Calling on the Outdoors board for help. Mariaaggie posted this in The Nerdery (edited for readability, she posted the OP): Creative ways to get rid if felon/drug manuf next door.
Quote:
As an aerospace engineer with a couple of decades of experience under my belt, I generally consider myself pretty capable of solving difficult problems. Unfortunately, I have encountered one that seems impossible to overcome.
About six years ago, our neighbor's granddaughter moved in with her grandmother after serving a ten-year prison sentence. We were initially told she was simply unlucky and had fallen in with the wrong crowd. Over time, however, we learned that her criminal history was extensive, involving serious offenses that began when she was around 14 years old.
Fast forward to today, and the entire situation has transformed our neighborhood. After the grandmother passed away following a tragic fall, things became significantly worse. Without going into every detail of what has been a long and disturbing ordeal, our efforts to mitigateor ideally eliminatethe problems have been unsuccessful.
There appears to be a large, organized network involved, and the level of sophistication and connections continually surprises me. To complicate matters, our tiny village has no police department. Most residents are elderly retirees, military widows, or older couples with limited resources and little experience dealing with this type of situation.
Law enforcement services are contracted through the Tarrant County Sheriff's Office. Unfortunately, our experience has been disappointing. At best, deputies make a visible show of presence by parking a marked patrol car in front of the property and promising increased patrols. Since most of the activity occurs after midnight, these efforts accomplish little beyond alerting those involved. In response, property damage often increases while the extra patrols disappear after a day or two.
I have escalated concerns through every avenue available to me, including multiple government agencies. Given my recent security clearance, I even attempted to determine whether surveillance devices had been placed on our property so that I could notify appropriate federal authorities regarding potential privacy violations. Despite considerable effort and personal risk, nothing has come of it.
What concerns me most is how much information these individuals seem to have regarding our schedules and activities. They often appear to know when residents have contacted authorities or attempted to report incidents. Many neighbors have reached the same conclusion and have simply stopped trying.
I have submitted information through official channels, personal contacts, anonymous reports, and agency websites. The responses are almost always the same: the issue is referred back to local law enforcement, bringing us right back to where we started.
The level of organization involved is remarkable. They seem to have access to specialized people for everything, including electrical work. At one point, after repeatedly overloading the transformer serving our block, they somehow obtained a dedicated electrical service line. Some of the stories I could tell would sound unbelievable.
At this point, I am looking for creative ways to attract attention to the situation that cannot simply be ignored. I want to bypass whatever barriers have prevented meaningful action. Any ideas are welcome.
Over the years I have reported environmental concerns, including leaking 55-gallon drums draining toward a creek that ultimately feeds Benbrook Lake and the Trinity River. The EPA referred the matter to local authorities. Other agencies have done much the same. Whether there is impersonation, misrepresentation, or simple bureaucratic failure involved, it seems that nobody is willing to take ownership of the problem.
Meanwhile, there have been repeated incidents involving trespassing, property damage, and suspicious activity. They are particularly adept at avoiding security systems, making traditional surveillance solutions difficult. My own technical background is decades old, and I recognize that attempting to outsmart them electronically is probably unrealistic.
Everyone says people like this eventually get caught because they make a mistake. Unfortunately, waiting for that mistake has been a frustrating strategy. Lightning struck their shed. Their bulls once escaped and chased a father pushing a stroller down the road. Even then, little happened beyond a ticket that was apparently ignored.
The property remains in the grandmother's name, which seems to create additional complications and allow significant leeway. At this point, I am simply looking for ideas, advice, or experiences from others who may have dealt with something similar.
