This Hobby and Police Harassment :wacko:

[AngelicStorm]

Well, I just got back from detecting in a neighboring town about 15 miles away. I decided to go there today because it seemed like a nice day and I have always found stuff there.

The house where I was going to had no one home so I was like "I will just keep going and ask for permission at another property." So I kept on going and asked permission at another house about a block away. I talked to the lady there and fully introduced myself before asking. She said "Sure, go right on ahead and look around the front. Just not the back." I headed up front and started detecting and was being respectful of the property. Meaning I was making it look as if there were no holes dug to start with.

So I was about 20-30 minutes into detecting and a white truck pulls up in the drive way. A guy gets out and approaches me. He introduces himself and tells me he metal detects too. So we were talking for about 3 minutes. While he was talking to me, I noticed a cop car slowing down in the road in front of the house with the cop looking hard at us. I looked at the guy I was talking to and mentioned how the cop had just slowed down then we noticed he was doing a U Turn right down the road. The guy I was with thought that maybe the cop was just curious of what we were doing. I was thinking that someone had called him. So the cop pulls up in the driveway and walks up to us. He asked us which one of us was metal detecting and was asking if he was at the right address. I told him yes he was at the right address and I was the one metal detecting. He then demanded my driver's license and then said he received a complaint. I asked what kind and he said that it was a complaint of someone metal detecting in the yard. He then went up to the door and knocked. The lady I had just got permission from answered. The cop asked her if I was the guy and she said yes. At that point I am thinking that this whole situation was flipping crazy. The guy who had just introduced himself and was talking to me was saying how he had never seen anything like it and it was crazy. Well the cop came back to me and said that he did not want to see me in that town anymore that I did not belong there and to go back where I belonged. This twisted my stomach up a bit because of I knew the whole situation was wrong. I was doing what I was supposed to which was nicely introducing myself to people and asking permission. Really this was the only place I asked to get permission in over a year in this town. I remained calm and simply told the cop that I was within the law and was not breaking the law. Meanwhile the lady on the porch was saying she thought I was a nice guy. She could have just told me no and I would have been on my way. Anyway, the cop changed his tone a little bit from this "I don't want to see you in town anymore" to saying that he suggest I not come back there that it was his opinion and he would rather not get called again. I looked at him and again said I was within the law and that I was simply asking permission and the lady had gave it to me. She acknowledged she gave me permission but she said on second thought it did not sit well with her. Again she could have just told me to leave and that would have been that.

While the cop was talking to me, he stopped to tell the guy who was there to leave and get his truck out the driveway. So he said bye and got in his truck and road off. He did look like he was in about as much shock as I was. After that as he was waiting on the results for my license, him and I was talking about what I was doing. He tried to explain that the area was very historical. A reason not to come around and that he had a detector himself. He said he only uses his at the beach. His reasons were not very reasonable to me, but I made no fuss over it. I was not agreeing with him nor disagreeing. I just knew what was right and what he was doing sure as heck did not seem right. I felt as if I was being harassed in a way. He also asked who was in my family and I told him of all the people in my family who are in the police dept. and sheriff dept. He knew them and even said he used to work with them. I am sure he was trying to relate with who I am and was trying to reason that I may have actually been someone good or maybe "Is this the guy I really want to be harassing" type of thing.

As I got ready to leave and everything was clear, I saw the guy I had just met riding by so I pulled out a little bit after him. I noticed he pulled into a parking lot ahead of me and was waving me down. I pulled into the lot and talked to him a while about things and the whole dramatic craziness that had just happened. He could not believe what he had just witnessed and told me he had never seen anything like it and was apologizing for the whole thing even happening. He told me he is friends with the head of police in another city which is a lot larger who he metal detects with every once in a while. He pretty much told me that nothing I was doing called for that cop to act that way and that I was within the law.

