Detecting and Police Visits

[Garrett424]

I live in Howard county maryland and when someone called the cops on me when I was trying out my new detector in my townhouses community tot lot. The cops came and we're super cool with me. They let me know I was totally fine detecting and that I could continue, and they went on their way. You must have caught that cop when he was having a bad day.

I'm happy that you had a good experience. It really depends on what you're doing, who you run into and what type of individuals they are.
But it's true that HOCO cops don't have a reputation for being overly friendly or easy to deal with. I've heard it from many, many people.

I was pulled over years ago by one because my "tires were too worn" (which was not true in any way, shape or form). The car was moving. I wasn't ticketed; only verbally warned as the guy shined a light inside my car and looked around. He just wanted to find something I was doing wrong but couldn't because I wasn't. There was no way n hell that cop could see the tread on my tires when I was traveling at 40 mph. It was a completely bogus stop.

I was pulled over another time coming across Bethany Lane for not having my front tag bolted to the car. I had literally just put the car on the road earlier that day and was on my way to Home Depot on Rt. 40 to pick up two bolts to bolt the tag on. The tag itself was on the front dash and the rear tag was bolted onto the car where it belonged. Yeah, it should have been attached and I fully admitted that it wasn't.

The cop wrote me a ticket and stated in his report that I was driving with NO TAGS on the vehicle. He blatantly lied about what happened. When I pointed out the tag on the dash and the back he just completely ignored me. It was like dealing with a freakin' robot.

I went to court and explained the TRUE story and the judge threw it out after berating the cop in open court for filing a false report and wasting her time. I didn't even have to pay the court fees. This is what I mean about it being so easy to get in trouble. Some cops DO LIE.
Had it been a more serious offense, who knows how it may have turned out.

Cops are human beings and like all humans, there are many types who do what they do for their own reasons. Some are good and decent human beings and others are cruel and nasty human beings with a chip on their shoulder, desperately hoping that someone will screw up badly enough to warrant an arrest or at least an opportunity for a little harassment. I guess it makes them feel like they're the "big man" or something. Some enjoy exercising their "power" over those unlucky enough to cross their paths. It's really the luck of the draw in the end.

That's why I just avoid any and all law enforcement at all costs and keep a low profile. IMO it's just a sensible policy that so far, has served me well.

Last fall I had a HOCO park ranger stop me while detecvting. He was a young guy and was totally cool but made me stop detecting. He said I needed to contact Rec & Parks and obtain a permit. Unfortunately, when I contacted them I was told that no such permits are available for rank and file citizens. She said you had to be a certified archeologist on a government sanctioned dig. I seriously doubt that's ever gonna' happen at this particular location. I've since heard a few different explanations but still haven't gotten a permit and haven't pursued it any further.

 

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[ScubaDetector]

Did you ask for the law on the matter? As stated, SOME officers attempt to make their OWN laws. I have a few more examples I haven't shared. Some laws there is absolutely no rhyme or reason for. Examples. It is illegal in Detroit to chain an alligator to a fire hydrant. It is illegal in Texas to drive a vehicle without windshield wipers. HOWEVER, windshield is optional.

I think it is very safe to say EVERYONE on here has seen good and bad officers. You included. They got you to stop detecting and you did. Have someone actually show you the written law that states you need a written permit. Cops can't arbitrarily make laws. They enforce laws. Someone has to show you the written law.

 

[Gravitytester]

the ordinances for our city does not say you can't use a metal detector, instead they say you can't dig on city property unless you have a permit and they will not give a permit for metal detecting.

 

[Garrett424]

UNFORTUNATELY, A dive flag brings attention to you while underwater!! When the police came they would have someone pull on the flag to get me to come up. I even tried to ignore that and was almost pulled all the way out of the water. You have to have a flag or you will for sure get a ticket when you come up. I wish it was as simple as not having a flag so nobody knew I was in the lakes until I came out.

Yeah, I'm sure it would be really nice to dive incognito at times. Dang rules and regulations.

I was hunting a lake last year in a spot where you pay to swim for a day. I've detected there a few times with pretty good luck. I always ask the lifeguards first and they always tell me it's fine.

So one day after at least 3 hours of hunting the new wife of the owner (who is totally cool but whose new wife is not) approached me to say that she "doesn't encourage" the use of metal detectors. I asked what that means exactly and she couldn't give me a straight answer. She just kept repeating that she "doesn't encourage" it but refused to say if it was allowed or not. One of my pet peeves is when someone refuses to just answer a damn question so I know what I'm dealing with.

