Need some help, any PI's or surveillance people in the house?

[Madmikeee]

My mother who lives in senior housing is being harrassed in her apartment by the 84 year old asshole that lives upstairs. This has been going on for months. He is constantly playing music all night, adjusting volume to wake her up, playing the same shit on repeat etc.

She had ONE encounter with this guy when she first moved in where she asked him if he could hold off on using his exercise equipment at 5:00am. To which he screamed at her about how he has to do it per doctors orders and THAT's the time he does it.

We have reported it to the housing authority and even called the cops but the guy keeps an eye out and shuts it down the SECOND someone comes in. Basically they told me that I should have my mother checked as the upstairs neighbor "isn't the type to do it" They didn't do SQUAT.

Now it is up to me to catch this guy in the act. I have rigged a microphone but it is catching mostly background noise and nothing much else.

What kind of equipment do I need to target this guy within the law? I was thinking maybe a shotgun microphone which is directional hooked up to a laptop running a recording software but I want to make sure before making any expensive purchases.

Side note, my mother is 67 years old, she is NOT crazy and she has Muscular dystrophy and is wheelchair bound. I want to nail this mofo then go after him with a restraining order as well as get the head of the housing in shit for suggesting I get my mom "checked" instead of doing his job and ASSUMING upstairs asshole is innocent.

[DropTheTop]

If he lives upstairs, he probably uses stairs? Grease those puppies up with vaseline.

[Madmikeee]

I already had those thoughts guys, trust me, LOL

[Rob]

https://www.dropcam.com

:seasix:

[Madmikeee]

https://www.dropcam.com

:seasix:

Good idea but I need precise audio capture. Video is not going to do me much good.

[Rob]

Good idea but I need precise audio capture. Video is not going to do me much good.

This capture both video and audio - I have these all around my house both inside and outside, and I have rigged mine up with a EPS (emergency power supply so they will continue running even if there is no power) and I have them streaming and recording to the cloud.

[Mike Mercury]

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-g39Bd8CHtrM/Uw_0ykIDPHI/AAAAAAAAF9I/SCBGOmgQPus/s1600/V.png

[Aerovette]

I don't mean to be unsympathetic, because I do sympathize, BUT, unless he is breaking a written rule or a law, I would guess he can use his equipment any time he chooses. That's not to say he isn't an asshat doucherocket, but he is an asshat doucherocket within the law.

He has to sleep sometime and maybe she need to invest in a subwoofer surround sytem and "choose" to watch action movies at 1:00 AM :seasix:

[Mike Mercury]

http://a.abcnews.go.com/images/US/ABC_About_Love_Miami-South-Beach_1982_1985_p094_thg_120330_wblog.jpg

[Mike Mercury]

Break into his apartment. Switch his meds. Problem will solve itself.

Just throwing out options here. :leaving:

or,

wait outside a window. Just as soon as he steps off the exercise equipment, throw a fire cracker in the room...














http://www.primitivepuck.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/heart-attack-man.jpg

[Madmikeee]

I don't mean to be unsympathetic, because I do sympathize, BUT, unless he is breaking a written rule or a law, I would guess he can use his equipment any time he chooses. That's not to say he isn't an asshat doucherocket, but he is an asshat doucherocket within the law.

He has to sleep sometime and maybe she need to invest in a subwoofer surround sytem and "choose" to watch action movies at 1:00 AM :seasix:

No I understand and agree but since this is senior housing the rules are that there is quiet time between either 10:00pm and 8:00am or 8 to 8, I can't remember which. The problem is that the head asshat , instead of doing his fracking job just made the assumption that my mom is batshit crazy and hearing things and told me to make some appointments for her after one walkthrough AFTER calling the guy and warning him he was coming over.

I say my mother isn't hearing things because I honestly believe her, That being said she is scheduled for an MRI of her brain next month due to her muscular dystrophy. I have researched in some VERY rare cases the MD can cause auditory hallucinations. If that's the case I would apologize and get her the treatment she needs but I honestly do not think that this is the case as when I bring her out she doesn't "hear things" Plus she would have to be a special kind of crazy to be able to not only hear this music but to be able to tell me the exact songs.

