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Perhaps you misunderstood my post or you just are looking to argue.

So what was your point anyway? This thread is about LEOs caching and LEOs discussing caching not some lame story about getting stopped by a LEO. What was your motivation for posting your horrendous ordeal to this thread?We have no idea what happened on your stop other than your side so we have to take you at your word. However, there's always 2 sides.

I was just pointing out what LEOs have to go thru everyday from the "experts" who can't wait to tell a LEO where they screwed up even tho most of the time what the "expert" recommends would probably violate some law or violate policy. But by golly those "experts" know because they've seen it on TV. What else these "experts" don't realize that the roadside is not the place to argue point of law. That's what judges get paid to do. There's a whole lot more going on in the big world than some "expert" knows. Case in point, a few years ago we had a huge industrial explosion, killing 5, and releasing a huge vapor cloud of vinyl chloride over several miles. We went around the neighborhood telling people to evacuate and also closing roads. You would not believe the number of people who refused to leave or said we didn't have the authority to make them leave nor close the roads. We were just trying to keep them alive. They didn't have a clue what vinyl chloride vapors could do to them. But by golly, they knew their rights, right up until they realized 5 people were already dead and their rights weren't really the issue, keeping alive was the issue. But they knew their rights! Proved one thing tho, there's a real difference between being smart and being intelligent. They might have been intelligent enough to know their rights but they weren't smart enough to know to survive.

Edited by Wadcutter
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Perhaps you misunderstood my post or you just are looking to argue.

So what was your point anyway? This thread is about LEOs caching and LEOs discussing caching not some lame story about getting stopped by a LEO. What was your motivation for posting your horrendous ordeal to this thread?We have no idea what happened on your stop other than your side so we have to take you at your word. However, there's always 2 sides.

I was just pointing out what LEOs have to go thru everyday from the "experts" who can't wait to tell a LEO where they screwed up even tho most of the time what the "expert" recommends would probably violate some law or violate policy.

 

 

Well excuse me for posting in your thread, SIR. I saw LEO and I posted since I had a recent LEO encounter. Regardless of what your intent was, you responded directly to my post and made assumption after assumption about me which had little to do with what was even being discussed. I don't fit into this "template" you're trying to shove me into. I respect the police. I have, however, noticed that a small percentage (maybe 1 in 10 from my experience) of LEOs I've run into come into the conversation with a chip on their shoulder. I've also been the vicitim of "good cop, bad cop" on one occasion so I know that the movie representation of that is at least pretty accurate. I understand that you have a job to do and I understand that you're just doing your job. I also understand that I have no idea what it's like being a police officer and, to be completely honest, it's a job I would likely fail at if I tried. I do know from experience that most officers are more than willing to be nice and respectful in return for the same. This is why it's so easily noticed when the opposite happens.

 

Regarding this situation, I did come to realize later that it was prom night in several high schools in the area so she may just have been dealing with young kids being stupid most of the night and assumed this was another case of the same. The fact that she turned friendly once she ran my ID seems to lend some credence to this theory as well.

 

 

Regardless, I apologize if I somehow offended you as that was not my intent.

Edited by rhelt100
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I can't count on both hands the number of times I've been confronted by an LEO while caching just in the last few months.

Then let me suggest that you are doing it wrong. Would LEOs here agree that attracting that much LE attention while caching is probably not good for the activity?

 

Here's a standard LE answer for you...It depends! If someone is out caching at noon on their lunchbreak in a city park, I'm not going to give them a second thought. If they're behind a business at 0200 with a flashlight, you can bet they're gonna get checked! In either event, once I am satisfied there is no criminal activity afoot, everything is cool in his world and mine. While it may not be the smartest move to be out caching in the wee hours of the morning, I don't hassle citizens for engaging in lawful activities. I might, however, recommend they use better judgment as to when and where they are.

 

As far as being contacted by the police being "bad" for the sport...I don't think so. In fact, bringing geocaching to the attention of your local cops is probably a good thing. Most cachers I have met are good, responsible people who respect things like park hours, private property, government lands, and the like. Anything we can do to put a positive "spin" on the sport is a bonus. Just my $.02.

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Well excuse me for posting in your thread, SIR. I saw LEO and I posted since I had a recent LEO encounter.

