Watched by the cops, busted by the wannabe

[G.I.B.]

My buddy was out hunting today (it's Florida so we can do that in the winter) and he went (first time there) into Munn Park in Lakeland Fl.

He was hunting for about a half hour when a Lakeland police officer walked up to him.

The opening pleasantries were exchanged and my buddy said he was just hunting up a few coins.

The officer said, "I know,I've been watching you for a while, and I like what I saw. You made two trips to the trash can and I can't tell where you have been digging. Just wanted to say thanks, and keep doing what you are doing. The problem is that someone from the Parks and Recreation Program may run you off. They don't even allow tent pegs in the ground."

The officer chatted for a few moments and then went back to work and my buddy went back to hunting.

About a half hour later the Parks and Recreation guy shows up and tosses my buddy out of the park...

On a side note my buddy kept having the local bums try to claim that the coins were theirs, so he told them to identify the denomination and year on the coin and they could have their coin back.

No free coins for the bums today... (ohhhh I'm sorry, I mean the economically disadvantaged victims)

I guess the city of Lakeland Florida does not appreciate free labor.

 

[Back-of-the-boat]

You know what irks me is if your friend had been causing damage yeah kick him out but as you say an officer spoke to him and commended him on what he was doing so parks and rec. had no reason for kicking him out. I will bet parks and rec. didn't bother kicking the bums out even though loitering isn't allowed either or peeing behind a tree or leaving their beer cans or needles. Sorry for the rant it just annoys the @$#% out of me that we get rousted for a hobby that we obviously have to have a job to be able to afford our machines so we pay the taxes that pay parks and rec. to keep the parks open but the bums and addicts get the run of the park. It is mind boggling to me the mind set of city govts. to close the parks to us yet open it to that type of activity.

 

[watercolor]

Back in the 1960's there was a comic strip in the Chicago Daily News called
"There Oughta be a Law". . . the idiotic scenario you described would be a perfect fit.

Many of these park staffers have their heads up their you know where. They should have
been busy dealing with the bums (oops, disadvantaged victims) and all their discarded litter.

 

[Uncle Jeff]

My buddy was out hunting today (it's Florida so we can do that in the winter)

Sure rub it in my face. I use to live in Clearwater till I sold my soul and moved to Georgia .. grrrrr

 

[worldtalker]

All the Park and Recreation boys know me,heck I got one of them
that hunts with me.They enjoy my finds too.

G.I.B. you ever see this guy?


GOD Bless

Chris

 

[Tom_in_CA]

reply

thanx for the story G.I.B. As much as your friend's first encounter with the cop would seem like a "green light" to continue detecting, yet truth-be-told, a city worker can, if they want, claim that something so simple as putting a tent stake into the ground "hurts the ground". Is it fair? No. Can they do it? yes.

So if you ask me, I'd just go back after that park workers shift had ended. Heck, ESPECIALLY in-lieu of that cop's comments! It's gotten to where I just make matters simple and hunt park turf at nights (or very odd hours). So peaceful .... So serene .......

 

[Helix]

I used to hunt some local forest preservers in my area. Always filled in my plugs good, and took all trash with me. I would frequently talk to the forest preserve police and FP grounds keepers here and there. One of officers I would see from time to time would always stop and we would talk metal detector shop talk. He would tell me what parks he thought I might have better luck in ect. Then one day I was doing my thing and some guy jumps out of his truck (some higher up in the local FP world) basically storms at me yelling at me telling me how I am in trouble and metal detecting is not allowed in any FP's or any county property for that matter. I basically said,, I have been metal detecting for years in the parks and talk to the officers and they never expressed anything about not being able to metal detect on county land. Then he says "OHH well the officers don't no the ordinances". The people you pay to up hold the rules, laws and ordinances don't know them? I was very confused at that point. Turns out the ordinance he was referring to was a "no collecting rule" Which was originally written to prevent people from taking rocks and vegetation ect. out of the parks. Some how they have twisted it around calling metal detecting "collecting". In that case I guess it against the "no collecting" ordinance to also walk around and pick up trash? What a Joke some of these people.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

Helix, what a story! Those "no collecting" or "no taking" or "no harvesting" type verbage/rules exist on EVERY speck of land across the entire USA. Yup, all parks, school yards, beaches, etc... And as you surmise, so that no numbskull thinks he can back his truck up to the beach and start harvesting sand for commercial purposes. Or so that no one thinks he can cut down the trees for firewood. Or someone to take all the roses or tanbark out of the rose garden, blah blah blah.

