I was just curious, Is it against the law to "stake out" on your own if your not a cop. Like, I mean you want to know if someone still lives somewhere, or if they do live omewhere, so you sit where you can see if they arrive, is that against the law, and if so, what would the charges be, and how severe?

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Originally Posted by Lenovo

I was just curious, Is it against the law to "stake out" on your own if your not a cop. Like, I mean you want to know if someone still lives somewhere, or if they do live omewhere, so you sit where you can see if they arrive, is that against the law, and if so, what would the charges be, and how severe?

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I'm not entirely sure but waiting for someone outside of their house? Would that not be considered to be stalking? I don't know the ins and outs of the law regarding this but I think that if you were caught you could be prosecuted and charged with either harassment or stalking.

Depends, it can be grounds for a restraining order. And so much will depend on it. Is this an ex, a divorce issue and so on.
Normally a person can be in a public place but the date and time can be a problem, You can expect to have the police stop and want to know what you were doing. Even when I was working for PI, it was not uncommom to be stopped and questioned as to what I was doing.

For example if you are following your ex wife during a divorce, you could easily get a restraining order or aprotective order also.

No, its nothing like that, I had a teacher one time, that he was the coolest teacher, and I think I may have figured out where he lives, but I'm not sure, I think he might have moved. The reason I don't just go up and knock on the door, is well, I would feel weird if it wasn't him, and I'm not the kind to just go up and knock on a door, and say, "does mr. so-and-so still live her"? I would just feel weird.

It's not against the law as long as nobody complains about you. If they do, and the police direct you to discontinue your activities, then it becomes illegal if you continue to do it and the police can and probably will arrest you and charge you with whatever offenses they can think of (trespassing, harassment, making terroristic threats, etc.)

Let me see, go to the door and knock, how "weird" are you going to feel if it is him, and he sees you being put on the hood of the car because two neighbors called you in as a prowler or stalker. After they find out who you are and then uncuff you, and everyone in the neighborhood is in their yard looking at you, what is going to feel more silly.

If you don't have the nerve to go to the door, you don't need or want to talk to them really

Well, OK, I had a bad experience last strange door I went to, and I am just real hesitant on knocking on strange doors, unlees I KNOW who is behind it.