Interaction With Others "enjoying" Wild

[wheetree]

I posted the following in the GONIL Forum as a humouros satire with a very serious issue and have received a few replies. We have a problem up here with the forest preserves being the meeting places for sexual rendezvous' for homosexual males. I've been propositioned more than once in parking areas, and I'm still new at this. Am curious how widespread this problem is.

 

Dear Miss Manners:

I need your advice. While out geocaching today I came into a clearing and saw a naked obese man sitting on a picnic table. Not knowing what to do or say, I said "Keep an eye out for ticks" and skirted around the edge of the clearing. He waved, held up a bottle of OFF and said "I got it covered." A little uncomfortable, but not too bad. Bad was still to come.

A little further down the trail I glimpsed more bare skin ahead and started cutting a wide circle into the woods to avoid seeing whatever might be going on. I think it was a couple where someone was "eating a hotdog", I didn't get close enough to tell for sure. Fortunately, my wife called my cell phone at that time to remind me of our dinner plans. The ringing alerted the couple to my presence and they left in a hurry.

What should I have done in these situations? What if I'd had children with me?

Thank you for your advice

 

Ill in Illinois

[+briansnat]

Not a getting started issue.

[+Bill & Tammy]

I posted the following in the GONIL Forum as a humouros satire with a very serious issue and have received a few replies. We have a problem up here with the forest preserves being the meeting places for sexual rendezvous' for homosexual males. I've been propositioned more than once in parking areas, and I'm still new at this. Am curious how widespread this problem is.

 

Dear Miss Manners:

I need your advice. While out geocaching today I came into a clearing and saw a naked obese man sitting on a picnic table. Not knowing what to do or say, I said "Keep an eye out for ticks" and skirted around the edge of the clearing. He waved, held up a bottle of OFF and said "I got it covered." A little uncomfortable, but not too bad. Bad was still to come.

A little further down the trail I glimpsed more bare skin ahead and started cutting a wide circle into the woods to avoid seeing whatever might be going on. I think it was a couple where someone was "eating a hotdog", I didn't get close enough to tell for sure. Fortunately, my wife called my cell phone at that time to remind me of our dinner plans. The ringing alerted the couple to my presence and they left in a hurry.

What should I have done in these situations? What if I'd had children with me?

Thank you for your advice

 

Ill in Illinois

 

Hmmmm, are we combining voyeurism and caching? Don't think I am going anywhere near this subject (didn't we cover pickle parks already?).

[+The Leprechauns]

It is a widespread problem. It's been discussed frequently in these forums.

 

I didn't find your Miss Manners letter to be particularly helpful to the discussion. This is a serious issue. Perhaps I am just reacting strongly because of past adverse experiences. And, because of that, I do distinctly recall feeling uncomfortable at several caches in your home area.

[+Team Cotati]

Desperation to the max. That or terminal loneliness.

Edited July 6, 2006 by Team Cotati

[+Team Torque]

I guess I have not been reading the forums enough because I have no read any serious discussions on this subject. I would call the police and make a complaint. Enough people complain and they will clean up the area either with increased patrols or some sting operations.

 

Though I can see the appeal of sex in the great out doors I would think they could pick a more secluded spot.

[+ParrotRobAndCeCe]

Just sitting naked at the picnic table is, of course, no problem. I agree, though, that the ol' hot dog incident belongs in private.

[+BlueDeuce]

Notifiy the police, they can check it out.

[+BadAndy]

The last time this topic came up, it quickly degenerated.

 

Simply speaking, regardless if the couple are heterosexual, gay, lesbian or Martian that activity is never appropriate (or legal) in public.

[+Kacky]

The last time this topic came up, it quickly degenerated.

 

Simply speaking, regardless if the couple are heterosexual, gay, lesbian or Martian that activity is never appropriate (or legal) in public.

 

What I don't get is why people put up with it. I visited a rest area cache here in Maine without having read the logs. Almost everyone who logged the cache mentioned the activity. Some even left without hunting for the cache because of men lurking in the woods. I found the cache and was on my way out before I understood why all those cars were there in the parking lot, and I emailed the state police as soon as I got home. If I don't get a satisfactory response from the cops then I will follow up with a letter to the editor of the local paper. This has nothing to do with gay or straight. It's about serial anonymous sex. Anonymous meaning everyone else gets to see you!? Not in MY local park, you ain't!