So I asked her yet again point blank, "can I use my detector here or not"?? She then repeated the same answer. So in my book, until she tells me that detecting isn't allowed I will continue to detect. If she just says it's not allowed I won't do it. What is so difficult or unreasonable about that??

On one occasion there I spent at least an hour trying to find a lost wedding ring from a young guy who was married just three weeks. He was literally in a panic but I assured him that since he was married just three weeks, his new wife would probably keep him around for a while anyway. In the end the water was just too deep but I did try my best. I'm sure it's still there somewhere.

On my last hunt there I spent most of the time with a group of kids and their Mom's showing them the finer points of metal detecting and handing out coins and other "treasure" to the kids. It was a great day. No one approached me and it all went well. I plan on going back this summer and I'll just see how it goes.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

the ordinances for our city does not say you can't use a metal detector, instead they say you can't dig on city property unless you have a permit and they will not give a permit for metal detecting.

Gravity-tester, I have news for you: There's not a single city in the entire USA, that doesn't have some form of municipal codes that forbid "dig". It might be called "deface". Or "alter", or ... something of that sort. Yet truth-be-told, detecting goes on at parks all across America (and yes, w/o any sort of permit or permission, etc...).

So how is it that in your particular city, this became an issue ? Did you go in asking "can I metal detect?" and this was their answer? Or did someone accost you in the field and say "you can't dig" ? If it was the former, then welcome to the "no one cared TILL you asked" club. Or was it the latter ?

 

[QMaze]

You ever see the size of the law books?

Ignorance isnt an excuse.

 

[Msbeepbeep]

I think most of our encounters with L.E.O.'s while pursuing our hobby is due to some in the general population thinking they know it all and control all.
Most of the officers would rather be getting real criminals off the streets, and not harrasing we....the finders of coins.
There are those that just can't stand to see others having fun, and keep making the complaints until they either get their way, or are told to stop being a nuisance.
My truck plate has been run at just about every school or park I have been to. Sometimes the officer talks to me sometimes they just watch me. But most times they are there because someone called, not because I am doing anything wrong.

 

[atomicscott]

I think most of our encounters with L.E.O.'s while pursuing our hobby is due to some in the general population thinking they know it all and control all.
Most of the officers would rather be getting real criminals off the streets, and not harrasing we....the finders of coins.
There are those that just can't stand to see others having fun, and keep making the complaints until they either get their way, or are told to stop being a nuisance.
My truck plate has been run at just about every school or park I have been to. Sometimes the officer talks to me sometimes they just watch me. But most times they are there because someone called, not because I am doing anything wrong.

Your first sentence sums it up! People who just do not want others to have fun for some reason? Yet others will ask you 'hey find anything good?'

 

[G.I.B.]

Ignorance isnt an excuse.

Why yes, now that I think about it, you're RIGHT!

In 2009 Florida had 1,400 new laws introduced by the 67 counties. Not all of them made it, but hey, they still need to know the ones that did.

We also have over 800 standing laws on the books right now.

And lets not forget the 4,500 Federal Statutes on the books, they need to know them too.

And then the hundreds of laws on all of the municipal jurisdictions-

You have made me think and yep, I agree.

Ignorance...

 

[Msbeepbeep]

Why yes, now that I think about it, you're RIGHT!

In 2009 Florida had 1,400 new laws introduced by the 67 counties. Not all of them made it, but hey, they still need to know the ones that did.

We also have over 800 standing laws on the books right now.

And lets not forget the 4,500 Federal Statutes on the books, they need to know them too.

And then the hundreds of laws on all of the municipal jurisdictions-

You have made me think and yep, I agree.

Ignorance...

Yep the supply out numbers demand on that one!
Everyday We all break at lest one law somewhere that probably no one is aware of....except the orignator....maybe.

 

[Msbeepbeep]

Your first sentence sums it up! People who just do not want others to have fun for some reason? Yet others will ask you 'hey find anything good?'

And there are those who would claim rings or other golden goodies if you show it to them...and it's mot even theirs!

 

[ScubaDetector]

I think over all this has been a wonderful discussion. I understand people have their opinions of me and my actions and that was to be expected. Only one on here decided to try to convince others I was wrong and berated me.

As I stated before, we all have the right to govern our lives the way we feel is right. I did not come on this forum to be attacked and neither has anyone else. I came to share my knowledge and experiences, help others with this great hobby and praise others finds and ogle them.

