Almost arrested growing! 3 Cop cars surrounded me!

Great advice from everyone. If i had the time to +rep everyone, I would.

The reason the cops called is because they thought the car was stolen. They ran the lisence plate and it said it was from another town (100 miles away). I feel that this is why they called in backup.

As for what I plan on doing here it goes:

I will walk over by foot around 1 am. As I get close, I will cover my face with a bandanna. I am going to look around for any cop cars/ people. I know this area very well and can tell if someone/something is around.

I have another spot ready...I actually planned on moving these plants within this week, before the cops became involved. I will move the plants to a place where they are easy to pick up and I will move them to the other site.

As for them already knowing where the plants are, I disagree. They probably would have busted us right then and there. Based off of my own analysis on the situation, they dont have the time or money to camp out and wait. I feel as if they could set up a game camera and maybe check the patterns of how often I go...but I am going to make it very unpredictable.


Lastly, my friend and I were talking today and we decided that we should have acted like two gay lovers that couldn't find any privacy. They would have been dumbfounded.

I'd do a full perimeter recon...pack a big lunch and go super slow-crawl with a small set of field glasses a half hour before light...go in, in a different direction... if they catch you out there, you're a tracker....there's something called proof...you're just out mouse watching!...I doubt they'll go all secret squirrel on your ass, for no other reason than budget...let alone the fact that it's really small potatoes(a great place to be!)...there's biker gangs, and narcotrafficantes growin' WAY MORE...that's the priority of the sheriff's dept's and task force types....this state's goin' broke! ... I'm bettin' that some nosy homeowner on the road you were contacted on dropped a dime...there's no shortage of paranoid retirees with nothin' better to do!

I would not return to the scene. If the tanks are valuable and you feel the risk is worth it, I'd wait a couple weeks and pick them up then. The pot will grow again. I'd be thanking my lucky stars that I got away with that once and I'd never go back there again. New spot. It sucks, but you got a warning the easy way.

Good luck man. Let us know how this goes.

if I lived in sonoma county, I'd probably be giving you a hand at this moment with clearing the scene...just listen to your gut when you're out there, and remember:burden of proof, and what a waste of time and $$ prosecuting on flimsy evidence! even if you did get popped- this aint arizona for god's sake! they're not gonna' put you on a chain gang for a joint!(you know what i mean).

Since you have a grow buddy, I'd have one drop off the other and drive around while you grab the equipment. Call him to pick you up when you're ready. Don't bother w/ the plants right now, if they're watching anything that's the bust. Who'd press charges on you for stealing a couple of old water tanks? I'd never ever park another vehicle in that spot, EVER. That's probably what got them involved in the first place and they were just trying to get a reaction out of you about growing. I agree they didn't find the weed or they would have yanked it, just my experience on the busts I've seen. I'd certainly abandon that spot though, your security has been compromised. Too bad that bush was looking good. I'd risk going back <after being dropped off by your buddy> a few weeks from now to see if it's still there. Look for any footprints or sign that anyone's been watching it I doubt they'd watch such a small grow that long. Good Luck.

Orange Shovel CAGrower said:

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The reason the cops called is because they thought the car was stolen. They ran the lisence plate and it said it was from another town (100 miles away). I feel that this is why they called in backup.

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I don't buy that one friend. If the car was not stolen they have no reason to even bother with a parked car. If that were the case every tourist would be getting visits in parking lots.

Just remember to be watchful of electronic surveillance. Cops love gadgets which help make up for their rather low IQ. Smart cops become FBI agents......the rest....well...they just lift a lot of weights.

CrackerJax said:

Be very very careful. Cops aren't the brightest ppl, but they make up for it in sheer volume and technology.... (like a wireless camera near your grow which may be there right now).... careful. next time you go, do it at night and make sure to cover your face. Even if you think no one is there.

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as much as i dont like cops. theya rent dumb. trust me i have been around them my whole life, a few in my family and they know everything and anything they want to. they just dont giove a fuck about a small little personal operation. they are after the big fish

Good luck Shovel!
I would recommend finding yourself another way to get to your grow.
Don't go near that spot where you met the police.
Even if it means a small hike.
Good luck Shovel!

i belive if they should up out of the blue kootabuds is right their waiting for u to come bac they wont come to your home they wanna no they have to catch u in the act stay away cut your losses or send someone else to get your girls.normaly id say tell no one but you need some one to get them

No offense, but the cops really aren't that clever. maybe I should have said..."on their own". They do have a hive network which does help. If you look at the % of solved crimes that aren't related to confession or the common snitching, but actually investigative problem solving, the success rate is abysmal. TV helps give the ILLUSION that lots of crimes get solved...they do not. Compare that to the success rate of the FBI and my point becomes even more salient.

Frankly, I would like to see every cop be a 4 year graduate of a University but not in law enforcement classes. That would be the next phase after college.... like the FBI.

I'm sure there are some cops who are above average in intelligence, but the vast majority are not. The hive network just covers it up with redundancy.

I'm an old outside grower, gave that up for inside but I still have an instinct or 2.
Lots of good comments here, the likely threats,
1. someone outed you, probably on the street/area, might do it again
2. someone mentioned game camera or such, possible, seems a little less likely
3. copter sweep, that i can believe, list probably gets added up over the season, then at flower time, swoop!

If by some chance, you have access to a game camera(or maybe a wireless camera), might be sweet justice to watch the cops. Say, put it by the road entrance where it would be safe to check. May not be practical, but always wanted to share this with a fellow grower.

So heres an update on the situation.

I went back last night and moved 8 plants. Right now there are only 3 there. I wore a bandanna around my face just in case there were cameras. I looked around for cops and when it looked clear I moved the girls to a place where my friend could pick me up. We took them to another guerrilla site and prepared the soil.

I felt very nervous going back to this site, but based on my outdoor training no one had been back. My biggest indicator was that there was a spider web that hit my face as i went through the entrance. To me, this says that no one was there within the last day (When the incident happened).

spider webs are a good indication that there was probably no one else before you. good thing to pick up on and something I frequently look for when traveling to my garden. are you gonna go back and pick up the others or just leave them to not risk another trip out there?

notoriousb said:

spider webs are a good indication that there was probably no one else before you. good thing to pick up on and something I frequently look for when traveling to my garden. are you gonna go back and pick up the others or just leave them to not risk another trip out there?

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I am going to set up a water timer and leave it there for 3 weeks. If the plants are alive when I come back (at 3 am), I will continue to grow at this site. I am just happy that I got through the rough part.

I bet a concerned citizen saw you fellers and immediately assumed your guilt...

to next,
and joyfully alert LEO.

I wouldn't sweat it either... An encounter should not be that frightening. They just looking for sumthin ta do...

Just be nonchalant with them locals.

That's great news to hear!

The next step is a Spiderman suit

Im happy to hear about your plants, seems like you got nosey ass neighbors make sure to stay out of view of all neibours when your going to your garden.

hahah that would of been so sweet if you guys had done the gay lover role, cracked me up thinking about it.