Dangerous Detecting

[Dr.Jones]

I have finally found a decent place to hunt. After using multiple maps i have found a few sites, 2 of which were old schools in the late 1890's early 1900's. both spots are vacant at this time. problem it is slightly ghetto now. kinda thinking about walking around with a 1000 detector maybe should bring some protection? Anyone have any ideas of what to do? maybe go early?

 

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[Bobby Bridge]

On the Detroit river
I would love to hunt this park. It has some woods even some deer, but also some unsafe places to be. I would not hunt there if I didn,t have a CCW It has some great history.
http://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/detroit/d6.htm

 

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[SteveDodds]

Yeah just go early in the day. Like about 6 a.m. Thats when all the druggies and hoodies are on their way to work. They wouldn't stop to bother you because then they will be late for work and their boss will yell at them.

 

[midnightmoon]

...both spots are vacant at this time.

"Vacant" properties can be occupied by vagrants, druggies, desperate, and crazy peeps; especially in urban areas. The problem with metal detecting is that onlookers perceive that you are going to take something of value out of the ground [and the locals may be territorial of their hood] and that something does not belong to you [yet]. Also, a detectorist usually wears ear phones and will be concentrating downward for several minutes on an outing that may last several hours.
Another poster mentioned a photographer, but an urban shoot will not be as distractive to the photographer. Sure the photographer has to protect his camera; but the locals know if they commit any crime in front of // to him, and don't manage to steal that camera, there may be evidence in the form of a photo. The only object of value is personal property of the cameraman, not something pulled from the ground.
My daughter is a photographer, I am the MDer, we are both experienced in Urban Exploration and self defense. We have each others backs, always. If you have to ask for advice on the boards on this, don't go; or at the very least, don't go alone. Be ready to run fast and always carry pepper spray.
HH and take care.

 

[niffler72]

I may need clarify some of my advice,
Being a hoodrat myself- I grew up in Roselle and Newark and went to school in Elizabeth. I work as an investigator in some of the worst areas in the state.

Go when it's cold and early- Junkies and pushers are headed inside around daybreak. Early mornings the only people generally moving around are the honest hardworking people starting their days and they have other things to worry about besides you..

"Trashure"- When I'm hunting in rough neighborhoods I dress down both myself and equipment. Some random duct tape on my machine and headphones and a few dummy wires hanging out are great camo. I keep junk in my pouch and if I am approached by anyone shady I show them my "trashure". 9 times out of 10 they write me off as a kook and walk away. When I dig anything nice it goes into a pouch near my sock.

Just remember to scout the area. When you're ready, try to blend in and be vigilant. If you get a bad vibe walk away. There is nothing you could dig that would be worth your life.

 

[LM]

Sorry, but I call BS on your overall perception of people in the rougher areas of Chicago. I spent 3.5 years in Gary just across the boarder in Indiana. I have hunted parks in Chicago such as Jackson, Washington, Douglass, and even Garfield without an issue. I hunted all of the parks and some of the schools in Gary, alot of times by myself without a problem. BTW I am a white guy hunting in black areas of both cities. I had one little conversation with some folks at Garfield right after Obama was elected but other than that most of the folks that live in those areas are nice hard working people. I have met some good folks that were genuinly interested in what I and others were doing and some even wanted to get into the hobby. As far as you being scared to hunt those parks, that just gives my buddies up there a better chance to find the good stuff AND it gives me a chance to find stuff when I come back to visit. TMAN...

Call BS till your throat bleeds. I stand by every word I said. There was no question in my mind that in speaking this truth, someone would be along with an anecdote about having metal-detected the inner-regions of South Shore or Englewood and how all the people there were lovely, hard-working, salt of the earth folks who were genuinely interested in the hobby... I knew someone would be along to post what you just posted before I clicked the "submit" button to post what I did. It's standard. To be honest, for the most part, we don't even disagree on that.

Still, the rub is, doing that has what's called a 'statistically negative expectation'.
Load a six shot revolver with 1 round. Spin the cylinder and snap it shut, without looking. Stick it in your mouth and pull the trigger. You're a statistical favorite to have nothing happen... Repeat the process, each time, you're a statistical favorite for nothing to happen... of course, over time, given that the result is death, it has what's called an 'inherently negative expectation', since eventually, probability catches up and you *will* pay the price. Depending on your tolerance for risk, maybe you're OK playing Russian Roulette a couple times. Just understand that there are others who would assume avoid that game all together.

The statistics don't lie, anyone who has any comprehensive, practical experience in these places isn't apt to lie, either. Maybe you detected in some rough city areas and had nothing happen. That's the most likely outcome, however, keep playing that game and eventually, you won't land on the empty chamber.

