Police. Under a lot of pressure.

[Dancer]

First thing, I want to put out there. I got a lot of respect for police officers, and what they have to go through. My new neighbor happens to be the Chief of our growing township. A really nice young man. (Forty eight)
Just watching the news on TV , wonder how they hold it together. I've been hunting since 2002, and only occasionally come in contact with an officer.
Most of the time they swing into the parking lot, observe for a while then move on. Few other times had a friendly chat about the hobby. Once even a officer pointed out where a ring was lost. Than there was last week. While hunting a little league field in a town park. This is a park I hunt about 2-3 a year. It is hunted by x amount of others also. Well anyway a plain police car pulled up and watched for a while. Then , the officer comes storming out after me. (I was the only one in the park at the time) Asked Who gave me permission to hunt at a Boro park? Now I'm 66 and immediately sensed this guy was Mad. He got on me verbally, like right now. Ordered out of the park and right now. On the way I mentioned that we been hunting this park forever. He got mad and asked if I wanted to go another step? I said " I'm not arguing, just asking, and I am leaving. I have No doubt that I could have easily got myself cuffed, maybe even tazed. So what happened here? Maybe the job got this officer ready to break. Maybe trouble at home. The man is human. Later found out that Boro just hired a new Chief, and two new patrolman. So I have no doubt he ran my plates. (Only car in the lot) You know I was going down to the Boro, ask what's up.
But decided to let lay a couple years. So all I'm saying, always copperate, these guys are under a lot of pressure.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

Dancer, sorry to hear about your experience. Sounds like you handled it well.

This is not an uncommon experience. I mean, not the "mad cop" part, but in general , the type story of someone getting booted from a place where, quite frankly, detecting had never been an issue before. By a gardener, or cop, or some city person, etc.....

But I do not treat such occasions as a) must consult city hall for "clarification", or b) that this park [or school or beach or whatever] is now "off-limits".

Because a lot of times, such occurances are flukes. Yes, even being booted by a cop, I do not consider to be some sort of premise that "such & such place is off-limits now". OH SURE, you give "lip service", and "give that park a break for a while". In other words, obviously you do not throw it in someone's face and defiantly continue detecting, and purposefully go back the very next day, etc... Because if you do, then they could amp it up to the next level, and get a rule written to actually say "no metal detecting".

And the trouble with going to seek "clarification" (ie.: get the booting/scram over-turned), is that you can end up getting someone else to also say "no", or "make a rule", to address your "pressing issue".

So I'm convinced that sometimes the best way to handle these things, is just to avoid that one person in the future. Lay low for awhile, till they forget about it. And just avoid that one person's shift from then on. Or avoid "just that one park", etc..

I hate to say it: But metal detecting is a bit like nose-picking: Not necessarily illegal, but .... something you do a bit discreetly so as not to offend certain skittish folks. If it bothers someone, then you pick lower traffic times. But just because someone was in a bad mood, and a fluke "scram" occurs, does not constitute "new law/rule that must be fought". IMHO.

 

[ironsight]

.......And the trouble with going to seek "clarification" (ie.: get the booting/scram over-turned), is that you can end up getting someone else to also say "no", or "make a rule", to address your "pressing issue"......

Yep, going whining to city hall just might result in a shiny brand spanking new 'NO METAL DETECTING' sign.

Don't know how big your township is population-wise, in my experience the smaller the town with no crime to speak of, the more the proliferation of knit-picking barney fife's.
Keep in mind if you run into the same cop while detecting there AND he blusters but doesn't issue some kind of ordinance ticket then there is no legal reason he can do so. I'd study the latest township laws and ordinances but don't ask questions to any town officials. He mighta had a problem that day or maybe it had something to do with the little league field. Cops cannot make their own laws on the fly, only enforce existing laws.

 

[Dancer]

I contacted another hunter from that Boro, he said he had hunted another park with out trouble. I totally agree not to poke the bees nest for a while. Don't want to meet that same officer real soon. He keeps having days like that over mding, what's going to happen with other issues? It's going to bug me but I'm going to give it a couple years.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

This is exactly why most of my turf hunting is done at night nowadays. So peaceful. So serene. NOT that I think I'm "doing anything wrong/illegal" mind you. But JUST (as you say): "Why swat a hornet's nest" ? Or put another way : It's the same as nose picking: choose discreet times, and no one will be offended. Presto, problem solved. Just pick full moon nights

 

[togg77]

Luv the police--my son is commander of a narc unit. Only problem I ever see is that some officers tend to treat everyone the same--a guy metal detecting IS NOT the same as an armed robber or home invader.

 

[supertraq]

Only time I've had cops screw with me was about 3 months ago. I was hunting the site of what use to be the middle school I went to.
It's in cantonment fl. It was demo'ed about 1.5 yrs ago is now used for the bus drivers to park the busses there,they don't take them home any more.
Well two black female bus drivers were standing about 30 ft behind me,I had my hearing aid on and it faces to the rear.
I heard one of them say what's that cracka do'in and the other said I saw that on t.v that's something white boys do,I'm 56.
Well he won't be do'in it anymoe.
The next day a white lady comes up and watches me while in her car,leaves and returns with two deputies.
They wanted to take me in but she said leave and don't come back.
Oh,I said why,I fill my holes and you can't tell where I've dug,she replied that's not what "they said".
I tried to get her and the officers to see if they could find any sign of me digging. No way, facts don't matter nowadays.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

that story s*cks All the more reason to detect at nights or on some odd-ball off-times when those "certain" bus drivers wouldn't have been there. If you want to call that "sneaking around", fine then: SNEAK AROUND, doh!

 

[Tom_in_CA]

...--a guy metal detecting IS NOT the same as an armed robber or home invader.

That would depend on who you asked. If you asked a purist archie what he thinks of metal detecting, they would say we ARE akin to armed robbers, etc....

Moral of the story ? : Don't ask purist archies anything. The less they think about us, the better, haha