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Question about beach finds

S

surfdog

Active member
Hello All,
It's been awhile since I've posted here. I'm looking for some feedback about finds on the beach.
So, I'm walking out on a beach, in Delaware, a few days back to take the explorer for a walk. I see a fellow hunter and stop to have a chat. He tells me this story.
" A few days back, I found a very nice diamond engagement ring and wedding band set in the sand. I went to the police department to file a found item report. The police were very intimidating. They asked me were the ring set was. I told them that it was back at my hotel room and I wanted to file a found lost item report to try and return the ring to the owner. The Sargent , at the desk proceeded to treat me like a criminal. Called another cop over and started what felt like an interrogation.. They told me that he (the other cop) was going to follow me back to my hotel room to get the ring from me. Told me that I could be charged with theft. I told them I'm not that guy, I'm trying to do the right thing. They were very aggressive and intimidating. I really thought for a minute that they were going to charge me. The second cop followed me back to the hotel room and took the ring set. I did get a call a few days later letting me know that the rings had been returned to the owner. Honestly, I dont know that if I was in that position again, I probably wouldnt go to police as this was a very uncomfortable interaction and I honestly thought they were going to charge me with some crime. I felt like they were treating me like a criminal. It was very demeaning. "
So, my question is, has anyone else ever been intimidated and accused of theft when trying to return something? Also, what's wrong with the police now adays? They wonder why more people dont want to have any involvement with them.
HH,
Bill
 
Sounds like a very bad encounter. Never had that with the law enforcement just the general public. I don't try to return anything, but I will help people recover lost items they are looking for, they at least have been 100% appreciative so far . Finders keepers losers weepers.
HH Jeff
 
Think about what you’re saying and doing here. The very definition of theft includes “by possession of stolen OR LOST property”. Not sure why the officers were being abrupt, not good. When I found the big gold chain I called both the the City police and the University security, no one had any reports filed. I tried to explain it could have been there for several years but there was no definitive way to tell. The property officer could only prompt the computer to check by description and by location. I was not asked to turn it in but I also know I cant do anything with it for up to year. The correct thing to do is turn it in or report it. If its returned to the rightful owner the end result is the same. If no one reports or claims the item you can still request the item be returned to you at the end of a year, free and clear.
What would you do if a couple days later the owner heard of your find, located you, called the police as they had reported it lost, and your answer is “I found it”. Heard that about as many times as “these are not my pants”. You are now sitting in the legal systems very warm water and the burden of innocence is on you.
You know your intent and truthfulness was correct. Bad on the way they treated you. The best way to make the police disinterested is tell them there is no way to determine when it was lost, it could have been yesterday or ten years ago. Property storage requires both time, effort, and space to properly control and store. That being said, most likely they would take your name and contact info in case it does get reported and you walk with it in hand, just hang on to it for a year.
 
So for clarity, it was a story told me by another hunter on the beach, I didnt have the interaction with the police. Further, I personally, dont typically post my finds or do I brag about them. Also, I record all my beach combing on a go pro I attach to the minelab harness I wear. Reason being, to document where and what I found but also it is definitive proof my finds are legitimate finds .

In closing, when I do find something, no matter pull tab, bottle cap or gold ring, I pick it up and it goes directly in the big leg pocket on my cargo shorts. I dont stand there , scrutinizing it in front of the world. People ask me if I found anything (all the time) while I'm hunting, I ask them if they lost anything? If they did and if I have it , I give it back. Otherwise my response is no, it's a slow day...Been at it 20 years and never had an issue.
Right , wrong or indifferent I'm not running a non-profit recovery service, so I guess I'm a sand pirate..
HH
 
Come on man why would you go to the cops in the first place?
That's just asking for trouble.
 
I guess the question becomes how would you feel if you lost something of value, either monetary or sentimental, and someone simply walked off with it simply because they had a tool that helped them recover it. If you found out they had, did not report it, would you simply go “oh well”??? I doubt it.