I appreciate the mods for having a very hard job to do and make sure people post within their guidelines. Already at least two people on here are critical of the way I handle myself. They are allowed their opinions. What we are not allowed to do is cram our opinions down others throats to make the poster that came here feel unwanted.

Terry is lucky he didn't push the envelope more. I was getting upset at his assumptions. I was ready to push him under the bus for something he posted back in 2011. I am glad the mods nipped his attack.

I am retired and I am 59 years old. I won't be shoved around for enjoying my life, unless I am really breaking a law. Everyone here has that right. You all govern yourselves the way you see fit. if you ask opinions on here, be prepared to get them. Accept the ones you think will fit in your life and discard the rest. Lets all enjoy our lives, our hobby and the wonderful knowledge that a lot of folks bring to this forum.

Peace to all. As I said in one of my posts. Always be yourself. The people that matter don't mind, and the people that mind don't matter.

 

[doninbrewster]

Lots of comments to this one. I've been detecting for 35 years so of course I've been stopped a lot. When I first started detecting I worked at a bowling alley until midnight. One of the guys I detected with also had a detector and we used to go detecting after work. Sometime from 1am until sunrise. A couple of times a cop came up and asked what we were doing, but as we weren't bothering anyone or causing any damage to property it wasn't a problem. Once got stopped on the way to another town before we even got there. Turned out my car matched a description of a car in an attempted abduction. He asked where we were coming from and told him from a local diner and had the hot coffee to prove it. He was ok with it. I asked him where a certain high school was as we wanted to metal detect there. He gave us a police escort and wished us luck. I've been stopped by NYPD when someone complained we were digging holes in a NYC park. I told him what we do, how we dig and showed him my NYC park permit for metal detecting. He didn't even know they existed. He wished us luck and apologized for bothering us, but had to follow up on a complaint. There have been other experiences too with no problems. In a nutshell, be courteous to the police and treat them with the same respect you would want and you'll probably never have a problem. Don't trespass or you might get a ticket or be arrested. Never hurts to check local laws when detecting in a new town.

 

[atomicscott]

Really? It is not only within the realm of possibilities, it happens often, a cop sees guy with something in his hand at night, in the middle of the street (on curb strips?) after being told by dispatch a neighbor called & saw a man with a long, shiny, or black object, (insert scary weapon adjective) etc... I live about 60 miles from L.A. and believe me the cops are shooting people 'by accident' more often than one would imagine. I think that if the principal of a school or a park official sees me and says, "I would rather you not detect at this school/park", I guess I should just state my rights & ignore him and keep digging. I have better things to do with my time.

Don't worry, he isn't ruining anything for anyone. If he was ACTUALLY breaking rules then you could say what you said. Almost all of his stories he is just having simple conversations with the cops. None of the stories has a cop pulled a gun out, so no reason to bring getting shot into the conversation. Just because you choose to run and he chose to stick up for himself doesn't make either of you right.

 

[ScubaDetector]

Really? It is not only within the realm of possibilities, it happens often, a cop sees guy with something in his hand at night, in the middle of the street (on curb strips?) after being told by dispatch a neighbor called & saw a man with a long, shiny, or black object, (insert scary weapon adjective) etc... I live about 60 miles from L.A. and believe me the cops are shooting people 'by accident' more often than one would imagine. I think that if the principal of a school or a park official sees me and says, "I would rather you not detect at this school/park", I guess I should just state my rights & ignore him and keep digging. I have better things to do with my time.

Not one person is telling you how to govern yourself. NOBODY. I agree, some cops in some areas are probably trigger happy because of the events now. However I say SOME as in the very minority. NO officer wants to be charged with murder which is happening now more than ever. They have a job to do HOWBEIT, they must have professionalism and they must use restraint.

I am not saying there is not trigger happy cops. However, any cop that comes out of his patrol car shooting will find himself fired and charged with murder or attempted murder. Will one pull his gun because of you detecting? Maybe, it is in the ever so slight realm of possibility. Drop your detector and raise your hands and you neutralize any threat that he my perceive. HOWEVER, you state a VALID point also. That is LOCATION. You wouldn't get me or probably any SANE detectorist on curb strips in Chicago or Detroit or possibly where you live for that matter at night. It would not just be the police to worry about. I would hope most individuals who enjoy our hobby have common sense. HOWEVER, there again, ones that hunt graveyards, restricted federal lands or historic places, are without it. Actually, you wouldn't even see me detecting Detroit curb strips in the daylight unless I had a few watching my back armed with machine guns.

