PARK CITY, Kan. — He lived among them for nearly 30 years, but the man police think is the BTK killer wasn't well-liked by neighbors.

Most residents who lived near Dennis L. Rader described him as a bureaucratic bully, an ordinance-enforcement officer for this suburb who often went out of his way to issue citations.

One neighbor said Rader once was seen measuring grass in a front yard to determine if it was too long. Another recalled catching Rader filming his house, documenting possible violations.

Yet, there were hints at a pleasant side. He helped elderly neighbors with yard work, was active in his church and served as a Cub Scout leader.

"He was definitely two-sided," said Jim Reno, who lived across the street from Rader and his wife for 16 years and experienced several confrontations over what he called Rader's "harassment."

Rader, 59, moved into the neighborhood around 1976 and graduated from Wichita State University in 1979. He studied criminal justice but never became a police officer, instead going into code enforcement, becoming what Reno called "a glorified dog catcher."

Rader lived with his wife, whose parents lived around the corner. No one answered the door at the Rader residence yesterday. Public records indicate he has two adult children.

Bill Lindsay, 38, lived behind Rader and said something about the man unnerved him. Lindsay said his wife caught Rader in their adjoining back yards filming the back of their house.

"He really acted really funny," said Lindsay, a truck driver. "I'd be on the road and my wife would tell me, 'Dennis has been out again, taking his pictures.' "

Jason Day, 28, said his brother was in Rader's Cub Scout pack at nearby Park City Baptist Church, but their mother pulled him out because of Rader.

"It was his demeanor," he said. "He was so strange."

Rader also was a scout leader at Christ Lutheran Church, where he had held leadership positions.

Not everyone had a bad story about Rader. David Cool said Rader helped his parents with yard work. "Mom doesn't have a bad word to say about him."