<p>This is what we were told by our local sheriff’s office… If you want a video that would work as a proof for police investigational purposes, your video has to have a time/date stamp on it, on the actual image, not in the file properties. Get a digital recorder and cameras specifically designed for this purpose. Also, in our state it is legal to videotape anything outside the house as long as it is in the direct line of vision and does not tape anything that happens inside the house, with one caveat: no recording of any sound without the consent of the subjects being videotaped. That’s why these specialized systems never record sound, just video.</p>
<p>I’d get a good fence with some barbed wire, a bunch of dummy cameras trained at their yard and have zero contact with these lunatics.</p>
<p>It sounds like this family has got a lot of problems, and the less contact, the better. It seems that if their cameras are mounted in a way that they could view into your house, there must be peeping Tom laws against that, even in Texas.</p>
<p>Im sorry that you are having these problems. I think anything you could do could potentially escalate the problem… he did threaten to kill you. Just move.
Even if it means renting rather than owning, get your family out of harms way.</p>
<p>He cut down the trees. We had planted some, and they are gone. He not only cut them down, but the first time, there was still a few inches above ground, and he came down and cut that down. Those were just saplings, but saplings that were told would likely grow fast. The one sapling was for my 8 yr old, who was given it at school. All the kids were supposed to take pictures and then keep taking pictures and measurements all year to share with the class and compare and such. After that, my children were given 2 more saplings. We had actually planned to buy red tips after that, but because the other little trees were cut down, and all of our plants were destroyed in our back yard, we ended up giving up on the red tips idea. We won’t be planting anything else back there. We took the pictures to the police too. It was at that point, getting laughed at and all (all this was after the kid broke our windows) that my husband said no more with calling the police to report anything. Oh, and the cameras. The camera situation was actually around the same time as the cut plants and saplings.</p>
<p>I am the one who has called the DAs office to ask if this can really be legal. They said yes, the camera thing is legal. I have put in a call now about if we have any stalking laws. I found one online, I want to know if it applies to minors or even our area. I am still waiting to hear back on that.</p>
<p>Does the child harass any of the other neighbors? Have you talked to anyone else to see if there is a history of property damage that he is suspected of or linked to him? Is anyone else willing to come forward? </p>
<p>To be absolutely honest, my first instinct would be to take black spray paint to the lens of the camera. If he doesn’t notice those cameras aren’t live and are just there to intimidate you. It doesn’t make it any less offensive but at least you know he’s not actually filming your family. Obviously, this kicks the hornets nest and probably leaves you open to problems with damage to his property, so in practice probably not the best idea.</p>
<p>This is nonsense. Vandalism is criminal matter, no matter the age of the perpetrator. And if the filming is not (and I can see where that might depend on local law), then it is a civil matter - meaning that you retain counsel and sue the neighbor for invasion of privacy. It’s not complicated, and the attorney would not charge you; rather, he or she would collect a percentage of any judgment you are awarded. (You would also, at the same time, obtain an injunction barring the neighbor from filming your yard in the future.)</p>
<p>I believe an 8yo can cut down saplings, throw rocks at cars, and climb over fences. I have a hard time believing that an 8yo is capable of mounting video cameras that high and connecting them to a live source inside the home for use. I may be wrong, but the parents are either involved or complacent, and they are over 17.</p>
<p>Do not paint the lens of the neighbor’s camera. That’s vandalism and you would likely be charged. I had a toxic neighbor once and just moved. Is that a possibility?</p>
<p>I think the saying goes something like this: we can’t change other people’s behavior; we can only change how we react to it.</p>
<p>I echo the suggestions to see a therapist (maybe with your husband so he can understand how stressed you are) and get through this without responding in kind, which will only backfire. </p>
<p>We used to live next to a very hostile neighbor who had security cameras trained on his house (and tangentially, ours). At the end (before we moved, partly because of him, partly to shorten my commute) he had floodlights shining directly into our living room window.</p>
<p>Why don’t you go to the local news paper? Get them to write about your plight. That could shame the police into acting and it would probably bring forward other resources which could help you.</p>
<p>Your neighbor is a bully. These are the kind of people i fight dirty, legal, but dirty. Like if they have own business report to IRS.</p>
<p>Find anything to block view of camera, whether it’s sheets, balloons, large poles with fabric between</p>
<p>Your husband is a wuss. Sorry but he is. His job is to protect his family and the fact he is not backing you up shows a serious sign of disconnect to the well being of his own children. You Ned to get him on board. Yur neighbor knows your husband is not going to defend his family so he pushes and pushes.</p>
<p>Until you have a united front, and the father of your children defend you, then this will continue. I would be just as mad at my husband as at the neighbor.</p>
<p>When I was a kid, we had repeated problems with one neighbor’s children. The parents were unable to control the older son. My parents put up a tall chain fence, then planted trees and bushes. </p>
<p>It seems far cheaper to spend a few thousand $$$ on fencing the backyard, paying for larger trees, then selling house or getting a divorce. Your children should not be punished by losing their play things. Rather, go to a security store and install what needs to be done. Once you have this boy on film, with date/time stamp, then you can move forward with legal system. </p>
<p>In the meantime, go to a park. </p>
<p>When depressed and feeling alone and unsupported, it is hard to move forward. try Home Depot or a fence store, then a gardening center.</p>
<p>One more thought (and believe me, it is much easier said than done and I firmly admit I did not do this) – if you can figure a way to co-exist, it would be a wonderful teachable moment about handling conflict and dealing with difficult people.</p>
<p>But like I said – I didn’t do it. It’s very hard when someone living right next door to you goes out of their way to make you miserable. My complete sympathies are with you.</p>
<p>Many, many years ago, we had a family of 8 next door with a legally blind father and the mother NEVER home because she worked fulltime and OT to makeup for Dad being underemployed due to his disability. And in what little spare time the mother had, she became a volunteer fire fighter and the dad could not see what was going on… YES … we moved and have never regretted our decision. From the moment we got to our new home, I slept and the anxiety left and our former neighbors were not causing the stress level you describe. I have friends who just chose the same option and while an expensive solution, they are peaceful again. There is nothing like “Home Sweet Home”.</p>
<p>PS You need a plan to get out of there, which will help you stop feeling like a victim. Medication to deal with mentally ill neighbors would be my last resort.</p>
<p>Your local police and DA are lazy, incompetent, or friends with the neighbor.</p>
<p>And police do arrest underage people committing crimes; they are sent to juvenile court, and put in juvenile detention if convicted there. So the claim that they “cannot do anything because they are underage” is bogus.</p>
<p>Sorry about your situation, OP. Especially sorry that H is not attentive to your needs. There has got to be a way to hold your neighbor accountable. I would put up a fence and install my own cameras! I would do nothing else to escalate though. Your neighbor sounds mentally ill and vindictive. If the fence does not work, I would move. You deserve better! Please do take care of yourself. You deserve to feel emotionally healthy. Sadly, I think my SIL is a lot like your neighbor. She is in a battle with all their neighbors over one thing or another. My poor brother. At least they are in a rural area and spread out. SIL has personality disorder; if she were my neighbor, moving would be the only solution. Food for thought.</p>