Somebody please explain this Supreme Court rumor I heard

[Mel O'Cheddar]

Greetings RIU peoples:

Someplace on here I read that the Supreme Court has banned police issuing warrants merely on thermal images from homes.

Does anybody know any details about this? I'm setting up a grow room soon & need to know if I need to bother heat-proofing the ceiling.

If it matters, I live in Ohio.

Thanks for any info. Enjoy your holiday!

 

[EmptyWords]

i would never trust anything the government says when it could come down to getting busted. i would heat proof it just to be on the safe side. it also depends on how much lighting you are using. I heard that they need a warrant to to use FLIR on a house but that doesnt seem to stop them from flying their helicopters around and hovering over peoples houses.

 

[andar]

just dont give the police any other reason to suspect that your growing. they cant just fly over your house and say oh that looks hot that means their growing marijuana lets go get em. they need other evidence.believe it or not people actually grow things besides marijuana in their house. dont let anyone in your house that you are growing in . dont get caught selling it. dont give trhem a reason to thermal image your house

 

[trichlone fiend]

they cant just fly over your house and say oh that looks hot that means their growing marijuana lets go get em.

...so, what your saying is...you really believe that the pigs follow rules/regulations. Bro...they can do whatever they want....I'm just say'n. What they use in court against you is the evidence that's obtained legally. What they find out their "otherways" is what leads to your drama....believe that.

 

[Serapis]

The supreme court has ruled that thermal imaging use for the purpose of locating lawbreakers in their own homes requires a warrant before hand.

However, as I've stated many times to those that cite this, cops are cops. They can fly your hood, spot your attic grow and send officers to your door to "investigate" about a stolen bicycle or such other nonsense and have the cops "smell" marijuana and ask to have a look see. They'll camp your house, follow you and even go through your trash at the curb looking for any evidence of a grow to obtain a warrant.

So while they can't use FLIR to obtain a warrant, trust me, they use FLIR to generate leads. That is why if a cop comes to your door, never open it and allow them entry. If you feel you must talk to the cops, go outside and lock the door behind you. A broken down door is needed to prove illegal entry and search and seizure. Otherwise they'll claim they had your permission. If they have a warrant, they'll bust your door in, not knock.

 

[Mel O'Cheddar]

Interesting information.
I guess we'll be stapling a tarp to the ceiling one way or another!

 

[nl3004.kind]

Interesting information.
I guess we'll be stapling a tarp to the ceiling one way or another!

for your sake i hope you do something a little bit more pro-active than that... a tarp ain't gonna do sh--... just sayin'...

 

[doc111]

Greetings RIU peoples:

Someplace on here I read that the Supreme Court has banned police issuing warrants merely on thermal images from homes.

Does anybody know any details about this? I'm setting up a grow room soon & need to know if I need to bother heat-proofing the ceiling.

If it matters, I live in Ohio.

Thanks for any info. Enjoy your holiday!

Thermal imaging is way down on the list of things growers should be worried about. Getting snitched is, obviously, the number 1 way people get caught. Smell should be right up there but seldom is when people first get started. They find out real fast that cannabis has an extremely distinct and powerful, although not entirely unpleasant, smell. Trash is a major one. Don't throw out empty bags of soil and empty nutrient packages. I seperate all grow trash from normal trash and the grow trash is disposed of in a way that it cannot come back on me. Equipment failure leading to a fire, while unlikely if used properly, is probably more of a worry than FLIR. You'd be surprised at the number of people who get busted this way. That being said I would still take some precautions. A properly insulated grow room/house is important. Attic grows are a bad idea IMO and for a number of reasons. Don't vent hot grow room exhaust to the outside unless you can disguise it by running it through a dryer vent or chimney.

