Heat is on?

[Cutty]

First, my deepest condolences to KB.

Fu*kin' sorry dude

Lazy, you too. Hope all turns out well.

I am hoping there is something going on with coincidences lately. I go to leave the house to run an errand today and there is a white DOT van with two people inside of it sitting on my main road ( I live down a dead-end gravel road). When I pass it I think it is strange, but run up the road and I am back in 20 minutes. I then watch it sit there for about an hour, the whole time my blood pressure is climbing.

I decide to go for a drive and then over to a friends. I drive and drive and never go by the friends. About three hours after I left I decide to drive by. They are still there.
I make a big 45 minute loop and decide to just come back home. The ball bags are still there. This time however I see the passenger pick up a notepad from the dash and *maybe* write something down. I'm sketched.

Now it's 100+ here today and I can not think of any good reason that two Government workers would sit in a van on the side of the road out in the country. They are in the shade and I'm sure they have the A/C on but c'mon.
What would a DOT van, twice occupied, be doing 100 yards back from an intersection several miles outside of the city limits?

I imagine many, many ICMAG members are on High-Alert so, please, someone calm me down. Do the bad guys use DOT vans? Would they sit 100-ish yards away from my front door for over four hours and counting?

One thing did help me out. As many communities out there, there is an old man here that takes it upon himself to make sure everything is as he thinks it should be.
Yeah, he's an ass and he is nosy but he has the low down on everything. I watched him go up and talk to these tow people for about 15 minutes. Not especially looking or motioning in my direction.

So I don't know what to do. I am very stealth, low key, 4.0 college student with a secret. You know the type. Looks like a good kid, but would drop your jaw if you saw the inside of his house.
But very close to me there are some of those pill people. I can hear them outside making deal on the phone all the time. Cops HAVE been over there before. I'm not the only doper on the block!

_______


Just checked and the van has moved up about ten feet to stay in the shade.

White van. "State"DOT stickers on it and Government License plates. Clear front windows, tinted back. Think it is a Dodge Caravan. Two people in the front seat with a computer on a swivel in the center of them.
Paperwork on the dash and, as mentioned earlier, the guy retrieved a notebook and maybe wrote something down when I got home. There are no obvious silhouettes in the back other than the seats.

 

[Securityfirst]

why dont you go talk to them and see what the fuck they are doing?

 

[Cutty]

Yes, I thought about that.

Maybe go over there with some paper towels and a spray bottle?

But honestly, if they are not interested in me, why should I engage them? If they are interested in me, well; then it's just a matter of time before we are all sitting somewhere drinking coffee together.

One of three :

- Official DOT business

- Neighbor

- Me

 

[vta]

who knows...if you are pretty sure that , when they saw you pull up-- they wrote something down, then I would be worried. Enough to tear down. That is if your not medical...I don't know where your from and no need to say. It really could be nothing...maybe they were smoking pot. But it seems very sketch to me....better safe than sorry.

 

[KharmaGirl]

I can not think of any good reason that two Government workers would sit in a van on the side of the road out in the country.

Really? Cause where I am government workers are known to try and work as little as possible. If I saw that, that would be my first thought

 

[Cutty]

Van gone.

It sat in front of my place for about five hours today. It was there at 8 after but not at 20 after. So GVT doesn't work much past 5, good to know.

I guess I will be remaining extra vigilant in the next few days.

Please fellow ICMagers, post your thoughts.

 

[Grendelkhan]

You can always go and talk with them. Be nice. Walk up and ask them what's going on and why are you guys just hanging out? If there cops they will quickly pull out there badges. Then at least you will know. Just be sure to be polite. If your clam and polite there shouldn't be any problems. Also if you have a smart phone download a voice recording program real quick and then you can record your conversation with them. Good luck.

 

[40AmpstoFreedom]

Really? Cause where I am government workers are known to try and work as little as possible. If I saw that, that would be my first thought

Same...they are trying not to work imo. I used to get this all the time where I used to live...electric company, cops, dot etc etc

I flipped out one day cuz I went in my back yard to get my dog cuz she wouldn't come and saw a tact out officer walking a K9 flipped and cut everything down...Only for nothing to happen for 8 more months...

Dude was just like all the others not wanting to work and probably taking the K9 to piss lol.

