How Is This NOT Suspicious Behavior?

[Cypher]

I worked 12 hour shift last night. I got home at noon and walked my dog. There was someone sitting in a car with the engine running with a sun shade in the window. I walked the dog at 7pm someone is sitting in the same car engine still running. I went out again at 10pm and the same person is still sitting in the same car with the engine running.

So I called the cops to ask for a drive by and the dispatcher gave me a ration of shit because sitting in a car for ten hours wasn't Illegal. Which it's not but I can't come up with a good reason for someone who's not up to some shit to do it.

So what does the collective think? Was that a waste of the cops time?

[HCM]

I worked 12 hour shift last night. I got home at noon and walked my dog. There was someone sitting in a car with the engine running with a sun shade in the window. I walked the dog at 7pm someone is sitting in the same car engine still running. I went out again at 10pm and the same person is still sitting in the same car with the engine running.

So I called the cops to ask for a drive by and the dispatcher gave me a ration of shit because sitting in a car for ten hours wasn't Illegal. Which it's not but I can't come up with a good reason for someone who's not up to some shit to do it.

So what does the collective think? Was that a waste of the cops time?

I think it’s LEOs watching one of your neighbors, dispatch knows exactly who they are and they aren’t going to tell you because they don’t know who you are or why you are calling.

While it may look obvious to you, hopefully they are far enough away and watching via optics or a drop camera that it’s not obvious to the people they are watching.

Are you sure it’s the exact same car ? Because if Agency admin is not on top of things fleet managers like to buy the same “unmarked” for everyone, because the only thing more suspicious than a single blue impala is four identical blue impalas.

[0ddl0t]

Lots of folks are living/camping out of their cars these days. I don't see anything worthy of a non-emergency call unless they're parked illegally or you're in a jurisdiction with a no idling ordinance.

[Cypher]

I think it’s LEOs watching one of your neighbors, dispatch knows exactly who they are and they aren’t going to tell you because they don’t know who you are or why you are calling.

Are you sure it’s the exact same car ? Because if Agency admin is not on top of things fleet managers like to buy the same “unmarked” for everyone, because the only thing more suspicious than a single blue impala is four identical blue impalas.

On the one hand I hope you're just jerking my chain.

On there other, if you are you're an asshole.

[Cypher]

Lots of folks are living/camping out of their cars these days. I don't see anything worthy of a non-emergency call unless they're parked illegally or you're in a jurisdiction with a no idling ordinance.

Private property, not a KOA. It's also been my experience that homeless people are like fleas. If you let one in pretty soon you have a colony

[HCM]

On the one hand I hope you're just jerking my chain.

On there other, if you are you're an asshole.

Nope, dead serious. If the dispatcher was smart she would tell you thanks, we’ll check it out and just close out the call. But they’re not all smart.

This, and avoiding blue on blue issues are why calling in to local dispatch is so important.

I’m a big fan of people calling the cops for suspicious things but if they are legit the local PD knows who they are and why they are there and you are not on the need to know list.



Now, I’m not familiar with Colorado Springs but if it’s anything like large urban areas in CA then the idea that it might be someone living in their car is possible too.

I’m not kidding about the identical or near identical cars either.

[Cypher]

Nope, dead serious. If the dispatcher was smart she would tell you thanks, we’ll check it out and just close out the call. But they’re not all smart.

This, and avoiding blue on blue issues are why calling in to local dispatch is so important.

I’m a big fan of people calling the cops for suspicious things but if they are legit the local PD knows who they are and why they are there and you are not on the need to know list.



Now, I’m not familiar with Colorado Springs but if it’s anything like large urban areas in CA then the idea that it might be someone living in their car is possible too.

I’m not kidding about the identical or near identical cars either.

There's two things that make me question your assessment of the situation. The first is how obvious it is that the person is there. I mean I would think if you were doing surveillance on somebody you would at least want to be somewhat discreet about it.

The second thing is how do we account for the person sitting in the car with sun shades up you can't see anything when you've got the windshield blocked off.

As for the person living in their car I suspect that's what's going on but that's trouble too because once you got somebody out there living in their car if it's allowed to go unchallenged they will draw more people and sooner or later there will be trouble because of it

[HCM]

There's two things that make me question your assessment of the situation. The first is how obvious it is that the person is there. I mean I would think if you were doing surveillance on somebody you would at least want to be somewhat discreet about it.

The second thing is how do we account for the person sitting in the car with sun shades up you can't see anything when you've got the windshield blocked off.

As for the person living in their car I suspect that's what's going on but that's trouble too because once you got somebody out there living in their car if it's allowed to go unchallenged they will draw more people and sooner or later there will be trouble because of it

I’ve spent 13 of the last 24 years working fugitives. What you describe sounds exactly like cops doing surveillance. You can see out around the wind shield shade better than you can see in if you are looking out the front. You can more easily watch behind you with the vehicle mirrors or a camera in the back window of the car. Binos work with vehicle mirrors too. They also may be out of direct line of sight of their target and watching their target via a tablet and a small wireless “drop” camera. If they are far enough away from their target it’s not obvious. They just need to be inconspicuous to their target, not invisible to everyone.



I never buy the red pistachios.

It is certainly possible it is someone living in their car but the response you received indicates otherwise. They may well have a resident where they are parked knock on the window. Unlike dispatch they should have an idea who they are looking at and who their associates are so they will likely ID them selves as police which satisfies 99% of the neighbors.

Along those lines could a homeless person afford to run their car constantly ?

[wvincent]

The elephant in the room, maybe they are watching Cypher.
Hmmm, dude, anything you want to tell us?
Maybe that fox filed a complaint over the clipboard.

[Lester Polfus]

A couple of observations:

1) One of the less glamorous aspects of law enforcement is doing stuff like sitting in an Ares K car that has barely functional air conditioning and smells of another dude's farts for 12 hours.

2) The fact that they often sit with the engine idling for 12 hours is one of the many, many reasons why you should never buy a surplus police car.