And my point is your sorry tale of woe had nothing to do with this thread. Read the initial post and what the OP was asking and what the thread discussion was about. Why you felt you needed to include in this thread is still a question. It had nothing to do with the discussion but, once again as every LEO has heard, some tale of woe about how someone felt they were pitifully mistreated.

Edited by Wadcutter
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My introduction to geocaching was as an L.E.O. A local business owner called in to complain about some "suspicious characters" who had removed, and then replaced, something hidden near their store. Drugs? Evidence of a robbery?

 

When we checked it out, it was a micro-cache. My partner was perplexed. I had a vague recollection of reading an article on geocaching a couple of years earlier. I signed the log and placed it back in its hiding spot.

 

www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=e19d004b-7e4d-435d-bb26-66cd18fd5b7f

 

Today I enjoy geocaching with my family.

 

I like the idea of an L.E.O. group. Department patches would be a nice trade item, but I don't know that leaving police patches for anyone to pick up would be a very good idea. Maybe a LEO GEO patch could be made for trading. Signal wearing a blue eight point? Hmmm...

 

Finally, let's not be so hostile to non-LEO's with stories of bad police encounters. This could be a great forum for explaining to our civilian cohorts why a couple of people wearing gloves and headlamps lurking around on the side of a road or business might appear suspicious to a night beat cop. Remember, just like a lot of officer safety practices, what seems common sense to those of us on the job might not be so obvious to a civilian.

 

Happy hunting! :)

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I am working out the details to a LEOCachers trade item. I was thinking of a coin, but that would be too much of an expense right now.

 

I am working on a simple trade item that features the LEOCachers logo. I am thinking I can get them for about 25-50 cents each.

 

I'll keep everyone posted on the LEOCachers site.

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Well excuse me for posting in your thread, SIR. I saw LEO and I posted since I had a recent LEO encounter.

And my point is your sorry tale of woe had nothing to do with this thread. Read the initial post and what the OP was asking and what the thread discussion was about. Why you felt you needed to include in this thread is still a question. It had nothing to do with the discussion but, once again as every LEO has heard, some tale of woe about how someone felt they were pitifully mistreated.

 

I've always found it best to leave moderating in the hands of the moderators.

 

Much like leaving law enforcement in the hands of police officers.

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All the discussion about contact with LEO's while geocaching brings to mind several questions.

 

I always carry my flat badge with me when I'm out, either in a jeans pocket or in my backpack. I've shown it only once to a M/C deputy, not because he contacted me, but because I waved him down to take his picture with a travel bug. :o He was a very good sport about it, though some other guys I asked would have nothing to do with it. Does anyone else make sure to have an LEO ID of some sort with them while they're out?

 

Also, we just had an incident in my area with a local cacher who was at the wrong place at the wrong time. I sorta know some of the guys that were probably involved in the stop, and I wonder if a general briefing item provided to the department would be a good suggestion. Has anyone here done that? Do you tell your fellow officers about geocaching? Has it ever been briefed at line-up? Would you intentionally go out and share the info with allied agencies? Or is part of the fun being covert? Do you care if your car partner thinks you're even weirder because you look for tupperware in the woods?

 

I'd be interested to hear.... ;)

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I'm not a LEO but I've had several run in's with them while geocaching and have even started a collection of photos in front of LEO vehicles! Here is my collection of photos I'm starting!

Every single one of them thought what we were doing was pretty cool (except for one) once we explained what we were up to. The first time we were stopped was about 8 oclock at night. The officer thought we were stealing copper from the nearby RV dealership. I can totally understand the suspicion of it, being dark and there are 3 people crouched around a box in the dark. He was totally cool and seemed interested in it once we explained it.

The second and third times were during Geowoodstock. The first one was from the actual town of Wheatland, first he looked like he was 12 (ok, he was probably 24 but he really looked like he was 12!) He pulls off and asks what we were up to. Well we were taking pictures of a really nice sunset before we found the cache. We explained to, and showed him the cache, explained GWVI, ok this event more than doubled the population of Wheatland, CA??. You would think the police would have known about it?? He was a little bit cocky but I think because we were 3 middle aged women his 'tude went down a little. He drove away seemingly a little irritated he had nothing to bother us with. The third time was the day after GWVI in Yuba County. He was awesome! There was a group of about 6 of us. We walked by as he was filling out his daily paperwork and he said it before we could say anything "You guys must be geocachers?" This was the moment I decided to start a collection of myself with cop cars! He even took the picture for me! LOL!