After talking to him a while I found out a lot about him. He loves to detect and does it all the time. We exchanged numbers and are supposed to go detecting this weekend. This guy is ready to get out there and find some stuff and he's very knowledgeable of this hobby. He does not seem like others I have met. You can say something good came out of my experience today.
I know this was a good bit to read, but I tried to be pretty descriptive of what happened because I have never had anything like this happen before besides the cops say something like "be careful" and keep going about their business. This cop seemed a bit out of hand. I thought I would share. What have your past experiences been? What do you think?

 

[trojdor]

Sorry to hear about your ordeal. I've not had anything like that yet, but I suspect it's just a matter of time.
I did have one guy (not a cop) run me off the public curb strip near his house, but I could understand his mindset after he told me about the problems with copper thieves taking some of his wiring.

I suspect there's a guy that lives next to a park I hunt that calls the cops every time I hunt at night. They drive by, shine the lights, I shine mine back, and they leave. But I can see the outline of the guy standing in his doorway with his arms crossed.
Times have changed. I remember once hunting a park in Chicago (early 1970's), when a couple of cops offered to get a shovel out of their trunk to help dig!

hh,
mike

 

[AngelicStorm]

Sorry to hear about your ordeal. I've not had anything like that yet, but I suspect it's just a matter of time.
I did have one guy (not a cop) run me off the public curb strip near his house, but I could understand his mindset after he told me about the problems with copper thieves taking some of his wiring.

I suspect there's a guy that lives next to a park I hunt that calls the cops every time I hunt at night. They drive by, shine the lights, I shine mine back, and they leave. But I can see the outline of the guy standing in his doorway with his arms crossed.
Times have changed. I remember once hunting a park in Chicago (early 1970's), when a couple of cops offered to get a shovel out of their trunk to help dig!

hh,
mike

Things become much more tricky depending on the neighborhood. I detect a lot at night too. Simply because it seems far less people mess with me. As you can see this happened today in broad open daylight. The cops come and shine their lights on me almost on a nightly basis. They figure out what I am doing and usually don't even bother me.

It would still be nice if they offered to help me dig though. Oh how I wish I could go back in time. Not just for the rarity of coins, but for many reasons. That would be another one.

 

[KinTN]

Cops are like any other group of people you can name; theres good ones and bad ones. And like everybody else, sometimes an individual can have a bad day.

Good On You for standing your ground! From what you posted, you have grounds for a complaint tho it will just be He Said-She Said for the Chief and you will have made an enemy in that town.

The only time I was ever run off, the deputies were very apologetic. Some fat broad of a teacher apparantly thought my attempt to make eye contact and say hello was a pickup attempt and called the principal to complain, who called the cops- all on a sunday afternoon.
I was later invited back to that school to hunt for a golden ROTC medallion for an instructor (found it) and afterward took the op to intro myself to the office staff. They were all fine with me hunting the school which I have done many times since. 5 silver rings from there- take THAT fatgirl!

But every other encounter with police that I have had has been very friendly and positive. But I am also very careful to stay legal.

 

[AngelicStorm]

Cops are like any other group of people you can name; theres good ones and bad ones. And like everybody else, sometimes an individual can have a bad day.

Good On You for standing your ground! From what you posted, you have grounds for a complaint tho it will just be He Said-She Said for the Chief and you will have made an enemy in that town.

The only time I was ever run off, the deputies were very apologetic. Some fat broad of a teacher apparantly thought my attempt to make eye contact and say hello was a pickup attempt and called the principal to complain, who called the cops- all on a sunday afternoon.
I was later invited back to that school to hunt for a golden ROTC medallion for an instructor (found it) and afterward took the op to intro myself to the office staff. They were all fine with me hunting the school which I have done many times since. 5 silver rings from there- take THAT fatgirl!

But every other encounter with police that I have had has been very friendly and positive. But I am also very careful to stay legal.