Just remain calm know its hardest thing to do but wade through it.

 

[RexDark]

Tear it down brother, if ya got enough reserve and starting over isn't a really big deal then do it. Better safe than sorry, and better to be paranoid and be right than not be and be dead wrong. My two cents

 

[tonto]

go smash aload of beer bottles where they parked.

 

[tokinafaty420]

You mentioned it was a gravel road. Maybe they were sent out to monitor the traffic b/c someone else who lives on it has requested it to be paved. Just go talk to them. It's your neighborhood and you have the right to be curious.

 

[Cutty]

Ha ha ha.

I talked to the old man and he said they were out there monitoring traffic. They might be putting in a stoplight. He said he knew both of the workers and that they were good 'ol boys.
Guess they still send people out up here. Wow.

I hate being on high-alert. Stupid animal sounds outside and you are folding up a tin foil hat.

 

[Wise]

They are probably either short on work or waiting for instructions on what to do next. Instead of driving around wasting gas, their chilling on a desolate side road where the public won't notice them "wasting their tax dollars."

 

[Wise]

Ha ha ha.

I talked to the old man and he said they were out there monitoring traffic. They might be putting in a stoplight. He said he knew both of the workers and that they were good 'ol boys.
Guess they still send people out up here. Wow.

I hate being on high-alert. Stupid animal sounds outside and you are folding up a tin foil hat.

Doubtful. They use an automated system for doing this.

 

[ODTreez]

Well thats a relief then huh....But if they were conducting a drug investigation, do you think they would tell the nosey neighbor?

 

[GreenintheThumb]

You can always go and talk with them. Be nice. Walk up and ask them what's going on and why are you guys just hanging out? If there cops they will quickly pull out there badges. Then at least you will know. Just be sure to be polite. If your clam and polite there shouldn't be any problems. Also if you have a smart phone download a voice recording program real quick and then you can record your conversation with them. Good luck.

You really think if you're under surveillance you can just walk up an ask them?

 

[Cutty]

You really think if you're under surveillance you can just walk up an ask them?

I have often wished there was an 800 number you could call into and see if you were under investigation. Just an easy automated system you punch you address or ssn into.
Of course the ACLU would guard them against starting an investigation just because you called in. Hell, maybe you could even be proactive...call before you set-up.


Walking up to them and talking can get you a lot more information than just the verbal communication. If they show up again I will go over and talk.

I will look for additional radios in the vehicle. I will look for non-DOT paperwork, insignia, and emblems.
I will size the guy up as either being a fat, lazy state worker or one that could probably chase me around the corner.
Of course I will look for their weapons. I will try to read whatever paperwork is visible.

Anything else that might prove/disprove their legitimacy?

 

[Cutty]

So a little reading has served to put me at ease.

Two methods are available for conducting traffic volume counts: (1) manual and (2) automatic. Manual
counts are typically used to gather data for determination of vehicle classification, turning movements,
direction of travel, pedestrian movements, or vehicle occupancy. Automatic counts are typically used to
gather data for determination of vehicle hourly patterns, daily or seasonal variations and growth trends, or
annual traffic estimates.

Most applications of manual counts require small samples of data at any given location. Manual counts are
sometimes used when the effort and expense of automated equipment are not justified. Manual counts are
necessary when automatic equipment is not available.
Manual counts are typically used for periods of less than a day. Normal intervals for a manual count are 5,
10, or 15 minutes. Traffic counts during a Monday morning rush hour and a Friday evening rush hour may
show exceptionally high volumes and are not normally used in analysis; therefore, counts are usually
conducted on a Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday.
Manuall Countt

Manual counts are recorded using one of three methods: tally sheets, mechanical counting boards, or
electronic counting boards.

This is a logical explanation why a marked DOT van would be parked by an intersection for a few hours writing stuff down.

 

[fishheadbob]

I'd say they were sleeping.

 

[Tr33]

They are not counting cars dude, LMAO, they use air pressure hoses run across the road to count cars and test speeds. single hose across the road is counting, double hose is for speed.

I'd anonymously call the cops on a suspicious vehicle buying drugs in your neighborhood. I'd get a wristrocket slingshot, hide and peg that van a few times. fuck them even if they are not cops, something is wrong there.