How would you handle this situation.

[AJAX22]

In CA, he who files the police report first wins

+1 on documenting it all with a camera.

The justice system works as follows:

Two people go in front of a judge and present stacks of paper.

whoever has the biggest stack of paper wins.

videotape will go a long way in making sure that nothing retaliatory sticks.

[45DAVID1]

You can turn your back on a man, but you can never turn your back on a drug.

You are in a situation that has no reasonable solutions. Calling the police after the fact won't get you very far, unless the LEO that investigates your complaint interrupts Mr. & Mrs. Crankster in the process of cooking meth.

I would recommend setting up exterior cameras that cover the street and the house the speed freaks live in. Passive protection for the time when they get their paranoia going and decide to take action against you, your family and/or your property.

Keep a log of any events related to the SF's causing propblems and threatening you. Be comprehensive - detail date, time, the particulars and any other pertinent information.

Are the SF's owners or renters? A check of public records could be useful. Should they be renters, the landlord can be held responsible civilly if he/she fails to take action to solve the problem with their tenants after being put on notice that there is a problem.

I would also advise you to keep your kids out of this as much as possible - even though Mrs. Crankster had no business using the public street as a race course, your kids shouldn't have been the one to approach her or repremand her - you're the adult, it's your job.

Hmmm... that's basically everything I typed already this morning. You must have skipped through everything and just typed this out, huh?

[hitman13]

Hmmm... that's basically everything I typed already this morning. You must have skipped through everything and just typed this out, huh?

heres your cookie for being first

[Bonecrusher]

"How would you handle this situation?"

A whole lot different than what im reading here.

[otteray]

Do you have a Neighborhood Watch Association?
How about a Police Community Service Officer?
You really need to start or get involved with an existing group, and encourage your law enforcement agency, or city council, to have a community service officer. Our community's PD has been very dedicated to this effort.
That's the CSO's job. They want to help guide citizens how to legally deal with issues to improve the safety of each neighborhood.
Let's face it; the cops are usually understaffed for patrols.
Neighbors need to step up and pitch in to help out reporting issues so PD can respond more effectively.
A Watch Group helps, because then you have organization to complain to the city council.
I got a radar gun from Santa Cruz PD through our Watch Group and then helped do a traffic study of my neighborhood.
If we suspect drug dealing, we call the cops. We communicate thru email about criminal activities, keeping everybody up to date when we have issues.
When I repeatedly spot a speeder, I record the times of the offense.
Traffic mitigation devices are now being installed on my street because of an organized Neighborhood Watch Association
We're not Gestapo or commie-social montors, by the way.
We are only trying to re-establish a livable neighborhood, as it once was, and should be.
Do yourself a favor and get out there to be pro-active about issues that effect the safety of you kids and your neighbors by joining or creating a neighborhood watch group that works with your local PD with regularly scheduled meetings. Then, the law enforcement folks will have a better network to resolve community crime and safety issues, and they can approach the problem people to hopefully resolve any safety or crime issues.
Watch Groups are a very important addition to your neighborhood's safety program if you, as a citizen, are willing to be involved.

[StraightShooter]

Does the husband seem like the druggie type? If so then I would definitely get the police involved. If he seems like a normal guy then maybe talking to him is the best way to go. Obviously if that doesnt get anything done then I would do what some other guys have said here. Try to get it on video and then make a report with the police.

[ibanezfoo]

What about reporting that she tried to kill the kids with her 4000 lb. assault weapon? I mean, how is driving like that any different than randomly firing rounds into the air?

-Bryan

[psriley]

+1 on documenting it with video, but you'll need some way to demonstrate in the footage that she's actually exceeding the speed limit. Otherwise it would probably take her lawyer about 10 seconds to discredit you. See if you can get a radar gun display into the frame.

Might also want to see if you can get her to curse you out again while film is rolling.

Plan B could be to go back over there with fondue and Yahtzee, and really connect with them as people...make her demons your demons. Then give her a life-affirming powerhug loaded with positive energy help get this woman on the path to being the best her she can possibly be.

Of couse Plan B would take longer and probably make you vomit in the process.

Back to Plan A. Get this crazy byotch on video over several days, and drop a copy of it in her mailbox. Extra credit if you can get footage of illicit drug activity to include as a bonus track. Then tell her to slow the eff down or it's movietime at the local precinct.

[retired]

Taking video of her driving is good advice. Making her aware of it is not. I would suggest secrete the cameras on your property as someone else suggested. Make sure they are good quality; color would be best.

Do not contact her anymore, nor her husband. Tho he may understand the problem, he evidently isn't able to control her behavior.

