What To Do? Neighbor Calls the Sheriff on me for everything!!! - Page 2

**JohnKSa** · May 23, 2010, 03:49 PM

Quote:

Now ... every time I discharge a firearm or let off firecrackers he calls the sheriff on me! They have been out here 8 times in the past month, and I don't know what to do. The visit from the Deputy always ends in ... "We know it's legal, but we have to answer every call!"

Call the Sheriff ahead of time and let him know what you're going to be doing. If they WANT to respond this won't stop them, but if they don't want to respond, this gives them an out. "Thank you for your concern, but we are already aware that Mr. riverwalker76 is shooting/discharging fireworks on his property this afternoon, he called to let us know ahead of time."

If they keep sending someone out make the responder's visits very pleasant for him. Always have some coffee, a cold drink or snack for him and maybe offer him a chance to shoot a little if he seems interested. If they're gonna keep coming out, they might as well get to like you.

Young.Gun.612 · May 23, 2010, 03:55 PM

Yeah, I'd have to agree about the whole coffee thing. It's amazing how just treating them with a little respect, along with humanity (not all cops want to be "feared", they're people just like you and me) works for getting them on your side.

Hell, maybe next time he calls, you'll already have a few deputies sipping coffee and letting off a few rounds with you!

rjrivero · May 23, 2010, 04:00 PM

PS.

Most cops really enjoy trying out new guns.

**Shane Tuttle** · May 23, 2010, 04:15 PM

Quote:

So, I guess I will continue to fire at will, and ignore his complaints. I can't think of anything else to do.

Well, gee, I don't know.....how about NOT discharging your firearm so regularly? If you want it to stop badly enough, then this is the best option to take at this time. Like another member stated, he's probably not going to change. You're the new kid on the block. I'd refrain from the black & white world thought of just because it's legal doesn't mean to damn others around you. I'm actually surprised that the neighbor hasn't filed a complaint of disturbing the peace based on the observation of your post.

If you do continue to shoot on your property, log the time you do and be sure to call the Sheriff's office ahead of time.

Young.Gun.612 · May 23, 2010, 04:26 PM

Depending on how close the properties are, it shouldn't matter. Sure, it might be disturbing to these neighbors. But if they're the only ones complaining, it sounds to me like more of a crotchety neighbor issue as opposed to the OP being inconsiderate. It's his property, he has the right to do on it what he wishes (within confines of the law).

brickeyee · May 23, 2010, 05:06 PM

I would use something larger than a .22 rim-fire.

At least up into the .45 ACP class.

Maybe with a .44 Mag or a rifle thrown in for good loudness.

A .30-06 class rifle is liable to get him suitably unhinged.

langenc · May 23, 2010, 05:58 PM

Make the coffee-make sure the cop brings the donuts.

rantingredneck · May 23, 2010, 06:37 PM

Had a similar situation to 44AMP's only mine was with an elderly dog. Multiple calls to the animal control folks who came out and said the same thing. He's being taken care of, but we have to respond to every call. At a certain point the nosy neighbor wasn't getting what she wanted so she actually stopped calling the animal control line and called 911 to report my dog had a cough. Needless to say the deputy who responded to that particular call wasn't happy with her. He came while I was away at work and left his card stuck in my door to call him. When I did he assured me that I wouldn't be hearing from them again by that particular neighbor. They apparently explained "false complaint" law to her.

johnwilliamson062 · May 23, 2010, 08:03 PM

screw a cup of coffee, keep an extra box of ammo ready for them to shoot.

Angry neighbor:

Quote:

I called the god damn sheriffs department to tell that redneck to stop shooting and now they are over there shooting WITH the son of a bitch!!!

riverwalker76 · May 23, 2010, 08:12 PM

Quote:

Well, gee, I don't know.....how about NOT discharging your firearm so regularly? If you want it to stop badly enough, then this is the best option to take at this time. Like another member stated, he's probably not going to change. You're the new kid on the block. I'd refrain from the black & white world thought of just because it's legal doesn't mean to damn others around you. I'm actually surprised that the neighbor hasn't filed a complaint of disturbing the peace based on the observation of your post.