I would file a complaint but I do not want to stir the pot even more. Now if I go back and things get worse then I will go as far as getting a lawyer because one thing I would not stand is seeing my rights being taken away by some dirty cops. This is a free country last I check and as long as we abide by the law and do what we are supposed to do in this hobby then there really shouldn't be any issues.

That lady must have been intimidated by your looks. haha Good thing you found the medallion. Doing the right thing can be rewarding. Very good example. Hopefully you won't come across anything like what I experienced today. I sure hope that was the end of it for me.

 

[Johnnyanglo]

Hands up - don't coin shoot!

 

[Overvoltage]

Storm, pm me what town it was and I gather a couple of my buddies and we will head over there just to stir things up

 

[AngelicStorm]

Storm, pm me what town it was and I gather a couple of my buddies and we will head over there just to stir things up

Sure thing buddy! This town is one of the earliest dated towns in the U.S. and people were wealthy there so it might actually be worth it to come over.

Hands up - don't coin shoot!

 

[Daniel Tn]

It sounds like your problem was more to do with the lady than it was the officer that responded. He probably just got the call on his radio and responded. Its common to do a driveby and access the situation before jumping in with both feet. There's no telling what the lady told dispatch when she called in...and no telling what was then sent over the radio to officers.

I was in a similar situation several yrs ago. The lady gave me permission to hunt their property and even came outside and showed me their property lines. I had been detecting a little while when I started hearing a car horn honking in the direction of my truck (I was in a section of woods). I then started hearing someone yelling "HEY!". So I started that direction. When I got within seeing distance of my truck, I saw a county police car sitting there with another truck blocking me in. I came out very confused as to what was going on. I got the 3rd degree from this very hostile guy about how we detector people just show up and go where we want without permission. Whoa there buddy...I stopped and asked the lady that lives right there and she told me her name and pointed out property line directions. As it turned out...the lady that gave me permission, has dimensia (sp) and after a while of me showing up, had forgotten I was ever there. She looked outside and saw an unknown vehicle and got scared and called her son. Who then came out and blocked my truck in and called the police. Fun situation to be in.

 

[Stever0812]

I figured most parks are supposed to be closed at dusk? I wouldnt feel safe at all detecting a public park a night!

I dont see why the lady would give permission, then call the cops instead of just asking that you leave if she was uncomfortable with you being there. Weird.

 

[AngelicStorm]

It sounds like your problem was more to do with the lady than it was the officer that responded. He probably just got the call on his radio and responded. Its common to do a driveby and access the situation before jumping in with both feet. There's no telling what the lady told dispatch when she called in...and no telling what was then sent over the radio to officers.

I was in a similar situation several yrs ago. The lady gave me permission to hunt their property and even came outside and showed me their property lines. I had been detecting a little while when I started hearing a car horn honking in the direction of my truck (I was in a section of woods). I then started hearing someone yelling "HEY!". So I started that direction. When I got within seeing distance of my truck, I saw a county police car sitting there with another truck blocking me in. I came out very confused as to what was going on. I got the 3rd degree from this very hostile guy about how we detector people just show up and go where we want without permission. Whoa there buddy...I stopped and asked the lady that lives right there and she told me her name and pointed out property line directions. As it turned out...the lady that gave me permission, has dimensia (sp) and after a while of me showing up, had forgotten I was ever there. She looked outside and saw an unknown vehicle and got scared and called her son. Who then came out and blocked my truck in and called the police. Fun situation to be in.

I think the lady had a lot to do with it, but that cop still should not approach someone and tell them to get out of town and not look back. This isn't the Wild West days and I am not an outlaw. The point after which the cop found out she actually did give me permission is when he should have stopped being rude and nicely told me to leave. Instead he continued as if I was the bad guy when in fact the lady was bringing on this whole situation. Like you say though the woman brought it on and she could have simply used the word "no" or "please leave" or something of that nature. Instead I got a territorial cop called on me and the illogicalness escalated.

