That's right, Keep asking wht I use CFLs!!!!

Taken from the news today...it happened to a family in Kansas.

"It was just like on the cops TV shows," Robert Harte told The Associated Press. "It was like 'Zero Dark Thirty' ready to storm the compound."
During the sweep, the court filing said, the Hartes were told they had been under surveillance for months, but the couple "know of no basis for conducting such surveillance nor do they believe such surveillance would have produced any facts supporting the issuance of a search warrant."
Harte said he built the hydroponic garden with his son a couple of years ago. He said they didn't use the powerful light bulbs that are sometimes used to grow marijuana and that the family's electricity usage didn't change dramatically. Changes in utility usage can sometimes lead authorities to such operations.
When law enforcement arrived, the family had just six plants — three tomato plants, one melon plant and two butternut squash plants — growing in the basement, Harte said.

These people used to work for the CIA!!!!!

All because they bought hydroponic system components!!!!

Must suck to do all that investigating and be presented with fruit & veges.

RIKNSTEIN said:

All because they bought hydroponic system components!!!!

Click to expand...

So if they were going to be investigated anyway, how does this support cfl growing?

Not that there is anything wrong with cfl growers.

Sorry for double posting.

dimebong said:

So if they were going to be investigated anyway, how does this support cfl growing?

Not that there is anything wrong with cfl growers.

Sorry for double posting.

Click to expand...

cuz in the article they said they sometimes target the electric bills that show increased Khz use....ie HIDs..

RIKNSTEIN said:

cuz in the article they said they sometimes target the electric bills that show increased Khz use....ie HIDs..

Click to expand...

As bad as it sounds, I hope to hear more instances such as this. It will be a great pillar to battle being raided based on nothing more than electricity usage, and eventually may result in such evidence being found as insufficient.

DrKingGreen said:

As bad as it sounds, I hope to hear more instances such as this. It will be a great pillar to battle being raided based on nothing more than electricity usage, and eventually may result in such evidence being found as insufficient.

Click to expand...

Such evidence is insufficient already. A judge would not sign a warrant because someone is legally consuming more electricity than his neighbors.

Most electric companies would require a subpoena before they gave up customer usage records.

MYOB said:

Such evidence is insufficient already. A judge would not sign a warrant because someone is legally consuming more electricity than his neighbors.

Most electric companies would require a subpoena before they gave up customer usage records.

Click to expand...

I'm saying most companies are on government payroll to give up info when they get asked...

Cops stakeout, then check your meter, then go to the power company, then kick your door in...
No subpeona necessary 9/10 times i'm banking...Unless your in Co, Wa, or the humbolt triangle maybe..

Sincerely420 said:

I'm saying most companies are on government payroll to give up info when they get asked...

Cops stakeout, then check your meter, then go to the power company, then kick your door in...
No subpeona necessary 9/10 times i'm banking...Unless your in Co, Wa, or the humbolt triangle maybe..

Click to expand...

I wonder what they would have to notice in the stakeout to give them that little extra they needed for the warrant. If anyone were to be looking at my house they would simply think we were a normal(non pot smoking lol) active family. All we do is play outside, garden, run, work, and go to the gym. I do all moving of supplies late at night in trash bags and cardboard boxes so no one can see the contents.

MYOB said:

Such evidence is insufficient already. A judge would not sign a warrant because someone is legally consuming more electricity than his neighbors.

Most electric companies would require a subpoena before they gave up customer usage records.

Click to expand...

Dude, I live in the midwest, and in Kansas they are already doing this...if your electric bill goes up significantly, then they're coming for ya...if you buy a hydro unit on your debit or credit card, they're coming for ya.
They got a search warrant to search a house in Kansas based on the purchase of a hydroponic system on a credit card. It ended up being a couple growing vegitables, and they both were retired CIA research analysts.
Read/watch the news and realize what this once great nation has become...SHIT...Land of the free and Home of the brave, my ass...more like Land of the repressed and Home of "if you speak your mind or do what you want we WILL throw your ass in jail" even if it's not hurting anyone, we the government want something for sittin on our asses, who else is gona pay for the caterer?

DrKingGreen said:

As bad as it sounds, I hope to hear more instances such as this. It will be a great pillar to battle being raided based on nothing more than electricity usage, and eventually may result in such evidence being found as insufficient.

Click to expand...

Hopefully everyone will get on the band wagon and legalize it the last poll was for legalizing it, 52% for and 48% against because of revenue, but I'll start with that

DrKingGreen said:

I wonder what they would have to notice in the stakeout to give them that little extra they needed for the warrant. If anyone were to be looking at my house they would simply think we were a normal(non pot smoking lol) active family. All we do is play outside, garden, run, work, and go to the gym. I do all moving of supplies late at night in trash bags and cardboard boxes so no one can see the contents.

Click to expand...

A snitch......That might have not been too reliable so his or her words might not be good enough for a warrant, but still a stakeout...