[+Davispak]

As a former police officer I can tell you that this happens alot. For some reason a particular park or parking area gets a reputaion as a "meeting" place and it happens quite often. This is the reason most parks close after dark, because usually only illegal activity (drinking, drugs,sex) occurs after dark. I could care less that these people are "talking" ( they always said they were talking, but apparently the talking needed to been done half dressed), but if they are in a park, or parking lot "talking" its usually because they are "talking" to someone they should not be. It has been my experience that they are usually married ( not to each other) in an act of prostitution, or one of them may be much younger than the other. Yes I caught a 34 year old guy with a 15 year old girl. He is currently serving 10 years for statutory rape. So the majority of them are not nature lovers who were suddenly taken by the urge to express their love with their significant other, They know they are doing something they feel guilty about and want to hide their actions from the public.

 

So, to make a long story long, call the police, call them everytime and call often. You may be stopping a pedophile.

[+Davispak]

On another note, the next time you go to a mall around lunch time, look at all the cars parked way out in the secluded part of the parking lot. Yes they are "talking" too.

[+sbell111]

On another note, the next time you go to a mall around lunch time, look at all the cars parked way out in the secluded part of the parking lot. Yes they are "talking" too.

Isn't that where the employees are required to park?

[+GPSlug]

On another note, the next time you go to a mall around lunch time, look at all the cars parked way out in the secluded part of the parking lot. Yes they are "talking" too.

Isn't that where the employees are required to park?

Isn't that where all the choice micro locations are?

[+sbell111]

... It's about serial anonymous sex. Anonymous meaning everyone else gets to see you!? Not in MY local park, you ain't!

 

As a former police officer I can tell you that this happens alot. For some reason a particular park or parking area gets a reputaion as a "meeting" place and it happens quite often. ...

So, to make a long story long, call the police, call them everytime and call often. You may be stopping a pedophile.

I think that, while what both of you describe certainly happens, it is not necessarily what is going on everytime you come across amorous couples.

 

Two experiences come to mind:

 

A few weeks ago, I found this virt. The virt was in a small park-like area very near the Basketball Hall of Fame. Sharing the parking lot with the HoF, was a restaurant and a nightclub. In the little park, in view of the virt location, were a number of benches. Seated on one of them was a couple who were enjoying their privacy. They were just talking, but the vibe I was getting is that this would change at any moment.

 

The other experience happened in August 2002 when I found this virt in Central Park. At the cache location, two young lovers were, ummmm, completely involved in the act. They obviously were having a picnic when the urge struck as there was a basket present and they were (happily for me) under a blanket.

[+RockyRaab]

Pack a gun. (Yeah, I know what THAT suggestion will spawn here...)

 

If you don't need it for the obvious reason, you can always call the police after you leave the area and report that there was person there with a gun. The cops may not respond to a known "pickle park" in a hurry, but I guarantee you the gun report will get 'em rolling. (And you didn't lie!)

[+sbell111]

Pack a gun. (Yeah, I know what THAT suggestion will spawn here...)

 

If you don't need it for the obvious reason, you can always call the police after you leave the area and report that there was person there with a gun. The cops may not respond to a known "pickle park" in a hurry, but I guarantee you the gun report will get 'em rolling. (And you didn't lie!)

If you are going to file a false police report anyway, why bother bringing your weapon?

[+RockyRaab]

If you are going to file a false police report anyway, why bother bringing your weapon?

 

What false police report? There WAS a guy with a gun in the place (I simply wouldn't mention that I was that guy.)

 

It was a tongue-in-cheek post post, clearly. But your comment is illogical: the fact that I probably won't need it is no reason not to have it. The same applies to seat belts, smoke alarms, accident insurance, etc.

[+RichardMoore]

The last time this topic came up, it quickly degenerated.

 

Simply speaking, regardless if the couple are heterosexual, gay, lesbian or Martian that activity is never appropriate (or legal) in public.

That reminds me of one of my favorite jokes:

 

A Martian standing in front of a gas pump turns to another Martian and says "He doesn't answer, sir. I keep saying 'Take us to your leader', but he just stands there with his reproductive tube in his ear."

 

[+Colorado Cacher]

The last time this topic came up, it quickly degenerated.

 

Simply speaking, regardless if the couple are heterosexual, gay, lesbian or Martian that activity is never appropriate (or legal) in public.