Also, boy do I hope to not run into someone with dimensia. That seems really fun. You got put on the spot right quick. I have been there though so I know how that feels. That involved some farmland and the caretakers vs the owner. Imagine the bad communication there and how it went down between the caretaker and myself. Nothing bad, but a confrontation. Funny thing is that the caretaker's daughter was the one who showed me how to get to the property and was present when the owner gave me permission. We went straight from the owner and I followed her onto the property. When this was happening she did not say a word. Imagine that. A situation where a voice recording would have been priceless.

 

[greenmeanie]

File a complaint. If you don't the COP gets away with being a jerk.

 

[KinTN]

AS, depending on your state laws, I would consider recording (even just audio) every permission, even doing so clandestinely. In my state it is legal to secretly record any conversation that you are a party to but I don't know how that varies from state to state. There is also the doctrine of Plain Sight that says anyone can record anything in public (tho there are a lot of common sense restrictions). A constantly running GoPro or something similar would work.

 

[EtracTom-AdirondacksNY]

Maybe get it in writing. I would from now on so if and when anyone confronts me I would put their nose in it and it can't be denied by anyone or there could be repurcussions. If they won't give it in writing I would tell them why that you've been burned by this very situation so no writing no hunting even if it's something they've lost and want us to find.

 

[AngelicStorm]

The GoPro idea sounds good too. I do have a high quality recorder but it does seem like a good idea to have my GoPro attached to the detector while asking permission and leave it recording. It catches audio pretty well. The only thing that is a giveaway is the blinking light. I saw somewhere on the internet that video recording is another ball game and is a way more sensitive subject. So with that being said, maybe rip the audio from the video recording.

I think in certain situations I will still ask for permissions in writing especially in situations where knowing who the owner is can be tricky. You would not believe how many people say they have lost things. Even in those situations it is good to have permission wherever you are hunting.

 

[sube]

Yea back when I was 18 I was in a small town I was going to metal detect a small park I pulled up to a stop sign there was a police car straight in front of me on the other side of the road so I made sure I came to a complete stop .I turn in to the park to detect and the cop turns his lights on and pulls me over. I was out of state he's says to me we stop at stop signs in are state , then he ask what am I doing here I say I going to metal detect the park .
Then he tells me we don't want your kind around here and told me he did not want to see me again.
I think if I would have argued with him I would have been sitting in jail so I kept my mouth shut and left . LOL sube

 

[KinTN]

Pretty soon its going to be like Russia where everyone constantly records their car travels.

 

[Johnnyanglo]

Don't know about you, but when I ask permission from a homeowner I always introduce myself wearing a GoPro straped to my head. If they ask me why I'm filming I say I plan to use it against them in case they turn out to be a vindictive demented nut job. I don't get to hunt but I don't have problems with the cops either.

 

[Bell-Two]

We had an odd one too. Stopped at an old house where a couple were out doing some yard work asked permission and the husband said sure. He seemed interested on how we used our detectors and all the while the wife was nodding and smiling. We had been there for about 20 minutes and everything was fine. As soon as the husband went back behind the house to trim some bushes she says to me "What do you think you're doing?" I was just cutting my plug when she asked, now she had watched us retrieving targets and had not said a word.....until her husband left. I said I'm sorry if you want us to leave we will. She said "I don't want you digging in my yard" well of course our plugs were very good. I said as I covered my last plug to look at it so you can tell me if you are not satisfied with it. She started hollering "Are you trying to argue with me" and her face was getting red so I said "No ma'am I just want you to be satisfied before we leave" she kept ranting and as we got back in the van and started to leave I saw her husband coming back. As soon as she saw him she stopped went back to planting her flowers. I saw the man point to us and I saw her shaking her head as much to say "I don't know why they left so soon". I guess it was her way to get a small victory over her husband.

 

[INSAYN]

AS.. FYI, the GoPro has the option to turn ON/OFF all LED's as well as button beeps during recording. This put's it in stealth mode.