The bottom line is FLIR cannot see through walls. I was a firefighter for over 15 years and used FLIR on an almost daily basis. I was one of our departments in house experts on this technology. There may be something else which I am not aware of but use of FLIR for detecting grows is more of a deterrent than an actual weapon. Helicopters are very expensive to operate and are typically used in areas where there are a high concentration of illegal grow houses (large ops). They don't want to be using a helicopter that costs several thousand dollars an hour to operate to bust some poor kid growing a plant in his closet at his parents' house. They like siezing money and property and the press that comes with large busts. Read up on security, don't buy into forum myths and take the proper precautions. Best of luck and happy growing.

 

[Mel O'Cheddar]

Helicopters are very expensive to operate and are typically used in areas where there are a high concentration of illegal grow houses (large ops). They don't want to be using a helicopter that costs several thousand dollars an hour to operate

See, this is what I was thinking. We barely have enough cops on the street, and the helicopter (which is tricked out with thermal imaging shit somehow) only ever gets used for people running from the cops, which happens often enough, but... The cops here are so crooked and apathetic, I don't know that they'd give 2 shits about out walk-in closet. Especially in a well-maintained house where 2 White (let's keep it real) non-felons live.

 

[doc111]

See, this is what I was thinking. We barely have enough cops on the street, and the helicopter (which is tricked out with thermal imaging shit somehow) only ever gets used for people running from the cops, which happens often enough, but... The cops here are so crooked and apathetic, I don't know that they'd give 2 shits about out walk-in closet. Especially in a well-maintained house where 2 White (let's keep it real) non-felons live.

It's a good thing to be aware of and some people will try to tell you they can see through walls with it. This is complete and utter bullshit! If that were the case none of us would be safe growing in our homes and more than likely nobody would do it. I even got into it with somebody on here who tried to say that FLIR and thermal imaging were 2 different things. They are the exact same thing. FLIR which is an acronym for Forward Looking Infrared is a brand name. They are the main company that makes thermal imaging cameras. Be safe and take the proper precautions and you will be just fine.

 

[Mel O'Cheddar]

I even got into it with somebody on here who tried to say that FLIR and thermal imaging were 2 different things. They are the exact same thing.

"Learn something new everyday!" Lol. I'm looking forward to growing my own to save money, make money, learn something new, and give my friends some diggity dank for Christmas... Too bad that's probably going to be NEXT Christmas.

NL3000, if you have any better suggestions, I'm all ears

 

[Dr Evil]

I'm a former police officer, so I have a little insight into this. FLIR does not give probable cause for a search warrant. Lots of traffic coming and going from your home, along with a high electricity, and a FLIR signature might. But generally it's a tip given by someone, who then agrees to go to your house wearing a wire. The police will be listening to this wire, and then when the deal is made, they have probable cause to enter the home and search. Although there are other ways to get probable cause. But even evidence of a grow inside your home is not enough to get a warrant. People grow house plants all the time, and marijuana is only one out of thousands of species grown hydroponically. Take me for example, I only grow tomatoes , but I get the best advice for hydroponics on this site.

Let me give you another nice tip that's a little off subject. Lets say that cops enter your home with a warrant, the warrant must list everything that they are looking for. So lets say that the warrant only lists something like a stolen 27 inch TV, then the cops are only allowed to search spaces that could contain a 27 inch TV. If they then search your freezer and find your stash, it is not admissible.

 

[Mel O'Cheddar]

I'm a former police officer, so I have a little insight into this. FLIR does not give probable cause for a search warrant. ... But even evidence of a grow inside your home is not enough to get a warrant. People grow house plants all the time, and marijuana is only one out of thousands of species grown hydroponically.

You know, I never even thought of that. See, the thing is, I live in the 'Hood, and when people do dumb shit- like blasting the stereo at 3am, sell crack by my house, or start fighting in the street, or run naked down the street (I live on a main drag, and no I'm not kidding!) I call the cops. I don't like that shit going on in my neighborhood. What makes me different? I respect my neighbors. Sometimes I get a 'hypocrite' vibe from myself, but... Oh well.