Jump to content

Police leave warning, take nothing


Juicepig

Recommended Posts

Visited GCJYNZ yesterday down in Hogtown's waterfront. It looks as though the local police left a note in the container warning weirdo's like us that they could be mistaken for "John's" if caught in the area.

 

The note described how the park has become a haven for "lurkers" and men seeking prostitutes. Myself and my co-cacher had a good laugh at the note (that was signed by the local member of parliment), and wondered why they would choose to stick this in a geocache rather then just post a sign somewhere that warned other park-goers.

 

The cache area provides good area for various goings-on, including geocaching! hurrah! :blink:

 

Glad we did this in the early morning instead of late at night! Police ever canvased a geocache in your area? First I have ever heard of this method of communication!

Link to comment

When I found a cache near one of the hotels along the Sydney Waterfront, there was a note from a police officer in the log, saying that a guest in the hotel had noticed some suspicious people rooting around under a bush--I'm not sure if it was on hotel property or not--and had called the boys in blue. The cop actually found the cache, saw what it was, and left it alone, other than leaving the note in the log.

 

Cheers,

 

Phil/ve1bvd

Link to comment

Well, I'm aware of one cache in Chatham, Ontario that was in a carpool lot. Apparently someone thought the activity was suspicious (read: must be stashing drugs) and the local constabulary was called in. They confiscated the cache and someone on the force had a sense of humour. They contacted the cache owner and told them the story, and that the travel bugs had been arrested and were being detained until the cache owner could 'post bail'.

 

The cache was active (complete with bugs) a week later.

Link to comment
Visited GCJYNZ yesterday down in Hogtown's waterfront. ...

 

Hogtown is generally a pejorative term for Toronto (be nice, we don't slag your home town.) However, this cache is in Mississagua.

Remember, this is JuicePIG we're talking about... HOGtown is his home town!

 

So, how about we recruit a bunch of the BFL Bootcamp participants for a night raid? I'm sure 20 or 30 spotlights will help clear out the "lurkers". As a bonus, the "paparazzi" could break out their cameras for some extra effect.

 

TOMTEC

Link to comment

I would send a message back to the local member of parliment and tell him that encouraging geocachers and other normal citizens to use the premises is a great way of reducing illicite activities. Especially the geocachers who usually carry cameras...lol. The heavier traffic will make the undesirables go elsewhere.

Link to comment

Not exactly the same thing, but I was contacted by police for my participation in a Groundspeak related activity. The previous poster that mentioned cameras kinda makes this relevent.

 

While happy recording the coordinates of a Subway restaurant with my GPS and taking a photo of the exterior I thought nothing other than it would eventually become another Waymark.

 

Three weeks later my 12 year old answers our home phone and informs me that it is the police and they want to talk to me. Long story short, the owner of the Subway thought that I was casing the joint for a future robbery.

 

Even though I was completely within my rights to take the photo from a publicly accessible point, the police still needed to contact me and follow up on it. They then suggested that in the future I should talk to the staff so they know what I am doing. Sometimes it takes quite a while to explain that this is just a courtacy and permission is not actually required when done from publicly accessible points like city sidewalks.

 

On another outing, I was patiently waiting to take a photo of an Ontario Historic Plaque that is located at a public school. The kids were out for recess and I knew that taking a photo would raise the alarm bells so to speak. So waiting and waiting, finally a teacher comes over to talk to me. Eventually another cacher that lives across the street who happens to be on the Parent Council came over and all was fine. The teacher still didn't like that I was going to take the photo, but it would have been unwise for me to say back "Look lady, I can take this photo right now and there ain't nothing that you can legally do to stop me, kids or no kids".

 

All I'm saying is that simply taking your camera out is not always going to make people dispurse. Sometimes it can escalate the issue.

 

<_< BQ

Link to comment

I don't want to sound like a grouch, but I wish people would put more thought into their stashes. I don't speak for everyone I'm sure, but others have shared with me their disappointment in many of these type of urban wasteland caches and otherwise inappropriate cache hides. There was a time when caches were archived when found to be in undesirable or un-family friendly areas. I can't think of any of my stashes where you'd likely be accused of anything illegal.