That reminds me of one of my favorite jokes:

 

A Martian standing in front of a gas pump turns to another Martian and says "He doesn't answer, sir. I keep saying 'Take us to your leader', but he just stands there with his reproductive tube in his ear."

 

 

Why does he do this you may ask? Because he can!

[Clan Riffster]

The last time this topic came up, it quickly degenerated.

 

Simply speaking, regardless if the couple are heterosexual, gay, lesbian or Martian that activity is never appropriate (or legal) in public.

Florida has no laws prohibiting the sexual liason of Martians in public.

[+sbell111]

If you are going to file a false police report anyway, why bother bringing your weapon?

 

What false police report? There WAS a guy with a gun in the place (I simply wouldn't mention that I was that guy.)

 

It was a tongue-in-cheek post post, clearly. But your comment is illogical: the fact that I probably won't need it is no reason not to have it. The same applies to seat belts, smoke alarms, accident insurance, etc.

Hold on. You're responding to the wrong person if you're trying to start a gun/anti-gun debate. Do a search and take a read of some of the threads on this topic and you will realize this.

 

My point was, merely saying that there was a guy in the woods with a gun is not going to cause all the police to scurry into the woods and let you go on home. They will ask you questions about who had the gun. At this point, you will either have to tell them that it was you (in which case, they are going to be pretty miffed that you waisted their time) or you are going to lie to them, thereby filing a false police report.

[+Kacky]

The last time this topic came up, it quickly degenerated.

 

Simply speaking, regardless if the couple are heterosexual, gay, lesbian or Martian that activity is never appropriate (or legal) in public.

Florida has no laws prohibiting the sexual liason of Martians in public.

 

And yet we allow it to continue. And why? Because the Martian Sex lobby has a stranglehold on this government and I tell you people, this can lead to naught but trouble. First they come after your poodle, and then your poodle brings it to your leg, and then before you know it, you yourself will be sticking gasoline hoses into your orifices. Do you think that's really a stent Dick Cheney has in his chest? No, it's a gas hose. These Martians have infiltrated at the highest levels. Harry Whittington got a little too close to the truth. That's why he had to apologize. See? Alllll connected, my friends.

Edited July 7, 2006 by Kacky

[+pigpen4x4]

The last time this topic came up, it quickly degenerated.

 

Simply speaking, regardless if the couple are heterosexual, gay, lesbian or Martian that activity is never appropriate (or legal) in public.

Florida has no laws prohibiting the sexual liason of Martians in public.

 

And yet we allow it to continue. And why? Because the Martian Sex lobby has a stranglehold on this government and I tell you people, this can lead to naught but trouble. First they come after your poodle, and then your poodle brings it to your leg, and then before you know it, you yourself will be sticking gasoline hoses into your orifices. Do you think that's really a stent Dick Cheney has in his chest? No, it's a gas hose. These Martians have infiltrated at the highest levels. Harry Whittington got a little too close to the truth. That's why he had to apologize. See? Alllll connected, my friends.

 

Now thats funny.

[+Bill & Tammy]

Ummmm, surely this topic had gone OT enough to merit a thread lock?

[+The GeoGadgets Team]

Just sitting naked at the picnic table is, of course, no problem. I agree, though, that the ol' hot dog incident belongs in private.

 

Really? Not knowing that this obese man was spraying himself (thoroughly, I assume) with OFF! completely naked on this here picnic table that I was setting up the lunch to feed my kids just gives me the EXTREME willies/heebeejeebees/etc.

 

Yes, there is definitely a problem there.

[+ParrotRobAndCeCe]

Just sitting naked at the picnic table is, of course, no problem. I agree, though, that the ol' hot dog incident belongs in private.

 

Really?

 

Yah, really. It's been established that nudity in and of itself isn't a problem, just the sex part.

 

Not knowing that this obese man was spraying himself (thoroughly, I assume) with OFF! completely naked on this here picnic table that I was setting up the lunch to feed my kids just gives me the EXTREME willies/heebeejeebees/etc.

 

Yes, there is definitely a problem there.

 

Good luck arguing that point

[+Kacky]

Skinny, fat, whichever, I don't know any towns where it's legal to sit naked at a picnic table unless it's in your own backyard and nobody can see ya that don't want to.

[Jeremy]

Just tell them that some cops just pulled into the parking area.

[Jeremy]

I do have a question for the police officers out there. If there were some sort of citizen action to patrol the parks for a certain amount of time, how long does it take before the illicit activities cease? What I mean is that there gets to be a rumer that x park is a good place for [insert your vice here] but when does it become a place to avoid because of citizen patrols?