She gave them a log of what she was hearing and what times, the asshole in charge said that that was a bit obsessive :rolleyes:

In other words he does not want to do his job. So I will do it for him, once I get the evidence I need I will be going to his boss with the evidence and a lawyer in tow.

ALthough I appreciate the humorous posts guys does anyone have any good ideas on what equipment I can get? The POS microphone I have is picking up the fans/air conditioners and is drowning out any other noise.

[island14]

Not sure how to deal with old people, or what it takes to motivate one.. but as an example one time there was a 5 year old kid of a girl friend of mine that was a pain in the ass!!!!!.... so I put a two candy bar contract on his ass.

At the time my 5 year old daughter Brandy was scrappy enough to call it in..

The very next time that boy was acting like a little asshole she slapped the dog piss outta him.

I had warned her in advance that I would have to scold her for it, which I did, then she winked at me.. :lol:

That little brat never acted up again when we were there.. :yesnod:


I know, I know.... bad lessons to teach your kid and all, but it was worth it. :D

[Rob]

And I thought I was a camera nazi. :funny:

I might look into getting some of these though. :yesnod:

https://www.dropcam.com/products/tabs

I love them - I even have the neighbor setup where he has a camera that points at my house and one of mine points at his - we we cover one another. The biggest thing I have now is streaming all of the video feeds in HD to the cloud uses a lot of bandwidth and causes streaming issues when I want to watch some Netflix - other than that, I love them.

I get paged every time one picks up motion or noise (depending on the camera) and some alerts page not only me but also the neighbor and the neighbor across to him as well. We have a nice little triangulated zone being covered so we will get ya one way or another. :seasix:

[Madmikeee]

This capture both video and audio - I have these all around my house both inside and outside, and I have rigged mine up with a EPS (emergency power supply so they will continue running even if there is no power) and I have them streaming and recording to the cloud.

Looked into a little more, my mom does not have a wifi network yet.

[Rob]

Looked into a little more, my mom does not have a wifi network yet.

Little trick I designed is me and the neighbor are running a dedicated network for just the cameras with the same name and same password and not broadcasting our SSID. So if one network fails - the camera fails over to the other network of the same name.

:seasix:

[Sea Six]

Flip his breaker off. Music stops.

Do it again later as he sleeps. Kills the AC.

[Madmikeee]

Flip his breaker off. Music stops.

Do it again later as he sleeps. Kills the AC.

It's in his apartment unfortunately.


Hey musicians, would a contact microphone for a guitar or the likes work to you think? IE Attach the contact mic to the ceiling?

[Madmikeee]

Just received a call from my mom, she hasn't slept all night because of this asshole.

[Rob]

Just received a call from my mom, she hasn't slept all night because of this asshole.

CatFacts :leaving:

[lspencer534]

Let's approach this the logical way: The first thing that needs to be done is to find out if these noises exist. It doesn't matter whether you think your Mom is telling the truth; the only way to know is for you or someone to hear them. You (or someone) are going to have to spend the night at her place...maybe more than one night.

Don't try to record the noise. That means nothing in Court since volume is so easily manipulated. You can have a sound expert to set up a gadget that can help him explain the actual volume, but that's too expensive.

Once we know the truth we can help you...and maybe the truth will explain a lot of things without our help.

[GentleBen]

How about you racking out on her couch to see if the guy upstairs is broadcasting loud music or other wise disturbing the peace during "quiet" hours.

If you had a little tape deck I would presume that it could record the noise that woke you up. Also, if the guy upstairs was looking out his window to see if the manager was coming he would not see you as you would already be in the building and potentially moving up the stairs.

[Mike Mercury]

The first thing that needs to be done is to find out if these noises exist. It doesn't matter whether you think your Mom is telling the truth; the only way to know is...



point. :yesnod:

[Madmikeee]

What about disturbing the peace complaint?

Called the cops but the bastard hides in the apartment and won't answer, He was there but told the front office he was staying with his daughter those days.

Hell maybe he was but someone else was up there then or he has shit on a timer. Yeah that does sound bat shit crazy but I have no other explanation.

[Madmikeee]

How about you racking out on her couch to see if the guy upstairs is broadcasting loud music or other wise disturbing the peace during "quiet" hours.

If you had a little tape deck I would presume that it could record the noise that woke you up. Also, if the guy upstairs was looking out his window to see if the manager was coming he would not see you as you would already be in the building and potentially moving up the stairs.

