Can they legally ask me to do this?
I work as a handyman in a small western town. Do a lot
of work for real estate property managers. I was asked to
"keep an eye on some of the tenants" at rented apartments
and report any wrongdoing, and "things like pot on the table
if you see some", etc.
What are the legal implications here? I have no intention
of being a watchdog for these people, but the more I think
about it, the more I believe it would be somewhat illegal
anyway. What if I was called into court to testify against
someone I reported? Comments? Ideas?
Answers:
It sounds like you've answered your own question.
How WOULD you feel about yourself if you were called into court to testify against someone you reported???
How would you feel if someone was "keeping an eye" on you??
Go with your gut.
The only thing I see are moral implications. You can always turn a blind eye to what you see.
Continue to do your job and just ignore the request of your employer.
Edit; if the property managers have suspicions they should contact the local authorities instead of using you as their pawn.
I would just let the people live there life. its not your job or even your business what other people are doing unless it is somehow effecting you or anyone else in a negative way. Alittle pot on a table or someone using it is not a big deal.. its just like alcohol. Unless you see someone else that had no desicion on the people using, is effected by this or in danger it is not a problem.
i've never seen any so i wouldn't be able to know for sure what it looks like. i'm not so much sure that your job isn't that much different than the role one would take on a neighborhood watch member. if you see / suspect something "out of sorts" you can simply report to the authorities and let the police investigate. i would be concerned about reporting directly to the management becuase what if they use your name if the confront the tenant ? you could be at risk. i'd rather report it directly to an officer of the law or leave the information anon. even better.
It is not your duty to report things tenants do to the property managers, however, it is your duty to report crimes to the police. Failure to do so, in some cases, could be construed as being a party to the crime. And, if you are called into court to testify, you are duty bound both by oath and as a civic minded citizen to tell the truth no matter where the cards may fall.
Been there...It would really depend on what you see during your course of duties. Some buds and a bong...So what!!??
Lots of electrical wire cut to length, maybe some semtex and some cell phones? How about 1/2 a key of meth and scales??
Yes a moral dilemma, but not really. To the rest of you that say butt out...What if it was a dealer selling to your child? Get real, it's called personal responsibility.
I suggest that you just do your job and don't pay any attention to what non-work related requests are made by the property managers. They have no legal right to tell you to spy on anyone, and no moral right to ask you to. You have your own reputation to think about. Of course if you see something *really* serious (i.e. guns, large quantities of drugs, etc.) you could call Crimestoppers. You wouldn't have to testify or even reveal your identity and could even earn a few bucks. However, it wouldn't be a good idea to refuse the property managers' request and pis* them off, but just say something like, "Don't worry, if I see something I think I should tell you I sure will". You aren't lying, but you know darn well you'll never see anything you think you should tell them. :-) Good luck!
Find yourself another job. These are no people you want to work for that want you spying.
That is wrong. Those stupid real estate managers need to realize that looking out for stoners is not your job...you are there simply to do some handy work! Now if you walk in a house and there is needles and/or bags of other hard substances, then it wouldn't be a bad idea to maybe report it to the police. But if you see a bag of weed laying on a table, unless it is huge then most likely they are not dealing. Tell the landlord to take a chill pill.
They can legally ASK you to do anything. The legality of actually doing it is a separate question. The property owner has the legal right to inspect the property at any time with reasonable notice (usually 24 hrs). Assuming you would be entering the property to conduct needed repairs, your presence is legal. Anything evidence of a crime that is in plain sight can legally be reported. You would be more likely to get in trouble for NOT reporting something than for reporting it.
The answers post by the user, for information only, FreeLawAnswer.com does not guarantee the right.
Answer question:
More Law Questions and Answers: