Good luck, I had neighbors come through a 6 foot fence last fall, steal a giant pumpkin,blow it up in the neighbors yard, and steal 1000.oo worth of power equip out of my shed and never saw any results other then said neighbor approaching me after and he and his kid threatening me for calling the police.Now we have ADT, video cameras, and sleep lightly. There are not enough police to cover all the kids ( and adults) wandering the streets stealing, and every time the city wants more money to hire some the taxpayers start screaming.

Don, Did you call the police again and press charges for harassment. No, because you knew the police were allowing this behaviour, that's why more police wouldn't make a difference.

SICK- Actually the cops did do extra patrols after the theft and harrassment for a time, and I called the cops at the time when the neighbor ( and his 20 year son) got in my face; the kid actually threatened me physically but the police said that was not sufficient cause for a harrassment complaint which did bewilder me as I see in the paper that they do on occasion arrest people for it. As I said, now I'll have video to back me up if it happens again, and I think I'll try calling the county or state instead of the locals, as I don't know what weird guidelines the locals use for an arrest, perhaps my body lying in the street would be enough?.I got robbed, never got any of my stuff back, got threatened, and the neighbors just smirk, you think I'm not Ped off?

I apologize, it sounded like it should have been harassment. Then again, it sounds like the local police are allowing this behaviour. Maybe your neighbor has friends.

Sick-No need to apologize. And yes, threatening someone is harassment , at least it was when I was in law enforcement so I wonder how the neighbor gets away with what he and his spawn does.We bought the house three years ago and tho it's been quiet ( so far ) this summer the first two years were . explosions from the woods behind our home every week, the kids having open fires so big you could see them from outer space, complete with exploding aerosol cans; they and their friends always seem to empty their wrappers and bottles, cans. etc just as they get to our yard so every day I get to pick up garbage off the lawn. The cops and fire department were there every other week all last year year so it isn't like there is no history there.The oldest and his pals come home at 3-4 am and bellow outside their house, f this and f that at the top of their lungs,then leave with a screech of smoking tires and booming rap music, yeah, its a real treat.We have a two block span of people who get along, take care of their homes, and who's kids are not monsters and then we have this white trash family screwing it up for others.Sorry for venting, we bought the house blind and now we're in so deep we'll never sell it, we like the town and our other neighbors so I guess we just have to wait the turds out and hope they move before we are forced to.

Don - If you call the State Police or County Sheriff they will tell you it's a local issue and direct the call to the City PD. There is absolutely nothing more that the State or County can do for you than Oneida PD can do. The laws are enforced the same by every department.

It is absolutely ridiculous the number of people that call the State Police thinking they'll do something differently. The State Police have very limited powers in the City of Oneida. An Oneida City officer has more power of jurisdiction than the State Police within the City of Oneida as they are the agency of jurisdiction. State Police are meant for patrolling areas that do not have their own agencies, and assisting those agencies at their discretion.

I'm unsure what "law enforcement" experience you have - but threatening someone is not harassment (at least not on the first incident). Section 240.26 of the NY Penal Law states that in order to constitute a charge of harassment a person must "engage in a course of conduct or repeatedly commits acts which alarm or seriously annoy such other person and which serve no legitimate purpose".

As such, the police were 100% correct in telling you that there was not enough to substantiate a charge. There is no "course of conduct". There was a single isolated incident - which does not substantiate a course of conduct. The only time a harassment charge can be applied for a single incident is if physical contact is made (pushing, shoving, kicking, etc). If injuries occur, then it becomes Assault.

I know it's convenient to blame the police for everything - but you can't blame them in every case. They can't make an arrest based on a law that doesn't exist. They can only make an arrest when a law is broken that they can actually charge someone with. Your beef is not with the police - it's with your elected lawmakers. I strongly recommend writing to your elected lawmakers in Albany and encourage them to update the law to meet the times.

Now that my small rant is over - here are a few helpful tips for your situation. #1: Put several NO TRESPASSING signs conspicuously posted around your property. Having that sign in your yard is the difference between a simple trespass (violation) and a Criminal Trespass charge (misdemeanor). It is also the difference between the police being able to make an arrest and prosecute based on a first offense. #2: Watch your property. Get together with neighbors you trust - watch each others properties. Know each others schedules - learn who should be there and who shouldn't be there. Report suspicious behavior to the police - even if they're not doing something criminal - if they appear suspicious have the police check them out. Being proactive (rather than reactive) can prevent a lot of crime. If nothing else, it gets a police officer in the area, and that person knows that there is a police presence in this town - and they'll move on.

