Strange car outside

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call the cops, give them the vehicle description and ask for more patrols in your area. Bad guys will be less likely to show up if they know cops are cruising the area on a regular basis.

If its legal in your area I would walk outside and let them know I am armed, I have the description of the vehicle and people inside

You could always take the more direct approach as you,DeepCreek and others have mentioned. ? With that or Maybe something like shinning a 5M lumen spot light on them with 120db loud speaker asking them to step outta car with hands up and state name age and nature of there business in area.Be sure to announce you're citizen patrol resource officer chief. A few flash bangs may be approximate at this time too. The other may be to covertly circle around, crawl up from behind and deploy the ole' banana in the exhaust pipe maneuver.
It's possible they're just there to pick there kid up from piano lesson or drug deal. Pretty sure it's one of the two though.
Without knowing all the details, I would guess piano lesson/ private tutor scenario. IMO :)
 
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wow...I am amazed at some of the idiotic comments in this thread.

Taking pictures and/or displaying a holstered weapon is ill-advised...at best. Personally, I believe that it is just plain stupid.

If you see a strange car parked in the street in front of your home, call the police non-emergency line ... and make a report. At a minimum, request a cruiser to make a drive to your address by as soon as possible.

Go a step further: start a civic league. Get your neighbors involved. Invite the local police station commander to attend every league meeting.

I did.

And I got a better than expected response from my neighbors. Between myself and my next door neighbor, we contacted 96% of the homes in our neighborhood. More than half of every home contacted has become an active household with one or more members.

The local police precinct commander comes to virtually every meeting. After she or her public affairs officer speaks, she usually has time to field questions from my neighbors. And every single time she attends, she is more than clear that her officers in our precinct are chomping at the bit to take these kind of calls. Most police officers like nothing more than a citizen's call requesting a cruiser to drive a neighborhood to check out suspicious activity...these calls break up the monotony of a long shift.
 
The comment you quoted is directed at the idea that someone is going to "let them know I am armed and have a description of their vehicle", which is entirely different from "writing down the LP".

OK. I now see the confusion. Somewhere between my keyboard and your monitor, the words took a left.

I did not mean to imply I would walk up to the car, openly carrying or otherwise, and TELL the people I was writing down the description. I simply meant I was making my presence known by being in my yard.

I also suggested all those other options you mention, reading a map, GPS, waiting for someone etc. Remember that this was originally portrayed as one car that repeatedly comes to the same place night after night. Only later did it become - once in a while, over the period of years, various cars park there.


I believe there is also a misconception of alarm when people not in Arizona read about us open carrying. In AZ, there is no permit required for anyone to carry open or concealed. Unless you are the usual restricted classes (felons, minors etc) you can, and lots of people do, wear your side arm exposed. People in AZ don't freak out seeing someone picking out produce while wearing a magnum.

So - Sorry for the confusion about what I said or you misunderstood.


Sgt Lumpy
 
I hate to side with the staff here, but Plfeuger is right on the money.

Maybe is jus my small town mentality but most times its completely innocent. My daughter comes over, sometimes a few times a week. I have 5 kids, there are occasionally strange cars on my street.

I for one would not be offended by a polite inquiry as to my presence. Be polite and walk right up and ask.
 
Taking pictures and/or displaying a holstered weapon is ill-advised...at best. Personally, I believe that it is just plain stupid.

If you see a strange car parked in the street in front of your home, call the police non-emergency line ... and make a report. At a minimum, request a cruiser to make a drive to your address by as soon as possible.

You are going to need a LPN for any kind of creditable report and if taking pics is "stupid" hows standing in front of the car with a pen and paper any better?
 
PIs, bail agents, plain-clothes cops....

It may be off the main topic, but keep in mind, in general sometimes cops, PIs, process servers, federal agents, etc may be watching a property or waiting to talk to someone.
If the ignition is on & they have tints, the AC may be on. I knew a off-duty sheriff's deputy who would sit in his take home vehicle with the engine on all thru his security job. :rolleyes:
I've run afoul of many "working shulbs" who were harmless or doing a LE detail.