 

At the same time, couldn't a police department, say, target a random park every night and send out a small group of police officers to shake the place up? I'm wondering if many times the patrolling of some of these parks just become an apathetic afterthought. This is not meant to be a dig but just one of those human condition things we all have.

[+The Crazy H Crew]

Jeremy,

If it doesn't make the police department money, it isn't going to happen. In EVERY police department, things that "don't make money" for the state aren't a high priority. This changed about 20 years ago when they allowed the departments to keep seized drug money/property. It is sad and pathetic. The "to protect" part isn't applicable to most police forces any more.

 

TCHC

[+Davispak]

Jeremy,

If it doesn't make the police department money, it isn't going to happen. In EVERY police department, things that "don't make money" for the state aren't a high priority. This changed about 20 years ago when they allowed the departments to keep seized drug money/property. It is sad and pathetic. The "to protect" part isn't applicable to most police forces any more.

 

TCHC

 

Im sorry, but your statement is made from ignorance and is only meant to incite a hostile response. The question that has to be asked is how much police protection do you want? Here in NC the average Police salary is around 30-36K a year. That does not include equipment, vehicle, gas, and the hundred other things needed to "serve and protect". ( New York average salary is 110K a year, learned when I went to help with 9/11 clean-up) Multiply that by the number of officers you want to have on the street. Remember, you need coverage 24/7/365, and don't think you can go half staff on Holidays, they are busier than regular days.

 

Now I'm going to base most of the next stuff off of my Hometown of 158,000 people, We have 472 police officers, covering the great metro area. The city is broken into three districts. There are 6 squads working on a rotating shift that overlap. Each squad has between 30-40 officers. At peak times 3 squads are working, at slow times only 1. That means there could be from 40-120 officers working street depending on the time of day. Now exclude a few officers for vacation, sick, or training, and the number is smaller. This is not an uncommon ration of officer to citizen, so don't think it is a small number. Remember, over 90% of us are law abiding and will do the right thing even when someone would never find out, but there are some that need "encouragment" to obey the law (Yes I'm talking to you people with a lead foot ) Others obey the law for fear of being caught. But there are a few who no matter what will do the wrong thing. This is who we are there for. I mean explain the stupid junk people do on COPS, and that is in front of a camera!

 

Ok, now I'm going to let you in on a little secret. In police work it is not what you do, but what is percieved that you do. What!? Yes. For example I drive onto Crackselling lane and observe Joe McCrackdealer sell some dope. I chase down Joe and arrest him and take him to jail. Jimmy Marijuana sees this and realizes I will be tied up the next two hours doing paperwork and other tasks to insure that Joe doesn't have his rights violated and that he is not being falsely accused. He knows that it is probably safe to sell dope for the next 2 hours unharrassed. However, if I announce my presence prior to turning down the street and then get out walk around, talk to people, then leave and come back 10 minutes later and keep coming and going in the area for a time ( If I don't get dispatched on a call) then i can prevent crime for more than just the 10 minutes it took me to arrest Joe. The higher ups like the first thing because they can point to numbers and say, LOOK! we are doing something about crime, Police officers like the other because they stop crime before it happens and less paperwork.

 

Now lets talk patrol, since this is really the crux of the issue. There are numerous parks and shopping centers in my town along with blocks upon blocks of residential neighborhoods. Store break-ins happen at night, and house break-ins happen during the day. crooks don't really want to go into an occupied house. Now for anyone out there who has ever had anything broken into, the last thing you want is to come home to find your house ransacked, so many departments focus on neighborhoods during the day, or at least we do, and businesses at night. Now personally I would love it if an officer walked all parks all day to prevent this lewd activity, but I would rather my house not be broken into. Now you could petition your town to hire more Police, and raise your taxes, and create an almost a Police state with a cop on every corner, but I would rather just have a few more, to allow for more patrol.

 

On a side note, I always checked the parks when working as I got many arrests out of them. Drugs, drunk driving, and other activities.

I hoped that helped

[+madajb]

Skinny, fat, whichever, I don't know any towns where it's legal to sit naked at a picnic table unless it's in your own backyard and nobody can see ya that don't want to.

It's perfectly legal in my town.

As is walking naked, bicycling naked and, yes, caching naked.

