Update: Cook county forest preserve meeting to address ban on detecting

[ironsight]

Tom in CA,
I doubt many here who search Kook County preserves are ecstatic over having to apply and likely pay for a permit.
Years ago i searched a couple of those preserves a couple times and seem to remember it wasn't the Park Rangers but the Cook County Sheriff's Police patrolling those preserves. Probably because of the high crime rates, narcotics, etc. in some of those preserves.

No telling how strictly they'll enforce the ban. If caught, it could be anything from a verbal warning, to a slap on the wrist fine or even confiscation of the metal detector and maybe even impounding the car. Also keep in mind, Kook County is severely hurting for revenue and they've just about raised property taxes far as they can.

I myself wouldn't take a chance by trying to stealth detect those areas. If one gets caught by a Barney Fife, might as well bend over.
Besides all i ever found in those preserves were pull tabs and more pull tabs and some clad. I'll admit i only searched the picnic areas back then.

 

[dirt doctor]

n/t

 

[ChicagoJohn]

Here I am! Ha Ha

 

[ironsight]

Here I am! Ha Ha

LOL!
Better stock up now. Cook Co. just might experience a shortage of camo gear in the future!

 

[ScottBuckner]

Outside the rhetoric regarding permit vs. non-permit/personal "rights"/newbies and the uncouth leaving big uncovered holes and all that, does anyone have any heloful info on where this thing is *today*, given that the original post was started during the summer of 2013 -- which was last year??

 

[Elton]

n/t

[attachment 287313 hysterical-laughter-smiley-emoticon.gif]

 

[HaroldILL.]

That is just it the meetings didn't do anything. While they were having the meetings they were putting up new sign's with no metal detecting added as I mentioned in a earlier post. I doubt very much they will remove them. I think they just went through the motions until the sign's were installed. Next will be Cook County Parks and lake fronts. I think I will move when that happens as I have a house down south with lots of Civil War sites to hunt. Screw Cook County!

 

[mudpuppy]

Yeah...y'all just better move on out of there..
Mud

 

[Rusty Nails]

Our club hasn't got any updates on this in a long time. I sent the attorney that the task force for metal detecting rights hired an email last month asking for a status report and she never replied to me. I noticed on her web site that she is running for some type of public office. Wonder if that has anything to do with it?

If metal detecting isn't allowed there should be no picnicking, fishing, or anything else allowed in the forest preserves because from what I can tell these people make a bigger mess of the area than anyone else, not to mention the drunks that sit there all day.

Do you think that a forest preserve lawn mower guy is going to get off his mower to pick up an aluminum can?
I have seen these guys run over cans and glass bottles without a second thought.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

Rusty-nails, why do you think for a minute that those fishermen, picnickers, and drunks, who you say make a bigger mess than us, are allowed to make their messes? Of COURSE they TOO are not "allowed" to make messes (if indeed they're making messes) . If they were to go in to Cook County and ask "Hi, can I make a mess in the forest preserve please?", they would be told "no". But as you seem to have noticed, there is no shortages of picnickers, fishermen, and drunks there. Is anyone booting or policing them? So then you tell me, what's the difference between them and us? The difference is: none of them ever went in asking "can i?" but WE on the other hand, have done a GREAT job of doing JUST THAT.

And same for the lawn-mower guys who shred litter (can shrapnel, broken glass, etc...) because they're too lazy to get out and pick up the obstruction before their mowers go over it. If they had had the common decency to go ask their supervisor ahead of time "should I pick up the larger debri first?" they're supervisors would have said "of course. By all means". But alas, those workers didn't ask. Shame on them too.

 

[Rob (IL)]

Many people commenting but no real solutions. The metal detecting people didn't ask "can I"? Metal detecting has taken place in the preserves since we had detectors. The in office politician's and police ignored what we were doing for many years. It wasn't a matter of poor detecting habits. We and the police exchanged greetings all the time.

Then several years ago there was an influx of new officers who interpreted the law differently. There is a rule against defacing property and damaging plants. I was in a club at the time and several members got tickets. They (new cops) were the ones who started this.

At first the cases were dismissed. Of course you had to drive to Chicago and spend the day in court. Meetings were arranged with the new politician's and evolved to this. I can't afford the fines or have my detector confiscated. By the way, the two adjoining counties of Dupage and Will also do not allow detecting in there preserves.

If you think you can get through the red tape and run around in a city the size of Chicago, good luck. Do you know what it takes to get out of one of their tickets for a car that has never been to the city. Or, a ticket for a plate that is on a motorcycle but they say belongs to a car?

The post no longer fits the title or intent of the post, close it. Start a new post with a new title.

 

[Elton]

n/t