Explaining To Police

[+Ganellon]

Earlier today, I missed a cache I was SURE was muggled. Except then someone posted a couple hours later that they found it, and then I was determined to go back and find it. But this time, I decided to go really late at night when there are no muggles, since this place is usually loaded with them as I'd discovered earlier.

 

I went back, flashlight in hand, found the cache (that I swear wasn't there before!), and wandered over to a nearby bench to sit down with the log book. When I sat down I noticed a piece of garbage on the bench, and so CITO, I picked it up. And immediately realized it was not garbage -- it was a honkin bag of marijuana. That left me with a handful of decisions, moral, ethical, and legal.

 

That by itself is not a huge deal, but when all the other factors are considered, the picture begins to change.

1. I geocache from my motorcycle, so I'm always wearing jeans, boots, jacket, skull cap bandana, gloves and have goggles up on my head. The only way to make myself look a more likely suspect for possession of drugs would be to have a syringe sticking out of my arm.
   
2. It was 2 in the morning when I went after this cache. I'm in a public park with a flashlight, nosing around in places and generally looking pretty suspicious to anyone watching the monitors. The Park signs claim it's covered by 24 hour video monitoring.
   
3. The park is located DIRECTLY across the street from the Westfield Police station.
   

I thought, "Okay, I'll call the police department and tell them what I found." Except for whatever reason, the phone system was freakin' out and I couldn't even call 411 to get the number for the police station. I tried for a couple more minutes, and then tried to call my wife. Still no phone service. I figure I'm going to have to pick up this marijuana and carry it over to the front desk, and explain where I found it.

 

The more likely scenario is, some officer would see me emerge from the park, approach me and start asking questions about what I was doing there, where I was headed. I knew if I said, "OH, I was about to bring this marijuana over to your office," and dug it out of my pocket, I'm sure he'd say, "Suuuuuure you were. Put your hands behind your head and prepare for prison life, drug dealing scum! Get on the ground! Stop resisting or I'll taze you!"

 

So finally my phone went into T1 mode (don't ask me what that means) long enough for me to call 411 and get connected to the police station. I explained to the dispatcher who I was, and what I was doing in the park at 2 a.m. I explained that I was there geocaching to log a find that I'd missed earlier in the day.

Silence on the other end.

 

I said, "Okay, you're not familiar with that term, but essentially it means there are things hidden all over the place, including the park, and we go out and hunt them for fun, and it's easier at night because then no one sees you do it. The important thing is that I found a bag of marijuana on the bench."

 

She said, "Where are you?"

 

I said, "In the park directly across from your station, by the gazebo."

 

She said, "You're by the gazebo now?"

 

"Yep."

 

She said, "I'll send someone right over."

 

Literally one minute later, a patrol officer rides up, lighting up the park with his search light. Naturally, he's on the other side of a stream and can't get across. He asks me what I'm doing. I tell him I'm geocaching. He said, "You're WHAT?" It wasn't curiosity, it was accusation.

 

I said, "I'm just playing a game that involves hidden things in public spaces and GPS to find them, and when I sat down to write the log, there was a bag of marijuana on the bench."

 

"Meet met this way," he said as he started walking toward the bridge that crossed the stream. When he came across the bridge he said, "Do you have the marijuana on you?"

 

I said, "I told the dispatcher I wasn't going to pick it up and get busted for possession, so it's still on the bench."

 

So we walked back to the bench, he grabbed the bag, hefted it. He asked for my ID, for the record. I dug out my driver's license and handed it over. He called it in. Then he wanted my phone number. I gave it to him. He wrote it down in his notepad and said, "That's all I need, you're free to go."

 

Trying to explain geocaching to police is hard, but it's much harder when you're trying to explain why you were doing it at 2 AM in the park in motorcycle gear and happen to find a bag of marijuana.

[+wimseyguy]

Sounds like fun times.

I've explained geocaching to LEO's and mall security more often than I can count at this point. I've even had a Duval County (FL) sheriff's deputy help retrieve a well know cache from a hard to find and access location.

