grumpyolman
New member
A local agency needed to search for metallic evidence and asked for my help. I took two land detectors and one water machine as there maybe was going to be some swamp areas to hit. Didn't need to go there. It would not have been pretty.
You all take note and prepare yourself if you volunteer. The leader of the search asked how many metal detectors I brought. He then started to request volunteers to use the machines. I politely interrupted and pointed out that if someone doesn't have experience running the machines it's useless to stick them on a machine. The law enforcement folks, innocently, have no idea how the machines operate and how much operator skill and experience plays into the equation. Ended up my wife and I each ran a machine.
If you are hunting for metal objects for law enforcement, all the settings we normally use for finding coins and jewelry go out the door. In this case the evidence to be located would have been shallow. And...the type material would not have necessarily responded to a coin/jewelry setting. So I used all metal and lowered the sensitivity. I didn't want to hear the deep stuff.
Something else you might not think about is the size of the object. If they are looking for shell casings, that's totally different than looking for a rifle or shotgun. The point is, you are the expert and know what it will take to best be able to assist... so don't be bashful about asking the search leader any questions you need to max your potential to help.
Be aware of your surroundings. If they have you detecting the shoulder of a road, ask for an assistant to keep you safe. With your head down and your hearing muffled with headphones, and concentrating on a target, you are not going to be in a safe place to dodge vehicles on the road. I once was asked to search a back yard for a weapons cache allegedly in a 55 gal burried drum. This was at night immediately after a double SWAT team raid on a house that was selling major drugs. I thought about that for a bit and asked the briefing officer if somebody could watch my back side when doing that. I pointed out they just went in a swatted a bee's nest and then wanted me to go around the dark back yard, with headphones on and my head on the ground. They aren't stupid. They just don't know what we do and how we do it.
Interestingly enough several months later, after a similar raid in the same area, several of the detectives were involved in a gun fight with several of the dealers. This happened a couple of hours after the raid and when the detectives were doing their crime scene thing. Apparently the druggies to exception to the interruption of their business and attempted to create some damage to the detectives. Bad decision. The druggies lost...but I still wouldn't have wanted to be in that back yard detecting when the shooting started. Jim
You all take note and prepare yourself if you volunteer. The leader of the search asked how many metal detectors I brought. He then started to request volunteers to use the machines. I politely interrupted and pointed out that if someone doesn't have experience running the machines it's useless to stick them on a machine. The law enforcement folks, innocently, have no idea how the machines operate and how much operator skill and experience plays into the equation. Ended up my wife and I each ran a machine.
If you are hunting for metal objects for law enforcement, all the settings we normally use for finding coins and jewelry go out the door. In this case the evidence to be located would have been shallow. And...the type material would not have necessarily responded to a coin/jewelry setting. So I used all metal and lowered the sensitivity. I didn't want to hear the deep stuff.
Something else you might not think about is the size of the object. If they are looking for shell casings, that's totally different than looking for a rifle or shotgun. The point is, you are the expert and know what it will take to best be able to assist... so don't be bashful about asking the search leader any questions you need to max your potential to help.
Be aware of your surroundings. If they have you detecting the shoulder of a road, ask for an assistant to keep you safe. With your head down and your hearing muffled with headphones, and concentrating on a target, you are not going to be in a safe place to dodge vehicles on the road. I once was asked to search a back yard for a weapons cache allegedly in a 55 gal burried drum. This was at night immediately after a double SWAT team raid on a house that was selling major drugs. I thought about that for a bit and asked the briefing officer if somebody could watch my back side when doing that. I pointed out they just went in a swatted a bee's nest and then wanted me to go around the dark back yard, with headphones on and my head on the ground. They aren't stupid. They just don't know what we do and how we do it.
Interestingly enough several months later, after a similar raid in the same area, several of the detectives were involved in a gun fight with several of the dealers. This happened a couple of hours after the raid and when the detectives were doing their crime scene thing. Apparently the druggies to exception to the interruption of their business and attempted to create some damage to the detectives. Bad decision. The druggies lost...but I still wouldn't have wanted to be in that back yard detecting when the shooting started. Jim
