Spike in electric bill cover-up

[Fungardner]

For those of you that grow inside and use electric gulping setups consider doing this:

Install dual headed flood lights outside your home (or wherever you grow) and when you turn your grow lights off, turn these on. Just remember NOT to run all of these lights at the same time as the purpose is to cover up spikes in kilowatt use of high powered indoor lights. Even if it's daylight you can always say "Oh, I didn't know they were on." Match the number of watts in the outside lights as that of your indoor grow lights close as possible. 300 watt flood lights of the halogen type are what I just installed today to coincide with my first indoor grow (18 years of outdoor growing I thought I'd try indoor growing this summer) set up. I have 2 halide lights indoors and so I bought and installed three 400 watt floodlights for two corners of my house and a dark spot of my barn.

Peace everyone,
FG

[gmd]

not a bad idea

[cantharis]

Not terribly green, but a good idea. +rep

I am just getting in a 400W MH to veg a winter grow. But I know my bills are low compared to my neighbours - they heat with electric, I use gas.

[BtBR]

I don't know any of this for sure, so if somone does know more please speak up.

I think that if the cops get a warrant to look over your electric bills it's probably too late. I don't think LEOs can access your electric bill without having probable cause and a warrant, and if they have a warrant they could do all sorts of things from "searching" your home with thermal imaging, to downright searching your home by tramping through it and turning it inside out looking for the drugs.

Also, if they do look at your electrical bill/activity, do they even see an hour by hour breakdown? Or are they just looking for a noticeable spike at a single time. Like before you started growing and then the month after your bill was 2 or 3 times as big. This would of course only happen if you had a very large grow op, not a personal grow.

Like I said, I'm not an expert and really don't have any direct knowledge of any of this, but I have read news reports on pot busts so, if someone does know more, please speak up.

[Fungardner]

Law Enforcement cannot obtain a warrant without probable cause. Simply to "look" at your electric bill alone is not probable cause. Police must go before either a Judge or Magistrate then present any evidence to support their suspicions in order to obtain a warrant. Telling a Judge or Magistrate that they just want to go in your home/shop/barn etc and look around based on the electric bill because they 'think" you are growing will not fly. Now, with that said, electric companys can and do (which I think someone should stop them from doing this) call local police and tell them that the residence at 1234 Main Street is using way more kilowatts or, is having spikes in their kilowatt use for 12 hour periods than the same time last year or, on a regular basis. This is some of the psycological ops used by electric companys & coops to endear themselves to the community they serve by helping to detect "weed growers" and charge outrageous prices for services, the same as those commercials you see on TV where they say they are a part of your community but their desires rest somewhere else...Anyway. That is reasonable suspicion but that in and of itself alone, without any supporting evidence to further back up suspicions of growing or illegal activity is not probable cause for a warrant to be issued in most cases.

At this time law enforcement including FEDS do not have to obtain any warrant to point a thermal imaging device at your residence. These devices are used by Fire Depts. to search buildings. They are relatively cheap and avalible over the internet. Now, after "looking" at your diggs with such a device they must still...and usually do...perform surveillance including making buys using a confidential informant (narc) to buy from you to build evidence above & beyond the use of the T.I. device. If your growing for personal use and/or selling then most of the time they will document your actions using a variety of methods including video, photography, eavesdropping (which is not as difficult as some have been myth-led to think) These are the very reasons why people must ensure that they take security measures seriously when growing from their homes and even determine if it's worth the risk at all. I believe that going to jail for growing 3 or 7 plants is not worth losing your home, family, kids, vehicles, money and other things. Examples of police survaillance are:

* People ringing your doorbell pretending they are lost.
* UPS, Fed Ex or other type of delivery personnel that "new".
* Pizza delivery people delivering pizza even though you didn't order any. This one is old but cops still use it because it's effective. They give you the pizza(s) then strike up a conversation.
* Vans or trucks with ladder racks or "map tubes" (long white pvc pipe running the length of the vehicle) These are actually polarized antennas! Directional and very effective to listen thru masonary, block and stone including things you say in your back yard or on the porch. Many of these antennas are effective at distances out to 1000 yards...thats yards now. There is 3 ft in one yard so that gives you an idea of the distance. They do have to be right up on you!

Once you are under survaillance law enforcement will not back off until they either prove you are OR you aren't. There is not other way to say it. If you are going to grow then learn to act and think like you are under surveillance at all times. Don't let up and do not make any mistakes in judgement. because one mistake or slip may mean the difference of going to jail for who knows how many years or going home to smoke a bud.

Counter options:

* Buy a Uniden 396 Trunking scanner. They are digital (which many police depts. are now using or going to) It will also track conventional frequencys too. And narc units!
* When people you DO NOT know come up to you, treat them that way. Resist trying to be cool and stuff. THAT will get you busted.
* Anyone knocks on your door and you do not know them, do not answer it then call 911. Tell them there is someone at your neighbor's door trying to beat it down!
* New delivery people? Be nice & polite then dismiss yourself. My philosophy, I don't know you and you don't know me. And don't answer the door if you KNOW you didn't order nothing.
* Keep your somoking stash and master stash in separate locales if you can. No use getting it all confiscated!
* Never, ever, never plant cannabis if you "have a feeling not to" as that is your best defense in the world. Many times, people go against their better judgement. That little voice in your head knows whats up often times better than you. learn to heed it!
* Buy a cell phone scambler unit. They are all over the internet but the ones I refer to are professional grade models used in courtrooms, jails, malls, hospitals etc. They run about $500 (or more) but if you have a commercial grow op going on these will also jam law enforcement radios because they operate on the 800MHz frequency bandwidths. That is what the majority of police departments operate on today.

A point to consider:

If people in their own perception of what you present visually as well as phsically "view" you within a set of perimeters they percieve as NORML, then you can relax....a little. Its all about being covert and keeping it that way. You may have an attitude of "I'll do what I want, when I want and fu** everyone else" and thats OK if thats what you want to do. For me, if all of you knew where I live and you could drive by my home you would never in a million years guess or suspect in any way I smoke or grow cannabis. Thats what you want to project. It is the best cover of all!


In S.C. Involuntary Manslaughter carries a $2000 fine with either 6 months jail or a suspended sentenance w/probation if there are no aggravating factors such as DUI, DWI, evading police during a chase that results in death or drugs involved. First time growing of marijuana carrys a mandatory jail term of no more than 22 months and a $5000 fine, plus the seizure of any property that can be connected to the marijuana which in many cases is only loosely connected. See how fu**** up our system and beliefs associated with the "war on drugs" really is?




Peace everyone. Do something nice for someone today!
FG