 

As far as I'm concerned Geocaching is still very much a fringe activity. If I could use BQ's example, the likelihood of something detrimental coming out of a cache like that is so obvious I would've aborted it myself.

 

C-A

Edited by Couparangus
Link to comment

I don't want to sound like a grouch, but I wish people would put more thought into their stashes. I don't speak for everyone I'm sure, but others have shared with me their disappointment in many of these type of urban wasteland caches and otherwise inappropriate cache hides. There was a time when caches were archived when found to be in undesirable or un-family friendly areas. I can't think of any of my stashes where you'd likely be accused of anything illegal.

 

Marie Curtis park was a pretty nice place when I was younger. I used to love riding my bike there from Cooksville, and making the day out of it. This has only recently become family unfriendly as far as I'm aware (or at least, it appears I survived my childhood visits).

 

I'm disappointed with the park's decline. I would probably archive this listing if it was mine, or put a not recommended at night attribute on it.

Link to comment

I don't want to sound like a grouch, but I wish people would put more thought into their stashes. I don't speak for everyone I'm sure, but others have shared with me their disappointment in many of these type of urban wasteland caches and otherwise inappropriate cache hides. There was a time when caches were archived when found to be in undesirable or un-family friendly areas. I can't think of any of my stashes where you'd likely be accused of anything illegal.

 

Marie Curtis park was a pretty nice place when I was younger. I used to love riding my bike there from Cooksville, and making the day out of it. This has only recently become family unfriendly as far as I'm aware (or at least, it appears I survived my childhood visits).

 

I'm disappointed with the park's decline. I would probably archive this listing if it was mine, or put a not recommended at night attribute on it.

I've archived a cache due to the issue above, when we placed the cache you would not have known there would be an issue, it quickly went missing and I replaced it. It went missing soon after again, when I returned I then noted the activity, right across from families having picnics and fishing, I also was a little naive about it back then too. Its a nice little park, thought it would be a good place for the cache, still do, disappointed that due to certain activates, you have to be careful in a few parks around here so I have found out on occasion. I am also disappointed when authorities tell you that you should not be there legally due to illegal activities and you might be mistaken for the other, "why else would you be there if not for?".

Link to comment

I don't see the point in avoiding certain areas because of illegal activities. Ok...I'm old and inoffensive. I have worked quite a bit in the world of security (conservation officer, private detective, store detective, 911 operator for the Quebec provincial police) so "bad guys" don't scare me. However, the region where I live, has the lowest crime rate in Canada. Our "bad guys" may not be as bad as yours.

Link to comment

I don't want to sound like a grouch, but I wish people would put more thought into their stashes. I don't speak for everyone I'm sure, but others have shared with me their disappointment in many of these type of urban wasteland caches and otherwise inappropriate cache hides. There was a time when caches were archived when found to be in undesirable or un-family friendly areas. I can't think of any of my stashes where you'd likely be accused of anything illegal.

 

Marie Curtis park was a pretty nice place when I was younger. I used to love riding my bike there from Cooksville, and making the day out of it. This has only recently become family unfriendly as far as I'm aware (or at least, it appears I survived my childhood visits).

 

I'm disappointed with the park's decline. I would probably archive this listing if it was mine, or put a not recommended at night attribute on it.

I've archived a cache due to the issue above, when we placed the cache you would not have known there would be an issue, it quickly went missing and I replaced it. It went missing soon after again, when I returned I then noted the activity, right across from families having picnics and fishing, I also was a little naive about it back then too. Its a nice little park, thought it would be a good place for the cache, still do, disappointed that due to certain activates, you have to be careful in a few parks around here so I have found out on occasion. I am also disappointed when authorities tell you that you should not be there legally due to illegal activities and you might be mistaken for the other, "why else would you be there if not for?".

