The Police

I guess I'll delve into the situation with the police department visiting my house yet again on Thursday.

I was in my house, online and checking things out when Mark came and asked me if I knew what was going on across the street. No. I went out there, the ex-con and the 30-something year old meth user on Shirley's property, going underneath her house for what reason I did not know.

I went inside and got my camera and started videoing them. I was still on my property and yelled over there, asking them what they were doing. They didn't respond, of course, I really didn't expect them to. For a couple of years now, I have been getting harassed by both of them and recently decided - after that idiot threatened one of my tenants telling him he was going to have me killed for catching cats - that I was not going to take any more of either of their BS - at all. I did yell at him down the street: Hey, why don't you come over here and threaten to kill me again?

Probably not the smartest move on earth, but, I have taken enough abuse from them without giving any kind of response that I vented a bit. They called the police.

I came out a bit later to find them entering my property, removing the lock off of the gate and letting themselves in. They didn't bother to try and use the doorbell button that is clearly visible out front. I had already spoken with the Department about this practice of theirs of just entering my property without even trying to use the doorbell.

These were YOUNG cops. They immediately gave off attitude. I don't tolerate it. They didn't want to hear anything I had to say, they just wanted to tell me how things were going to go. Instead of responding to it, I asked the youngest looking one - I swear he didn't look 18 years old - to please close the gate. "I am not going to close the gate". I took the time to tell them that my dogs were in the house but would eventually come out and would beeline it straight for the gate if he didn't close it.

He flatly, smugly and adamantly refused to close the gate. I wasn't going to stop asking him until he did it. His third response was: Not only am I NOT going to close the gate, I am going to fire upon your dogs if they try to bite me. Unbelievable. I stopped talking to them altogether and called the police department. "What are you doing? Are you calling the police department?!" YES, I AM. After this display of unprofessional, outrageous and juvenile behavior, I refused to talk to them further.

I asked for a manager once I got an officer on the phone. I was informed there are no managers there. Because I used the wrong terminology, they refused to allow me to speak to anyone. I then simply stated: whoever is the next up in the chain of command. That got me a supervisor. I began asking her about the police simply allowing themselves onto my property, reaching through a gate and removing a lock without any probable cause. She refused to answer my question. I asked again, she again refused to answer my question, stating a Sergeant was on his way over there and that HE would answer my questions. I asked her how long this was going to take, it was getting late and I had to get up at 3:15 am the next morning.

She never answered my question and eventually hung up on me. Meanwhile, the dogs all came out. And yes, the Danes went straight to the gate after sniffing the cop with the attitudinal problem. I said nothing, I wanted to see if he would actually let my dogs run free through the gate. They ran straight to him, he backed up, they did nothing more than sniff and then took off for the gate. This guy runs for the gate and shuts it - not all the way closed though - but enough to keep them from getting out.

I didn't say another word to these cops the entire time they were there. I waited for the sergeant. The young dude stood there, holding the gate instead of simply latching it shut. The sergeant and a slew of other cop cars arrives. I guess it was my inference that South Mountain precinct already HAS a bad reputation - NATIONWIDE - and that I could help that along further with this cop refusing to close my gate that got all of them out there. There were at least 7 cop cars in front of my house. This sergeant had a huge entourage accompanying him through the gate.

You would have thought the Prince of Persia was visiting my property. I was completely unimpressed or intimidated. Apparently this is what they wanted to do, intimidate me. With a person like me, this only makes things worse. Don't these officers have other and much more productive things to do than have THAT many people showing up at a residence that clearly is not offering any type of violence, physical resistance or anything, really, that would facilitate the need for so many officers? Apparently not. They ALL stayed there, too, the entire time the sergeant was there.

The sergeant was hardly a go-between. He informed me that I had broken the law. For what, I asked, videoing 2 guys trespassing on a neighbor's property? No, he stated emphatically, the law YOU broke was Disorderly Conduct. This is the generic thing that cops use when they don't have anything to hold against you but they want to make trouble for you. Sorry Charlie, that wasn't working with me, either. The sergeant then stated I had harassed those 2 when I approached them and started yelling at them.

I politely, but emphatically informed the officer that I had never ONCE left my property except to look at the address of my neighbor on her mailbox in case those 2 took their trespassing to a higher level. I also informed the officer that one of them is a meth head - he does nothing but get high all day long and the other is an ex-convict who spent 9 years in prison for selling methamphetamine out of his house. This guy was starting to act as bad as the kid cop who was threatening to shoot my dogs. Well, he stated, I have meth users on my street and I don't have problems with them.

????I'll bet he doesn't! They undoubtedly know he's a cop and they aren't going to go anywhere near him! ROFL!! I asked him if he had them over for dinner? Does he talk to them? Does he WANT to talk to them? Does he have BBQ's with them? Ohhh, nooooo, I don't want anything to with them. Yes, EXACTLY!!! I don't bother with these guys, they have started this crap with ME and kept it going for over 2 years now.

The end? They all left. They weren't getting anywhere with me and if they wanted to arrest me on a bogus charge of disorderly conduct, have at it. Trial by jury and then sue the Phoenix Police Department. I have now written a letter to the chief of police and if that doesn't get anywhere, I'll just have to go down there and ask for an audience with him. Or make an appointment if I have to. Any way about it, I have had enough with cops with attitudes and making up stories so they can try to intimidate you. I have SERIOUS doubts they have any legal authority to remove a lock from a gate and allow themselves onto someone's property unless they have REAL probable cause.