Only thing today was the Police

[qaela4]

I was out doing the sidewalk strips on the main road near my house, and the police got called. The same house about where about two weeks ago the lady had asked what I was doing and gave me the "hairy eyeball". Even better, I was at least 150 feet to the right of the strip in front of their house. I saw the guy on the phone and figured what he was doing, so I kept on detecting until the SUV showed up. The officer pulls over to the side of the road in front of me and says "Hi, I've seen you out here before several times. Some people don't know this is public land." I told him about the other encounter and that I had informed the lady, politely of course, that it was public land. The officer just sighed, kinda exasperated, and said "Don't worry, I'll explain it to them nice and slow."

Know your city laws and always be polite.

 

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[aa battery]

been there done that

 

[villagenut]

All the crimes and evils being committed in this world and we get the target on our backs....go figure

 

[DirtStalker]

been there done that

Yep

 

[CincinnatiKid]

Well done! Glad you kept your cool.
Here, the grass area between sidewalk and curb, is an "easement". Actually owned by city, yet cultivated and maintained by adjacent homeowner. This is obviously where problems occur. Folks think since they've planted trees, flowers, mow, etc., that they own this usually small strip of land. Not so.
I though, avoid these areas as you've had firsthand experience of the outcome.
Sidewalk tear outs is when I attack these areas. Simply to keep the peace and avoid harassment.
GL
Peace ✌

 

[swamp yankee]

Some of the brain-dead just don't get it no matter WHO tells them. They think they own the street and sidewalks too. Remember it's much better/smarter to let the stuff rot inna ground than for us to have it,you're stealing their stuff no matter who-when it was lost. Watch out for these losers they may get "inventive" with their complaints.....

 

[Rick (Nova Scotia)]

Not public land to do as they wish on. No wonder MDing gets banned in more, and more places all the time.
With this kind of thinking out in the country where there are no sidewalks, does Joe public have the right to dig on everybody's lawn as the highway "technically owns" 33 feet from the center of the road ?(at least that what it is around here) That amounts to about 10 feet of my lawn. I assure you Joe public has no "rights" to dig holes in my lawn.

Same goes for citys, and towns, yes the land is technically owned by the town, and public has right of way to walk on the side walk, but the adjacent land owner is for all intents, and purposes "IS" the real owner. In fact in more than a few places they are responsible for keeping those side walks ice free, AND are liable if someone gets hurt on them, that is ownership in the real sense.

For anyone who don't like having the cops called on them, and drawing negative attention to the hobby it is best to avoid those curb strips.

The idea above of doing that area during sidewalk tear outs is far better, as it's all dug up anyway, then no one would mind.

 

[qaela4]

With all due respect Rick (Nova Scotia) the city mows the sidewalk strips and does all the sidewalk cleaning, snow removal..etc. in this town and therefore is owned and cared for by the city. This is MY tax dollars paying for the upkeep in front of these people's homes, so in this respect I am detecting on MY land. There is only one section where anyone does anything, they have planted flowers, I have and will continue to bypass this area out of respect for them. If I were to move somewhere where the homeowners took care of the strips I would no longer detect them, however, so long as my tax dollars pay for the gas, equipment and salaries of those who do take care of it, it is the same as any other city owned park. If there is no sidewalk or strip, I do not detect on any yard, period!

 

[Tom_in_CA]

Not public land to do as they wish on. No wonder MDing gets banned in more, and more places all the time.
....

You're right: Not ok to do "anything they wish on". But it is ok to do that which isn't illegal on.

While I agree that we should all keep gripes to a minimum (ie.: don't go looking for gripes or trouble), yet I also don't think it's our obligation to please every last person in the world. So to a degree I agree with you , to avoid having persons gripe, yet .... once in awhile, you *do* have to have a thick skin in this hobby. As long as that was a rare occurrence (and he's not being such a big eye-sore, and every-day-of-the-week type thing), then no, I do not see it as "causing laws against md'ing".

 

[Loco-Digger]

My personal values keep me from detecting tree lawns adjacent to the owners property. I know that it is public property, and yet I would not set up a corn hole game there and will not detect there either unless I had permission from the land owner who is responsible to maintain the area.. I like to lay low and not draw unwanted scrutiny nor bad public opinion of my hobby. Tree lawns that are adjacent to public property are fair game and the ones I choose to detect.