THat's my next step is sacking out there. I tried the recorder but it picks up the ambient noise more than anything else. Hence why I am asking for help in determining what type of microphone I can use to target the area and eliminate ambient noise from the fans or Air Conditioners.

As to the point of making sure my mom isn't hearing things, Already thought of that and discussed with her. SHe is going to bring it up to the doc the next appointment JUST to be sure. But I know my mom and I honestly believe she is telling the truth, hell even the upstairs neighbor to the ahole noticed he's been acting weird lately and mentioned it to my mom.

[Mike Mercury]

the upstairs neighbor to the ahole noticed he's been acting weird lately








http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_bgxmzoAG3-c/SpSUfipNlqI/AAAAAAAAAJc/gjJbRlVMDuY/s400/old-man-laughing2.jpg

[island14]

CatFacts :leaving:

I'm subscribed to all future Cat Facts Threads!!! :seasix:


:lol:


:cert:

[island14]

THat's my next step is sacking out there. I tried the recorder but it picks up the ambient noise more than anything else. Hence why I am asking for help in determining what type of microphone I can use to target the area and eliminate ambient noise from the fans or Air Conditioners.

As to the point of making sure my mom isn't hearing things, Already thought of that and discussed with her. SHe is going to bring it up to the doc the next appointment JUST to be sure. But I know my mom and I honestly believe she is telling the truth, hell even the upstairs neighbor to the ahole noticed he's been acting weird lately and mentioned it to my mom.



Also if you are there to witness the noises, it will make the complaint seem more valid when the police respond to your call..

:cert:

[Madmikeee]

Let's approach this the logical way: The first thing that needs to be done is to find out if these noises exist. It doesn't matter whether you think your Mom is telling the truth; the only way to know is for you or someone to hear them. You (or someone) are going to have to spend the night at her place...maybe more than one night.

Don't try to record the noise. That means nothing in Court since volume is so easily manipulated. You can have a sound expert to set up a gadget that can help him explain the actual volume, but that's too expensive.

Once we know the truth we can help you...and maybe the truth will explain a lot of things without our help.

ALready discussed with her and she is going to bring it up to the doctors. But like I said, there is NO other change in her behavior or personality. She does not hear anything while we are out and about and she was also telling me that her cat reacts and her TV distorts with the bass sometimes when he does the quick "turn it up/turn it down".

I am keeping in mind that it could potentially be a problem with her but the recordings are for OUR proof more so than anything else. Then we can proceed in the proper path. To be honest it does concern me that it could be her but I am still leaning on the 84 year old being the one who is going off the deep end. If that is the case then this may help HIM in the long run as if he is going senile he needs help.

[lspencer534]

ALready discussed with her and she is going to bring it up to the doctors. But like I said, there is NO other change in her behavior or personality. She does not hear anything while we are out and about and she was also telling me that her cat reacts and her TV distorts with the bass sometimes when he does the quick "turn it up/turn it down".

I am keeping in mind that it could potentially be a problem with her but the recordings are for OUR proof more so than anything else. Then we can proceed in the proper path. To be honest it does concern me that it could be her but I am still leaning on the 84 year old being the one who is going off the deep end. If that is the case then this may help HIM in the long run as if he is going senile he needs help.

If you're determined to record the noise, then go for it. But it takes a sound technician to filter out ambient noise and to be able to testify that the sound on the recording is the same loudness as in the apartment. Even then, such testimony isn't very convincing.

[Kevin_73]

How about a cheap db meter?
You could turn on the meter to measure the sound levels, then video the output of it with the sound captured on the video too.

[Sea Six]

Flip his breaker off. Music stops.

Do it again later as he sleeps. Kills the AC.

It's in his apartment unfortunately.


Hey musicians, would a contact microphone for a guitar or the likes work to you think? IE Attach the contact mic to the ceiling?

There has to be a main breaker, probably 100A, feeding his apartment, and it should not be inside his apartment.

[lspencer534]

There has to be a main breaker, probably 100A, feeding his apartment, and it should not be inside his apartment.

And don't just turn it off--remove it.

[Meh]

Get over there ASAP and as soon as you can verify what's going on, raise hell.

