The recent raid on the Greenacres home vacated by a Saudi family featured the unusual teamwork of the FBI and the local homeowners association.

Imagine that. The organization so well known for its human intelligence gathering methods, prolonged surveillance techniques and sophisticated legal wrangling finally getting to team up with the FBI. 

I like to think of it as Big Brother joining forces with Big Oh Brother. 

Bringing potential terrorists to justice, one restrictive-covenant violation at a time. 

Surveillance above and beyond

Getting condo boards and homeowner associations involved in the fight against terror is just the kind of innovation that can bring quick results, and be a true setback for our enemies -- particularly those who live in places with improper setbacks.

Unlike the federal government, which is only now learning how to curtail civil liberties, local homeowners groups and condo boards have a long, proud history of doing it for decades.

Potential terrorists (i.e. anybody who rents) live under constant surveillance and can be subjected to the kind of legal morass usually found in second-rate dictatorships and countries ending in "stan."

Condo and homeowner groups don't need criminal statutes to get results. They don't even need arrest powers. Targets can simply be hounded out of the country.

We don't need Camp X-ray if we turn America into a kind of Camp Delray. 

Exit Norman Schwarzkopf, enter Becker-Poliakoff.

So I'm glad the FBI finally tapped into this awesome source of control. 

In the watershed Greenacres episode, the FBI searched the empty home of a Saudi family only by the graces of the Fairway Isles Homeowner Association, which provided both the legal cover for the feds and the necessary escort into the empty home.

It was human intel from the homeowners group that noted the family's unexpected departure from the house coincided with the terrorist bombings of 9-11. 

OK, so it turns out that the feds now say the family had nothing to do with international terrorism. That's beside the point. What's important is for the FBI to continue its partnership with condo boards and homeowner associations. For this relationship to flourish, though, agents need to realize that even matters of national security can't be used to usurp community rules.

Guidelines need restrictions, too

So here are some guidelines for future FBI searchers looking to uncover terror in a condo-to-condo search:

1. No trucks, please.

2. Park only in visitor spots. All other agents' vehicles will be towed. 

3. All bomb-sniffing dogs should comply with the weight limits on pets.

4. You must supply a resident's name to be allowed in the community. Please allow the gate guard at least five minutes to study his clipboard, scratch himself and verify the name.

5. Display your visitor's pass clearly on the dashboard during the entire course of the raid. 

6. Raids on the clubhouse must be reserved at least 24 hours in advance, and if possible, should not conflict with ladies card functions. 

7. All requests for public records kept at the condo office should be made in writing. Allow three weeks for possible compliance.

8. Please yield for ambulances, golf carts and ducks.

9. No loud police radio playing after 8 p.m.

10. Detain all teenagers.