I will stand with that thin blue line until my last breath. Too many of todays parents (under age 50) have taught that its ok to run to the fireman in case of emergency but to run away from the policeman. How many parents do you know tell their kids to do something and if they dont they will call the police and have them arrested? WTF people……yes, there are bad cops. So are there fireman, and so are there metal detectorists.
Im not trying to start a war of words or thoughts here, just stating my thoughts.
 
I have been fortunate to be able to return some lost items to the owners over the years, and I usually check Craigslist to see if they have been reported lost.
I have also posted about my finds on Craigslist, but have not had much success at getting responses that way.
I have never reported my finds to the police for the simple reason is I doubt that these finds would have been reported to the police, not that I dislike the police.
Sometimes finds are just meant to get back to their owners and other times not so.
I found a 21 karat gold ring a few years ago after a lifeguard told me it had been lost a few days before.
After I found it, he gave me the phone number the couple left with him, and when I got home, I called the number several times, but a recording came up stating the number was no longer in service.
A couple days later, I went back to the lake and told the life guard what happened and left my contact information with him in case the owner called to inquire if it had been found.. never heard anything more about it.
Another time I found a nice silver necklace that I believe was lost the year before since I had heard mention of a necklace being lost, but no further details.
About 2 years later, I was at this lake detecting and a man came out and said he had lost a necklace there.
I asked him to describe it and he did.. I returned the necklace to him a few days later.
In my opinion, I do not believe many people even report a lost item.... I guess they may think it will never be found especially in the water.
I do enjoy returning lost items to their owners, but sometimes it is simply not possible.
As far as that ring the man found, being it was at a beach, it could have been lost by someone out of state or from another country.
Now I once returned a billfold that had been lost to the police and they took my information, but I did not get the response from them like that guy did.
I never heard anything else about that either.
One day at work, I found a small bag of what looked like drugs and immediately took it to the police department... even then I did not get the hassle this guy did... they were however surprised
when I showed them how big the bag was.
I never heard anything back about that find either.
 
I blame the aggressive response on too much coffee and doughnuts..lol.
I found a wallet on Rehobeth beach with nothing in it but the ladies driver’s license..cops asked a few simple questions and that’s it... Another time I found a large wallet laying on the concrete curbing in a very busy intersection..I got out picked it up got back in the work van ,I was riding shotgun,I open the wallet and was shocked at its contents; 30 some credit cards many in foreign languages,2 French passports, $204 American,some European paper money,several business cards many also in foreign languages.... I took it to my local State Police barracks..told the officer were I found it and judging by the passport and one of the business cards we figure it belonged to someone from a local cement company which is French owned... I gave the officer a piece of paper with my phone number and mentioned that if the owner wished thank or reward me he could feel free to call me... about an hour or two later I get a call from a very very grateful gentlemen..he said had been driving the entire previous day and got to the hotel late..when he got of the car he set the wallet on the roof and some time later drove to get dinner.. the wallet was found close to where they were staying and he said he spent the night looking for it and got no sleep from being sick from worrying... he asked my home address and asked if he could stop by because he wanted to thank me personally..he came over and we sat and talked for probably like two hours.. without his passport he would have been stuck,the other passport was his wife’s..the credit cards were business related mostly as he was an international business man.. he gave me $40 cash and thanked me again.. I showed him my metal detecting finds ..
Several months later he showed up at my door with a box of French chocolates and some foreign coins he gotten as change during his travels, nothing special but the whole experience was very cool...

the problem this fellow had who reported this find was to not bring it with him when he reported it to the police..the cops ain’t gonna let you possess the item while they play middleman trying to match the loser to the finder then the finder try’s and hold item for ransome.. possession is 9/10s of the law the old saying goes...
 