 

[midnightmoon]

Taking notes as there has been some good advice here.

Niffler 72 ... dude, I admire your infiltration skills. One of my friends is a former Newark, NJ police officer. He's a blast to hang with. When problems arise, you can see him morph into his 'on the beat' self. A very interesting, fun and talented guy.

Dr. Jones, hope you catch us up on your adventure!

 

[tmanfromtexas]

Sorry, but I call BS on your overall perception of people in the rougher areas of Chicago. I spent 3.5 years in Gary just across the boarder in Indiana. I have hunted parks in Chicago such as Jackson, Washington, Douglass, and even Garfield without an issue. I hunted all of the parks and some of the schools in Gary, alot of times by myself without a problem. BTW I am a white guy hunting in black areas of both cities. I had one little conversation with some folks at Garfield right after Obama was elected but other than that most of the folks that live in those areas are nice hard working people. I have met some good folks that were genuinly interested in what I and others were doing and some even wanted to get into the hobby. As far as you being scared to hunt those parks, that just gives my buddies up there a better chance to find the good stuff AND it gives me a chance to find stuff when I come back to visit. TMAN...

Call BS till your throat bleeds. I stand by every word I said. There was no question in my mind that in speaking this truth, someone would be along with an anecdote about having metal-detected the inner-regions of South Shore or Englewood and how all the people there were lovely, hard-working, salt of the earth folks who were genuinely interested in the hobby... I knew someone would be along to post what you just posted before I clicked the "submit" button to post what I did. It's standard. To be honest, for the most part, we don't even disagree on that.

Still, the rub is, doing that has what's called a 'statistically negative expectation'.
Load a six shot revolver with 1 round. Spin the cylinder and snap it shut, without looking. Stick it in your mouth and pull the trigger. You're a statistical favorite to have nothing happen... Repeat the process, each time, you're a statistical favorite for nothing to happen... of course, over time, given that the result is death, it has what's called an 'inherently negative expectation', since eventually, probability catches up and you *will* pay the price. Depending on your tolerance for risk, maybe you're OK playing Russian Roulette a couple times. Just understand that there are others who would assume avoid that game all together.

The statistics don't lie, anyone who has any comprehensive, practical experience in these places isn't apt to lie, either. Maybe you detected in some rough city areas and had nothing happen. That's the most likely outcome, however, keep playing that game and eventually, you won't land on the empty chamber.

I understand your nervousness about hunting in areas that you arent accustomed to hunting. I would say that your analogy fits everything we do in our daily lives from taking a shower (where you can slip in the shower, hit your head and die) to driving a car (where you could be in a car wreck and die). I have heard of both of these things happening. I have never heard of a metal detectorist dying while metal detecting in an area that could be considered dangerous, so I dont see where your analogy fits this conversation. If you would be so kind and either post some areas that you know of that you are nervous about detecting or even pm me some spots I will share them with my buds on the Illinois section and I am sure they will go clean them out. Thanks in advance for the information. TMAN...

 

[twistidd]

Like T-man, I don't worry too much about hunting the rougher parks, other than knowing I usually don't get much because all you guys with your Etracs have cleaned up pretty well! Thanks Tman!! lol...Hey, I say it's up to each person to decide where and when to hunt. Certainly, there are risks everywhere. I have run into more trouble in the middle of the woods than I have in city parks, hell, I even had a creackhead approach me suspiciously in a tot lot on the squeaky clean north side and follow me around until I left. Do what you feel comfortable doing. There are always going to be places where coins and jewelry/relics can be found, so don't assume the old parks in the distressed areas are the ONLY places to find the good stuff.

Joe

 

[LM]

I understand your nervousness about hunting in areas that you arent accustomed to hunting. I would say that your analogy fits everything we do in our daily lives from taking a shower (where you can slip in the shower, hit your head and die) to driving a car (where you could be in a car wreck and die). I have heard of both of these things happening. I have never heard of a metal detectorist dying while metal detecting in an area that could be considered dangerous, so I dont see where your analogy fits this conversation. If you would be so kind and either post some areas that you know of that you are nervous about detecting or even pm me some spots I will share them with my buds on the Illinois section and I am sure they will go clean them out. Thanks in advance for the information. TMAN...

I'm going to type very deliberately and do my level-best to keep from coming off as a total dick.

The reason you haven't heard of too many metal detectorists dying while metal detecting in the Chicago Jungle is because most people are smart enough to not do that in the first place. It's kissing-cousin to why you don't hear of too many people dying from accidentally drinking a bottle of drain-o or getting inadvertently wounded by sticking their head into an oven .