Can that stuff be made to apply to individual coins or pulltabs ? SURE! Just keep asking bored bureaucrats "can I metal detect?" long enough, and someone's going to look it up in their books to-&-fro, find something they think applies to your "pressing question", and give you an answer like that. I bet that person whoever you ran into probably only got such an idea in his craw, because someone had gone asking "can I?".

 

[G.I.B.]

All the Park and Recreation boys know me,heck I got one of them
that hunts with me.They enjoy my finds too.

G.I.B. you ever see this guy?


GOD Bless

Chris

Yeah, he's on the webpage you sent me- great photos there.

 

[worldtalker]

Yeah, he's on the webpage you sent me- great photos there.

I see you did check it out!!!!!!!!

 

[justdon]

Unfortunately you will always have people like that in charge.Some how its gone to their head that they walk on water and can part the red sea.And sadly enough the law will probably be on their side.Most times you just have to walk away and not argue.Because iam sure someone like that would love to have us banned from the parks.

 

[Msbeepbeep]

Yep, no good deed goes unpunished! Fact of life and it's every where.

I was MD'ing at a beach/park I had been to several times before where the police had seen me before, a police car comes speeding up and stops in front of me, the officer gets out and says" It is illegal to dig and remove anything on city soil, but you can detect all you want", this said to me as I am watching people digging up clams, a kid digging up shells and rocks, and a dog digging up something. Yet I am the bad guy for digging clad and removing trash, go figure!

 

[Helix]

Helix, what a story! Those "no collecting" or "no taking" or "no harvesting" type verbage/rules exist on EVERY speck of land across the entire USA. Yup, all parks, school yards, beaches, etc... And as you surmise, so that no numbskull thinks he can back his truck up to the beach and start harvesting sand for commercial purposes. Or so that no one thinks he can cut down the trees for firewood. Or someone to take all the roses or tanbark out of the rose garden, blah blah blah.

Can that stuff be made to apply to individual coins or pulltabs ? SURE! Just keep asking bored bureaucrats "can I metal detect?" long enough, and someone's going to look it up in their books to-&-fro, find something they think applies to your "pressing question", and give you an answer like that. I bet that person whoever you ran into probably only got such an idea in his craw, because someone had gone asking "can I?".

Yes it crossed my mind someone called complaining "there's a guy metal detecting is he supposed to be doing that". Also latter I learned they do allow metal detecting but you need special permission from the FP president but is not listed in any of the ordinance or guild line books Maybe one of the presidents buddies showed up to md and seen me and got mad? I don't know I just wanted to be as low key as possible metal detecting in those parts. Other bordering counties have out right banned metal detecting all together so I fear its only a matter of time before this county does the same. At least make permits or something.

 

[mineralized_miner]

What is the problem? If no one stopped him, no one would even know he was there. Just carry around a rusty nail and say you found it really shallow in the playground. If he tells you you can't keep anything just tell him you'll just go right back to the playgroud and put it under the slide point up like you found it... See how he reacts!

 

[Tom_in_CA]

reply

/////// Also latter I learned they do allow metal detecting but you need special permission from the FP president but is not listed in any of the ordinance or guild line books

If this thing about "needing special permission" is "not listed in any ordinances or guide-line books", then ..... if you ask me, that's a contradiction. How can there be a "rule" (saying "you need special permission" in this case) that is not written down any place? If this were truly a rule or a law, then there would be such a thing written down, that is accessible to the public to look up. In other words, there's no "secret laws" that you can't know, or see, or read somewhere. So I don't get what you're saying.

At least make permits or something.

No, you don't want "permits". I know they sound wonderful, and "roll off the tongue", but any time any place ever gets "permits" for detecting, they invariably restrict, not allow. You know, silly things like "not with 15 ft. of a tree" or "digger shall not exceed 3 inches", or "sandboxes only" , blah blah blah. And worse yet, it's just a matter of time till one year, they rescind it altogether, simply because it's continually on their radar as "this thing they must sanction and manage". One of a list of things up for perpetual review of "do we really want these yahoos out running around?"

The much better scenario is that it's silent on the issue, with no express allowance nor prohibition. In other words: often time the LESS visibility is best, not the MORE.

