This one takes the cake!

[undiscovered]

Read the log by Superfly...

 

 

GC163N0

 

 

Out for a pleasant afternoon of geocaching: $0

 

FTF on a new cache: $0

 

Turning around to find 8 police officers with guns pulled: Priceless

 

 

Sounds like everything ended well though.

 

 

-Jim

[+"we two want to play too"]

Holey Moley!! And I had thought about doing this one...

 

 

I just might hafta go tease Scott now!

 

Hope Jen and the kids weren't there.

[CoyoteRed]

Sounds like the police doing their job and doing it well. The security guards on the other hand...

[+frex3wv]

I saw 2 posts for that cache on the page... the police dealt with 2 DIFFERENT individuals at different times? I am confused.

[RV'n Iowans]

I can see this happening, and even in my short time of geocaching, can see where vigilant folks may consider someone snooping around with a "something" in hand as potentially dangerous.

 

Proper ID, perhaps a business card IDing you as a Geocacher, and a friendly attitude if encountered are my thoughts to help prevent an unforunate encounter with law enforcement. Remember, they are there to enforce the law, so just smile and be cooperative

[+Kit Fox]

This type of encounter with Law Enforcement is bound to occur whenever a cache is placed "full view" of the general public. I don't believe the cache owners maintenance log that all security and law enforcement have been notified.

[+Team Cotati]

This type of encounter with Law Enforcement is bound to occur whenever a cache is placed "full view" of the general public. I don't believe the cache owners maintenance log that all security and law enforcement have been notified.

 

Yeah, tell me about it.

[+Grigorii Rasputin]

I am a police officer in Michigan, and 'man with a gun' calls are not my favorite. They are truly frightening, and any police officer who says they aren't is either lying, has a death wish, or has never been sent on one. But when someone calls it in, we have to respond and we have to take it at face value until we learn otherwise. Having arrested several people who had guns on them at the time will forever change the way I do my job. On the other hand, I certainly hate the idea of drawing down on an innocent person. It's a very tricky balance on a razor-sharp blade, sometimes!

 

I'm happy all ended well, and I hope none of you will think too poorly of law enforcement because of this. My apologies and best wishes to Superfly. I guess this is why I LOVE the caches WAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYY back in the sticks. I don't want to have to explain to anyone why I'm there and what I'm doing, INCLUDING a brother or sister officer!

 

Stay Safe and God Bless Y'all!!

Grigorii

[+Renegade Knight]

This type of encounter with Law Enforcement is bound to occur whenever a cache is placed "full view" of the general public. I don't believe the cache owners maintenance log that all security and law enforcement have been notified.

 

Even if they have been notified, Security is has a reputation for churn. The new guys won't know squat. The cache location may be perfect in every other way, but security will tend to be a problem. Hopefully this is the exception to the rule.

Edited September 26, 2007 by Renegade Knight

[+Thrak]

Sounds like overzealous mutant security "officers". Once they idiotically called it in as a person with a gun the cops were just doing their job. I can't see that they had any choice and it's a good thing that they went in force. Too bad the security people were such idiots. I can't imagine walking around "looking at my gun" in the manner that I look at my GPSr.

 

It's good that the police weren't overly forceful and sorted things out quickly. At least they used their heads even if the security people didn't.

[+Kit Fox]

Sounds like overzealous mutant security "officers". Once they idiotically called it in as a person with a gun the cops were just doing their job. I can't see that they had any choice and it's a good thing that they went in force. Too bad the security people were such idiots. I can't imagine walking around "looking at my gun" in the manner that I look at my GPSr.

 

It's good that the police weren't overly forceful and sorted things out quickly. At least they used their heads even if the security people didn't.

 

Since none of us were there, to see what the security officers actually saw, calling them idiots based purely on speculation is unwise.

Edited September 27, 2007 by Kit Fox

[+Clue Seeker]

I may be drifting from the topic slightly but when ever I see a L.E.O. while geocaching I take time to share a little of what cachers do. I recently did this with an officer in Clackamas, OR and handed him my entire stack of self made Geocaching.com information cards. He appreciated the chat and was going to share the info at the morning briefings.

 

Hopefully there will be a few more understanding L.E.O.s when I get caught with my .45 caliber Garmin.

[+genegene]

Hes lucky there was more then one. I almost got shot looking to place a part 2 to GC13066 ... While I was puled over and looking around at a possible cache home for #2 I inadvertently left my car door open and walked about 15 feet in to the woods. I could see my car from where I was and saw that the door was open but didn't think twice about it. I know a lot of people in the area and was in a pull off area along the main Rd. The whole area is just calling out for a cache as I'm looking around at it. Next thing I know I see a state trouper slam on his brakes and do a 180 in the middle of the rd. and then pull up and stop in front of my car. Well needless to say I need to go find out what's up. DUMB move not making to much noise in the woods, I head tords him quickly and like I said with not much noise either. I must have spooked him or something because that right hand dropped tords his gun as fast as a man in a wild west showdown. well after a few minutes of explaining y my door was open, and why I was in the woods, off he went

[+Sileny Jizda]

The cops did their job can't fault them there. Barney int he booth on the other hand... even after the first instance should have figured it out. I agree the churn rate with those guys is ridiculous.

