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Anyone Have Run-ins With The Police While Geocaching?


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Well, I been stopped so many times that I stopped counting after 8 times. Once at gun point, once with two cars boxing us in at a cemetary. All ended peacefully after a good explaination. I think it has to do a lot with my age being young also it surely does not help that I have a habit of parking in odd places... like at a side of a dirt road in middle of nowhere at 10pm.

 

My favorite was when I was at a local college in and two cops came up to me... I thought oh brother!!! not again. But then they said... did you find it yet. It turned out to be the owners of the cache and I been came good caching friends with them.

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Not regular police, but a couple of stealthy Regional Park Rangers came around the corner just as my partner and I were signing the log on a small cache that had been hidden under a fake rock. Caught red heanded. Fake rock was upside down, cache container open, and log in hand. First they asked to see our hiking access permit. After they reviewed the permit, they looked at the fake rock container and log and aksed, very politely what we were up to.

 

My partner said, "oh just out doing a little geocaching on this beautiful day". The Rangers exchanged glances, frowned and stated that the park rules required staying basically on trail and not going cross country. Their experience with geocachers was that they violated this policy and there had been "problems". I said, well if it helps, the caches we found today were within a foot of the trail, no cross country. They looked at each other again, followed by a very pregnant pause. Then one of them said, "Okay. We don't really have a policy on this yet but it is currently a "hot" topic." We assured them again we were very much respecting the rules, thanked them for the update, retreived our permit, then waited until they left to replace the fake rock.

 

So, not exactly the friendly response we had hoped for. But since then, all the caches have continued to enjoy many a smiley face, so apparently, for the time being, cache on.

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I have had two major encounters with LEOs.

 

Best Friend Cache in St Louis. It was my 150th cache; I have since learned that the truth is a good thing. I hear that the locals -- both cachers and park rangers -- still discuss "the OzGuff encounter".

 

All American Cache in Huntsville, AL. My 501st find; I apparently hadn't learned the "truth is good" thing yet.

Edited by OzGuff
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THAT is the weirdest thing I've ever heard of.

You have to have a permit to walk in a park? (must be a CA thing)

With that kind of micro-management it IS really surprising they allow caching. OMG what if you had to "GO" in the woods? Do they charge extra if you breathe their air too?

You'll find that backcountry hiking permits are very common in the larger national parks. It's so they know who is out there that they have to go look for when you get lost and don't return and no one knows where you went except "somewhere out there".

RE that cache that was just 1 ft off the trail. Just remember that even tho the cache rock was only 1 ft off the trail GPSs are not 1 ft accurate. If there is a 30 ft margin of error then someone could be wandering around well off the trail trying to locate that rock. And while they are in that 30 ft circle they're rolling around and moving terrain that may take decades or never for nature to recover. Multiply that damage caused by 1 cacher by multiple cachers and the damaged area becomes a substantial size.

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I've had a couple encounters....all good! The 1st one, I was looking for a cache on a college campus. Just as I found it, a police offocer comes around the corner and asks what I'm doing there. At the same time, it began to rain. Hard! I quickly explained what I was doing and he said fine, and jogged back to his car, which was parked next to mine. As I got back there, his partner yelled at me about being a little crazy to geocache in the rain, and they drove off!

 

2nd time, I had walked back to the back of a small town park early on a Sunday morning. Coming back to the car, there was a police car next to mine. As I walked up, the officer asked if I had found it. After I said yes, I had, he then asked for some hints! He had just started caching a month or so before and had DNFed this one twice! I made sure I gave him a lot of nice hints! -_-

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LEO Encounter (Worst)

 

Friendly LEO

 

Worried Security

 

Parking Lot Security (This Guy Was a Real Punk)

 

Funny Security Encounter While I got FTF

 

 

There's one other minor encounter when a security muggle was giving me a hard time, but I didn't want to deal with it so I just left and returned in the middle of the night that night and made the find. I think I get more encounters than most because I'm young (25) and I typically cache between 11pm and 3am.

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Not police but border guards.

