Brower discovered the compound in Mancos while conducting a background check on one of the FLDS leaders. A tip, he said, led him to the compound in Pringle.

"There's a lot more out there. I'm sure of it," Brower said.

More construction is being planned in Pringle, which is nestled in South Dakota's Black Hills.

"They're talking about doing some more building. I believe they worked with the schools to get more kids registered for home schooling," said Custer County, S.D., Sheriff Rick Wheeler.

Know your neighbors

Across the West, law enforcement have made efforts to get to know their FLDS neighbors.

Washington County Sheriff Kirk Smith has hosted his fellow sheriffs in southern Utah, taking them on tours of Short Creek.

"I wanted to give them the benefit of our experience here, telling them our frustrations in trying to deal with rumors and illegalities that have gone on, and how difficult it is," he said Wednesday.

Wheeler said he has made good contact with the FLDS in South Dakota.

"I just feel right now they're trying to be good residents of our area," said Wheeler. "We work pretty close. I've had them out working with our fire department. We've got a pretty open relationship right now and I hope we can continue to keep that."

Schleicher County Sheriff David Doran has also developed relationships with key people on the YFZ Ranch. He said last week it helped to keep the already tense situation from getting worse. It was also revealed that Doran had a confidential informant providing him information about alleged crimes within the compound.

Smith and Wheeler both kept in contact with Doran during the beginning stages of the YFZ raid.

Hart said the Montezuma County Sheriff's Office has tried to make some contact with the people on the Mancos property.

"If we go out to the property and come up to the gate, someone will come out to talk. They do regular patrols around the fenced areas on an ATV," he said.

"They're pretty reserved. They're friendly enough, but it's strictly business."

On Wednesday, the FLDS allowed more people onto the ranch to hear the pleas of mothers who simply want to be reunited with their children. Parker reiterated that they are merely homes in a community.

"Now that they've been opened to the world," he said. "Everyone can see they're just homes."

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Contributing: Nancy Perkins
E-mail: bwinslow@desnews.com