If you do continue to shoot on your property, log the time you do and be sure to call the Sheriff's office ahead of time.

Something that I have failed to tell you all in this post is that the neighbor next to me fires his pistols and rifles on a regular basis as well. The guy I'm having trouble with comes outside when he hears gunfire. If it's coming from my house ... here comes the sheriff. If it's coming from my neighbor, whom he gets along with, the sheriff doesn't get called.

I'd say he is definitely doing it to get on my nerves. After all ... it's not like gunfire is new to him. My neighbor next to me says that he has been shooting for years without any complaints from the guy.

Also, I moved out to the country just so I COULD have more freedoms. I can burn my brush, shoot my guns, and my German SHepherds have a lot more room to run than if I was in the city. I'm not trading my idea of nice place to live just because he thinks I shouldn't do something on my own property. That's not an option.

**JohnKSa** · May 23, 2010, 08:17 PM

Quote:

If it's coming from my house ... here comes the sheriff. If it's coming from my neighbor, whom he gets along with, the sheriff doesn't get called.

Sounds like some videotaping might help you support a harrassment complaint.

**Shane Tuttle** · May 23, 2010, 10:01 PM

Quote:

Also, I moved out to the country just so I COULD have more freedoms.

Granted, you should feel this way. I'm in the same boat. Can't stand having neighbors being able to peek through their window and into mine and know exactly how much Tabasco I like on my eggs. So we found a place away from the city life. If you log every time your neighbor shoots with no calls to the Sheriff, but does come knocking on your door when you do as JohnKsa suggests, you can mount evidence. With all due respect to others' opinions on the subject, the last thing you want to do is purposefully fire your guns just to get him riled up. Continue to shoot on your property, but do it with purpose other than to exacerbate the situation. It doesn't prove anything and it will not help to resolve the situation.

If anything, I'd head over to the neighbor that shoots as well and join him from time to time if he so chooses.

imthegrumpyone · May 24, 2010, 04:31 AM

I wouldn't confront him, just do what ever, oh, you drink the coffee and eat the donuts, I would think police would have better things to do than showing up at your place when he calls, but this kind of stuff makes the world go round. Just make sure your 100% legal and safely discharging your firing arms, he'll get tired one way or the other.

ISC · May 24, 2010, 05:44 AM

Definitely don't go over there. Crazy old coots like that have been known to shoot a nieghbor that shows up at their house because they figure they can justify since you're on their land.

dogtown tom · May 24, 2010, 07:58 AM

1. Inviting a 54 yr old felon (who has a thirty year criminal history) into your home?

I understand youthful "mistakes", second chances, and helping out the poor downtrodden ex con, but he been getting CONVICTED since he was 24 yrs old. Maybe the father knows best.

2. Pay a lawyer to write a "cease & desist" letter. Coming from you such a letter carries little weight, coming from a lawyer hungry for litigation may end this foolishness. said attorney could also let you know other legal avenues to stop the harrassment (if any).

3. Do not, under any circumstances go visit the neighbor to try and talk, settle your differences, have a cup of coffee, etc. All it takes is another phone call from your neighbor to the police that during your visit you threatened him. Stay home.

riverwalker76 · May 24, 2010, 08:42 AM

Quote:

1. Inviting a 54 yr old felon (who has a thirty year criminal history) into your home? I understand youthful "mistakes", second chances, and helping out the poor downtrodden ex con, but he been getting CONVICTED since he was 24 yrs old. Maybe the father knows best.