 

I was going for 2 FTFs in Poland, less than 1km from the borders with Russia (the Kaliningrad Oblast) and Lithuania. So here I am, with a UK passport, resident of Canada, driving a car with Latvian plates in the company of a Norwegian who lives in Lithuania and (fortunately for translation purposes) a Pole. We are clearly suspicious characters. You can read more in my log for Between willows

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We were doing a cache at night at a cemetary and after were done a city Police Officer stopped by to see what we were doing and we told her and she was cool with it. She was interrested in geocaching after we were done telling her what we were doing.

 

She said that they had some vandlism there at that cemetary and wanted to make sure we weren't doing anything bad.

 

we"re lost

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I just got questioned on 2 separate occassions the weekend before last. First time I was hunting a traditional cache at a rest stop on the GSP in NJ down near exit 38. The second time I was getting ready to hide a micro in a small town park up in north Jersey. Both times I just explained geocaching to the officers and they were ok with it. But the 2nd time, The officer took my information: name, address, cell phone. I felt wierd giving it to him, especially since I wasn't doing anything wrong...but how could I refuse?

 

This second officer actually seemed interested in our game. I gave him the website, my name on here and my personal email address as well. So I'm a little torn between: Am I in trouble somehow?!? Is he really interested in geocaching? At first I totally thought he was interested. But towards the end of our 20+ minute discussion, he seemed like he was just feigning interest to check me out for warrants or something. Who knows. Maybe I'll eventually get a call asking to take him hunting for a 5/5...you never know.

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We were doing a cache at night at a cemetary and after were done a city Police Officer stopped by to see what we were doing and we told her and she was cool with it. She was interrested in geocaching after we were done telling her what we were doing.

 

She said that they had some vandlism there at that cemetary and wanted to make sure we weren't doing anything bad.

 

we"re lost

 

That second officer that I just mentioned in my previous post had also mentioned that there was vandalism in the area. I wonder if the police know about geocaching and play ignorant as a ploy to actually see if geocachers are legitimately cachers and not pranksters.

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I wonder if the police know about geocaching and play ignorant as a ploy to actually see if geocachers are legitimately cachers and not pranksters.

 

Well, I'll tell you what. Next time you see him, try yelling "Ho, are ye a geocacher?", and if he replies with "Yay I a geocacher am I", you know you're cool. If not, you'll probably be arrested. :unsure:

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I hope this is on-topic enough: I'm sure there are some LEOs reading this. Many of the postings about encounters with the police end with the police telling the cacher to leave the area. If they are there perfectly legally, can the police really enforce that?

Technically, no.

 

But it will go much easier for you if you simply comply.

 

There is a time to stand up for your rights and a time to go in peace. Which one is this particular encounter? The decision must me made quickly, which increases the chance of a bad decision. It is your decision to make. "Go in peace" is the less risky.

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I've had encounters with law enforcement 4 times while caching. Each time I explained what I was doing and that was the end of it. I make sure not to break any laws while caching and I also carry one of the folding cards from geocacher-u to hand to inquisitive folks in case my verbal explanation isn't quite satisfactory.

 

Cops HATE to do the paperwork involved in arresting someone and are glad to find out you aren't doing anything wrong. For my part I don't mind them asking what I'm doing since I think it shows they are doing their job.

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Not police but other agencies. My first was prison guards. We had a cache near the "Club Fed" prison where Richard from Survivor was sent for not paying taxes. It was named the Richard Cache and was along a road overlooking the prison. There is a gravel pull off that unknown to us is a place where people leave contraband for the prisoners to pick up. Earlier in the day, a cacher found a large duffle bag filled with suspicious items and called the State Police. I came along after dark not knowing about it and grabbed the cache and was taking it back to my car so I could use the light to check it out. I hear this voice coming out of the dark saying, "Did you find something?" I said yes and heard back,"Bring it here and let me see it." I go over and see this guard all dressed in black and he's surprised because he thought I was another guard. They were staking out the area waiting to see which prisoner would show up for the bag. I asked him if he ever heard of geocaching and he said no. I had to explain what it was about and show him what was in the ammo box. He was cool and let me put it back but it disappeared soon after and is now archived.