And don't get too comfy bro...I know I'm not even close....
You don't think you moving all your supplies late night is enough to get you offed? Cops see you going out with bags of trash last night, thats just as good as them seeing you hustle...They gonna wait to you drop that trash...and swoop in a pick it up if they want you..
To be sure about shit they might put a camera at that place they saw you drop the trash and wait for you to come back...

Which Is why I don't drop anything late night or in the same place twice....

Lol and if anyone seeing this thread doesn't wanna wake up lol, that BANG BANG BANG followed by POLICE! and a kick will sure the hell wake em up lol!

When you see things that you think do matter....stop a look or stop and listen....

Big brother is a FORCE to be reckoned with....But so are the people

weird thread...

Sincerely420 said:

Lol and if anyone seeing this thread doesn't wanna wake up lol, that BANG BANG BANG followed by POLICE! and a kick will sure the hell wake em up lol!

When you see things that you think do matter....stop a look or stop and listen....

Big brother is a FORCE to be reckoned with....But so are the people

Click to expand...

Yep, that's why we moved to the country, we only own 10 acres, but we're in the middle of 2,250 acres of nothing but trees and forest

Not worried about a snitch. I've only been living here for a few months and literally not a soul in this state knows what I'm doing and only family otherwise. Also wonder if it helps that I've been running my grow lights since moving into this house... No spikes it electricity

RIKNSTEIN said:

Taken from the news today...it happened to a family in Kansas.

"It was just like on the cops TV shows," Robert Harte told The Associated Press. "It was like 'Zero Dark Thirty' ready to storm the compound."
During the sweep, the court filing said, the Hartes were told they had been under surveillance for months, but the couple "know of no basis for conducting such surveillance nor do they believe such surveillance would have produced any facts supporting the issuance of a search warrant."
Harte said he built the hydroponic garden with his son a couple of years ago. He said they didn't use the powerful light bulbs that are sometimes used to grow marijuana and that the family's electricity usage didn't change dramatically. Changes in utility usage can sometimes lead authorities to such operations.
When law enforcement arrived, the family had just six plants — three tomato plants, one melon plant and two butternut squash plants — growing in the basement, Harte said.

These people used to work for the CIA!!!!!

Click to expand...

Set up a whole raid for nuthing lol..... Stupid cops.

The stories about cops reading your meters and looking at your debit card transactions are scary stoner stories.

If the police are monitoring your electricity consumption or tracking your credit card purchases, you are under investigation. There is a case file. The cops got a CI to roll on you to get out of a misdemeanor possession charge or some other bullshit. Thats not enough though. Maybe they take a ride over and knock on the door. They smell hints of marijuana but you dont consent to a search (good boy) and they leave for now.

Your name might come up again in some weed "bust" a month or two later, now the cops have a case file on you. They take a ride by on trash night and grab that sweet new Lumatek ballast box you tossed with some trim and a roach in it.

They could most likely get a warrant with this but they now want to "build a case" so there is less chance of your lawyer getting the whole thing tossed before it even goes to trial.

Now they may ask the electric company for records and compare them to other homes in your neighborhood. This by itself would NOT be sufficient cause for a warrant but when presented with all the other little things in your case file, it just serves to shore up their case.

I would highly doubt a private electric company would hand over a customers private billing information without a subpoena. They are there to make money. If it gets out that you are giving out customers personal information so that you may be investigated, that shit isnt good for business. I really cant imagine any competent business council would concede to this.

They may decide to tail you for a few days. If they see you go into a grow shop and come out with a 26 site RDWC hydroponic system, they can reasonably conclude that you are using it to grow the marijuana they found in your trash....

Investigating a crime, opening a case file, filing reports, subpoenas, warrants, reports, stakeouts, overtime, undercovers... This all requires lots of resources. Time, manpower, money. They are not going to risk losing a case or having it tossed because of a bogus warrant.

If you get busted, its not because of your electric meter, or because you bought a carbon filter online. Its because you told your "boy" or your girlfriend because like, they would NEVER say anything. Except they do. Everyone does. Then they tell a friend....

Or because you threw your trim out with your regular trash, or didnt buy a carbon filter for you "budget grow" and the neighbors called the cops.

Its always something YOU did. The rest of that shit is just icing on the cake for the cops.

That's y I love living here alone! My electric bill is usually like $40 bucks and that's running 20/4 every damn day and 12/12 in flower every day. Got two sections. That's around like 300kh? What ever the hell its called every month

great tread that why when i moved in my house in 9/1/12 i runned the electricty bill up. I leave two tvs on 24/7 the computer some lights in the room and in the winter i runnned the electic heater alot etc . Just so the record shows i allways used 2000kwh a month i slowwly add my equipment and slow down on personal electic usage needing the juice for the girl. i just wonder i bought the houe the was empty for 15 years so the records r in no comparision to the times of today. iI planed to go bigger but not without a solar system on my roof .DO u think this is a give away that when i do get solar and still using some OF the elewctic company JUICE if my roof is not big enough to produce enough juicepower ?