Here are a few safety tips scammed from the web ....
http://www.1stmarijuanagrowerspage.com/growing-marijuana-5.html . I am sure there are more and better than this, perhaps we could make up a faq if others have suggestions.
Indoor Security
* Keep your garden a secret. This is the hardest rule for any grower to follow. You might think it's no big deal to show your best friend your three 6 foot marijuana trees. But your friend might tell his friend who might tell his freind... The majority of police "busts" are made because someone tipped off the cops. Make sure anybody that knows about the grow operation has just as much to lose as you do.
* Keep a low profile. It looks a little suspiciuos if your neighbors see you hauling ten 50 pound bags of potting soil into your home in January. Unload anything that might seem suspicious from your car under the cover of darkness. Remember to turn off the light in your car that comes on after you open the door.
* If the cops do get called don't let them in. Ask to see a search warrent. If they can't show you one then there is nothing that says you have to open that door. No matter what they say don't open the door. If you do all one of them has to say is "I smell marijuana" and they will search your entire house.
* If you go on vacation don't turn on the burgler alarm. If someone breaks into your home to steal the plants and the alarm goes off the cops will come and your going to jail. If they really need the plants that bad then let them take them. It's better than going to jail.
* Check for light leaks around all windows. It looks a little odd when 1000 watts of orange light is shining through the window of your grow room at 3 AM. A heavy curtain can be hung and duct taped to the wall around the edges. Check for light leaks periodicly.
* Always pay in cash whenever buying anything for your garden. Credit card purchases are logged at the store. These logs tell what you purchased and when it was purchased. Companies sell these logs to anybody that can afford it. The police buy these logs and look for any suspicious purchases like 1000W HPS ballasts and other uncommon items.
* Do not have hot, smelly exhaust air from your grow room pouring outside directly. Police IR helicopters can see the heat pouring out like a fountain. The helicopters CAN NOT see through your walls and detect your grow lights. They can only see heat on the outside of a building. So if your growroom is insulated and the lights are not touching the walls you are fine.
* Keep the door of the grow room locked. This will prevent anybody from accidently discovering your garden.
Outdoor Security
* Don't plant in rows. Try to be as random as nature. Rows and patterns are easily spotted from the air.
* Be careful not to leave trails. Step on rocks and sticks and never walk through mud or soft ground. Be careful not to disturb the vegatation too much.
* Visit your garden at night or early morning. Try to limit the use of flashlights at night.
* Don't park your car along the main road.
* Don't take anybody to see the plants unless it is to help harvest them.
* Plant near small pine trees or evergreens. These will stay green all year and help hide the plants when the other weeds are turing brown and the marijuana is still green.
* Don't leave any garden equipment in sight. Bury it or hide it well.
* Use a backpack to transport harvested buds.
* Bring some binoculars and a book on birds or butterflies or something. This way if someone sees you, you can claim you were bird watching and stumbled across somebody's marijuana feild.