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There's a small group of us (the Star Cachers) that go caching at lunch. We have also planted a few, including one right outside the back door of the sheriff's office in a court building. It's very interesting to see other cachers try to climb around in the bushes next to the court to find the cache and ask them what they are doing there. :ph34r:

 

It always turns out OK because we (Star Cachers) are the cops! :ph34r: (hence the name: STAR Cachers, as in Sheriff's Star).

Edited by kodiakdave
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Not only had a run in with LEO (a good one), but there was a geocoin made out of it to commemorate the experience:

 

(image from Coins and Pins)

lawenfrce-gld-300.gif

 

Here's their log from that night.

 

My office just moved across the street from a police station where there is a full-sized cache (placed with permission) outside the front door. Tomorrow I'm going to drop a traveling LEO coin in it and I'm guessing that I'll have a "run in" of some sort :)

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I have never run into any LEOs while caching, although I'm certain I've looked suspicious at one point or another.

 

We've been approached by cops twice. Once on a rural state highway, checking to see why we parked on the side of the road. The second time was in a wealthy Milwaukee northside neighborhood (doin' the Witches House). Both times, they were clueless about geocaching. Both times they accepted the explanation. What surprises me is that law enforcement agencies don't train their personnel to be aware of geocaching because it does put all of us in peculiar places at peculiar times.

 

Many cachers probably look suspicious to LEOs, even if they were "trying to not look suspicious". A good example of why a LEO might stop you is simpjkee. (nothing personal) A 25 year old male caching between 11pm and 3am.

 

Loitering, picking up/dropping off items, or parking in areas where people do not normally stop are all reasons for an LEO to suspect that you may be involved in a crime. The area that you stopped in may be prone to prostitution, vandalism or drug activity. Any officer who is doing his job should not assume that you are geocaching, even if there is a cache in the area. I think he should look into it.

 

I just got questioned on 2 separate occassions the weekend before last. First time I was hunting a traditional cache at a rest stop on the GSP in NJ down near exit 38. The second time I was getting ready to hide a micro in a small town park up in north Jersey. Both times I just explained geocaching to the officers and they were ok with it. But the 2nd time, The officer took my information: name, address, cell phone. I felt wierd giving it to him, especially since I wasn't doing anything wrong...but how could I refuse?

 

This second officer actually seemed interested in our game. I gave him the website, my name on here and my personal email address as well. So I'm a little torn between: Am I in trouble somehow?!? Is he really interested in geocaching? At first I totally thought he was interested. But towards the end of our 20+ minute discussion, he seemed like he was just feigning interest to check me out for warrants or something. Who knows. Maybe I'll eventually get a call asking to take him hunting for a 5/5...you never know.

 

The US Supreme Court ruled in Hiibel vs Sixth Judicial District that people must identify themselves to police.

 

I hope this is on-topic enough: I'm sure there are some LEOs reading this. Many of the postings about encounters with the police end with the police telling the cacher to leave the area. If they are there perfectly legally, can the police really enforce that?

 

How do you know that you are in the area legally?

 

Many parks and cemetaries have posted hours. Several towns in my area have local ordinances stating that it is illegal to be in those areas (if town/city owned and operated) after dusk. In that case the officer is doing his job and he is using his discretion to ask you to leave as opposed to just citing you for the violation. If you tell the LEO that you're caching, I don't think there would be much of a problem (aside from being asked to leave).

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My other run-in was while seeking a benchmark. I was going to hike up Bald Knob for a triangulation station which is near the guardhouse for the FBI National Fingerprint Center. It's not on FBI property but is the highest point in the area. I parked by the gate to the access road for the cell tower on the hill and crossed the gate and was climbing up a steep hill instead of using the road when I looked back and saw a FBI Police truck pulling in behind my car. I went back to the gate and when asked what I was doing, told him I was looking for benchmarks and showed him the data sheet and a picture of a station mark on my PDA. He said he was just making sure I wasn't carrying a rifle to take pot shots at their guard tower and said he was sorry for bringing me back down off the hillside. It pays to be prepared.

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