 

But I've never found a bag of pot, worn goggles, boots, skull cap etc., and never ridden a bike while caching.

 

Before we hosted Geowoodstock 5 we had a local cacher/LEO send out a bulletin to the regional agencies informing them what geocaching was, and there would be 2000 visitors to the area for the weekend who_might_appear to be behaving oddly at all hours of the day and night.

 

I still spent two hours on the phone with the local liaison to Homeland Security and the head of the Bomb Squad techs clarifying the data in the bulletin 48 hours before the event.

[+Renegade Knight]

Good story.

[+Guinness70]

bloody brilliant! the suspense!

 

just imagine the trouble you'ld be in if yer phone hadnt worked and you got spotted by a cop.

[+Guinness70]

oops double post... got some freeky error E/netpub/ ... overload thingy

Edited July 28, 2008 by Guinness70

[peetz]

I would have tried it out to make sure it was pot .... were there papers in the cache?

[+simpjkee]

That copper got high as a kite that night no doubt about it. I would have done the right things and gotten it back to my place before anyone noticed.

[+SUp3rFM & Cruella]

Great story! Glad it didn't bring you any trouble.

[zuni moon]

That copper got high as a kite that night no doubt about it. I would have done the right things and gotten it back to my place before anyone noticed.

It's not a good idea to use pot from an unknown source. How would know if it's been laced with something dangerous until too late?

[+SparrowHawks]

I had a brush with the law too.

 

My meeting finished early and as I'd thoughtfully taken my GPS etc out with me I decided to do a spot of afternoon caching. I started around 2pm and had about a 5 mile walk ahead of me. I grabbed 5 or so caches, stopped off for a drink, and carried on with the trail.

 

The kids were now coming home and two were most annoyingly playing almost right next to the next cache (I know as the GPS bleeped at me when I walked past them), so I had to sit on a bench and bide my time until they had scuttled off. I grabbed that cache and a couple more (in some undergrowth) before getting to another park and walking round like I shouldn't be there - so engrossed in my GPS that I didn't notice the copper coming towards me until he was pretty much next to me.

 

"Ello ello ello sir, what have we here" - well, he didn't quite say that but just about. I was asked if I had seen anyone in the park as they had had a report from some children of someone exposing themselves. Now there's me, a balding 40+ male on my own in a park at school kicking out time & rummaging around in the bushes. Gulp.

 

I was asked all my personal details and after that I explained my hobby to him - and also thought to show him my GPS and the fact that it tracked all of my movements. He realised that I was indeed an innocent bystander and so I was off to find another couple of caches on my way back. The trouble was I was (and had already been for some time) dying for the loo, and the only place to go was in the bushes - but the last place I wanted to be found was anywhere near here in the bushes having a wee. Imagine having to explain that!

 

I walked off some distance - must have been a good mile or so, and found a suitable place to relieve myself - but all the time I was wary that someone might spring out and either slap the cuffs on me, or worse still flash me!

 

Oh what fun caching can be!...

[442 olds]

Ya, know after reading the tails like thease I would like to think that the police would know(by now) what this hobby is. Maybe refering them to the web site would be a good start

[+Team GeoBlast]

That is a pretty entertaining story. Even though cops must see it all, I am sure they were scratching their heads big time over that one. Putting myself in the same position. I might have gone home and then called it in anonymously.

Edited September 7, 2008 by Team GeoBlast

[+Team LaLonde]

All's well that ends well, I suppose. If I was in that park that night I think I would have opened the bag and dumped the dope in the stream. Either way, you handled it responsibly and you didn't go to jail. Any day that you don't go to jail is a good day!

 

I'm sure a lot of people think geocachers are drug dealers. Picture this - a forty-year-old guy going into a craft store alone and buying nothing but a large box of three-inch baggies. You think I didn't look suspicious?