[+The Herd]

Yet another reason I don't miss living in my home town of Battle Creek, Michigan.

 

Though, I do know the exact location this one is hidden at, and the nearby building is under some pretty tight security. The 12 cops....probably just a slow night in town.

[+emtfire10]

Was out checking a cache a few weeks back in the vicinity of a Gas Station, when I came out the woods with a Pa State Trooper telling me not to move. After some brief explaining of what I was doing, he checked my ID for W/Ws (Wants & Warrants) & released me. Rather funny though as I was explaining further to what I was doing, I found the cache & showed him.

 

The initial call that he received was "Some crazy man wearing camo shorts, black sleeveless shirt & a camo ballcap walking in & out of the woods". Had no problem though, he just doing his job.

[+Snoogans]

Sounds like the police doing their job and doing it well. The security guards on the other hand...

 

None of MY officers would ever mistake a GPSr for a gun.

 

Makes me wonder how the FTFr was holding it and what his actual search behavior was like.

 

Funny story.

[CoyoteRed]

Makes me wonder how the FTFr was holding it and what his actual search behavior was like.

 

"No, no! To fool the muggles, you're supposed to be pretending you're on a cellphone."

 

(With apologies to SuperFly.)

[+Grigorii Rasputin]

I may be drifting from the topic slightly but when ever I see a L.E.O. while geocaching I take time to share a little of what cachers do. I recently did this with an officer in Clackamas, OR and handed him my entire stack of self made Geocaching.com information cards. He appreciated the chat and was going to share the info at the morning briefings.

 

Hopefully there will be a few more understanding L.E.O.s when I get caught with my .45 caliber Garmin.

 

Not a very bad idea, indeed!

[CoyoteRed]

I may be drifting from the topic slightly but when ever I see a L.E.O. while geocaching I take time to share a little of what cachers do. I recently did this with an officer in Clackamas, OR and handed him my entire stack of self made Geocaching.com information cards. He appreciated the chat and was going to share the info at the morning briefings.

 

Hopefully there will be a few more understanding L.E.O.s when I get caught with my .45 caliber Garmin.

Not a very bad idea, indeed!

No, it's not. I'm thinking there is a direct correlation between geocaching and the personal preferences of some cops that make them be cops. (Not all share it as we've also gotten the "you need to find a different hobby" comment from one.)

 

I generally carry a few of these in my wallet for those occasions. The brochure at geocacher-u would be good to hand out if you got the space.

[+Renegade Knight]

...The brochure at geocacher-u would be good to hand out if you got the space.

I've seen this used to fair success.

[+Super Fly]

The security guard did come outside and appologise for the mistake. He said that from where he was standing and watching, the antenna on the 60csx looked like a gun barrel. All of the police involved were very professional in the way they handled me and the situation. I thanked them for not shooting me and for the job that they do every day. After explaining geocaching they all seemed very interested in the sport and wished me good luck in finding what I was looking for. I have no hard feelings against any of these people for anything that happened that day.

[+Renegade Knight]

The security guard did come outside and appologise for the mistake. He said that from where he was standing and watching, the antenna on the 60csx looked like a gun barrel. All of the police involved were very professional in the way they handled me and the situation. I thanked them for not shooting me and for the job that they do every day. After explaining geocaching they all seemed very interested in the sport and wished me good luck in finding what I was looking for. I have no hard feelings against any of these people for anything that happened that day.

Well said. Thank you for following up in the forums.

[+PJPeters]

I run into Super Fly quite frequently. He's got some stories. It is believed that he has the local record for most visits with police officers while caching.

I'd hate to be in the situation (either side of the guns, to be honest), and I appreciate what the police officers do, and how they handle the situations they're presented with. Granted, I'd appreciate it more if they didn't have several guns pointing in my direction, but it doesn't take much to change a situation from innocence to deadly violence.

I'm glad to hear that the situation was resolved happily, and am equally happy to hear that the guard came out and spoke with Super Fly.

It's better to be overly careful in a situation like this.

[+Silny Jako Bek]

I'm surprised that more people aren't stopped by police when caching (particularly) at night. I'm constantly amazed that we can search urban areas at night with flashlights or headlamps and no one calls the cops. So much for people paying attention to what's going on around them. That said, I'm happy when the cops don't show up but it shows how suspicious behavior can easily go unnoticed, or at least unreported.

[+Renegade Knight]

I'm surprised that more people aren't stopped by police when caching (particularly) at night. I'm constantly amazed that we can search urban areas at night with flashlights or headlamps and no one calls the cops. So much for people paying attention to what's going on around them. That said, I'm happy when the cops don't show up but it shows how suspicious behavior can easily go unnoticed, or at least unreported.

 

My kids can't even go lay in the grassto watch the stars, at the park across the street at night without the cops showing up to chase them out. At least one of my neighbors has them on speed dial.