The only problem this causes (other than the "appropriateness" issue) is that the most prevalent nakedness is definitely "bad naked".

Despite the presence of over 10,000 college co-eds, it seems to be only the aesthetically challenged who worship the sun.

=)

 

-ajb

:edit: Man, I can't spell today.

Edited July 7, 2006 by madajb

[Jeremy]

In police work it is not what you do, but what is percieved that you do.

 

Thanks. It was helpful and I won't quote your entire post here. The question I was asking was whether random, concentrated appearances would be a nice way to go about stopping this kind of activity. I don't expect that there would be constant patrols of park spaces. It does seem, however, like some targeted action around whatever city would be a Good Thing.

 

I guess I would approach it rather randomly. If you arrest a drug dealer have another patrol stop by 15 minutes later and show a police presence. Shake it up and create random patrols so the criminals don't see a routine. Now this comes from my perception of Seattle but there doesn't seem to be much randomness in patrols here.

[+The Leprechauns]

I own a cache in a "park with a reputation." My cache page includes a warning to exercise caution and awareness.

 

Recently, the law enforcement agency with jurisdiction over that park announced *in the media* that they would be cracking down on the park perverts in this particular park. Despite the advance warning, they had no problem making multiple arrests during their planned crackdown period. I shook my head at that. Perverts are dumb.

 

I have talked with the park management and this is about the best they can hope for, other than responding to specific complaints. Basically what happens is very similar to crackdowns on drug dealers. Everyone gets the word that the corner of Main and 24th is no longer a safe place to buy Rock, so they move to the corner of Maple and 32nd. Likewise, the park perverts are shooed out of South Park, and move to North Park.

[+BadAndy]

A few years ago, there was a neighborhood nearby that the hookers frequented, along with a pickle park down the block. The police couldn't really patrol it enough to make a real dent in the problem.

 

When the citizens reached their tolerance limit, one of the local pastors started hanging out in front of the park with a camcorder and clipboard, taking down license plates and shooting video of the johns and trolls. He'd mail copies of the tapes to the addresses listed on the vehicles registration (freely available from the DMV). This prompted a few TV news stations to take note (let alone the wives that got to the mailbox first) and the problem pretty much went away.

 

By went away I mean moved somewhere else.

[+IGJoe]

It's perfectly legal in my town.

As is walking naked, bicycling naked and, yes, caching naked.

The only problem this causes (other than the "appropriateness" issue) is that the most prevalent nakedness is definitely "bad naked".

 

Really? I mean really really? I find that totally ...... um, curious. I'm not offended per say but I just have a hard time imagining a place in the US (assuming we're talking about America and not those wacky metric loving canucks) where public nudity is lawful. How do they legislate 'appropriateness'? How do they draw lines between 1 person nude in public vs. two people nude in public vs. two people standing next to each other & nude in public vs. all the above & holding hands vs. all the above and holding something else and so on and so on.

 

EDIT: HTML quote correction

Edited July 7, 2006 by IGJoe

[+Kacky]

Skinny, fat, whichever, I don't know any towns where it's legal to sit naked at a picnic table unless it's in your own backyard and nobody can see ya that don't want to.

It's perfectly legal in my town.

As is walking naked, bicycling naked and, yes, caching naked.

The only problem this causes (other than the "appropriateness" issue) is that the most prevalent nakedness is definitely "bad naked".

Despite the presence of over 10,000 college co-eds, it seems to be only the aesthetically challenged who worship the sun.

=)

 

-ajb

:edit: Man, I can't spell today.

 

1. Yeah, college women exist only to give YOU something to look at. Freakin' GGW generation.

 

2. Name of the town, please?

Edited July 8, 2006 by Kacky

[+madajb]

Really? I mean really really? I find that totally ...... um, curious. I'm not offended per say but I just have a hard time imagining a place in the US (assuming we're talking about America and not those wacky metric loving canucks) where public nudity is lawful.

Well, sort of really.

Toplessness is a-ok.

There is apparently a law that says it is illegal for those over 8 "to expose their genitalia while in a public place or place visible from a public place, if the public place is open or available to persons of the opposite sex."

However, this is rarely (if ever) enforced, unless said nude person is nude somewhere inappropriate(a playground) or causing a disturbance (the nude carwash that caused accidents).

It is so rarely enforced that I didn't even know that law existed until I went and looked it up.

I suppose that's why I'm not a lawyer.

heh.