I've also called in "bait cars" & "auto theft" vehicles much to the ire of the PD.
:D
 
Open carrying a weapon around a property to intimidate strangers is truly debatable. I think it attracts unwanted attention.

I could see doing it if its a really remote property. For example lets say you are a farmer or rancher and the police are hours away. I would open carry on a remote farm or ranch especially those by the border.

I know a lot of guys do the broom sweep of the porch. They see a stranger and start sweeping just letting the stranger know they are there.
 
I get that pretty often around here, I was seeing the same vehicle parked in front of my house with the same guy in it, he turned out to be a real estate agent that had a few houses listed in the neighborhood.

Other times I have seen strangers parked, fumbling with what appears to be a cell phone or mobile GPS, then they leave.

Most of the time it's completely innocent, only one vehicle/person was truly suspicious, he would park in front of my house and watch children walk by from the elementary school around the corner, I sat out on the porch and watched him, he became aware of me and I never saw him again.

I am always armed when I am at home, I keep it concealed just like I'm in public.
 
Well clearly if you walk outside and approach them you are now the aggressor. At this point whoever is in the car has the legal right to pound you into the pavement. After all, you started it...

Back on topic... This happens frequently on my street due to a neighbor having a run-in with a certain religious group. Apparently JW's don't take kindly to rejection. Anyways, they park out front every now and then and just kind of, watch. Being the person I am I've chased them away on a few occasions, however this was before I was privy to why they were there. Aside from some vandalism and the usual juvenile graffiti it hasn't turned violent. But I cannot promise this will always be the case.

Back on topic once more... To the OP, I would say it depends on your particular area and what constitutes as "normal" where you live. What may sound crazy from a poster on TFL might be completely understandable considering the environment. I'm no MMA trained neighborhood watchmen, but I do personally check the situation out when the hour and circumstance seem appropriate. On second thought, I do carry with a round in the chamber and, GASP! No safety!
 
It seems the nature of the T&T forum to morph mundane, everyday situations, or scenarios that are more than likely completely banal into the sinister and potentially, if not overtly, hazardous.

People see a post here and, quite naturally, the brain switches into how best use my gun to defend myself in this scenario.

However, I feel that it would serve everyone best when, on the face of it, the situation is not an open threat to remember that fact first and foremost.

In the OP situation, as has been described, the only aspect that points to this being a credible threat is by association to it being posted in T&T, not the details of the situation itself.

By all means allow the gun to play a passive, background role in your thinking (eg, have it nearby at home if you've seen such a "suspicious" car earlier) but let normal behaviour rule the active part.

Don't feel good someone parking across the road? (perfectly understandable, BTW.)
Call the police, although they may well as what it is exactly that the occupants are doing wrong. Otherwise, floodlights seem to work. Passive, but effective.

You can even pick-up a nature-watcher's N-V monocular and watch from a darkened room, if needed, to assure yourself that they are not observing houses.
If it is an amourous couple, on the hand, try to have the self-discipline to put the monocular away...;)

Seriously, though-
Just because it is a thread in the T&T subforum of TFL gun forums doesn't mean that a gun-related response is the best advice. Let's look at the proposed situation, for what it is, first and then go from there...
 
It seems

People see a post here and, quite naturally, the brain switches into how best use my gun to defend myself in this scenario.

However, I feel that it would serve everyone best when, on the face of it, the situation is not an open threat to remember that fact first and foremost.

If it is an amourous couple, on the hand, try to have the self-discipline to put the monocular away...;)

...