Don't get me wrong ... this guy has never been in my home. If I ever went into the house for anything I would ask him to wait outside and go in alone. No one enters my home unless they are a trusted friend of the family. I can honestly say there are probably only 5 people, other than family, who I would allow inside my home, and 3 of them are in my Lodge.

publius · May 24, 2010, 12:42 PM

Call the Sheriff's Dept. and set up an appointment with THE SHERIFF, not a deputy. Explain what has been going on and ask him to have the deputies involved come in and explain what is going on. If the deputies side with you, the Sheriff himself should go have a talk with this person. If it does not stop file a lawsuit against this joker. The history of him repeatedly calling the cops with them consistently finding you are not at fault should do it.

Ronbert · May 24, 2010, 01:01 PM

+1 to calling the Sheriff's dept before you go outside to shoot.

Better for them because it probably will save them the trip and they'll be able to say "yes, we know. He called us. You got anything important to report?" to the neighbor.

cannonfire · May 24, 2010, 01:37 PM

I'm sorry but I keep laughing just thinking about this...

1. Start a pot of coffee/ Make some lemonade.
2. Get your grill ready in front of your house.
3. Go shoot a magazine or two of .22s
4. Calmly put the gun away, and walk out to your front porch
5. Start grilling some burgers.
6. When the Sheriff's Dept comes, offer them a burger/coffee/lemonade.

Can you imagine what the old man is thinking if he watched the whole thing from his window? He's trying to report you to the SO and they are sitting there eating a burger with you!

hahaha sorry, I keep picturing that in my head and can't stop laughing

kodiakbeer · May 24, 2010, 01:45 PM

A suggestion. Of course, you are under no obligation to do this, but a simple way to cut the noise in half is build a couple of walls on either side of your shooting spot - a dozen hay bales and a couple of cheap tarps ought to do the trick.
It may not stop the complaints, but it would show both the complainer and police that you're trying to be a good neighbor.

bigrebnc1861 · May 24, 2010, 05:31 PM

Next time you decide toi shoot or pop off a few firecrackers invite him over

Brian Pfleuger · May 24, 2010, 05:47 PM

Go out of your way to help him.

Look for reason to be friendly and neighborly.

Invite him over for dinner.

Offer to mow his lawn.

Etc., Etc.

All else fails, and I do mean all else, it DOES eventually become illegal to keep calling the cops on you for no reason.

I'm no lawyer, but (as others have suggested) you may have to file a "Cease and Desist" order and/or file harassment charges.

blume357 · May 25, 2010, 07:56 AM

and that you'll have ammo for them next time.

Easy way is to find out when the neighbor does not want you shooting.. assuming that their is a reason for them calling... they or someone in their home could be trying to sleep or is sick or something you know.

It's a lot easier row to hoe trying to be friends than enemies.

zukiphile · May 25, 2010, 09:17 AM

It can be difficult to have a good relationship with any neighbor, and especially with one who dislikes you.

I would not be inclined to spend much time or money on an attorney or having a meeting with the CLEO. You don't really have a police or legal problem; you have a social problem.

The solution I like best in this thread is,

Quote:

Call the Sheriff ahead of time and let him know what you're going to be doing. If they WANT to respond this won't stop them, but if they don't want to respond, this gives them an out. "Thank you for your concern, but we are already aware that Mr. riverwalker76 is shooting/discharging fireworks on his property this afternoon, he called to let us know ahead of time."

I might amend it with a weekly faxed schedule of the times you plan to shoot. You can follow with a call -- "I know you will get a call about this, so I've given you a fax just to give you a heads up. If you send a fellow out, I'll likely be out behind the barn with my ear protection on, just so you know where to find me."

If the sheriff thinks he is obligated to respond, trying to get him to not respond may appear unduly adversarial and may not be productive.

sixgun67 · May 25, 2010, 10:59 AM

I know your pain, and I feel that your only hope is the SO gets tired of the false alarms and decides to have a talk with the caller. I also have neighbors that call on me for anything under the sun. Never once have I been cited or even shown to be doing something wrong. Officers tell me that no matter what, they must respond. I do however always go to the office about a week or so after the incidents to get a copy of the officers' report, showing in his words, what was actually going on. Since in my case, the department won't give out who the caller was, it is totally up to them to handle this. There are always neighbors that you can't appease, no matter what. Good luck.