How do they draw lines between 1 person nude in public vs. two people nude in public vs. two people standing next to each other & nude in public vs. all the above & holding hands vs. all the above and holding something else and so on and so on.

Well, that'd be covered under Public Indecency:

" A person commits the crime of public indecency if while in, or in view of,

a public place the person performs:

(a) An act of sexual intercourse; or

(b ) An act of deviate sexual intercourse; or

(c ) An act of exposing the genitals of the person with the intent of

arousing the sexual desire of the person or another person. "

[+madajb]

1. Yeah, college women exist only to give YOU something to look at. Freakin' GGW generation.

 

What's a GGW?

 

-ajb

[+The GeoGadgets Team]

 

Remember, over 90% of us are law abiding and will do the right thing even when someone would never find out, but there are some that need "encouragment" to obey the law (Yes I'm talking to you people with a lead foot ) Others obey the law for fear of being caught. But there are a few who no matter what will do the wrong thing. This is who we are there for. I mean explain the stupid junk people do on COPS, and that is in front of a camera!

 

I'm still trying to understand the logic of law enforcement in the town in which I live...

The fire marshall shows up at every single call, whether it be a drug bust, a speeder, a "help, I've fallen and I can't get up!" call. I have yet to see only one police officer or sheriff show up at a traffic violation - usually a drunk driver (no accident, just breath 'em and bust 'em) illicits two city cops, a sheriff and one or two highway patrol (how ever many are in the area at the time). It isn't like these people are forcing the cops to chase them down and a call for back-up was made (my ham radio is tuned into the emergency freqs), it is more like they (the law) are bored and this is the only thing to do at the moment.

 

NOW... this sort of concentrated cop behavior, according to your theory, would mean that all other non-law abiding idiots are chosing that moment to break into the local laundramat, molest an old lady on SS check day, etc. Sort of like how I know that when I see a highway patrolman with someone pulled over and he's standing next to the driver's side door, that I really don't have to slow down (and the people who do deserve my laser cannon straight up the tailpipe! ), and probably won't have to worry about police presence for at least ten minutes in my rear view mirror.

 

To answer Jeremy's question, any area that has an elevated level of illicit sexual activity going on could do with a neighborhood watch group, or a "Save Our Parks!" group. Some orange vests, some high wattage flashlights and a consistent presence would make Joey and Johnny Nude find someplace more appropriate to play, like behind the local grocery store. Crime does not suffer the presence of bright light and publicity for long.

[+The GeoGadgets Team]

1. Yeah, college women exist only to give YOU something to look at. Freakin' GGW generation.

 

What's a GGW?

 

-ajb

 

Man... get a TV and stay up late watching "SPIKE" for Pete's Sake!

 

Girl's Gone Wild

[Clan Riffster]

The "to protect" part isn't applicable to most police forces any more.

Probably the second most assinine thing I've ever read.

 

OK, back on topic:

Our Supreme Court just added a new twist to this issue. According to them, a law enforcement officer cannot be offended by acts of public indecency. This came about as a result of numerous sting operations in which plain clothed officers would patrol the parks in question, and would arrest those folks found to be engaging in lewd behavior. Since the Courts ruled long ago that the participants of a consentual lewd act could not be considered as having been offended by it, that left only the witnessing/arresting officer to be offended. Since "actions which offend the public decency" is part and parcel to that particular law, it's darn near unenforcable now.

 

The moral? Don't blame the cops. Instead, blame the Courts.

 

Jeremy, to answer your question, I believe it would help, especially if the citizens were armed with video cameras. If they found Neal & Bob engaging in a bit of public romance which offended them, they could video tape what was occuring and call us. We would then have evidence which would demonstrate that us cops aren't the only ones being offended at lewd behavior in a public park.

 

Edit to add: I already know I can't spell. No need to point it out to me.

Edited July 8, 2006 by Clan Riffster

[Clan Riffster]

I'm still trying to understand the logic of law enforcement in the town in which I live...

The fire marshall shows up at every single call, whether it be a drug bust, a speeder, a "help, I've fallen and I can't get up!" call. I have yet to see only one police officer or sheriff show up at a traffic violation - usually a drunk driver (no accident, just breath 'em and bust 'em) illicits two city cops, a sheriff and one or two highway patrol (how ever many are in the area at the time).

Jeez, Gadget. Haven't you ever listened to Alice's Restraunt?