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I wonder if a general briefing item provided to the department would be a good suggestion. Has anyone here done that? Do you tell your fellow officers about geocaching? Has it ever been briefed at line-up? Would you intentionally go out and share the info with allied agencies? Or is part of the fun being covert? Do you care if your car partner thinks you're even weirder because you look for tupperware in the woods?

From 2001 until I retired in 2006 I know on at least 3 occasions there were nationwide messages sent to all LEAs in the USA. There's no reason a LEO should not know about geocaching other than the typical 10% who never get the message even tho they've sat in the briefing when it was discussed. There are over 800,000 LEOs in the US. Some wouldn't read the notice if you paid them, some wouldn't remember it the next day, and some couldn't understand what they read if you gave them a dictionary and explained it to them. After 35 yrs in LE at the state and federal level from the road dog to the commander I've learned one thing about supervising - no matter how much you try to get the message to some people they'll do their best to avoid increasing their level of knowledge. That's just the way some people are regardless of their job.

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Add me to the list...... I'm a shift supervisor for Road Patrol in the Sheriff's Office here in Charlotte County, FL. I'll check out the website later. Anyone here other than me wiling to admit that they have found a cache while working :rolleyes: I figure I have to check the parks anyway for homeless subjects and such and if I happen to find a cache while doing it, what the heck ;)

 

Wildbill

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Anyone here other than me wiling to admit that they have found a cache while working :) I figure I have to check the parks anyway for homeless subjects and such and if I happen to find a cache while doing it, what the heck :D

 

Wildbill

It would be better than not getting out of the car! I say cache on!

 

james779

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Do I qualify? :rolleyes:

 

I'm a Certified Law Enforcement Armorer. (Went to school in Trinidad, Co.)

 

I'm also a Certified Law Enforcement Classroom & Firearms Instructor. (North Harris College in Hou. Tx.)

 

I'm Certified with H.P.D. to record fingerprints....

 

I have never been IN actual Law Enforcement though. Although, I train with and work closely with LEOs from time to time. I'm just a middle management corporate stooge who needs LEO skills to perform his job.

 

I must give off some vibe to cops though. I never get messed with or questioned while caching and you'd be suprised how many cops let me off with a warning when I get caught speeding. :rolleyes:

 

BTW-Look up Breaktrack. He's a local LEO who caches. Heckuva nice guy too. :rolleyes:

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I'm not a LEO, but does a CPA alum count for something? Some of us got to be role players during our local agency's last SWAT training.

 

And not to hijack your thread, but do any of yall LEO's have a CPA program in your department?

 

God bless yall!

 

Hey Lefty,

 

My company sponsors the HCPA meetings in the same auditoriom where I've held a couple of my events. :rolleyes:

 

We also sponsor the annual HCPA dinner in our cafeteria.

 

Come to think of it we give a lot of the reward money to Crime Stoppers and we support all the local substations during the Holidays.

 

Sheesh. No wonder I can't get a ticket in this town. :rolleyes:

Edited by Snoogans
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As a geocaching law enforcement officer, I've run into several other cachers who share the same occupation with me.

 

I am trying to find more law officers who are into geocaching. I have ideas for coins, trackables, and other ideas that we could share.

 

If you are a law officer who geocaches, please get in touch with me. It would be fun to compare notes.

 

I'm not in law enforcement but wanted to put a 'hide a key' cache on a local police car. The waypoint would be the police station and the clue the unit number. Wife doesn't want to have to come and see me in jail - so I haven't done it ......yet <_<

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As a geocaching law enforcement officer, I've run into several other cachers who share the same occupation with me.

 

I am trying to find more law officers who are into geocaching. I have ideas for coins, trackables, and other ideas that we could share.

 

If you are a law officer who geocaches, please get in touch with me. It would be fun to compare notes.

 

I'm a LEO in the Los Angeles County area. I'd be interested in helping out with any ideas. The LE coins out there kind of suck.

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Hello there,

 

LEO since about 1978, currently serving with the Harris County Sheriff's Office in Houston, Texas.

 

Also retired U. S. Army Reserve.