bootyhoundpa said:
I blame the aggressive response on too much coffee and doughnuts..lol.
I found a wallet on Rehobeth beach with nothing in it but the ladies driver’s license..cops asked a few simple questions and that’s it... Another time I found a large wallet laying on the concrete curbing in a very busy intersection..I got out picked it up got back in the work van ,I was riding shotgun,I open the wallet and was shocked at its contents; 30 some credit cards many in foreign languages,2 French passports, $204 American,some European paper money,several business cards many also in foreign languages.... I took it to my local State Police barracks..told the officer were I found it and judging by the passport and one of the business cards we figure it belonged to someone from a local cement company which is French owned... I gave the officer a piece of paper with my phone number and mentioned that if the owner wished thank or reward me he could feel free to call me... about an hour or two later I get a call from a very very grateful gentlemen..he said had been driving the entire previous day and got to the hotel late..when he got of the car he set the wallet on the roof and some time later drove to get dinner.. the wallet was found close to where they were staying and he said he spent the night looking for it and got no sleep from being sick from worrying... he asked my home address and asked if he could stop by because he wanted to thank me personally..he came over and we sat and talked for probably like two hours.. without his passport he would have been stuck,the other passport was his wife’s..the credit cards were business related mostly as he was an international business man.. he gave me $40 cash and thanked me again.. I showed him my metal detecting finds ..
Several months later he showed up at my door with a box of French chocolates and some foreign coins he gotten as change during his travels, nothing special but the whole experience was very cool...

the problem this fellow had who reported this find was to not bring it with him when he reported it to the police..the cops ain’t gonna let you possess the item while they play middleman trying to match the loser to the finder then the finder try’s and hold item for ransome.. possession is 9/10s of the law the old saying goes...
Click to expand...


bootyhoundpa: How blessed that man was to have you find his lost wallet--most anyone wouldn't have that many credit cards & money with them in a wallet or purse! The Lord blessed you both for your honesty & it looks like you made a really nice foreign friend! Thanks for the story--I can't even imagine the anguish this man went through until he knew you had found it & notified the police--and it was a blessing for him to seek the police & report his lost Wallet--A lovely story with two good endings! God BLess you & yours! Ma
 
Some of us are law enforcement AND metal detect. It's always hard reading these "the cop with an attitude" posts. I'm here to tell you it goes both ways. I hate it when a well intentioned person is treated poorly by an officer. I hate it equally when a citizen doesn't like the answer the officer has to give by law or policy and throws a fit. Most states have laws regarding found property and a little common sense and discretion goes a long way in how to handle a find that may be traceable to an owner. In my home state, finders may claim items secured by the police if they go unclaimed by the owner for 90 days. If this story is accurate, the finder should have been congratulated for their efforts and instructed on the claims procedure.
 
Finding a wallet with someone's ID is one thing.
Finding jewelry & coins is another
I'm not in this game to find people's lost item so I can return them.
Finders keepers.
Unclaimed for 90 days what a joke which cop gets the unclaimed item this month?
 
surfdog said:
Hello All,
It's been awhile since I've posted here. I'm looking for some feedback about finds on the beach.
So, I'm walking out on a beach, in Delaware, a few days back to take the explorer for a walk. I see a fellow hunter and stop to have a chat. He tells me this story.
" A few days back, I found a very nice diamond engagement ring and wedding band set in the sand. I went to the police department to file a found item report. The police were very intimidating. They asked me were the ring set was. I told them that it was back at my hotel room and I wanted to file a found lost item report to try and return the ring to the owner. The Sargent , at the desk proceeded to treat me like a criminal. Called another cop over and started what felt like an interrogation.. They told me that he (the other cop) was going to follow me back to my hotel room to get the ring from me. Told me that I could be charged with theft. I told them I'm not that guy, I'm trying to do the right thing. They were very aggressive and intimidating. I really thought for a minute that they were going to charge me. The second cop followed me back to the hotel room and took the ring set. I did get a call a few days later letting me know that the rings had been returned to the owner. Honestly, I dont know that if I was in that position again, I probably wouldnt go to police as this was a very uncomfortable interaction and I honestly thought they were going to charge me with some crime. I felt like they were treating me like a criminal. It was very demeaning. "
So, my question is, has anyone else ever been intimidated and accused of theft when trying to return something? Also, what's wrong with the police now adays? They wonder why more people dont want to have any involvement with them.
HH,
Bill
Click to expand...
I’m
 