May 23, 2010, 06:37 PM	#33
rantingredneck Senior Member Join Date: January 12, 2007 Location: North Carolina Posts: 4,728	Had a similar situation to 44AMP's only mine was with an elderly dog. Multiple calls to the animal control folks who came out and said the same thing. He's being taken care of, but we have to respond to every call. At a certain point the nosy neighbor wasn't getting what she wanted so she actually stopped calling the animal control line and called 911 to report my dog had a cough. Needless to say the deputy who responded to that particular call wasn't happy with her. He came while I was away at work and left his card stuck in my door to call him. When I did he assured me that I wouldn't be hearing from them again by that particular neighbor. They apparently explained "false complaint" law to her. __________________ NRA Member NC Hunter's Education Instructor PCCA Member (What's PCCA you ask? <- Check the link)

May 24, 2010, 04:31 AM	#38
imthegrumpyone Senior Member Join Date: July 3, 2007 Location: spring tx Posts: 1,037	I wouldn't confront him, just do what ever, oh, you drink the coffee and eat the donuts, I would think police would have better things to do than showing up at your place when he calls, but this kind of stuff makes the world go round. Just make sure your 100% legal and safely discharging your firing arms, he'll get tired one way or the other. __________________ chambered and unlocked

May 24, 2010, 07:58 AM	#40
dogtown tom Senior Member Join Date: January 23, 2006 Location: Plano, Texas Posts: 3,089	1. Inviting a 54 yr old felon (who has a thirty year criminal history) into your home? I understand youthful "mistakes", second chances, and helping out the poor downtrodden ex con, but he been getting CONVICTED since he was 24 yrs old. Maybe the father knows best. 2. Pay a lawyer to write a "cease & desist" letter. Coming from you such a letter carries little weight, coming from a lawyer hungry for litigation may end this foolishness. said attorney could also let you know other legal avenues to stop the harrassment (if any). 3. Do not, under any circumstances go visit the neighbor to try and talk, settle your differences, have a cup of coffee, etc. All it takes is another phone call from your neighbor to the police that during your visit you threatened him. Stay home. __________________ Need a FFL in Dallas/Plano/Allen/Frisco/McKinney ? Just EMAIL me. $20 transfers ($10 for CHL, active military,police,fire or schoolteachers) Plano, Texas...........the Gun Nut Capitol of Gun Culture, USA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pELwCqz2JfE

May 24, 2010, 12:42 PM	#42
publius Senior Member Join Date: January 25, 2005 Location: Mississippi/Texas Posts: 2,505	Call the Sheriff's Dept. and set up an appointment with THE SHERIFF, not a deputy. Explain what has been going on and ask him to have the deputies involved come in and explain what is going on. If the deputies side with you, the Sheriff himself should go have a talk with this person. If it does not stop file a lawsuit against this joker. The history of him repeatedly calling the cops with them consistently finding you are not at fault should do it. __________________ "Suppose you were an idiot, and suppose you were a member of Congress, but I repeat myself." Mark Twain

May 24, 2010, 05:47 PM	#47
Brian Pfleuger Moderator Emeritus Join Date: June 25, 2008 Location: Austin, CO Posts: 19,578	Go out of your way to help him. Look for reason to be friendly and neighborly. Invite him over for dinner. Offer to mow his lawn. Etc., Etc. All else fails, and I do mean all else, it DOES eventually become illegal to keep calling the cops on you for no reason. I'm no lawyer, but (as others have suggested) you may have to file a "Cease and Desist" order and/or file harassment charges. __________________ Nobody plans to screw up their lives... ...they just don't plan not to. -Andy Stanley

May 23, 2010, 03:55 PM	#27
Young.Gun.612 Senior Member Join Date: April 28, 2010 Location: Minneapolis, MN Posts: 400	Yeah, I'd have to agree about the whole coffee thing. It's amazing how just treating them with a little respect, along with humanity (not all cops want to be "feared", they're people just like you and me) works for getting them on your side. Hell, maybe next time he calls, you'll already have a few deputies sipping coffee and letting off a few rounds with you!