I hope some of this helps.

Nick- I wasn't blaming the police for anything, if you read my other posts you'll see for the most part I admire the Oneida police, was impressed with their response time, as impotent as that response was, and I like this town, but you can understand my frustration.Sad to know that I have no other options, that the state and county are not able to do anything, either.As to harrassment, perhaps the definition of harrassment should be redefined in the town of Oneida because in many localities what occured, was in fact, harrassment. My law enforcement experience is not vast, 8 years military police, 4 years with DPS in Texas, but in most places having someone step across a public sidewalk right in front of your home and threatening to kick your a*& in front of witnesses IS harrassment. You gave me NY's code,Here is a common definition of what harrassment constitutes.

Harassment Law & Legal Definition

Harassment is governed by state laws, which vary by state, but is generally defined as a course of conduct which annoys, threatens, intimidates, alarms, or puts a person in fear of their safety. Harassment is unwanted, unwelcomed and uninvited behavior that demeans, threatens or offends the victim and results in a hostile environment for the victim. Harassing behavior may include, but is not limited to, epithets, derogatory comments or slurs and lewd propositions, assault, impeding or blocking movement, offensive touching or any physical interference with normal work or movement, and visual insults, such as derogatory posters or cartoons.

I would consider by that definition stepping towards one and threatening to beat them in public harrassment. As far as signs go, what the heck will signs do? A 6 foot fence didn't keep people out of my yard, a lock on the shed didn't keep them out of my shed, and having receipts, owners manuals, serial numbers, and descriptions of the items stolen didn't bring my stuff back.The police were at my neighbors several times a month for two years so why would I think that my calling them repeatedly would get results other then keeping them from real crimes they can/will prosecute? The ONE and only time I did call, the neighbors threatened me in retaliation, egged my house repeatedly, and the cops were unable to do anything about it, so that worked out well, didn't it? I go to work,pay my taxes, live quietly,I haven't had so much as a traffic ticket in 30 years.I don't use up police resources by having them at my home every other week for my monster kids but I have to live in a fenced compound in a paranoid state with all my good neighbors watching over me? I can spend all my spare time pressure washing dried egg off my home? I can prosecute AFTER I get my butt kicked, maybe, and consider myself damn lucky if that's all my neighbor does? Yeah, that sounds fair, I'm beginning to see why there are so many for sale signs in Oneida.If the laws won't allow the police to act then perhaps a revamping of the laws are in order because the dirtballs seem to have more rights then the law abiding.

Don - I completely understand your frustration. I have to deal with some of the same issues - although it's gotten much better over the past year in my area. Unfortunately with the way the laws are written, the bad guys win more often than not.

Harassment is a state law - for which someone at the state level would have to modify. I'm no lawyer - but I'm pretty sure that the City cannot enact an ordinance to enhance a state law already in place. It might be something worth asking your Councilman or the Mayor about bringing up at a Council meeting with the City Attorney.

A violation charge of Disorderly Conduct can be applied in cases where someone uses obscene language in public, makes an obscene gesture, obstructs the flow of traffic, or several other situations. However, because it is only a violation, it is very hard to prosecute unless it's witnessed by a police officer - and most often times it's not prosecuted because the maximum penalty is a fine or 15 days in jail - which isn't much of a deterrent.

Oneida used to have a City Curfew for juveniles which helped quite a bit to keep unruly kids off the street - or at least give the police a reason to take them off the street. Unfortunately that too was a lost hope when an appeals court declared a similar curfew law in Rochester unconstitutional.

I agree with you that it's a real shame that honest law-abiding citizens have to live every day looking over their shoulder - but until someone in Albany makes a change in the laws - we're stuck with what we have now.

Same old stuff goin' on huh Don? I haven't seen you in a while so I didn't know it had gotten that bad, or is it worse since I lived there?

Drug sale also happens on rail road street a mom sells her pills to kids that has been going on for years, her son is in trouble with selling drugs. P.Pf when are you going to stop hurting the kids is not one kid dying enough!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Drugs are sold up and down rail road street, yes everyone knows of Thor and his mom selling drugs and other things, but they are not the only ones almost every house on that street has an involvemnent just you can get more than drugs at Thors house,

No follow through from police, issue never addressed properly.