Edited September 27, 2007 by Renegade Knight

[+trainlove]

My car was once surrounded by 6 cop cars only about a minute after arriving at a cache near midnight. Apparently a cop lived across the street and even though it was winter he was out on his porch and saw a car (mine) barrel down his road, cross a T inthe road, and stop apparently right in the woods, and a guy (me) hop out of the car and run into the woods.

Apparently a lot of homo action goes on in that town/city so they kept questioning me on and on while I kept saying, this is a GPS, and not far from here is a hidden box in the woods. I would not tell them where that puzzle cache was, it was only about 20 feet from the road, right on the edge of a frozen pond. But I, having seen 6 cop cars arrive, and dozens of spotlights search all around the area, went across the pond and came out somewhere where they could see that I was not threatening.

All they charged me for in the end, after about 2 hours, was for parking right next to a fire hydrant. There were no boulders blocking that berm as each and every other one 1/10 mile up and down the road was so blocked...

 

Another time, I had asked a few bicyclists, a mother and hew 2 daughters, if they were going to find the simple film can in the woods. That was at an event and I honestly thought they were among the hundreds of geocachers in the area. But no, they thought I wanted to go into the woods with them and take pictures.

At least those cops had heard about geocaching. And I had some cache page printouts, but not that particular cache. But I also had a search page that showed a cache called simple film can in the woods.

[+"we two want to play too"]

... they thought I wanted to go into the woods with them and take pictures.

At least those cops had heard about geocaching. And I had some cache page printouts, but not that particular cache. But I also had a search page that showed a cache called simple film can in the woods.

 

I swear, as I sit here and shake my head, I'm not laughing at you. With you sweetie but, Jeez....

makes me think of the other thread about 'Secret words or...'

 

edit to add: I'm sooooo glad I'm a girl!

Edited September 27, 2007 by "we two want to play too"

[+9Key]

If it were my cache this occured at I would archive it so no one else would have the same encounter.

[+Tsegi Mike and Desert Viking]

I thanked them for not shooting me

 

Lol. Im sorry, but this struck me as the funniest comment Ive seen in a long time.

 

Im glad everything worked out well.

[+michigansnorkelers]

I often carry my GPSr clipped to the chest strap of my caching bag. I've seriously wondered if a police officer would mistake my Garmin 60cs for a revolver. Especially if I were in a crouched position seeking a cache, or simply turning around quickly, or both!!!

 

Maybe I should paint the antenna orange???

[+"we two want to play too"]

(deleted by moderator)

Edited October 1, 2007 by mtn-man

[+ChicagoCanineCrew]

I'm surprised that more people aren't stopped by police when caching (particularly) at night. I'm constantly amazed that we can search urban areas at night with flashlights or headlamps and no one calls the cops. So much for people paying attention to what's going on around them. That said, I'm happy when the cops don't show up but it shows how suspicious behavior can easily go unnoticed, or at least unreported.

 

I've said it before and I'll say it again: Dogs. They're the ultimate caching "camo"! If you have a dog with you, no one will look twice. I've wandered all over with my dogs when caching and when just exploring/walking them including wandering about in the woods, stopping under a underpass with a flashlight at night (we were checking out some neat spiderwebs), shining a flashlight across a canal or into the tall grass in a park, walking in a neighborhood where no one ever goes anywhere on foot (no sidewalks) and other things that are often more suspicious than geocaching (usually just us checking out some interesting bug, plant, or other feature in the urban landscape.) As long as you have a dog no one seems to think it's strange. I've never once had a cop stop us for suspicious behavior. We've have police cars pass by when we were walking in a park after closing and they didn't make a peep. The only times I've ever been approached by an officer when I had my dogs with me were: Once when the cop wanted to compliment me on my dog's training; the second time when we were walking down into an under-bridge bike path, a police car drove up behind us and they called out to ask us if we had seen a homeless man sleeping under the bridge with a dog (we hadn't.)

Edited September 28, 2007 by ChicagoCanineCrew

[+plumbrokeacres]

I've been stopped by a the RCMP at 5:30am looking for a cache and explained Caching to the officer by handing her one of the tent cards from geocacher U explaining Geocaching Don't leave home with out it!

 

then about two weeks ago I was on the hunt for a FTF about 20 miles out of town in the middle of nowhere with my buddy and had a couple conservation officers approach us ask ing why we were in the middle of no where in the darkness searching the woods with a couple million candle power spot lights. forgot my cards but had my PDA, GPS, and a printout of the cache. it also helped the "Cache Wreck" was decaled up with Caching related decals.

 

I just started a new website for our local cachers and will be having an event next month and we have put an invite to the RCMP to attend and learn about our sport.

 

I'm Surprised I haven't encountered more law enforcement officers.

[+mo_town_man]

I often carry my GPSr clipped to the chest strap of my caching bag. I've seriously wondered if a police officer would mistake my Garmin 60cs for a revolver. Especially if I were in a crouched position seeking a cache, or simply turning around quickly, or both!!!

 

Maybe I should paint the antenna orange???

 

Makes me glad i opted for the Garmin 76CSX. No barrel. Getting shot isn't the adventure i seek with my hobby.

 

--mo_town_man