Advice on Dealing with Police

[cudamark]

If you make irresponsible recoveries, you'll find that piece of paper isn't going to save you. if you do everything correctly, you won't need the paper, so, what's the point of having it?

 

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[Machinist]

For my area I looked up and printed off the city, county, and state park laws on detecting. I carry these on me when I am detecting. Seems that some county and state parks can have their own rules so if I am going to a park I look up online the individual park rules and print them. I have never had a problem yet but I have not been doing it long. I figured if confronted being armed with the law is the best I can do. I did have a park guy watch me for a bit in a city park but after he seen how clean I was he just left without a word.

 

[cudamark]

IF there are specific rules regarding metal detecting, that might work good, assuming the law is in your favor. Most areas I've hunted don't say anything specific about detecting one way or the other. It's the vague and archaic "don't disturb, dig, harvest, etc", type rules that can be misinterpreted to apply to us that can be a problem if someone wants to throw their weight around. I'd still rather keep it that way instead of asking for clarification and having a hard and fast rule against us.

 

[PullTabProphet]

In my County (There is no City Government I have to deal with), Parks & Recreation is all cool with MD's. They have a Permission form (.Pdf) on their website. They request you d-load and fill out and send in via fax. The head of P&R signs off on it, faxes back and your good to go!
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The closest City to me I don't really bother with MD'ing there but I asked a public/parks employee what the deal was and they too said they had a permission slip process but, no one seems to bother filling 'em out and the employees really could care less as long as no craters were being left unfilled.

 

[bowser]

place your hands squarely on your head ask for2 lawyers and his name and address one lawyer will be for him tell him.Ask him where the sign is for no detecting, He will tell you he saw you spitting on public property. This is when he calls the Fire Department to have you evaluated and finally you spend 3 days on the 3rd floor of the local hospital bieng questioned by a short fat doctor with a noticiable twitch in his left eye HH JIM

 

[Tom_in_CA]

Jeremy S: Loved your story example in #19. So typical of what could happen.

cuda-mark, re: your post #21: Yes, there's been cases of md'rs who went and got their "permission" in "writing". I guess somehow thinking that they would/could just whip that puppy out if anyone griped, eh? And the person would just tuck their tail between their legs, embarassed for having questioned you. Right ? But NNNEEOOOO: the griper merely gets on their cell-phone, calls to city hall and says: "but he's tearing the place up!" (which isn't true, of course). And then guess what happens to your "permission" ?

 

[The Master Chief]

Ok, I have had the same issue. Basically I was told by a park employee I could not metal detect. I packed up and left to gather more information. So I drove back by the same park and low and behold someone else was metal detecting. Instead of confronting the situation I decided to go home and write a letter to the parks commission. The later responded to my letter saying metal detecting is authorized on park grounds with one exception no digging. Basically just bring a screwdriver to pluck your hit out without digging a plug. The Park commissioner was very polite and also stated he metal detects and understands the frustration. Due to other detectorists not respecting the detectorist bible by destroying sprinklers and tearing up lawns without making it better. This hurt other detctorists. bottom line is to contact your parks and recreation people. They will provide you the necessary information legally.

 

[Tnmountains]

We hear this story a hundred times.
In my opinion.If your hobby what ever it may be is not against the law on public land say "there is no law or ordinance against it". As long as you do not endanger yourself or others,impede or cause damage you should be ok. Be nice. If it is not against the law and if a neighbor or citizen keeps calling the police tell the officer that you may want to file harassment charges against him/ her as they are interfering with your pursuit of happiness .

I agree that if it is not illegal why do you need permission. Would you ask permission to throw a frisbee or skip rope? Not sure but it sounds like discrimination if they allow any activities which might constitute or be likened to a hobby on those grounds but do not allow yours. But then all it takes is one bad apple and a big hole or torn up lawn and that is just a matter of time before council passes a city or county ordinance. But until then I say carry on.

In thinking on this the best course of action is to be proactive if possible and if you know any council members personally is to approach them on the side and work towards having an ordinance passed saying that you can hunt these public areas and if you leave holes you can be subject to fines for the city/county coffers.
This is exactly why I hunt private land.

