CLMP CAMP Report for 1999
...by Bonnie Blackberry
This year the Campaign Against Marijuana Planting (CAMP) started its operations on August 2 here in Humboldt County and went on to spend at least 90% of the time (approx. two months) focusing on the southern portion of the county, operating mostly on private property without warrants. According to recent news reports, CAMP spent more time here in Humboldt County than anywhere else, yet the "plant count" for the county came in fourth in the state. This area, the southern portion of Humboldt, seems to be CAMP's favorite "fishing hole-hunting grounds", even when they can find more marijuana elsewhere.
The marijuana police were using private and military helicopters and some of the time National Guard troops. This year's favorite tactic seemed to be the use of hanging a line from the bottom of the helicopter with two officers attached to the end, enabling them to get to marijuana that is grown in trees and other hard to reach locations, as well as giving the guys a thrilling ride through the air. This method uses a lot of helicopter time, and is very noisy and disruptive for everyone who lives in the area. The Civil Liberties Hot Line had continual calls with reports and complaints about helicopter overflights and surveillance as well as some complaints about ground troops. We had reports of National Guard, Coast Guard, and private helicopters flying low over and near residences and curtilages, creating complaints such as:
* a suddenly appearing, low flying, loud helicopter estimated at 150 feet off the ground, shaking the house and scaring a horse and other animals in a corral near the house, causing them to run through a fence while attempting to flee. The head of the HCSD Drug Enforcement Team, Sgt. Steve Knight, explained that the helicopter was probably flying low for the crew's safety because of the fog that morning.
* an angry medical marijuana patient reported multiple helicopter passes at approximately 200 feet over his curtilage and garden which had a 15 foot red cross designating it as a medical garden. He was also upset that the Humboldt County marijuana team with a helicopter and vehicles with troops were working in Mendocino County.
* near the end of the CAMP season a resident of the Whale Gulch area complained of a helicopter with two men holding marijuana plants they'd gotten from an adjacent mountainside, lowering down over her residence, coming very close, as she stood below waving her arms and shouting at them to get out of her living space.
* reports of a Coast Guard helicopter flying in surveillance mode inland away from the coast. When questioned about this the Coast Guard replied that they were doing "routine patrol", which happens to be very similar to CAMP helicopter overflights and surveillance.
* calls about a light blue airplane circiling in an area where CAMP was working, sometimes flying very low causing one caller to fear the plane was having engine trouble and may be going to crash. According to FAA regulations, airplanes are not allowed to fly below 1000 feet. We now have reason to believe the plane was owned and operated by the Department of Justice.
* a report of litter and trash left on the roadside at a site where the CAMP team was observed eating lunch. CLMP is investigating this further.
The CLMP Hot Line received no calls during CAMP Media Day regarding low flying helicopters flying over homes or in populated areas (no surprise). On other days we received as many as 60-plus calls.
Other complaints involved a report of a warrantless entry and search of a home while the owner was gone, on the day of a CAMP raid in his neighborhood. The man called the police to find out why they searched his house. The police suggested it was a burgler, even though nothing was taken and there were ATV tracks in the road up to his front door. (CAMP was using ATVs that day.) CLMP received reports of CAMP troops driving up private driveways and then turning around and leaving when a resident appears at the house, as well as reports of unwarranted searches of peoples' curtileges and outbuildings when the home owner/resident was not there.
All in all a very busy time for CLMP, trying to keep up with all the calls. CLMP tried to set up a meeting with Steve Knight, the head of Humboldt County's Drug Enforcement Team, to discuss problems people were having with the helicopters and ground troops, but he was too busy to meet with us. We were given a phone number to call if there was an immediate problem. Sometimes it took a couple of hours to get through but calls were always returned.
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