I can believe law enforcement treated you like a criminal. In their minds they take an us versus them mentality. But having said that always remember this, in treasure trove law there are three types of property. STOLEN: just as the name implies it was stolen does not matter how you acquired it it belongs to the person it was stolen from. LOST: this is property that was accidentally lost. This still belongs to the person who lost it. ABANDONED: these are items that have either been thrown away or an attempted recovery of a LOST property was written off.
Unfortunately to cover yourself you should by all means contact law enforcement. The courts have ruled that you can be charged for the mere possession of stolen property. Can be forced to return lost property no matter what cost you might have incurred to recover it. And you can keep abandoned property. So before you report it check the laws in the state you live in. Be knowledgeable keep a copy of relevant laws. Be cordial and respectful when dealing with Law Enforcement. And good luck.
 
You can be charged with anything...... but theft requires that you KNEW OR SHOULD HAVE KNOWN it was stolen. Many states do have laws about found property...... even laws about anything over certain age. One reason why posting very expensive finds has a down side. Those officers didnt use the common sense rule.
 
surfdog said:
The Sargent , at the desk proceeded to treat me like a criminal. Called another cop over and started what felt like an interrogation.. They told me that he (the other cop) was going to follow me back to my hotel room to get the ring from me. Told me that I could be charged with theft. I told them I'm not that guy, I'm trying to do the right thing. They were very aggressive and intimidating. I really thought for a minute that they were going to charge me.
Click to expand...
No good deed goes unpunished.
There is a reason why they tell you to never ever talk to the police. Police higher ups are political appointees by usually very liberal mayors. Go to a sheriff of the county and report the find to them....they are usually very conservative and treat the people with respect because they have to be elected.
You have the right to remain silent....and with the police.....take that advice.
 
Let me share a crazy story with you. So I'm hunting this little beach in 2017..I doing very well there with about 40 gold rings from it that summer. A lady comes down the pier and asked if I had found a wedding band, said her neighbor had lost his in the water playing with his dog, throwing a ball. I asked if she could give me a area, she did and went back up the hill to her home. About 30 minutes later I find just the ring she had described. I went up gave it to her, and she walked next door and gave it to the son (about 17 years old). So she thanks me and I go back to hunting for awhile.... then leave. A month later I go back with my friend Ed and we are hunting away. Next think I know Ed is waving at me.. and tells me we have to leave. Said a lady had called the police for she said we were disturbing the dogs of her next door neighbor. As I walked over the police arrived, 4 police officers. The one officer asked what we were doing behind the peoples town homes. Metal detecting.. then he asked for ID's. The officer was very profession but acted as if we were in the wrong. With that I told him the laws, we are allowed in the water but not allowed to touch their piers. Since he did not know the laws he said he was unaware of this.. So I offered the DNR's phone number for him to call. (DNR is the Department of Natural Resources...the water Police) He disappears for about 15 minutes then returns and tell us we can stay but he is going to investigate this further. I asked him..... once he finds out we are correct in being there could he please share with the home owners. I shared with him that I had helped the home owners but that did not soften him or the other officers, ....A comment was made by one of the officers that we were disturbing the peace by aggravating the one home owners dogs. I told him when every the one lady sees us..... she puts her dogs out. Anyway no progress but the police left, I never heard another word when I hunted there several more times and never got a Thank You from the owner of the ring... And get this.. Some time passes.... the lady that called the police had enough nerve to come down and tell me he had lost his ring again and asked me to watch for it. Little did I tell her .... if I find it this time I'm going to throw it out further.. and it was a black new age metal ring ... one reason it was different then all of the other treasures I had found there...

And I have several other crazy stories of encounters with the police and home owners but this one was the one that made me a full blooded pirate. Never again will I help anyone unless they are right there with me to help..

And I fully agree with surfdog... 3 years going now....I Go Pro the full hunts, any question of my finds being legit, almost runover by jetski's, any sharks try me, and questions about where did you get that at... I have a video record.
 
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