[+The GeoGadgets Team]

I'm still trying to understand the logic of law enforcement in the town in which I live...

The fire marshall shows up at every single call, whether it be a drug bust, a speeder, a "help, I've fallen and I can't get up!" call. I have yet to see only one police officer or sheriff show up at a traffic violation - usually a drunk driver (no accident, just breath 'em and bust 'em) illicits two city cops, a sheriff and one or two highway patrol (how ever many are in the area at the time).

Jeez, Gadget. Haven't you ever listened to Alice's Restraunt?

 

"Now it all started two Thanksgivings ago, was on - two years ago on

Thanksgiving, when my friend and I went up to visit Alice at the

restaurant, but Alice doesn't live in the restaurant, she lives in the

church nearby the restaurant, in the bell-tower, with her husband Ray and

Fasha the dog. And livin' in the bell tower like that, they got a lot of

room downstairs where the pews used to be in."

 

Nope... never heard of it, child of the 60's that I am...

Give me an "F" (F!)

Give me a "U" (U!)...

[+Woodbutcher68]

"Well come on all of you big strong men,

Uncle Sam needs our help again.

Got himself in a terrible jam,

Way down yonder in Vietnam.

So put down your books and pick up a gun,

We're gonna have a whole lot of fun!

 

And it's One, Two, Three, what are we fightin' for,

Don't ask me I don't give a dadgum,

Our next stop is Vietnam."

 

Sorry, slight Woodstock flashback!

[Clan Riffster]

Let us not forget the 27 8x10 color glossy pictures with the circles and arrows and a paragraph on the back of each one explaining what each one was, to be used as evidence against us. And Officer Obie...and the seeing eye dog.

[+madajb]

Man... get a TV and stay up late watching "SPIKE" for Pete's Sake!

 

Girl's Gone Wild

 

Well, see, I'm not of "that generation" apparently.

heh.

 

-ajb

[+The GeoGadgets Team]

Man... get a TV and stay up late watching "SPIKE" for Pete's Sake!

 

Girl's Gone Wild

 

Well, see, I'm not of "that generation" apparently.

heh.

 

-ajb

 

That's cool, I guess I'm not either, being:

1) female (and straight - I guess I should clarify);

2) not the type of person that gets off watching drunk women make complete fools of themselves (or drunk men, for that matter, which is actually far more common, but those videos are usually aired on "COPS");

3) and old enough to remember my first beer.

 

Oh, and being a "child of the '60's" meant that I was born in 1960 and all that that implies, not that I was a flower-child, hippy, or draft-dodger... though I'm cool with all of that. I didn't truly "hear" Alice's Restaurant until many years later, and I certainly didn't get to hear the Joe and the Fish song until early in my adulthood, when it was more an issue of "hey! did you hear what he said? *giggle*", than anything that incited me to protest. In fact, I probably heard it first on Dr. Demento. Man, obfuscation RULES!

*pre-requisite 'DOINK!' inserted here*

 

RedwoodRed

/- Soon to switch coasts -\

\- wondering if it makes me 'bi-coastal' -/

[+Team Torque]

Jeremy,

If it doesn't make the police department money, it isn't going to happen. In EVERY police department, things that "don't make money" for the state aren't a high priority. This changed about 20 years ago when they allowed the departments to keep seized drug money/property. It is sad and pathetic. The "to protect" part isn't applicable to most police forces any more.

 

TCHC

 

Im sorry, but your statement is made from ignorance and is only meant to incite a hostile response. The question that has to be asked is how much police protection do you want? Here in NC the average Police salary is around 30-36K a year. That does not include equipment, vehicle, gas, and the hundred other things needed to "serve and protect". ( New York average salary is 110K a year, learned when I went to help with 9/11 clean-up) Multiply that by the number of officers you want to have on the street. Remember, you need coverage 24/7/365, and don't think you can go half staff on Holidays, they are busier than regular days.

 

 

I am not a police officer but do work for 3 different departments (two townships and one city) as a consultant. I have to agree with Crazy H on this one. It is all about enforcing the laws that make the most money first. Anything else takes a back seat. It is interesting that now both the criminals and police are dependent on drug money.

 

As for those actors rights you are trying not to violate don't worry that pesky bill of rights is going away in the name of national security.

 

To clean up the area you have to report it. Don't assume the police know about it. If no action is taken be a squeaky wheel. Is the local police chief up for reelection? A letter to the editor in the newspaper might be in order.