 

But by staying away as they suggest, aren't we just caving into the problem? If more people that are not doing something illegal tend to hang around wouldn't that make the illegal entities want to move to another location? (ie: the sewers)

 

Take for instance a very nice park in Montreal, Park Angrigon, it has become less and less favorable to walk there because of illicit thing occurring during both the days and night, and I have actually removed 4 of my caches from there just because of that. But maybe I should not have done that maybe increasing the flow of cachers in the park would have removed the problem? I wonder.

Link to comment

Danoshimano is right about the stalkers hiding in the tall grass and waiting for you. That is what happened to me at this cache last Nov.11/06. Just before that, the guy was zig zaging all over the woodlot desperately looking for someone/thing while I was signing the log from behind a tree.

Link to comment

Avoiding lurkers is something to think about, but I'm more concerned about my actions alarming people in their own homes.

 

On Sunday night, Hubby and I decided to try a local "recommended at night" cache while we waited for some restaurant tables to open up.

 

Neither of us were familiar with this little dead end road. I usually read everyone else's logs before we head out, but in the rush to get out and back for dinner, I didn't bother. Sure wish I had.

 

We'd assumed this was your standard uninhabited rural boat launch. Wrong. It's a bunch of little houses clustered at the dead end of a road. The houses are jammed right on top of each other, and it's more of a driveway than a road. Even on the launch ramp itself, you seem to be in someone's tiny little yard.

 

I was shocked to see that a cache had been set out in such a private location - and then labelled as "come poke around these people's homes with flashlights." Granted, I grew up in the sticks where you look out for your neighbors, but my gruff city-raised husband didn't want any part of this location either. We immediately turned the car around and left as unobtrusively as we could.

 

I still feel like I should apologize to someone for being there at all. If one of these homeowners called the police, I'd certainly understand why.

Link to comment

Avoiding lurkers is something to think about, but I'm more concerned about my actions alarming people in their own homes.

 

A very important point. I have a new "log" type: DNS. It stands for "Did NOT Search". As soon as I see the micro cache has been hidden directly in front of peoples' homes, I move on. I know a lot of people will not like people poking around outside their homes, and when they discover that it is geocaching that has brought them there they will not like geocaching. It's a public-relations nightmare in the making.

 

I don't want to BE SEEN as the lurker!

Link to comment

I have a new "log" type: DNS. It stands for "Did NOT Search". As soon as I see the micro cache has been hidden directly in front of peoples' homes, I move on.

 

I think your DNS is a fabulous idea. Now how do we get it implemented into geocaching.com for logs?

 

Making it an officially sanctioned option would encourage people to back off bad cache locations before they create a public relations land mine. It might also help encourage cache owners to use more suitable locations, without being confrontational.

 

If nothing else, seeing "3 found it, 2 didn't find it, 10 didn't search" would keep people from wasting time on long drives or multi caches that end in unsuitable locations.

Link to comment

If I can suggest an alternative, although that DNS does sound good.

 

Since there is already a system in place to 'ignore', why not add # of people ignoring this listing right under the # of people watching it? There could even be a way to add an anonymous optional comment so others can see why it is being ignored.

 

But any feature requests would have to go in the Geocaching.com Web Site thread, way up the forums near the top.

 

:laughing: BQ

Edited by The Blue Quasar
Link to comment

If I have a serious problem with a cache listing's location, I use the "Should Be Archived" log entry. Otherwise, it's either that I don't like it and should be ignored (I have yet to use the ignore list feature) or I was simply there at an inappropriate time (happens all the time).

 

"Did not search" for temporary reasons I put in my log entry, usually with a good explanation. No reason to penalize a cache owner just because there was someone having a beer at the cache final, or I remember having a DNS during an event cache last year when the police setup a crime scene at a cache final. If the cache is in a swamp, I'll hate it during May.... but I'll simply come back in February. The caches that I have a serious problem with are generally the ones that involve trespassing - and you better believe I post a SBA for those (violates listing guidelines).

