Info About Drug usage...

[goofymonkey33]

I live in Michigan. I was doing a bit of research, legally, for another case, and have discovered someone who regularly (daily) uses drugs. They also happen to have am unregistered hand gun and rifle in their possession. I would love to just call the police, however, I'm not 100% certain that I trust the police to leave me out of it. The drug user's sister is dating an officer. It's too close for me. So. My question is, what can/do i do?

Would police investigate on an anonymous tip? Any help is much appreciated.

P.S. Sorry to disappoint with not another story of how it wasn't my fault, but it was my friend's, and I was just holding it for the one armed man with the dog that ate my homework.

Cheers everyone, and thanks

 

[quincy]

Call Crime Stoppers of Michigan, 1-800-SPEAK-UP (800-773-2587). It is an anonymous tip line.

 

[CdwJava]

Keep in mind that anonymous tips and reports do not provide the police with reasonable suspicion to detain someone or even ask for a warrant. All it can do is point them in a direction to look ... they can make a consensual contact and even ask the person in question about their drug activity, but anonymous tips are worthless for doing much more than giving a direction to look at. So, don't expect much to happen - at least in the near term - on an anonymous tip.

- Carl

 

[goofymonkey33]

Ok...Thanks so much Carl. Could you please explain what I would have to do that would help?

I know the names and addresses of everyone, from the people who grow it, to the people using it. Not just some of the people, I'm 100% certain, ALL of the people.

Thanks again for your help.

 

[CdwJava]

Ok...Thanks so much Carl. Could you please explain what I would have to do that would help?

I know the names and addresses of everyone, from the people who grow it, to the people using it. Not just some of the people, I'm 100% certain, ALL of the people.

Thanks again for your help.

Specifics such as names and addresses do help remove the edge of anonymity add to the reliability of the info, but, unless you are willing to come forward and say who you saw do what - and be a real witness - the information (at least in most states) would be insufficient to take effective action without a great deal of follow-up.

It's like pointing down the street and saying the guy in the big car is a rapist but refusing to say why you know that ... not much the police could do without following him around or asking him straight up if he did it. Given time they might find evidence, but they might decide that it's a dead end, too. I imagine they have a lot of anonymous tips.

In San Jose they used to have a tip line for drugs and all they did when they got a tip was do a background check on the house to see if anyone was on probation or parole and then go to the house. If the person was searchable through probation or parole, they would conduct a search. If not, they would knock on the door tell the person they received a report they were using drugs and ask to come inside. 3 out of 4 people would let them search. but, that was about it. I suspect it is much the same today, too.

- Carl

 

[quincy]

I have to disagree with Carl about the effectiveness of reporting a tip to Michigan's Crime Stoppers.

The Michigan State Police report great success with this program - and the anonymous tips have led to several arrests and convictions throughout Michigan. Dave Bing was the 2007 Chairman of Michigan's Crime Stoppers and spoke recently about what a vital program it is and how important it is for citizens to assist the police in helping clean up their cities and neighborhoods, especially of drug violators. The State Police say that all tips reported to the hotline are followed up on.

Any person that provides a tip that results in a felony arrest, by the way, is eligible for a $1000 cash reward (of course, in order to collect, you lose some of your anonymity ).

 

[fairisfair]

I have to disagree with Carl about the effectiveness of reporting a tip to Michigan's Crime Stoppers.

The Michigan State Police report great success with this program - and the anonymous tips have led to several arrests and convictions throughout Michigan. Dave Bing was the 2007 Chairman of Michigan's Crime Stoppers and spoke recently about what a vital program it is and how important it is for citizens to assist the police in helping clean up their cities and neighborhoods, especially of drug violators. The State Police say that all tips reported to the hotline are followed up on.

Any person that provides a tip that results in a felony arrest, by the way, is eligible for a $1000 cash reward (of course, in order to collect, you lose some of your anonymity ).

The tips you are speaking of Quincy, are generally tips that are provided on an ongoing investigation.

Not by some ex girlfriend who is pi$$ed off and wants to get even with her cheating boyfriend by blowing the whistle on him and his doper friends.

 

[CdwJava]

Tips in ongoing investigations can be valuable. An isolated tip out of the blue - unless connected to something that the police are already looking at - is legally worthless, but can get the authorities looking in the right direction.

I never said they were "worthless" only that they were not a quick fix.

My county's tip line gets a LOT of anonymous info ... much of the time it only reinforces what we already know - "There are drugs being sold out of the house at 123 Main Street and Bob Smith has cars coming all day and night ..." Okay, we KNOW that ... the tip doesn't do much for us. Now, if the tipster had said he could be reached, had license plates of the cars, and even overheard some of the conversations, THAT might be helpful (if he also provided his info as a witness).

