Any of you guys ever get in trouble with Johnny Law because of metal detecting

[Toecutter]

Any of you guys ever get in any trouble with the law when metal detecting... Recently I had a encounter with a property owner nothing came of it since i wasn't on their property but it did get me wondering about trespassing charges....

 

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[RustyGold]

I just show them the trash I’ve cleaned up and that’s usually enough to let them know I’m one of the good guys.
Always be polite to LEO. It goes a long way to relieve any concerns.

 

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[Tom_in_CA]

..... He saw that I filled my hole and he drove off.

What ? And not a 20-page detailed semantics analysis of deface vs defacED ? Or alter vs alterED ? Or dig vs dug ? Say it isn't so ! It is your duty to march down to city hall and get this clarified. The fact that the cop and no one cared, is irrelevant . Hurry now, go do the right thing .

 

[Toecutter]

If its public land i stick to posted rules, if its not posted i use the " easier to beg for forgiveness " method and have at it till told differently, this goes for city, township, county properties mostly, any time i try to get permission for any of those types of properties i get " well that would have to go to the board " , mind you Im in a rural area and haven't had any issues with Barney.

I seen a episode on JDs variety channel and he was detecting a courthouse lawn until a officer told he couldnt do that JD replied with some thing like "why not" the officer couldn't give a clear reason and just said he couldn't do it and had to leave..

 

[Escape]

If these cops stood you they would help you dig the holes and drive you home afterwards.

 

[b3y0nd3r]

Couple of observations here :

1) The mere fact that the officer had to find out elsewhere (@ his computer or whatever) TELLS YOU WHAT ? It tells you he didn't know the answer to that question prior to your asking. That's why he had to look it up . Hence meaning : That if that same officer had been happen-chance passing you by, he would not have known . Since he apparently was unaware of that rule before-hand. And thus would likely have ignored you .... and/or not even mentally registered you.

But now that you've brought this to his attention, guess what will happen the next time he sees another md'r ? He's going to remember the earlier inquiry and think: "Aha! there's one of *them*". And start booting others.

2) While I acknowledge that it appears there's fine print @ wherever you're at, that actually mentions "metal detector " by specific name, Yet: In the context of what it says there, it really didn't even need to mention "metal detectors". Because, as you and the officer surmised, it never said you can't detect. It just said you can't dig. Right ?

But I got news for you: That didn't even need to be said. Because I can guarantee you that similar language will exist in every single park across the entire USA. In some form or fashion. Aka : Alter, deface, dig, molest & destroy, etc..... If all such things mean "No detecting", then save yourself some trouble at the next park you come to . Don't even bother asking. You can be assured ahead of time that this type obligatory verbiage exists everywhere.

Kind of odd that our forums are FILLED with people posting show & tell from (gasp) parks. Now how could that possibly be ? Hmmm. I guess they didn't ask enough questions, with the right wording. Tsk tsk.

3) I'll bet you dollars to donuts I know how your specific locale's verbiage did happen to specifically mention "metal detectors". Care to guess ?

Although Tom and I disagree on certain things, this is the one thing we both agree on and I can't agree enough on! Don't ever go asking for trouble, when given a choice between someone's job and your own interests, your own interests will lose every time.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

... the officer couldn't give a clear reason and just said he couldn't do it and had to leave..

Yup. Detecting has connotations. And usually, in a case like you describe, they'll just allude to verbiage about "alter & deface". And while that's not true (we cover/stomp/fluff), yet you'll be on the loosing-end of that battle of semantics.

And this is exactly the reason why, when I do nice manicured turf, I go at lowest traffic times. Even at night often-time. Like nose-picking: Just choose discreet times.

But .... in cases of "scrams" like you got: In my experience, a lot of times, those are nothing but "flukes". What I mean is: A single md'r ever got such a scram. Yet later, he hears that others, had gone for years following that, and no one ever said anything again. Meaning: Perhaps the cop was just having a bad hair day. Or was only responding to "miss-lookiie-lou", etc....

 

[Iron Buzz]

This was a concern of mine befor i started getting into detecting. I did a lot of research on laws an rules. I read alot of past chats an learned from reading them.

I have several private places to detect at and have gotten WRITTEN permission from owners. Even down loaded a app to show me property lines an can show if anybody says im on their property my exact location + or - 15 ft .

It also shows who owns the land village, town, state, county, and no what laws apply. I have taken several pics an saved on my phone to show if im asked what laws apply or not.

I figured if i did all this sn do get stoped or asked i might just show good faith that i did my home work an never wanted or intended to cause or have problems.