Guns and/or confrontation should be the very last resort. Whether it be observation from a distance. When in close contact with a potential bad situation, body language, tone of voice, and your dialogue goes a long way to diffuse problems. This may be some advice George Zimmerman should have adhered too.
I had a training course on passive and physical restraints. Passive restraints was how to speak, act, and calm the situation.
As far as a unknown car parked in front or near my house I would only observe to see if any thing going that would warrant further action. Nothing more.
If the amorous couple is observed, by all means...Put Down The Monocular !!
Get the high power Binoculars or Camecorder :))
 
The “strange car” reminds me of an incident that happened around here a few years ago.

A guy was living on a rural mountain road 1-20 acre lots. A “strange” car pulled up was looking around and acting "strange" so the home owner goes out on his porch with a AR15 and sits on his rocking chair and glares at the stranger.
The stranger drives off. Shortly after SWAT shows up. The home owner is arrested and charged with felony menacing.

Turns out the strange car was a door to door census taker. He never said he had the gun pointed at him but just the visible display of the gun was enough for felony charges on the home owner.
 
I think this thread has been a fruitful discussion. Some people view this as a non-issue where others "open carry" around the property to intimidate the unknown stranger. I think its good to discuss how to handle strangers in the neighborhood.

My opinion goes against approaching the stranger or to demonstrate any type of force such as flashing a pistol or open carrying, but raising the level of awareness and letting them know you are there by turning on lights or stepping outside to sweep the porch. I dont think you can ignore a car parked outside or someone walking around who doesnt seem like they belong there. I think calling the police to investigate the strange vehicle is not called for. If they enter your property then maybe it might be called for like a man who is obviously homeless or doesnt seem to have any recognizable intentions. Of course, most of the time, it will be innocent, but then again what if its not?
 
A guy was living on a rural mountain road 1-20 acre lots. A “strange” car pulled up was looking around and acting "strange" so the home owner goes out on his porch with a AR15 and sits on his rocking chair and glares at the stranger.
The stranger drives off. Shortly after SWAT shows up. The home owner is arrested and charged with felony menacing.

Turns out the strange car was a door to door census taker. He never said he had the gun pointed at him but just the visible display of the gun was enough for felony charges on the home owner.

Definately, if it's a felony to sit on your front porch with an AR in your locale, don't do it.

Could be that the sight of my van is enough to keep the door to door chaff from visiting.


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Sgt Lumpy
 
When I was in college, my buddy and I were headed to a party and couldn't find the right address. This was 1994 or so, so we didn't have GPS or cell phone. We parked on the street across from where we were pretty sure the party was and decided to wait to see if people started showing up. We were on the street - public property, and this was about 10:00 pm.

Well, suddenly a strange little red dot appears on my chest and pans over to my buddy. We look over to my right and there's a genius with an automatic of some sort and an attached laser aiming at us. The windows were down, so I stayed calm and said there was no need for that, we're just looking for so-and-so. He grunted and went back inside.

In the console of my friend's car was a Glock 17. This situation could have gone horribly wrong in so many ways, just because some bozo decided to confront the strange car outside.
 
Turns out the strange car was a door to door census taker. He never said he had the gun pointed at him but just the visible display of the gun was enough for felony charges on the home owner.
Simple possession of a legally owned firearm on one's own property cannot possibly be construed as felony menacing, no matter how much it might cause someone else to go weak in the knees. Menacing requires an overt threatening act, and sitting on your porch holding a rifle (no matter how menacing your countenance might be) doesn't qualify.
 
Menacing requires an overt threatening act, and sitting on your porch holding a rifle (no matter how menacing your countenance might be) doesn't qualify.

Sure it can and apparently it did. It was probably reduced or pled down but the guy on the porch got a visit from SWAT, spent a little time in the clink and probably had his rifle confiscated, at least temporarily. That's a lot of heartache.
 
Sure it can and apparently it did. It was probably reduced or pled down but the guy on the porch got a visit from SWAT, spent a little time in the clink and probably had his rifle confiscated, at least temporarily. That's a lot of heartache.
It's also unconstitutional if the fellow holding the weapon didn't threaten anyone with it.
 
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