 

Charter Member of Geocaching from back in 2001. Don't really cache a lot anymore since my kids went to live with their mom, but I still maintain my caches and hit one myself every once in a while.

 

Would not mind being in a sub-set of Geocaching with other LEO's.

 

Mac McKinney aka breaktrack

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My introduction to geocaching was as an L.E.O. A local business owner called in to complain about some "suspicious characters" who had removed, and then replaced, something hidden near their store. Drugs? Evidence of a robbery?

 

When we checked it out, it was a micro-cache. My partner was perplexed. I had a vague recollection of reading an article on geocaching a couple of years earlier. I signed the log and placed it back in its hiding spot.

 

www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=e19d004b-7e4d-435d-bb26-66cd18fd5b7f

 

Today I enjoy geocaching with my family.

 

 

Not a LEO myself, but my daughter and I were muggled by a local Sheriff's Deputy while caching yesterday.

 

I'd left my daughter (she didn't care to brave the short stroll through briars on this one) in the car. While closing in on the cache I see the patrol car pull up behind my car. Blue lights. I return to the car. He's just checking things out and has his "cop poker face" on as I come near his car. He's just wondering what I'm doing. "Geo-what?", he asks. Noticed that he has a dash mount computer. During next few minutes as I'm explaining, he's looking at Geocaching.com he loosens up and even seemed interested. He even gave me a tip on how to access an area I'd just failed to find because a bridge was out. "You will get to Kendrick Mil by ......"l His change in attitude made me wonder if he might be a soon-to-be cacher.

 

How many of you other LEO cachers came to it while "investigating" a cacher like Shamrocksix did? Just curious.

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Я не полицейский, но я выгляжу хорошим в военной форме

The quote above from the cache wisperer says in Russian, "I not the policeman, but I look good in the military [uni]form".

Edited by james779
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I'm not in law enforcement but wanted to put a 'hide a key' cache on a local police car. The waypoint would be the police station and the clue the unit number. Wife doesn't want to have to come and see me in jail - so I haven't done it ......yet :huh:

I hope and assume you are just kidding,,, that would be a bad idea. I remember when I first hit the street in 91 we never looked under our cars while doing pre-shift car checks. Now, in the terrorism world we live in, it is part of the daily check. Again, I know your just kidding,,, but just in case somebody saw that and thought it would be cute. You would be surprised and some of the stuff people will do, thinking it is cute or funny and not meaning anything by it, but missing the obvious potential appearance.

 

Its a different world

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Not a LEO myself, but my daughter and I were muggled by a local Sheriff's Deputy while caching yesterday.

 

I'd left my daughter (she didn't care to brave the short stroll through briars on this one) in the car. While closing in on the cache I see the patrol car pull up behind my car. Blue lights. I return to the car. He's just checking things out and has his "cop poker face" on as I come near his car. He's just wondering what I'm doing. "Geo-what?", he asks. Noticed that he has a dash mount computer. During next few minutes as I'm explaining, he's looking at Geocaching.com he loosens up and even seemed interested. He even gave me a tip on how to access an area I'd just failed to find because a bridge was out. "You will get to Kendrick Mil by ......"l His change in attitude made me wonder if he might be a soon-to-be cacher.

 

How many of you other LEO cachers came to it while "investigating" a cacher like Shamrocksix did? Just curious.

I was researching getting a new GPS unit online and saw the term geocaching come up several times. I did a Google search and read about it on Wikipedia. I had heard about letterboxing years before, so I figured it was similar only with the use of a GPSr. That is how I got into it. I never came across anybody doing this in the field, and I never heard any calls on it. There are hundreds of hidden caches in the city I work in though, so people around here (Beaverton Oregon) must be good at being stealthy.

 

It was nice to see the officer let down the "cop poker face" after getting a sense that were not doing anything wrong. It is a newer-younger crowd out there now, and sometimes they dont do so good at shifting gears. :huh:

 

Jim

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Old cop, new geocacher here. I'm in central NC and have been a Deputy Sheriff for more than 12 years. Paramedic before that.

 

May I respond to one of Wadcutter's old posts? I realize that Admin may get nationwide LE bulletins, but that doesn't mean street cops are told about them. Our road cops weren't even briefed on the military Special Ops manuevers in our area for years...until a Deputy and soldier in a neighboring county got into a gunfight...with fatal results.