[lspencer534]

OP, your only solution to this problem (again, if one exists) is to resort to violence. You're going to have to make sure that this idiot doesn't do it again. And if violence doesn't work, that means you didn't resort to enough of it.

[Sea Six]

OP, your only solution to this problem (again, if one exists) is to resort to violence. You're going to have to make sure that this idiot doesn't do it again. And if violence doesn't work, that means you didn't resort to enough of it.

Take him to one of them new-fangled violence resorts. Where they all take turns a-wailin' on him all weekend long.

[Cybercowboy]

How about suggesting ear plugs?

[LisaJohn]

My state has a "council of aging". When my grandmother was in the nursing home we had a contact number in case of issues like neglect, abuse, etc.
It's a law that the contact info was posted at the nursing home.
If her senior housing facility accepts any type of government assistance for the elderly there may be someone you can contact besides the so called building manager. I would spend the night and confirm what's going on.

[Thunder22]

i would find out waht the noise ordinances are in the town and see if he's breaking any then call the police. (sorry if this was mentioned already, didn't read entire thread)

[SnikPlosskin]

Most consumer audio recording devices have automatic gain. So when it is quiet, the gain ramps up and you hear the background noise. As a sound rises, the gain backs down according to the loudest sound. So if he is cranking the stereo, you would hear it clearly. The background noise would disappear.

A computer with some kind of mixing capability would feature a set gain. You can adjust it so that a loud sound averages about -12db (typically where broadcast recordings are set). I'd set it so that normal talking hits about -12db.

Then, if something is louder than talking, you have a relative measure. Although the counsellor is right - not great evidence in court. But it would verify your moms claims.

[Bill]

Has anyone suggested placing a flaming bag of poo on the guy's doorstep? Sometimes the classics are the best way to go.

[vetteman9368]

ok, here's what you need; one completely blacked out escalade ( call Thomas), two NFL lineman sized black guys in suits. Have them go knock on his door and tell him they need to speak with him privately in the Escalade. that should cure the problem

[island14]

See if you can get an article of his clothing, or another personal item he has touched, maybe a few strands of his hair, and a photograph of him.

There is a local Mangkukulam (Voodoo woman) I want to test out to see how good she is.

What do you think? Maybe worms just under his skin moving around so he can see them moving in his hands and arms?

Also always frightening when they look in the mirror and see this on their face. :yesnod:

Maybe even worms he can visibly see coming out when he pees? :island14:

Just a few of the well known classic suggestions, but we can think of other ideas other than these if you like.


.....or if you don't want to go to all of this trouble you could always buddy up to him and just slip a Horse Laxative in his soft drink.

We use to call them Shit Mickeys.. :D

[RED-85-Z51]

If there is a patten to his actions, make plans to spend the night one night if possible...and record it yourself, 1st hand evidence is valuable. A good smart phone should be able to pickup something that loud, id think.

Many, many years ago..my grandma lived in a retiment appartment complex, and she complained about people banging on her door, and leaving before she could get to the door to answer it. This went on for months...no one saw or heard it though.

One night my dad stayed over there..and he heard it, turns out it was the echo in the metal door and door frame, from the doors on either side of her apartment being closed (automatic door closers, slammed em hard so the latches caught). TO her..it was someone going by and hitting her door once or twice....to younger ears, it was obvious it was not that.

[Madmikeee]

If you're determined to record the noise, then go for it. But it takes a sound technician to filter out ambient noise and to be able to testify that the sound on the recording is the same loudness as in the apartment. Even then, such testimony isn't very convincing.

I am not trying to do all that, I am just trying to prove that the music IS there. Once I do that I can take it from there to the ahole in charges boss for just assuming my mother is hearing things.

[Madmikeee]

OP, your only solution to this problem (again, if one exists) is to resort to violence. You're going to have to make sure that this idiot doesn't do it again. And if violence doesn't work, that means you didn't resort to enough of it.

as satisfying as that would be I would never be able to hurt an 84 year old man. Plus that just is not the right way to handle this. All I need is the proof, once I have that I am set.

[Madmikeee]

How about suggesting ear plugs?

She has them as well as noise cancelling headphones. They help but she still gets woken up when he does the 2 second "blast"

[Meh]

I take it you haven't spent the night over there yet. You should, ASAP.