I think the apartment manager should be calling the police. If these people do not live in the building and are not there visiting a resident, then they are trespassing and loitering. I can't imagine the landlords/managers ignoring this...they are setting themselves up for all kinds of trouble. The safety of their residents should be a major concern.

In the meantime, start documenting everything....when and how long they are there, your calls to management, etc. dates, times. Tell management you want them to call the police and enlist some of your neighbors if they have also complained. Do not confront them or call the police yourself.

CALL THE POLICE. If not--then stop complaining.

I agree with Joanie.

I agree 100% with Joanie too. And feel free to complain all you want! Keep the issue front and center until it is resolved. You are doing a service not only to yourself but your neighbors too.

This seems strange to me unless I'm misunderstanding. Are you saying people are climbing through the apartment building's window in order to hang out and smoke? Are they residents? Teenagers sneaking around? Or people who don't live in the complex at all? I know you don't know exactly who they are as you refer to them as strangers but I imagine it's people who live somewhere in the complex. Otherwise it seems strange that random people would trespass in that manner, so I don't know if you have much to tell the police other than the pot, which I personally wouldn't report.

In any case, if it makes you uncomfortable I think you have every right to keep complaining. That's why management is there.

I'd call too. The police that is. They can't do anything about it if they don't know about it, and sometimes you need to take the initiative to do what's right for you and your neighbors both.

I'd be concerned they might be doing more than smoking (which is legal in this state if not driving). Illegal drugs and theft often go hand in hand - none of you need strangers in your hallways.

what Joanie said.

I sometimes wonder if people who advise "call the police or shut up" have ever had trouble with people of whom they were scared.

When my neighbor started building a fence very close to my bedroom window, I called the city to see if there weren't some kind of side-setback ordinance.

The answer was no & the city rep asked me why it was a concern.

I told him that this neighbor's barkng dogs sometimes kept me awake, & that the fence would allow them to stand right under my bedroom window.
& he sternly told me to call the police.

I told him that this neighbor, whose brain has been pickled in alcohol, is violent, volatile, & irrational, & that he's pulled a gun on another neighbor.

The city guy admonished me again:
"Let the police do their job."

I thanked him.

but I did not call the police.

Neither the police nor anybody else can keep a crazy person from killing you, or from killing your pets, or destroying your car or your apartment.

They'll show up to write the report after it happens, & they may even be able to charge the guy;
but you'll still be dead, or your pets will, or your car or apartment will still be destroyed.

To paraphrase the city rep, my advice{{gwi:9241}} is to "let the apartment manager do his job".

or make him do it;
keep those notes & document{{gwi:807}} every incident.

& management may not even have to call the police:

If the apartment management tells the loungers that they can't stay around because the owners' rules prohibit it & that they (the managers) would lose their jobs for allowing it, the smokers & loungers will likely mosey along somewhere else.

but *you* aren't in a position in which you can talk to them like that.

This post was edited by sylviatexas on Mon, Dec 1, 14 at 18:26

The police in my town don't enforce individual dope smoking incidents unless something more serious is involved. Either way, it's the responsibility of the property manager to insure the safety and comfort of tenants in a matter like this. I'd continue to contact them until you find them taking effective action.

Can you get your neighbors to complain too? Is there any way for you to bypass the manager and contact the owner? Or the manager's boss?

Alternatively, you could leave a plate of brownies by the door or window of another building's laundry room, that should get them to go there instead. (Sorry, the chuckle about needing munchies just occurred to me for a laugh. I know your concern is important to you, no offense intended).

Good luck.

I agree that you should complain to management. That's what they get paid for...and they should take the heat, if there is any. I would be afraid to call the police, especially since you are a single woman, living alone. If management does not respond, there should be a government regulation agency you could contact. When I lived in an apartment, there was a landlord-tenant agency in the local government...and they dealt with situations such as this one.

Good luck. Hugs!!

Let management handle it.
I doubt the police will come out for someone smoking weed.

Arcy!
I find you rude...she wasn't complaining, she was asking for advise!

Thanks everyone. I am going to go with Joanie's advice and keep after management on this. I don't feel threatened but I do take extra precaution since I do live alone. I had an incident years ago and I always keep a knife within reach just in case. People sometimes joke because I say I will "slice and dice then ask questions".

Cheryl....I agree with you. Arcy why were you so rude? I wasn't complaining....just merely asking advice.

SamKaren
your resident DJ

LOL Snidley.

Years ago, when I was a young single, I lived in a large apartment building. I don't remember the reason (maybe a robbery) but we formed a tenant's association. We had meetings in the lobby and actually took shifts sitting in the lobby for extra security.

By doing this, we got to meet our neighbors. Interest dwindled in the lobby shifts, but I did feel that if I had issues, I knew my fellow tenants and we could get them resolved.
Safety and power in numbers.
And, it was a good feeling to know my neighbors.

