I live in a small community of about 2000 people. A sleepy town that really doesn’t see much of anything happen.
It seems the officers on duty are very nosy and seem to search people’s property, or walk into their yard/house with no reason.
I have lived here for 5 years and am opening up a store in the community next week.
Is there anyway to keep uniformed officers off my property/out of my store without being a prick about it?
Is there any legal recourse i can take for officers snooping around my backyard for absolutely no reason?
Put up a fence with a gate. Locked or not the gate is a barrier to your private property. I’ve had property stolen off of an unlocked back porch before and the police filed it as a breaking and entering. I asked them how they could say that and was told that the closed door alone was considered a barrier and that a gate on fence would also be considered a barrier if someone say stole patio furniture. No fence or gate and passerbyes can have a good reason to go into your yard without it being considered trespassing (like chasing a stray ball or cat). When you have a fence they must ask permission before entering.
Still, one way the police can get around this is having local ordinances about not allowing a fence in your front yard like mine does. Gives them to right to walk up to your front door.
Big problem is that if you flag up someplace that you don’t want cops to look, it immediately raises their interest and creates an assumption that you have something illegal going on.
My guess is that they are bored out of their brains and probably think that they are doing a great job, keeping an eye on what goes on in your/their community.
In this country a village with 2000 souls (Midsomer excepted) would not see a cop from one years end to the next, but distances between places are less here.