As Fairisfair points out, many of these tips are also acts of revenge ... it does not mean they are not true, but the police don't have the resources to open new cases and begin surveillance on every tip they receive. It is simply not possible. So, they do as many agencies have done like in the case of San Jose which I previously mentioned. Sometimes, those knock-and-talks result in great pops! Sometimes they find someone on probation or parole at the house and they make a bust when they do a search. Many other times, they are ineffective.

The more info the OP can provide , the better. If he wants a "quick fix" the only way to help that come about is to become a witness and not an anonymous informant. We get jammed in court when we rely too heavily on anonymous tips, hence the reason to act slowly and carefully ... if at all.

- Carl

 

[quincy]

Not really.

Michigan has several departments that handle the tips from the Hotline. There have been arrests for people home-growing marijuana in their basements, based on tips transferred from Crimestoppers to HEMP (the Help Eliminate Marijuana Planting unit), and drug tips, such as knowledge of the location of various meth labs or of narcotics dealing, are transferred to various police drug enforcement units throughout the State for investigation. I would not want to be the doper boyfriend, in other words, cheating on his girlfriend.

Certainly some tips will get more attention than others, and perhaps you are right about those being the ones already under investigation by the police, but the State Police insist they investigate all tips that come in.

 

[fairisfair]

Not really.

Michigan has several departments that handle the tips from the Hotline. There have been arrests for people home-growing marijuana in their basements, based on tips transferred from Crimestoppers to HEMP (the Help Eliminate Marijuana Planting unit), and drug tips, such as knowledge of the location of various meth labs or of narcotics dealing, are transferred to various police drug enforcement units throughout the State for investigation. I would not want to be the doper boyfriend, in other words, cheating on his girlfriend.

Certainly some tips will get more attention than others, and perhaps you are right about those being the ones already under investigation by the police, but the State Police insist they investigate all tips that come in.

I hate snitches. . . . . almost as much as cheaters. and half as much as criminals.

Dang, I hate everybody.

 

[quincy]

Except me, fairisfair.

 

[CdwJava]

but the State Police insist they investigate all tips that come in.

Sure they do! Records' check and/or a "knock and talk" IS an investigation.

It's frustrating because people tend to provide an anonymous tip then call us a week later wondering why their doper neighbors weren't tossed in the clink!

- Carl

 

[quincy]

For heaven's sake, Carl, throw those doper neighbors in the clink already!

Michigan really does rely on the "snitches" fairisfair hates so much, to report suspicious activities going on in their neighborhoods. Neighbors have much more of an interest than anyone else does, afterall, in keeping their neighborhoods safe.

All of Michigan's programs tend to work in tandem with Crime Stoppers - Neighborhood Watch, Silent Partners, HEMP, Drug Tip lines, police crime units, et al. - and there is a noticeable affect on crime rates in areas where the citizens are actively involved, even when the involvement is a mere anonymous tip to a hotline.

Drug house "tips" have led to stake-outs and multiple arrests of major drug dealers in and around Detroit (these are not just "knock and talk"s by the police) and numerous meth labs have been shut down on the reports, only, of odd smells and even odd neighbors, and I know of two dog-fighting "rings" shut down based on anonymous tips. Minor drug busts are common, as well, especially with high schoolers, and are probably commonly reported by ticked-off friends and acquaintances. And a rather well-publicized murder in Michigan was solved due to a hotline tip.

I. obviously, have great faith in these Hot Lines, and the people who man them and take the tips seriously.

(And, of course, when all else fails, the media is called in to get the police moving. )

 

[CdwJava]

Michigan either has cops a plenty, or their agencies are flush with money. These lines have varied successes here. There greatest success has to do with school-related reports.

It may be that the status of the law and reliability on anonymous informants is less an issue in Michigan than it is in CA ... but, that's odd since it has been the USSC that has set the standard for the most part.

Well, more power to 'em if they get some successes out of them. But, I still contend that for all the success, these are related to investigations where the initial call provides something that gives them a lead. if the initial contact or inquiry turns up nothing (as many do) I guarantee you they are not setting up stakeouts on a whim ... NO agency has THAT kind of time and money!

- Carl

 

[goofymonkey33]

I hate snitches. . . . . almost as much as cheaters. and half as much as criminals.

Dang, I hate everybody.

lol...Funny. Seems to me though, if you can't do the time, you shouldn't do the crime. I speed everyday, and as soon as they start ticketing me, I'll slow down. I am more than happy when I get pulled over to surrender all my info and pay the fine. I have no problem with the laws I do break. However, Growing and selling Marijuana to kids in schools, and college parties by a 52 yr old man, to me, is totally unacceptable. I don't want, but am not totally against, giving my name. I just don't want to in vain, ya know?

Thanks everyone