. I'll be personable with officers in social situations. But, when they're on the clock, I shouldn't have to feel like I need to suck up to them to not be hassled for doing something legal.

Gee, I just thought it was common sense to be friendly with people who might shoot you if they don't like you. Besides which, you have some cops over for beer & burgers and they probably will look the other way next time they catch you speeding or blowing through a stop sign, etc.

 

[jmoore051]

As far as giving these people a beer, i would venture a wild guess to say those type of ppl prolly don't even drink beer.

 

[downtown3641]

Gee, I just thought it was common sense to be friendly with people who might shoot you if they don't like you. Besides which, you have some cops over for beer & burgers and they probably will look the other way next time they catch you speeding or blowing through a stop sign, etc.

Who said anything about not being friendly? Besides, if a cop is going to shoot me because they "don't like" me, then I may not want to have them over for beer and burgers.

The wording of the post I quoted made it seem like I have to take extra steps to not be hassled by the police. That shouldn't be the case. If an officer came to my door to ask what I was doing with all the equipment, I'd tell him. But, should I really have to do more than that to keep from being searched?

 

[homebeerbrewer]

So, one is expected to essentially buy good service from cops? I thought our tax dollars already did that. I'll be personable with officers in social situations. But, when they're on the clock, I shouldn't have to feel like I need to suck up to them to not be hassled for doing something legal.

No, I'm not saying that you have to "buy good service" from cops. It's more like catching flies - would you catch more with honey, or with vinegar?

 

[ChickenArise]

Fruit Flies? Vinegar

 

[downtown3641]

No, I'm not saying that you have to "buy good service" from cops. It's more like catching flies - would you catch more with honey, or with vinegar?

What am I trying to catch? If it's getting out of a speeding ticket at a later date, sure. I'd consider that good incentive for inviting over an officer. If it's not getting hassled for doing something legal or a quick response when I report a crime, I think my tax dollars are enough.

That being said, I deal with the police on occasion for work and I value a good professional relationship.

 

[homebeerbrewer]

Yeah, getting out of a speeding ticket is a good benefit, but so is having the police dept on your side when someone calls the cops on you for brewing "meth". If they know you brew beer, and get a call from someone who thinks you have a meth lab in your garage, they'll know what you're doing is perfectly legal, and most likely tell the caller that.

 

[weirdboy]

What am I trying to catch? If it's getting out of a speeding ticket at a later date, sure. I'd consider that good incentive for inviting over an officer. If it's not getting hassled for doing something legal or a quick response when I report a crime, I think my tax dollars are enough.

That being said, I deal with the police on occasion for work and I value a good professional relationship.

I would put it another way. The OP already knows he has nosy neighbors that think he's making drugs. If you are *proactive* about things, you can invite the police over and get them on your side before they show up unexpectedly one day with a search warrant and tear your house apart looking for drug paraphernalia, possibly when you are not even there to help explain/diffuse the situation.

Of course the same is true of the nosy neighbor, too. But in either case, it is more about setting expectations and getting people in a frame of mind that is on your side before they interact with you on a formal basis.

 

[downtown3641]

It's all moot anyway. My neighbors know what I'm doing and don't think I'm stupid enough to cook meth outside. But, should the police ask, I would just tell them what's going on.

 

[CreamyGoodness]

Let me put it this way, not a one of us know all the codes and laws (probably not even the cops, which the NYPD proves every time they arrest a topless woman in Times Square, but I'm just bitter that people are messing with topless women.)

I would personally rather a cop I knew tell me (assuming I lived in the burbs) "hey James, that kettle really is too close to the house, lets get that out here a couple feet further, ok?" (or whatever) rather than just a ticket and a fine from someone who didnt know me from Adam.

 

[Homercidal]

Might not be a good idea to get to know the cops TOO well. For instance when they start hinting that your odds of getting a traffic ticket are likely to go up if your brew them a nice American Wheat soon...

 

[PistolsAtDawn]

Might not be a good idea to get to know the cops TOO well. For instance when they start hinting that your odds of getting a traffic ticket are likely to go up if your brew them a nice American Wheat soon...

It's at this point that you need to be inviting judges over. Or, hell, why stop there? Contact your local Congressional Representative.