Calif. Home Power Bill Prompts Pot Probe

"...
"I understand they feel something isn't appropriate here, but it is very much consistent with how search warrants are prepared," said police Lt. Bill Rowland.


When authorities noticed how high the bill for the Dagy home was, they sent a police dog to the neighborhood, and it reacted as though it had smelled drugs.


They also noticed the family had put its trash out that morning, something police say drug growers often do to hide the evidence. In the Dagys' case, however, it was trash day.

..."



http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=533&e=3&u=/ap/20040328/ap_on_re_us/electricity_probe


In his sworn affidavit, Carlsbad Detective Mark Reyes states an unidentified, confidential source told a county Narcotics Task Force agent that someone might be growing pot in the house.

Investigators subpoenaed utility records, which showed the Dagys used 1,584 kilowatts of electricity in February, and 1,616 kilowatts in January, the affidavit states. That's three to four times the amount used in neighboring homes during the same period, according to the affidavit.

Also, surveillance of the home showed that the Dagys placed their trash cans on the curb outside their home the morning of the Thursday pickups.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/northcounty/20040326-9999-news_7m26wrong.html
The WOD hits a new low.

"When police noticed Dina Dagy's family was spending $250 to $300 a month on electricity, they suspected a marijuana farm was flourishing under high-intensity lights inside their suburban home."

Right. Hmm. Where did the police even get the electric bill? Or does the utility company just hand over a list of customers and bills now?

It explains that. I put my trash out this morning(Thur) and paid a $200+ monthly electric bill yesterday...

An unidentified, confidental source. A police dog. High electric bills. Trash out on the curb for morning pickup.

I'm surprised they didn't just arrest them and go straight to trial. Sounds like an open and shut case.

They're going to come after you now! :tinfoilhat:

DEA...x(

by a failed 'war on drugs.' Marijuana should be legalized, and search warrants issued only for good cause.

Multi-agency task forces are the bane of civil liberties. If there is martial law declared, IMHO, the anti-drug enforcement bureacracy will serve as he model, if not the foundation.

once again we created a huge market over which we have no control and can levy no taxes to pay for the policing of.

The judge issues a search warrant on speculation and hearsay
$300 dollar elect bill....Move to TX our monthly bills are $400 to $500 during the summer. Had I done that I would have been removed from office. We had several cases thrown out because of the recklessness of the Permian basin drug task force.

I can just see me going and asking one of my judges for a warrant based on electricity usage. When he finished laughing, he would throw me out of his office, and rightfully so.

Where is this?? Don't those guys have anything to DO? (rhetorical)

Were I the boss of that organization and my cops were doing crap like this, they would have plenty to keep them busy, you betcha. And it wouldn't be in Narcotics. No, No, they'd be working somewhere unpleasant.

After they set it out, don't they forfeit expectation of privacy?

No let's search the house. Maybe there is someting other than drugs afoot. It does sound like someone in authority was grinding an axe.

This is standard practice these days. All of the power companies tip the authorities when a customer's bill is unusually large, and this simple tip is considered probable cause nationwide.

I wonder what the next development will be using this as a precedent?

Behind anonymous tips, utillity consumption is the #2 way to bust marijuana growing operations. I don't think I can back this up with DoJ statistics, but ask vice cops unofficially and they'll tell you. You can ask growers the same thing. The only way to get around this is to enroll a new property with utility service when starting a grow operation. This way there is no baseline electrical consumption with which authorities compare to your usage. Likewise, there was a court case which ruled helicopter surviellance with infrared sensing equipment as not a violation of the right to privacy. I'm looking for a cite here.

I would truly love to meet this judge.

But I get the feeling we're moving in that direction.

Take for example this 'creative use' of the so-called patriot act in Nevada:

http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2003/Nov-05-Wed-2003/news/22521283.html

Perhaps I am making a slippery slope argument, I acknowledge that, but there are crooks out there. It only takes one bribe or or claim of false evidence to shake people's confidance in the court system. Pretty soon, we're going to have so many laws that the system will strain under its own weight. I'd hate to see our country turn out like poor Paraguay (another country dear to my heart) where everyone sues everyone else, or some worse fate. I don't believe we're that crooked yet, but anyone who says it can't happen here is wrong.

Now, I don't believe we're there yet, however and don't put much stock in the illuminati. We're not on the slopes yet, just the bunny hill. But with the drug war and the war on terror and the war on guns and the war on fat, the bill of rights will be explained away as an emergency measure.

"The Patriot Act will expire in 2005 unless Congress renews it. "More activity like this is going to cause us to take a close look at what was passed," Reid said of the law being invoked in the Galardi probe. "

I did not know they put a sunset clause in. Enjoy it while it lasts.