I wouldn't hesitate to call the police on these people loitering. They have no business in the building. I am a single woman who lives alone.

deleted, double post

This post was edited by lindakathy on Mon, Dec 1, 14 at 21:12

Call the police, they will not tell who called them unless you are involved in a court case. One of our renters had a neighbor who was exposing himself to her and she was afraid to call the police. I called them and they explained that she should call because there is a good chance he will eventually need more excitement to stimulate him and that could lead to rape. I did not call the police, I got word to his wife. In your case they may think....well we are in, why not steal something and start breaking in to the apartments. I makes me wonder if one of the renters is leaving it open on purpose. Maybe a teen that lives there.

I was just thinking as emma said, perhaps someone is letting them in on purpose. It just doesn't make any sense they'd come to your building to smoke dope otherwise. I betcha friends live there and they are leaving a window or door cracked so they can just let themselves in.

Personally, there are two things you need to do here. I think you should first contact the management about the issue and let them know here is an unsecured area. Contact them every time you notice these folks hanging around. Smoking in an enclosed area could pose a fire hazard (not the actual smoking part, but you get my drift) and they should be informed of that risk. Then you need to let them know you will be contacting the police if you notice people hanging around the area after hours.

The police are here to serve and protect. You should NEVER be afraid to call them under any circumstance. Smoking dope is not legal everywhere and neither is loitering.

Personally, I'd be more concerned about the potential fire hazard than the loitering.....unless they start getting out of hand. Nip it in the bud, so to speak! ;)

It also occurred to me that they have found a secure place to not just smoke dope but maybe they are also dealing drugs....which leads to unsavory types in and around your building, potential break-ins and theft and possibly even worse. The threat of a fire is also a very valid concern. Stay on top of this until it's nipped in the bud.

'The police are here to serve and protect. You should NEVER be afraid to call them under any circumstance.'

in a perfect world, maybe.

but we live in this one, where
'Neither the police nor anybody else can keep a crazy person from killing you, or from killing your pets, or destroying your car or your apartment.

They'll show up to write the report after it happens, & they may even be able to charge the guy;
but you'll still be dead, or your pets will, or your car or apartment will still be destroyed.'

People who smoke dope in other people's hallways, much like neighbors who pull guns on other neighbors & people who steal or vandalize, won't take kindly to being reported to the police.

If the smokers/robbers/vandals suspect that you're the one who called the cops, you're the one who's going to pay the price, & if they think it might have been you or your neighbor, both you & your neighbor may pay the prce.

Let management handle it.

This post was edited by sylviatexas on Tue, Dec 2, 14 at 15:27

You're right Sylvia, we should live in constant fear and not take any action to correct a situation. There are bad people out there and we probably can't prevent all these bad things from happening. But we can take action to make the situation better and the police are the ones to contact for results. It's not likely that these individuals are targeting her and it's probably not terribly likely that they will take more aggressive action, even though you cannot determine when/who/why that will take place.

In the meantime, large building managers won't do anything about people congregating; it is not an illegal action. They've already sent a memo out about making sure the window's locked. That did not change the issue. If samkaren escalates it as a fire hazard, they may do something further and may have to answer to the police if calls continue.

Management won't be held responsible until something happens and even then, they are powerless from remedying any situation that arises. They will ultimately have to contact police or other authorities.

I stand by my statement that calling the police should never be circumnavigated nor should it be feared. Their job is to serve and protect. I can't change anyone's mind and you're well within your rights to think different.

Is it the same group every time? Get other concerned neighbors to sign a petition for management to install a surveillance camera to see who these people are and who is giving them access to the building. A complex that large should be able to afford a security camera.

If management seems reluctant to take action you can remind them that once they are alerted to the problem they then assume a greater liability risk if they allow the loitering to continue. Which of course is another reason to keep a record of time, dates and who you contacted.

dees, if you're gonna "quote" me, try to get it right:

I said be careful, be wise, protect yourself, *& refer the problem to someone who can handle it safely*.

don't know how you got " live in constant fear and not take any action to correct a situation" out of that.

samkaren are you still at the same job? frankly i'd "ask advice" and see if they have some pull?? it is distressing to have people who aren't tenants using a space so very close to one's front door...

not quite sure about self protection since you said "they" not one...and a druggie can be a severe threat...they don't care only getting high....

wonder if you could get a security light? maybe the super can install something?

Personally I wouldn't call the police... I called once when complaining about a neighbor leaving their dog chained up without access to a dog house in snowy weather. The police will most likely come to your house to talk to you first, that's what happened to me. My neighbors then knew who had made the call. They were pissed off at me for 3 years... luckily they were not violent or revengeful people.

I'm thinking a security light would work too... or one of those fake cameras? Put something out there that stinks worse than pot.. maybe that will drive them away. It's probably just neighborhood kids.

Back in the day, in Montreal, the gangs, groups and wannabees used to congregate (for want of a better word) in the underground shopping plazas around Place Ville Marie and I seem to remember that the mall managers started playing "elevator" music through the sound systems, yup, that dispersed the 'GG&W's". I'm presuming they found better music or maybe no music at all, in other venues to conduct their meetings or goings-on.

We have security lights in the hallway but they don't care. New people moved into the basement apartment and have a dog. I hope it will scare these people away. Yes it seems to be the same group of 3-4 of them. Its not an everyday thing thank goodness.

SamKaren