Not only do we have cops that do not follow their training, EVERY PROFESSION, hobby, and sport we have people that break the rules and or have no common sense.

 

[flgliderpilot]

I am in the minority here. I think if you have had the police called on you more than once or twice, You need to change the times or places you are hunting, and maybe even your attitude. If you are a L.E.O. who has had the police called on you "20-times," then - In My Opinion, you are either arrogant; dumb; or extremely unlucky. I don't carry a badge, I've been detecting for over 40-years, and I have had two run-in's with police officers resulting in my agreement to stop detecting in one County Park, and the making of a new detecting buddy in the second incident when the officer allowed me to keep on detecting. Being questioned by the police 20-times is just a plain embarrassment in my humble opinion. I would hope most in the hobby are a lot smarter than to put themselves in that position.

Sounds like you didn't actually read his post, or you only hunt beaches?

 

[mxh5891]

Really? It is not only within the realm of possibilities, it happens often, a cop sees guy with something in his hand at night, in the middle of the street (on curb strips?) after being told by dispatch a neighbor called & saw a man with a long, shiny, or black object, (insert scary weapon adjective) etc... I live about 60 miles from L.A. and believe me the cops are shooting people 'by accident' more often than one would imagine. I think that if the principal of a school or a park official sees me and says, "I would rather you not detect at this school/park", I guess I should just state my rights & ignore him and keep digging. I have better things to do with my time.

#1 I never detect at night.

#2 use common sense

A cop isn't going to just walk up and shoot me if I'm detecting. He is going to announce his presence and ask me to drop whatever is in my hands. Of course I'm going to comply with his demands. Therected is nothing wrong with having a civil conversation with police officer. I'm sure if you treat the cop with respect he is more likely to do the same.

You just need to assess each situation. I more then likely will comply with a cop because I am not up to snuff with all the laws. Cops want me to leave more then likely I will. I envy the OP. If I knew I was in the right I may stand my ground a little more.

I think your blowing this issue way out of proportion when talking about getting shot by police. The OP was just talking about getting citations which is far more likely then getting shot. You have to be a complete moron to get shot by police metal detecting.

 

[atomicscott]

#1 I never detect at night.

#2 use common sense

A cop isn't going to just walk up and shoot me if I'm detecting. He is going to announce his presence and ask me to drop whatever is in my hands. Of course I'm going to comply with his demands. Therected is nothing wrong with having a civil conversation with police officer. I'm sure if you treat the cop with respect he is more likely to do the same.

You just need to assess each situation. I more then likely will comply with a cop because I am not up to snuff with all the laws. Cops want me to leave more then likely I will. I envy the OP. If I knew I was in the right I may stand my ground a little more.

I think your blowing this issue way out of proportion when talking about getting shot by police. The OP was just talking about getting citations which is far more likely then getting shot. You have to be a complete moron to get shot by police metal detecting.

Wow if only you had access to news in SoCal. A cop pulls up on crime scene because a guy gets his bike stolen. The victim is on cell phone when cop shows up. While he waves cell phone & tries to explain HE was the victim, the cop shoots & kills him. I guess innocent people who get shot by police must all be morons.

 

[mxh5891]

Wow if only you had access to news in SoCal. A cop pulls up on crime scene because a guy gets his bike stolen. The victim is on cell phone when cop shows up. While he waves cell phone & tries to explain HE was the victim, the cop shoots & kills him. I guess innocent people who get shot by police must all be morons.

And what happened to that cop? So your saying that it's common for cops to shoot people for no reason? That is ridiculous. Cops do make mistakes but cop shootings are far and few between, expecially cops shooting someone by accident.

 

[atomicscott]

And what happened to that cop? So your saying that it's common for cops to shoot people for no reason? That is ridiculous. Cops do make mistakes but cop shootings are far and few between, expecially cops shooting someone by accident.

The whole LA sheriffs dept. is under investigation for beating people up & hiding an FBI agent who was undercover in the jail. Mentally challenged inmates were told to do things they obviously did not have the faculties to do, so then they were laughed at & beaten up wgen they could not comply. One guy came to visit his brother in jail, gotten beaten to a pulp and put in jail. Many instances similar to these were what led to the FBI INVESTIGATION. I know this is not commonplace but the WHOLE upper echelon of sheriff dept. was in on this, up to Lee Baca, the sheriff himself. There are plenty of power hungry trigger happy cops out there, at least from the news reports I see. You can say whatever you like about the police, I trust no one. I imagine if even ONE dept. is corrupt there us a decent chance others are as well.