Further, while we may die from a car accident or drowning in the shower or getting eaten by an escaped circus tiger, some things have a higher probability of a negative outcome than other things- and even more importantly, some things are within our control, while other things are random functions of a chaotic universe that we have no control over. We aren't even discussing metal detecting or bad neighborhoods anymore. We're now discussing what amounts to a fifth grade capacity for basic logic. Your analogies- driving, the shower- aren't relevant to this discussion.

Your 'buds on the Illinois section' don't need me to tell them where these parks are. If they're from Chicago, they already know.

As an aside, I'll be hunting a 'dicey' area very shortly, but not 'bad' by Chicago standards. Even so, I'll still be bringing a big ass can of crowd control OC spray and a 6 cel maglite. Short of someone telling me that the Ark of the Covenant is buried in Englewood, it just isn't worth it to me to risk going into those places... of course, I don't go sweeping random areas looking for random stuff. I'm a hunter, not a 'looker', so I usually don't go out unless I know what prey I'm going after.

 

[reporter1]

I live near to, and work in, a town that has one of the highest homicide per capita rate in the U.S., mostly gang-related. My MDing partner is African-American, big, and was raised in Gary, Indiana. I'm in law enforcement. We hunt the parks in neighborhoods where the gangsters live but we use great discretion and extreme caution, including the following:

--we arrive at the park or school 20 to 30 minutes before dawn
--we drive around the area and if we have ANY feelings of uneasiness we do not stop
--we don't stay more than an hour after sunrise--period. Never.
--we don't hunt when there has been recent gang activity; i.e., shootings, public activity, etc.
--we keep close, keep each other in sight, and communicate constantly
--we leave immediately if either one of us has the slightest of bad vibes

That said, MDing in bad areas of any towns is not something you should do unless you feel that following the above guidelines will put you at some degree of ease. It's all about an acceptable comfort level. If you're not at that level then keep on driving.

 

[gleaner1]

Oh what times are these when innocent law abiding citizens are at risk of bodily harm or death by simply being innocent law abiding citizens. Oh what times are these. Absolutely appalling. Okay, off again I go on a night hunt, but only in a safe part of town. Or is it truly safe? Gulp..

 

[m bryan]

It's good to use common sense and caution where needed but we cant live in fear. Something going to get us sooner or later..lol...

 

[Lowbatts]

Like T-man, I don't worry too much about hunting the rougher parks, other than knowing I usually don't get much because all you guys with your Etracs have cleaned up pretty well! Thanks Tman!! lol...Hey, I say it's up to each person to decide where and when to hunt. Certainly, there are risks everywhere. I have run into more trouble in the middle of the woods than I have in city parks, hell, I even had a creackhead approach me suspiciously in a tot lot on the squeaky clean north side and follow me around until I left. Do what you feel comfortable doing. There are always going to be places where coins and jewelry/relics can be found, so don't assume the old parks in the distressed areas are the ONLY places to find the good stuff.

Joe

If I remember Joe, your most dangerous detecting epsiode was when there was broken glass in the hole and you found out the hard way! Darn near lost them digits!

Mine was when I climbed up the tree to get the lay of the land and fell out, snapping them verts way out of whack between C4 and C6. MRI had them at an extreme angles to one another and I had to wade back across the river on one leg, both arms and the other leg were pretty useless until I got my neck stretched and bolted back in place. All that metal they had snapped onto my head, geez couldn't go outside without picking up a few radio stations. And thunderstorms, heh, forget it!

Hey LSMorgan, next time TMan is up this way, you gotta get out with him. Some people get bad vibes, others just got good vibes going on around them, he's one of the latter. Even the bad guys get cool around him.

 

[Nikon]

Well the way i read this is, if you look scared in a rough area it kind of puts a spot light on you. Its like here is a white boy we can mess with. Just look as if you are comfortable, and respect the people around you from the neighborhood. The man thing is respect, you show them some and most time the will show you some. Also the last thing the thugs want is a white person being mugged beat up in there area. Since when they kill each other unfortunately the cops in Chicago do little, but when a white person gets beat up the cops will saturate the area after that happens. Its like the old days in the projects when the paramedics went in the gangs had armed guards for them (depending on who was hurt) since if a paramedic gets shot you can guess what happens.