Just my 2 cents,

 

[Slingshot]

I learned to use camouflage, maintenance worker type shirt and pants, fluorescent orange vest & hat, when asked what you are doing just say "I'm trying to locate a leaky Flux Capacitor" Cheers!!

 

[RustyGold]

You kept cool and were breaking no laws. Way to hold your ground!

 

[coinman123]

I released that when ever people see me with a metal detector they think I'm a criminal. In completely public land people have called the police, even when father/son. The police would not say anything though and leave after they see what I'm doing.

 

[kayakpat]

the idea that because YOU pay a tax (penny's compaired to the thousands of dollars that YOU alone have the major right of say over the public property) is way out of proportion, and with a attitude like that will cause YOU grief in the end. I think you may just have a personality problem with your neighbor who has copped a attitude toward either you or MDing. I think if you work on that you may have some luck, as the police seemed like they think the neighbor is being a pain in the butt too. Public perception and relations can do wonders sometimes. Good luck with your problem

 

[ivan salis]

the old" hide in plain sight" rule applies .. a white hat and orange vest makes the "public" think your some "official person" so long as the gear doesn't have any "official markings" your not pretending to be a "official person" --its just safety gear ...now if the morons want to think your a "official person' that's their right and you just do not tell them otherwise .. if questioned the -- "I'm sorry but I'm buzy and I need to get this done " line will work well

 

[LuckyLarry]

We metal detectorists have the same problem that the unfriendlies have, we usually don't know the law or our own government. "Sidewalk strips" are not owned by the government unless the government is democratic or a dictatorship or a Kingdom, and America is not, it is a republic, one by representation, law, and counsel. In a democracy there are no laws save for mob (mass) rule. The sidewalk strips in America are mostly but not always publicly (collectively, not personally, not singularly) owned, yet are usually maintained by the adjacent property owner, because some municipalities demand that they are. Depending on which city it is, there are statutes dictating or mandating what our limitations are regarding the usage of these collectively-owned pieces of land. This is why we are allowed "reasonable" public access and usage in one town, and a different access and usage in another. There is no Statewide {blanket or universal code} of ownership (in America) regarding them or their extent of allowable usage regarding each and every person who does something to them. If the local or State laws have no restrictions on sidewalk strips, they can be open season for detectorists, but not as regards to (how) the detectorists fooled with it. That discretion can be subject to the judge who determines it. In other words, sometimes laws are too vague and too weak. Sometimes we can (by definition of the law) dig holes in them, scratch them, gauge them, or tear them up with track, baseball, or golf shoes if we care to, but we [can not] dig massive holes in them because that would (by definition of law) be considered unreasonable destruction, not simple usage. A person in most cities must cover their dug holes as best as is reasonably possible, and so must everybody else when they use them. Each municipality and county and State has a different protocol and laws governing usage, so it is our duty to know the law before we mess with any of it, or them, or that land. Been there done that in a court of law, in case someone thinks I am just posting my opinion here, which I am not. I was attacked by two large men in a similar situation and one of them paid several thousand $$$ in legal fees for the best lawyer he could find. He was in the wrong, because the local laws said he was, because he was acting in a vigilante manner and had no right to even lay a hand on me.. Legally, he was required to keep the sidewalk strip in good shape, but he was not allowed to police it or physically attack someone who did something to it.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

.......

 

[kayakpat]

republics = Iran ,Iraq, China,N. Korea, Venesualia, Mexico, Russia, Ceasars Rome, Cuba, We are more than that, we are a delicate balance called a democratic republic, as there are many kinds of republics

 

[diggummup]

republics = Iran ,Iraq, China,N. Korea, Venesualia, Mexico, Russia, Ceasars Rome, We are more than that, we are a delicate balance called a democratic republic, as there are many kinds of republics

For fear of saying something too brash in regards to the statement above, I will refrain from posting personal comments.
Democratic republic - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Msbeepbeep]

This is a situation where an invisible suit would come in handy. Out of sight, out of mind, out of trouble.
Some people can't stand to see other people having fun.

Somebody invent one of those suits, and one for the detector too!