The police will make a log entry of the incident, but unless there is an actual crime, there will not be a criminal report. If you are able to present video showing her speeding and reckless driving, they may send a letter warning her to desist. If it continues they may pay her a visit.

On the other hand, when she commits the act in your presence and on tape, you can call them immediately requesting a unit to respond. They get your side and any witnesses info and then, depending on dept. policy, go warn and advise her to stop. We did that all of the time, whether it was something like this or having a loud radio, etc. It usually worked.

Now, if she becomes angry that you called le (considering her wonderful disposition, she probably will) and comes to your property to yell at her. Go inside in your home without arguing, call the dept. again to advise, keep the tape rolling and wait until they respond.

At that point, they might advise a TRO and you could request extra patrol. Hopefully neither will be necessary, but if needed, they give you the results you need to solve the problem..

Who knows, when le makes the initial contact, she may be high and they will hook her up. End of problem for awhile, but of course it could escalate when she gets out. You have to decide how far you want to take it and preserve the safety of your kids and neighborhood. If your neighbors will back you, it will be that much easier.

Just a fyi based on some experience.

[oaklander]

I would invite the husband over for a beer and try and make friends with him. Better yet, invite both of them over for dinner. Don't talk about the speeding stuff unless they bring it up. Just make a point of being a good neighbor. This is a lot easier than about anything else, and you don't have anything to lose by trying this.

If you don't feel comfortable having them in your house, ask them if they would like to go out to dinner. (You drive!)

I know this seems counterintuitive, but you don't have anything to lose, and if this doesn't work, you can always go to plan "b" and get the police involved.

The worst thing in the world is a feud with a neighbor, I've had a few, and I've always defused them by being nice.

[hitman13]

why invite SFs into your home, or associate with them at all?

[oaklander]

why invite SFs into your home, or associate with them at all?

The goal is to get the woman to slow down. There's two ways to do it. One is with charm. The other is with force.

The problem with the force thing is that you have to involve the police, it takes time, and will create even more drama.

When I used to do martial arts, we were always told that the best way to win a fight was to avoid a situation where fights might occur. If we couldn't do that, we were supposed to walk away. If we couldn't walk way, we were told to talk our way out of it. If we couldn't do that, then we could fight.

The point is that conflict was always the last choice and not the first choice.

It doesn't mean being a pushover and rolling over for anyone that wants to dominate you. What it does mean is that you have to pick your battles and choose the most effective way to handle a situation.

In this case, one choice is to roll out the video cameras, police reports, restraining orders, letters to police stations, documents, lawyers, etc..

The other choice is to drink a six-pack with someone who might turn out to be a good friend down the road.

That being said, only the OP really has enough information about his situation to know what will work for him. It's possible my idea wouldn't work. Similar tactics have worked for me in the past, but it doesn't mean that they will work for the OP now. I'm just throwing it out there as an option.

[Mac]

....

[tom_92673]

My neighborhood has a lot of young children. I have a young daughter who won't stop walking into the street. We have also got our share of fast drivers. One or two in particular. What we've found effective is to place signs in the street that say Children playing during the day. The kind that look like wet floor signs only a bit bigger. This tends to remind people not to drive too fast. It's often more helpful than challenging them as they respond to signs but feel attacked if you offer simple advice. Most people think you're challenging them or their intelligence if you say something to them, no matter how polite you are. It's a simple matter of low self esteem. The signs on the other hand are reminders to everyone and thus people don't feel singled out and are more likely to heed the signs. I'd also much rather have them hit the sign and stop then hit a kid.

[BB63Squid]

As several here have already said but I will just emphasize...

First and foremost contact the sgt in your PD that is in charge of the district you reside in. Do not do this in front of your house but rather call the po-po and find out who he/she is and make an appointment to talk to them. Before meeting him/her make sure you have all the facts (date and times of recent arguments). Her name and address if possible, and video evidence if possible.

At this point the husband may have her calmed down but I doubt it since she has alligator mouth and hummingbird a##. She sounds like the type to get drunk, meet a guy for fun then claim rape. So watch out for her and document EVERYTHING. She appears to have come up with the you have guns response way too quick for it to be from the hip.

Eventually this will come to a boil. My advise would be to get the jump on her so you have a history of being the civilized one with regards to how the po-po views you.

FYI...I feel for you and have had neighbors who have used my street as a racetrack. Fortunately for them, they have all seemed top slow down after I had a conversation with them. Good luck.


Edit: Sorry for posting 3X. My laptop hiccup'd when I hit submit.