Also i have been in Gary In many times take photos and never have I had and trouble. I have been in many of the abandon areas, and most of the time the people are just curious. I ran in to a homeless guy at the old abandon Gary post office he showed me his room and told me a little about him. I have also been in the rougher areas of Chicago and never had any trouble the only time I remotely had any trouble was when one guy asked if i wanted to buy some crack and i said no then he asked then why was i over here. I just said to meet up with some friends and I don't care what he was doing since it did not affect me. So he was cool with that and no one else bothered me. So as I 99.9% of the time it is all about respect, you show them some and they will show you some. Its just the .1% who think they are a hard*** who wont then the old and wiser thug if they are there normally step in and mediate. If not just be nice and leave the area if they ask for what you have just give it up with out a fight, file a police report. Since some thug kid with a good MD in the ghetto sticks out like a sore thumb, chances are you should get it back.

 

[LM]

Well the way i read this is, if you look scared in a rough area it kind of puts a spot light on you. Its like here is a white boy we can mess with. Just look as if you are comfortable, and respect the people around you from the neighborhood. The man thing is respect, you show them some and most time the will show you some. Also the last thing the thugs want is a white person being mugged beat up in there area. Since when they kill each other unfortunately the cops in Chicago do little, but when a white person gets beat up the cops will saturate the area after that happens. Its like the old days in the projects when the paramedics went in the gangs had armed guards for them (depending on who was hurt) since if a paramedic gets shot you can guess what happens.

...So as I 99.9% of the time it is all about respect, you show them some and they will show you some. Its just the .1% who think they are a hard*** who wont then the old and wiser thug if they are there normally step in and mediate. If not just be nice and leave the area if they ask for what you have just give it up with out a fight, file a police report. Since some thug kid with a good MD in the ghetto sticks out like a sore thumb, chances are you should get it back.

It's almost as if you went out of your way to intentionally give the worst advice possible. I mean, this...

Also the last thing the thugs want is a white person being mugged beat up in there area.

... is like a blinking neon sign that you really aren't very experienced with 'city living' or if you are, you definitely aren't advancing the objective outlook.

 

[Nikon]

Well the way i read this is, if you look scared in a rough area it kind of puts a spot light on you. Its like here is a white boy we can mess with. Just look as if you are comfortable, and respect the people around you from the neighborhood. The man thing is respect, you show them some and most time the will show you some. Also the last thing the thugs want is a white person being mugged beat up in there area. Since when they kill each other unfortunately the cops in Chicago do little, but when a white person gets beat up the cops will saturate the area after that happens. Its like the old days in the projects when the paramedics went in the gangs had armed guards for them (depending on who was hurt) since if a paramedic gets shot you can guess what happens.

...So as I 99.9% of the time it is all about respect, you show them some and they will show you some. Its just the .1% who think they are a hard*** who wont then the old and wiser thug if they are there normally step in and mediate. If not just be nice and leave the area if they ask for what you have just give it up with out a fight, file a police report. Since some thug kid with a good MD in the ghetto sticks out like a sore thumb, chances are you should get it back.

It's almost as if you went out of your way to intentionally give the worst advice possible. I mean, this...

I am just saying what I have experienced, having spent a lot of time in the not so nice areas of the city.

 

[Woodland Detectors]

Crackheads never sleep.

 

[jeff741972]

I was in Dearborn Mi today, picking up at zug island and the road to there reminded me of this thread, burned out buildings with gang tags painted everywhere....Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm so why would anyone WANT to detect in that filth? Although it all looked pretty old, I couldn't see the point in sifting through ghetto trash for the possibility of a couple coins.

 

[dogpound]

i'd be more worried about getting cut by a broken crack pipe or poked by a syringe while digging out some clad in the "hood" and then when ya factor in the "locals" that hang around, i don't think i'd take that kind of risk for a couple wheaties and a few hundred pulltabs

 

[batcap]

I live in Baltimore MD. That may not be South Chicago, but we've competed with Detroit for "Murder Capital".

There's been a number of thinly veiled racist sentiments expressed in this thread. I work with quite a few black doctors, nurses and administrative types. All of these fine people are more at risk than I am, because I am white.

The drug dealers and their clientele know that messing with innocent whites brings 100 times more police and news attention than crimes against innocent blacks. The black/white murder victim ratio is about 150/1 in Baltimore. I'm not even likely to get nasty remarks unless I'm being just plain stupid.
The vast majority of violent crime here is gang-territory related.

Every thug sizing up a strange white guy in a black neighborhood thinks this: "He's an undercover cop, he's dangerously crazy, or he's a proper victim." There's 2 reasons not to mess with me for each one that is favorable. Honest, hard working black folk don't get this "benefit".

Still, I arrive early and leave if I feel uncomfortable. Usually I'm just plain worn out from digging foil and pull tabs.