 

I'd like to join Leocachers and get to know cachers in my area, both LEO and civilian.

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Working on my 33 year down here in the sunny south...

 

Sorry can't seem to get the patch picture to fill in here - Columbus Ga. PD

 

I'll check out the website mentioned further up in the posts to see if its still open. We might also look into forming a Yahoo Group or something similar

 

I found out about Geocaching while trying to decide on what car GPS to buy as well.

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May I respond to one of Wadcutter's old posts? I realize that Admin may get nationwide LE bulletins, but that doesn't mean street cops are told about them.

That's not the fault of the notification system then. That's the fault of your agency for not getting the word out to their people. The messages were sent nationwide via the computer to all LEAs. Your agency would have gotten the messages. The system worked, your agency failed. If they didn't tell you about geocaching what else haven't they push down to your Troops? You should work with your administrators to get that problem fixed. My agency has 2100 sworn scattered all over the state. Notifications are simple but an agency has to have a process in place and follow that process. Doesn't sound like you guys have a process in place or someone isn't following it.

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May I respond to one of Wadcutter's old posts? I realize that Admin may get nationwide LE bulletins, but that doesn't mean street cops are told about them.

That's not the fault of the notification system then. That's the fault of your agency for not getting the word out to their people. The messages were sent nationwide via the computer to all LEAs. Your agency would have gotten the messages. The system worked, your agency failed. If they didn't tell you about geocaching what else haven't they push down to your Troops? You should work with your administrators to get that problem fixed. My agency has 2100 sworn scattered all over the state. Notifications are simple but an agency has to have a process in place and follow that process. Doesn't sound like you guys have a process in place or someone isn't following it.

 

I realize that, and I'm not trying to be fractious but I did want to clarify that not all Admin officers, especially some of the more backward agencies (where Knowledge is Power) don't let the road cops know anything.

 

I just don't want folks thinking that the street level cop is an idiot because he or she has never heard of geocaching. Since I've discovered it, I have told several of the Patrol officers and I listen for the word on the radio while officers check suspicious persons.

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I am a police officer in Austin, Texas. In fact, I've sent a LE geo coin out into the world. As of a couple of days ago it was taken from its first cache, but has yet to be placed. I am also interested in locating other cops that are into this hobby.

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:( I can see the future now, :( can't you? Geocache Police :( Behind trees, under stumps, behind rocks.

 

Tickets/fines: Your cache is to close to another, you did not leave a trackable, etc., etc.

 

Ever seen the movie "Red Dawn" the para-troopers were really Geocache Police :D

 

Just joking, hope these folks find a way to enjoy the time off the beat and get some stree relief.

 

God bless all that are in uniform :)

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:( I can see the future now, :( can't you? Geocache Police :( Behind trees, under stumps, behind rocks.

 

Tickets/fines: Your cache is to close to another, you did not leave a trackable, etc., etc.

 

Ever seen the movie "Red Dawn" the para-troopers were really Geocache Police :D

 

Just joking, hope these folks find a way to enjoy the time off the beat and get some stree relief.

 

God bless all that are in uniform :)

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:) I can see the future now, B) can't you? Geocache Police :) Behind trees, under stumps, behind rocks.

 

Tickets/fines: Your cache is to close to another, you did not leave a trackable, etc., etc.

 

Ever seen the movie "Red Dawn" the para-troopers were really Geocache Police B)

 

Just joking, hope these folks find a way to enjoy the time off the beat and get some stree relief.

 

God bless all that are in uniform B)

 

Okay Bill,

 

Who let you in on the secret? I have placed a tracking inquiry with the supervisor of the cache officer who is responsible for monitoring your activities. This is obviously a gross breach of security and he will have to be eliminated.... :lol:

 

Remember...When Big Brother is off duty...Large Cousin takes his place! :huh:B)

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OK, while I have total respect for those that have chosen careers to protect me and my loved ones, to be fair, I have to ask how this thread is any different from this one that was recently moved to Off Topics because of its thin connection to geocaching.

 

I personally feel that any group, be it nurses, military, LEO's, gays, red-heads, or whatever... if you want to discuss geocaching here, fine. If you want to discuss your other common interests under the guise of geocaching... well, that's what the Off Topic forum is for, in my opinion.

 

But while we're here... any other fly fishermen that geocache? :rolleyes:

Edited by knowschad
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