 

[Helix]

If this thing about "needing special permission" is "not listed in any ordinances or guide-line books", then ..... if you ask me, that's a contradiction. How can there be a "rule" (saying "you need special permission" in this case) that is not written down any place? If this were truly a rule or a law, then there would be such a thing written down, that is accessible to the public to look up. In other words, there's no "secret laws" that you can't know, or see, or read somewhere. So I don't get what you're saying.



No, you don't want "permits". I know they sound wonderful, and "roll off the tongue", but any time any place ever gets "permits" for detecting, they invariably restrict, not allow. You know, silly things like "not with 15 ft. of a tree" or "digger shall not exceed 3 inches", or "sandboxes only" , blah blah blah. And worse yet, it's just a matter of time till one year, they rescind it altogether, simply because it's continually on their radar as "this thing they must sanction and manage". One of a list of things up for perpetual review of "do we really want these yahoos out running around?"

The much better scenario is that it's silent on the issue, with no express allowance nor prohibition. In other words: often time the LESS visibility is best, not the MORE.

When the FP fellow first stopped me he said no mding period. He also gave me his card and said if I have any questions to give him a call. So then as time went on I would drive past FP parks seeing others mding. So I started getting frustrated so I call the guy on it. Maybe some parks its ok I thought, its worth a shot. So then he tells me about the "special permission" thing. Ok I see I told him, so again I let it go. So latter on I looked up the FP web site and read nothing about mding. Nothing about a "special permission" at least nothing was online about it. It is possible I might of missed it. Something just didn't seem right needless to say it put a bad taste in my mouth and now I only hunt private property in that county which has turned out some nice finds better then any I ever made in there parks. I see your point Tom in Ca. about the permits or attracting any attention for that matter. This was about 7 years ago and today I like to think I am a bit wiser on the matter. Other the being on TNet but that's the nice part of the internet. You keep a good part of your anonymity.

 

[Msbeepbeep]

The "special permission" thing sounds more like the good 'ole boys club! You know where the powers that be let their friends do that but not the ordinary citizens...AKA tax payers!

Hopefully we all can stay under their radar screen, because one of these days we won't be able to detect in our own yards with out their blessings!

 

[Helix]

The "special permission" thing sounds more like the good 'ole boys club! You know where the powers that be let their friends do that but not the ordinary citizens...AKA tax payers!

Hopefully we all can stay under their radar screen, because one of these days we won't be able to detect in our own yards with out their blessings!

You are right, that's exactly the way I took it. This county is not very large compared to other states and they own tens of thousands of acres. I mean come on what a "Racket" this is. I am guessing more then likely some of the higher ups in the FP or County board metal detect. Or metal detecting privileges are given out as "favors". This way there buddies get a run of all the public land, which must be fantastic for a mder. Maybe I should try and get a job with the FP. lol Thanks for letting me vent everyone. Just not fare.

 

[Msbeepbeep]

You are right, that's exactly the way I took it. This county is not very large compared to other states and they own tens of thousands of acres. I mean come on what a "Racket" this is. I am guessing more then likely some of the higher ups in the FP or County board metal detect. Or metal detecting privileges are given out as "favors". This way there buddies get a run of all the public land, which must be fantastic for a mder. Maybe I should try and get a job with the FP. lol Thanks for letting me vent everyone. Just not fare.

I believe the quote is: "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em."
Vent away if it gets you any closer to the gold and silver, not a problem, because sometimes some one comes up with a solution.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

reply

When the FP fellow first stopped me he said no mding period. He also gave me his card and said if I have any questions to give him a call. So then as time went on I would drive past FP parks seeing others mding. So I started getting frustrated so I call the guy on it. Maybe some parks its ok I thought, its worth a shot. So then he tells me about the "special permission" thing .... .....So latter on I looked up the FP web site and read nothing about mding. Nothing about a "special permission" at least nothing was online about it.......

Ha, so at first, a forest preserve person sees you and says "no md'ing at all". But later, you see others detecting there, w/o a care in the world, right? So you look into it, and someone changes their tune and says "well, you can detect, with 'special permission' ". Yet NEITHER such verbage is in their laws or rules.

If you ask me, that first encounter is nothing but an "isolated incident". And as far as that second encounter (your inquiry), it's probably just someone guessing that whomever you're referring to that you saw, must have special permission (but that in reality, they probably just didn't know, and were just floating a possible explanation).

So the first encounter therefore, was probably just bumping into the wrong person, on the wrong day. Let me give you an example in the next post, of what I mean by "isolated incidents" that should not be construed as actual rules or laws: