Met a jerk today

[Ray in CA]

I'm a bit heated right now.

I was minding my own business tonight detecting an easement in front of an old, vacated house. The neighbor next door comes out and asks me what I'm doing, and after a short chat he wishes me luck. Then the neighbor across the street comes over and decides he's gonna tell me how disrespectful he thinks it is for me to do what I'm doing one someone else's "property." He then informs me he's with the sheriff's office (as if I care) and that he's called the local police and is expecting them to come out in a little while.

I tell him that's fine, but informed him that first of all the easement is not someone's property but city property, and that there is no city ordinance against what I'm doing, i.e. it's perfectly legal. Secondly, I fill in all my holes so as to not create a hazard for anyone who walks on it, because I'm respectful. Just then he gets a phone call on his cell...it's the police. I hear him telling them what I've been doing, and apparently he didn't get the answer he wanted, i.e. that my activity is illegal. He gets off and then proceeds to repeat how he feels that what I'm doing is disrespectful, blah blah blah.

I guess I wasn't in the mood to listen to any more of his tripe. If he wasn't going to listen to the police then he was going to get an earful from me. So I just pretty much let him have it, and with a real perturbed tone in my voice I said, "You know, I'm out here enjoying a perfectly clean and decent hobby. I'm not hurting anyone, I'm not harassing anyone. What I am doing is perfectly legal, and you have the nerve to come out here and harass me? I could be digging in the easement on YOUR side, buddy, but I'm not!" (I was sooo tempted to say, "Next time I come out, I AM digging on YOUR easement!", but I'm not a vindictive or spiteful person, so I didn't.)

After that my mood to detect was just ruined and I headed home. This was the first time I actually argued with someone over my detecting. Normally I just brush it off and move on. Not this time!

Happier Hunting to all,

Ray

 

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[sniffer]

some people just don't have enough to bitch about in their own lives, so they want to find something else to bitch about and someone else to give it to.
I wouldn't have said anything, just moved across the street. LOL

 

[creeper71]

You should have called the police an pressed harassment charges on him.. that might teach him to mind his own business...

 

[art of fact]

Go back and set up a table and some chairs light a candle and have dinner before you go back to detecting .

 

[DPBOB]

Don't get me wrong....but you are technically right....If it's an abandon house and is unkept I'd go for it too but it's still not right.
That property is still taken care of by the land owner...


Now.... Put yourself in the other shoes...would you want me to come walk on your easement, the easement that you cut the grass on and take care of it so it looks nice, and start digging on it....better yet go do it on any of your neighbors and I think you would get the same results....

Don't get to upset you weren't entirely in the right..... just because it's the city's and an owner of the property that MAINTAINS IT
does have the right not to let you on it....

It still falls into the category of getting permission...

 

[Con]

Maybe he was a Community organizer

 

[Trackerman]

Dent let any Punk ruin your day. Go on detecting and ignore him. it works great. The world is full of angry jerks that got bullied and were bullys when they were small. Angry Men with pea Brains fill the world. Tell him say look jerky why dont you go fly a kite. Next time give him some Good old fashon Heavy Metal as your leaving in your car at volume 50

 

[drodda777]

Don't get me wrong....but you are technically right....If it's an abandon house and is unkept I'd go for it too but it's still not right.
That property is still taken care of by the land owner...


Now.... Put yourself in the other shoes...would you want me to come walk on your easement, the easement that you cut the grass on and take care of it so it looks nice, and start digging on it....better yet go do it on any of your neighbors and I think you would get the same results....

Don't get to upset you weren't entirely in the right..... just because it's the city's and an owner of the property that MAINTAINS IT
does have the right not to let you on it....

It still falls into the category of getting permission...

I don't know about Illinois Bob but in Iowa you have the right to go on the property and do as you will as it is public property just like the city park. As a matter of fact I have had this same issue many times when I was out surveying and the next door neighbor does not like it that I am looking for a property corner. Do you ask for permission when you find a sidewalk removal or a city street torn up or do you go hunt it? What right does the guy across the street have to say what can or can not happen on the R.O.W. across the street from him anyways? The idiot that is having the issue is at fault not the MD person. I realize that the hobby gets a bad wrap however if you let these guys push us around then next thing you know they will not like you doing it in any other public place.
Some people have way too much time on their hands and they are worried about what others are doing far too much.

Just my two cents, bet you can see that this is a very touchy topic on my part also.

HH,

Dave

 

[Quark]

When a guy tosses the "I'm with the cop shop" card and you know you're in the right (as you were), ask him his name and verify the agency he works for.

If he won't say who he is or who he works for, follow-up with, "Are you a police officer?" If you get a "no", ask him why he was implying he was a cop and add that you're considering contacting the police yourself to lodge a complaint that he's impersonating a police officer. (Yes, I know it wouldn't stick, but that's not the point.) Do this as you grab your cell phone. Odds are if he really does work for a cop shop, he's a reserve whose commission is only active when he's on duty and/or with a full time officer, or he's a dispatcher, corrections officer, clerk or some other civilian employee. Your threat to have his colleagues come to the scene (and if it's a small to medium sized town, these folks all know each other) ought to scare the crap out of the guy because he'd now be worrying about having the boss find out he was acting like a jerk.

If he says he IS a cop, ask him who he works for and follow that by asking him how he thinks his Chief will react to hearing that one of his officers was interfering with a citizen's right to engage in a legal activity on public property, and using the authority of his position in an attempt to intimidate a citizen.

Trust me, coming over the top of people like this guy is likely to be very effective, unless he's the Chief's brother . I guess you got to figure you've got Kings, and the odds are good the dork doesn't have aces!