Most counties today have online plat maps. Look for <county name> followed by "GIS". Access it on your phone, then save it to your phone's desktop and you can activate it just like an app. Two of the counties in my hunting area also have "Locate Me" and "Follow Me" options on their website that (as long as I give them access to my location info) will automatically position me on the map as I drive around... great features!

 

[Happa54]

From my experience.... here in Los Angeles and suburbs, I have never been approached by LE for MD'ing in any city or county park. My 2 brothers are LE and couldn't give a damn because it is something we do wherein it does not harm others. I always waive at the guys in patrol cars and park rangers and they simply waive back. I had one incident from an on-site park superintendent who simply didn't like MD'ers in the park. He was nice enough with his approach and I simply obliged him and left. There are too many places to hunt for me to challenge him... isn't worth the argument. I can always go back on his off day, which is most likely on a Sunday. If I see a vacant lot with no fencing or signs, I may put on my orange vest and hunt it.... just depends on the feel of the area. This is where you use your best judgement. All in all, in my neck of the woods, MD'ing is pretty much hassle free.

I will add this; a hunting partner of mine was hunting a park when suddenly surrounded by LE who drew their guns and had him on the ground. They received a call from someone who said he was carrying an assault rifle through the park. LE also questioned about the Lesche on his side since it looks pretty intimidating in it's sheath on his hip. I was not with him at the time but we both laughed as he described the incident. Pretty crazy !!

 

[ecmjamsit]

If you wear a bright yellow vest and a bright yellow helmet, most folks think you are working a job. Kinda like you are a utility worker searching for buried power lines. I usually hunt out in the mountains and don't have to worry about any law enforcement types.

 

[gunsil]

Back in the early 1970s few people knew what we were up to and fewer cared. But I was detecting a public park with my girlfriend and another friend in a county about 30 miles from home and a few weeks later my girlfriend whose car we went in received a letter from the village where the park is telling her to turn herself in for digging in and disturbing a revolutionary redoubt on private land. We had never been there, somebody must have found holes at the redoubt and seen us detecting the park a half mile away and taken down her license plate. She was involved in an unrelated litigation at the time and her lawyer sent the town a letter basically telling them where to stick their "subpoena" and they would need to show proof she had trespassed at the redoubt or even been in the car at the park. They backed off but we never went back to that park which had produced a couple of gold chains, rings, and a bunch of barber era and newer coins. A few years later I was at a flea market in that county and saw a guy selling rev war metal artifacts. When I asked him where he found them he told me he had gotten permission to detect the redoubt!! I guess somebody had a change of heart or he knew the right people.

 

[Joe-Dirt]

Ok, sure fire way not to get hassled by LEO, carry a little red sharps biohazard container and let them know you are retrieving used needles ( and all the old coins etc) and they will leave you be. Probably only works on sports fields, but you never know.

 

[Megalodon]

One of my regular hunting partners in the 80's was a K-9 officer. We got the benefit of professional courtesy once.

A fellow member of a club at the time was actually arrested for theft when he tried to return a woman's class ring he had found in a park. After finding the owner and making arrangements to return the ring to her, he was arrested trying to do the right thing. She claimed the ring was stolen from her home. A few of us took the day off to show our support for him when it went to court. The case was dismissed and leaving the courthouse, we saw the woman smooching with her boyfriend - the arresting officer.

 

[Clad2Silver]

From my experience.... here in Los Angeles and suburbs, I have never been approached by LE for MD'ing in any city or county park. My 2 brothers are LE and couldn't give a damn because it is something we do wherein it does not harm others. I always waive at the guys in patrol cars and park rangers and they simply waive back. I had one incident from an on-site park superintendent who simply didn't like MD'ers in the park. He was nice enough with his approach and I simply obliged him and left. There are too many places to hunt for me to challenge him... isn't worth the argument. I can always go back on his off day, which is most likely on a Sunday. If I see a vacant lot with no fencing or signs, I may put on my orange vest and hunt it.... just depends on the feel of the area. This is where you use your best judgement. All in all, in my neck of the woods, MD'ing is pretty much hassle free.

I will add this; a hunting partner of mine was hunting a park when suddenly surrounded by LE who drew their guns and had him on the ground. They received a call from someone who said he was carrying an assault rifle through the park. LE also questioned about the Lesche on his side since it looks pretty intimidating in it's sheath on his hip. I was not with him at the time but we both laughed as he described the incident. Pretty crazy !!

And the cops who responded couldn't tell the difference between a metal detector and an assault rifle? Do they pull their weapons on a park worker using a weed whacker?