 

[The Master Chief]

Ok, I have had the same issue. Basically I was told by a park employee I could not metal detect. I packed up and left to gather more information. So I drove back by the same park and low and behold someone else was metal detecting. Instead of confronting the situation I decided to go home and write a letter to the parks commission. The later responded to my letter saying metal detecting is authorized on park grounds with one exception no digging. Basically just bring a screwdriver to pluck your hit out without digging a plug. The Park commissioner was very polite and also stated he metal detects and understands the frustration. Due to other detectorists not respecting the detectorist bible by destroying sprinklers and tearing up lawns without making it better. This hurt other detctorists. bottom line is to contact your parks and recreation people. They will provide you the necessary information legally.

I also agree with you. Private Lands is what I do now. Rather get permission from a land owner that appreciates me being there.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

Ok, I have had the same issue. Basically I was told by a park employee I could not metal detect. I packed up and left to gather more information. So I drove back by the same park and low and behold someone else was metal detecting. Instead of confronting the situation I decided to go home and write a letter to the parks commission. The later responded to my letter saying metal detecting is authorized on park grounds with one exception no digging. Basically just bring a screwdriver to pluck your hit out without digging a plug. The Park commissioner was very polite and also stated he metal detects and understands the frustration. Due to other detectorists not respecting the detectorist bible by destroying sprinklers and tearing up lawns without making it better. This hurt other detctorists. bottom line is to contact your parks and recreation people. They will provide you the necessary information legally.

Master Chief, can I comment on this encounter, and the resulting lesson you drew from it ?

a) Whenever someone in a parks dept. says "because of holes", or "because of destruction of sprinklers", it's only natural for us md'rs to think to ourselves: "durned those md'rs who must've left holes or destroyed sprinklers". Right ? But hold on. Not so fast. I'm not so convinced that there ever was, necessarily, incidents of holes, damage, etc... that causes the desk-jockey to answer in that way. It may simply be, that this is just the knee-jerk mental image of ANY desk-jockey tasked with thinking of "metal detecting". It is the connotation and image of metal detecting afterall. Right ? So if they say "no because of holes", or "yes but you can't dig", don't be so quick to assume that .... therefore .... "someone must've left holes in the past".

b) That's great that you now "have permission" to detect, but can only probe for shallow stuff. Wonderful. But ... seriously now .... what are you going to do, if deeper silver/oldies are your goal ? Walk away from them ? I dunno about you, but shallow clad doesn't excite me. And if I start a hole with nothing but a screwdriver, and continue to hear the signal "a bit further down in my slit", then odds are, I'm going to keep going. And eventually, you're going to end up making a bigger mess "with nothing but the screwdriver", than you would have if you'd simply cut the plug.

c) Nice that you got a "Yes" (albeit only for surface clad). And because of this, you conclude that the moral of that story is, that we should ".... contact your parks and recreation people. " [for clarifications, rules, permission, or whatever]. And likewise, had the person said "no you can't", then odds are, your conclusion would have been the same: "See it's a good thing I asked. Otherwise, how was I to have known I can't be doing that, and ... .thus.... could have been arrested!" So you see then, that whether the answer was "yes" or "no", it's easy to conclude that "gee, it's a good thing I asked". I've never quite understood that train of thought. Because, seriously now, did you really think you'd get an answer like this from someone in authority: "Gee, that's a silly question. Why are you asking me? You don't need my permission if it's not specifically prohibited" No. Of course not. They will either bestow on your their princely yes, or their princely no. Afterall, you asked. And that merely implies their permission or sanction was needed (lest why else would you be asking them, if it didn't need their say-so ?).

I'm betting any park in the entire USA (yes, where md'rs have, gasp, dug) you can find the same exact answer. I mean, seriously now, do you really think any park personell is going to say "sure, you can dig?". Sometimes you got to just avoid that one individual in the future. Sorry to say.

 

[Dak]

Chris Rock got it right……..www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTFsQL1WNiA

 

[The Master Chief]

I agree with everyone. Look I was just providing my opinion. We all know what that means. Bottom line I have moved completely away from hunting parks. I will get private landowners permission due they will not question my integrity. They will expect what I tell them, if I screw up then I hold myself accountable. No blame but me. That is where I stand, with one minor exceptions beach hunting. Look I hunted overseas beaches and land and not one time did I get hassled. Moral to my opinion is simple. Do not do something that you may regret later in life. I was raised on these core values " honor, courage, commitment and Pride " nuff said Master Chief out.