 

Another concern I have with a formal Did Not Search, or showing the Ignored count is that can skew the results. For example, the cache listing with an initial co-ordinates or math error on it may stack up 10 DNS until the error is corrected, at which point the cache has basically become blacklisted from future finders. It could be argued that caches should not be published with errors, or that newbies should setup their listings better, but in the end we are all just people.

 

DNFs stack up, owners post notes and Found it's start appearing. There is a reason GSAK shows last four logs, and Geocaching also shows the last 5 logs unless you prompt for more information. What happened at the cache last may is generally not relevant if there have been finds since.

 

Reminds me though, I have a cache that I placed right near my property, and my neighbours are all in on it (one of them was pestering me for months to get one hidden out there). I need to put a Geocaching logo out there to tell cachers it's OK to search.

Link to comment

I don't think another log type is really needed, a number of cachers post Need Maintenance logs when really not required and cache owners have been known to get upset over Need Maintenance and Request Archived also, I think Did not Search will not add any value and only cause confusion. Showing the number ignoring a cache might also not show the proper results, depends on why the cache is being ignored. I have 54 caches on my ignore list, all puzzles/ALR caches/Almost completed Multi caches, I am not actually ignoring these caches, but I have solved them and store the required waypoints that may not be part of the cache page co-ordinates. I also use the ignore bookmark to d/l a PQ of my solved puzzle list and can see if any were archived before I get the chance to actually go and find the cache. So I may be ignoring your cache on paper, quite the opposite, I d/l it weekly and intend to find it when I can, I just don't need the fake coords on my GPS and with the number of caches growing around me, I don't need them as part of my 500 cache PQ.

Link to comment

I don't think another log type is really needed, a number of cachers post Need Maintenance logs when really not required and cache owners have been known to get upset over Need Maintenance and Request Archived also, I think Did not Search will not add any value and only cause confusion. Showing the number ignoring a cache might also not show the proper results, depends on why the cache is being ignored. I have 54 caches on my ignore list, all puzzles/ALR caches/Almost completed Multi caches, I am not actually ignoring these caches, but I have solved them and store the required waypoints that may not be part of the cache page co-ordinates. I also use the ignore bookmark to d/l a PQ of my solved puzzle list and can see if any were archived before I get the chance to actually go and find the cache. So I may be ignoring your cache on paper, quite the opposite, I d/l it weekly and intend to find it when I can, I just don't need the fake coords on my GPS and with the number of caches growing around me, I don't need them as part of my 500 cache PQ.

 

You're weird :P Okay, now being honest here... you gave me some really cool ideas with that post. I have never even once considered the other reasons to use "ignore" because I don't like to ignore anything since my opinions might change and I thought 'ignore' was only for things that I knew I would hate, and I never actually ever put one on 'ignore' because I didn't know how to take it off 'ignore'.

 

For myself, I keep a separate GSAK database for Solved Caches... but I will look into other ways to use 'ignore'... my eyes have been opened LOL.

 

:) BQ

Link to comment

I'm talking about DNS for the original reason stated, not temporary reasons. I'm talking about caches that are placed in places that are always inappropriate.

 

For example, the micro in a tree in a park but directly behind someone's house on a lot with a 10' deep back yard. So when you are poking around in the trees, the bedroom windows of the house are literally looking right down on you. Not appropriate (and also a real scenario at a local cache). Or another micro I was at recently where one house was missing to make a little park and access to the water. The cache was 4 paces from a living room window on one side, a dozen paces on the other side, and overlooked by a row of living room windows across the street. In this case "stealth" is impossible.

 

But the cache under the busy dock here in Barrie that took me three tries, the first two being DNSs are not a problem. In that case, I would post a note saying I was there and would be back.

 

And if it is directly in front of a house, but it is the cacher's house and the neighbours are in on it, then I would expect to read that in the cache description and I would go ahead with the search.

 

However, I personally do not think a DNS log type would be appropriate. Just a note, and a reason.

Link to comment

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...