May 23, 2010, 04:00 PM	#28
rjrivero Senior Member Join Date: November 17, 2008 Location: NW Ohio Posts: 1,399	PS. Most cops really enjoy trying out new guns.

May 23, 2010, 04:26 PM	#30
Young.Gun.612 Senior Member Join Date: April 28, 2010 Location: Minneapolis, MN Posts: 400	Depending on how close the properties are, it shouldn't matter. Sure, it might be disturbing to these neighbors. But if they're the only ones complaining, it sounds to me like more of a crotchety neighbor issue as opposed to the OP being inconsiderate. It's his property, he has the right to do on it what he wishes (within confines of the law).

May 23, 2010, 05:06 PM	#31
brickeyee Senior Member Join Date: December 29, 2004 Posts: 3,351	I would use something larger than a .22 rim-fire. At least up into the .45 ACP class. Maybe with a .44 Mag or a rifle thrown in for good loudness. A .30-06 class rifle is liable to get him suitably unhinged.

May 23, 2010, 05:58 PM	#32
langenc Senior Member Join Date: August 19, 2007 Location: Montmorency Co, MI Posts: 1,551	Make the coffee-make sure the cop brings the donuts.

May 24, 2010, 05:44 AM	#39
ISC Junior member Join Date: August 5, 2007 Location: Florida Posts: 1,982	Definitely don't go over there. Crazy old coots like that have been known to shoot a nieghbor that shows up at their house because they figure they can justify since you're on their land.

May 24, 2010, 01:01 PM	#43
Ronbert Senior Member Join Date: September 23, 2009 Location: Ft. Collins, CO. Posts: 398	+1 to calling the Sheriff's dept before you go outside to shoot. Better for them because it probably will save them the trip and they'll be able to say "yes, we know. He called us. You got anything important to report?" to the neighbor.

May 24, 2010, 01:45 PM	#45
kodiakbeer Junior member Join Date: April 10, 2010 Location: Kodiak, Alaska Posts: 791	A suggestion. Of course, you are under no obligation to do this, but a simple way to cut the noise in half is build a couple of walls on either side of your shooting spot - a dozen hay bales and a couple of cheap tarps ought to do the trick. It may not stop the complaints, but it would show both the complainer and police that you're trying to be a good neighbor.

May 24, 2010, 05:31 PM	#46
bigrebnc1861 Senior Member Join Date: January 31, 2009 Posts: 153	Next time you decide toi shoot or pop off a few firecrackers invite him over

May 25, 2010, 07:56 AM	#48
blume357 Senior Member Join Date: August 2, 2005 Location: Greenville, SC Posts: 3,943	Ask the Deputies the next time they come out what they like to shoot and that you'll have ammo for them next time. Easy way is to find out when the neighbor does not want you shooting.. assuming that their is a reason for them calling... they or someone in their home could be trying to sleep or is sick or something you know. It's a lot easier row to hoe trying to be friends than enemies.

May 25, 2010, 10:59 AM	#50
sixgun67 Senior Member Join Date: October 27, 2009 Location: New Philadelphia, Oh Posts: 238	I know your pain, and I feel that your only hope is the SO gets tired of the false alarms and decides to have a talk with the caller. I also have neighbors that call on me for anything under the sun. Never once have I been cited or even shown to be doing something wrong. Officers tell me that no matter what, they must respond. I do however always go to the office about a week or so after the incidents to get a copy of the officers' report, showing in his words, what was actually going on. Since in my case, the department won't give out who the caller was, it is totally up to them to handle this. There are always neighbors that you can't appease, no matter what. Good luck.