Legal Question in Criminal Law in Colorado

After reading over what I have written here, I know that I sound like a busy body with nothing better to do that to spy on her neighbors. But I can assure you, I'm not. I have a fairly busy life and I have a family to take care of. But I have lived in this house for 10 years. And in that time you get to know the people around you. I am also going to college and do a lot of studying at night after the kids are asleep and I hear and see things at odd hours.

There is a house on my street where I suspected drugs were being sold. There were cars coming and going at all times of the day and night. They only stayed there for 15 minutes or so and left. They were really reckless and loud. They would park in front of driveways and get into fights in the street. I stopped letting my kids play outside because I thought they would get hurt.

They were also making really good friends with the new lady who moved into the rental house next to me. I almost warned her about the guys in that house because she has 2 small children of her own. But then I noticed she was going back and forth to that house, a lot. And the guys in that house were making a lot of trips over to see her too. There always seemed to be a party going on in the two houses because she started having a lot of visitors too who also liked to be rowdy and blast the music.

It was getting really bad.

Then, a couple months ago, everyone in the first house just disappeared, over night. And everything quieted down in the rental house too. One of my neighbors said he had been talking to the police about them and they were starting to investigate. So he thought they ran. But I don�t know if I believe him. He IS a busy body and loves to stick his nose in where it doesn't belong.

Things were finally back to normal, the people in the rental house were quiet and the other house was just empty. It felt like we could breathe again...

Recently, things have started picking back up. People are always at the rental house now. And there are cars in the driveway of the other house too.

All of my neighbors seem to have barricaded themselves in their houses and I don�t see them anymore.

I don't know if I can go through this all over again. We cannot afford to move. We are barely making ends meet as it is.

I have seen nothing concrete that proves a crime is being committed. I just have a really bad feeling that we are not safe. I am also extremely worried about those kids over there.

But, to be perfectly honest, I am terrified of being wrong. What if they are just really social/loud people? Just because they aren't like me, doesn't make them bad.

What should I do? Should I call the cops? From what I have read on the internet, that could get really ugly, especially if they think I did it. I would just really like some advice.

Thanks


Asked on 5/20/11, 10:07 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys
V. Iyer Iyer Law Office, L.L.C.

You can talk to the police and ask that they keep your identity confidential. They can then start an investigation and establish the evidence independent of your information so your identity need not be disclosed to anyone. If the police establish no criminal activity nothing comes of it. The people will be told by police to behave and act like decent law abiding people. However, if criminal activity is established they will be prosecuted and the criminal activity will be stopped.

Just make sure that the police know you want to remain annonymous and ask that they be discrete.

You can also report your suspicions by phone and let the tip line know you do not want to reveal your identity.

Best of Luck.

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Answered on 5/21/11, 10:28 pm


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