 

[teverly]

Don't get me wrong....but you are technically right....If it's an abandon house and is unkept I'd go for it too but it's still not right.
That property is still taken care of by the land owner...


Now.... Put yourself in the other shoes...would you want me to come walk on your easement, the easement that you cut the grass on and take care of it so it looks nice, and start digging on it....better yet go do it on any of your neighbors and I think you would get the same results....

Don't get to upset you weren't entirely in the right..... just because it's the city's and an owner of the property that MAINTAINS IT
does have the right not to let you on it....

It still falls into the category of getting permission...

I totally disagree..he had permission..legally..he checked for ownership and the city OWNS IT. Even if you are required to keep it mowed.And the home owner has no legal right to keep you out of it.Believe me i have dealt with that...and i was told that i could not keep people from walking on the curb because the city owns....If the city wants to come thru and dig it up they do not ask because they own it.....and i bet if you are to check your deed if you live in a town or city,your property is actually measured from the side of the sidewalk where your house sits...the curb area does not even show as your property...
I have had the same thing and the police came and spoke to me and when i offered to leave they said you are not breaking any laws we just want the person to see that we checked you out...good luck...

 

[Xraywolf]

I technically agree with DP BOB - Although these parcels of land are city property, it is private individuals who maintain them ,,, And its usually just too close to someones property.
Myself, I got kids running around in front of my house, I'd be none too pleased with anyone poking around in front of my house, for any reason.

But, since this was in front of a vacant house, the guy across the street did not have solid ground for being upset.
I can see more if it was the direct neighbor, but this guy just sounds like hes wound a bit too tight, and is just looking for something to complain about.

I have been detecting these parcels on a large scale these last few days http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php?topic=261236
4 city blocks, on both sides of the street - But this is also a special circumstance, as they all have been completely ripped up, and the folks around there have been nothing but friendly and curious.

 

[Jack(IN)]

Some times you have to blow a little steam, have to admit I try to blow it off, but some of these guys just seem to push the wrong button. Truth is, once you vent your anger it totally kills the mood for an enjoyable time out digging!!

 

[W57]

Barney Fife Syndrome. Nothing you can do about it, so just treat it like bad weather. In your mind, convert it from a confrontational jerk, to a sudden rain storm (but still pitty barney for being petty).

 

[lostcauses]

I don't even know what to say to your situation. I can not say your methods are right or wrong.
The guy was wrong, and now you have an enemy in the sheriffs office.
Of course they will talk about this with the city folks as well. They now will show metal detecting in a bad way.
Not a damn thing you could do about it.
Yet if you had of had permission from the land owner, he might have seen the situation differently I suspect. Hind site is 20/20. I can say such, and it might; yet most likely would not have made a difference, other than make them really look a fool.

Just a bad day. I hope he just blows it off, and you do not get more problems from this.

Some days......

 

[Tank69]

tomarrows another day

 

[Ray in CA]

Some times you have to blow a little steam, have to admit I try to blow it off, but some of these guys just seem to push the wrong button. Truth is, once you vent your anger it totally kills the mood for an enjoyable time out digging!!

I would have let it go if he hadn't come back to deride me after having talked to the police. But he wanted to push it and I ended up pushing back. But you're right, Jack...it was a mood killer and I won't let that happen to me again.

Ray

 

[diamondjim]

just goes with the territory in these trying times...

Permission from the land owner
The land is owned by the city, the city says it's OK to dig it. How EXACTLY does that put metal detecting in a bad light?

MDing friends, PLEASE stop apologizing to the world for obeying the law!

Enemy in the sherifs office? Do you REALLY think this is the first call stupid call they've gotten from this crack pot? DUH. Miserable people like that love to share their misery with everyone else and the cops, who have REAL issues to deal with just ignore cranks like this. The cops know who this freak is and didn't exactly rush over to his aid to stop the evil metal detectoring, did they?

 

[Blacksheep]

Maybe he wasn't a jerk, maybe he was simply tired of cleaning up dog crap, foam cups, cigarette butts etc in a bid to keep his neighborhood clean and desirable, after all the cleaning/edging and whatnot, along comes some guy with headphones clamped to his ears swinging `n diggin.

How would YOU react? Now I see where that smartazz kid who stands on the sidewalk harassing shopkeepers by blocking doorways get that wonderful "I can stand here, its public" attitude from. If this is how you promote the hobby, I`m glad I don't own a detector.

What ever happened to common/simple courtesies?

 

[diamondjim]

I'm glad you don't own a detector either.

Ray DID treat this situation with common curtosy...he was NOT digging the crank's R.O.W. (despite his legal right to do so), the land the crank does edge and clean so the city doesn't have too. Let's NOT forget that! To compare this incident with teenage punks blocking access to a local business is just plain silly. This is NO different than the crank telling you to leave the city park because you're the wrong color, wrong religion, wrong income bracket. Metal Detectorist have the SAME rights as the rest of America to enjoy public lands and pursue legal hobbies.

 

[Blacksheep]

I'm glad you don't own a detector either.

Ray DID treat this situation with common curtosy...he was NOT digging the crank's R.O.W. (despite his legal right to do so), the land the crank does edge and clean so the city doesn't have too. Let's NOT forget that! To compare this incident with teenage punks blocking access to a local business is just plain silly. This is NO different than the crank telling you to leave the city park because you're the wrong color, wrong religion, wrong income bracket. Metal Detectorist have the SAME rights as the rest of America to enjoy public lands and pursue legal hobbies.

And the attitude you show is one of the biggest reasons "cranks" are getting their way, not just with detectorists but a great many other hobbies/activities as well.

You show em champ, show em good!