[+Silfron Mandotheneset]

All's well that ends well, I suppose. If I was in that park that night I think I would have opened the bag and dumped the dope in the stream. Either way, you handled it responsibly and you didn't go to jail. Any day that you don't go to jail is a good day!

 

I'm sure a lot of people think geocachers are drug dealers. Picture this - a forty-year-old guy going into a craft store alone and buying nothing but a large box of three-inch baggies. You think I didn't look suspicious?

 

I used to work at a craft store, so no, actually that's quite tame. It's the little old ladies that only buy modeling latex that make us wonder

 

Usually the baggie-buyers are jewery makers, the worst you would get is us commenting on your sexual orientation

[+Team GeoBlast]

All's well that ends well, I suppose. If I was in that park that night I think I would have opened the bag and dumped the dope in the stream. Either way, you handled it responsibly and you didn't go to jail. Any day that you don't go to jail is a good day!

 

I'm sure a lot of people think geocachers are drug dealers. Picture this - a forty-year-old guy going into a craft store alone and buying nothing but a large box of three-inch baggies. You think I didn't look suspicious?

 

LOL!

 

Think how it looks on the Walmart security cam when they see the forty year old guy out there in their parking lot running around lifting up lamp post skirts looks. Then they go investigate and notice 300 small zip locks, a half dozen match holders, and a few lock-n-locks in his bag?

[+Kohavis]

3. The park is located DIRECTLY across the street from the Westfield Police station.

 

I thought, "Okay, I'll call the police department and tell them what I found." Except for whatever reason, the phone system was freakin' out and I couldn't even call 411 to get the number for the police station. I tried for a couple more minutes, and then tried to call my wife. Still no phone service. I figure I'm going to have to pick up this marijuana and carry it over to the front desk, and explain where I found it.

Why didn't you just walk to the police station without the pot and tell the cops about it?

[jholly]

That copper got high as a kite that night no doubt about it. I would have done the right things and gotten it back to my place before anyone noticed.

It's not a good idea to use pot from an unknown source. How would know if it's been laced with something dangerous until too late?

 

and the pot from your street corner pharmaceutical technician carries FDA approval?

 

Jim

[+hurleyanne]

Some newer cachers in my area (who also recently moved to my area) just planted a cache in an area known for drug users.

 

Here's a log from one family's search:

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/log.aspx?LU...a3-445df424fa6e

[trollcacher]

Read this TBs story: TBHZ0E

 

It's too funny.

[+Ockette]

That copper got high as a kite that night no doubt about it. I would have done the right things and gotten it back to my place before anyone noticed.

It's not a good idea to use pot from an unknown source. How would know if it's been laced with something dangerous until too late?

 

and the pot from your street corner pharmaceutical technician carries FDA approval?

 

Jim

 

No, but he does want your repeat business more than he wants to f*** you up.

[+joshnme2]

I mostly geocach at night... no not because I like to scare the crap out of my self wondering around the woods at night or cwawling in a swamp to get leaches on myself because my flashlight ran out of power. I work nights > newspaper PRINTER < not a spell checker or writer.... I get out at 3:30am so it's prime time for me in the dark, I have been stopped MANY times by police, mall cops & parking enforcment. All In all they have been very cool. I even took one town cop on the last leg of a hunt, yea we even found the stash ,. I think he wanted to see [it] through to make sure I was telling the truth, thet all were very Happy and wanted more info and promised not to show the cache to Muggles and wanted to sign up as members ... If they did I'll never know. On the down side I did get caught once and explained it all very well to a >young< mall cop ... I went back the next night just to see and the cache was gone ..

Bill

[+vw_k]

I got stopped by an off duty police officer whilst caching as he thought I looked suspicious in my camoflage backpack. I tried explaining geocaching to him and he had real trouble understanding the concept, even the concept of finding a location using GPS! He seemed rather worried that locations could be posted on the internet for others to see!

 

I found the cache when he was there and showed him that is was just a box with books and trinkets in. He then started trying to push his religion on me! I politely declined.

[+Coyote's Girl]

...he had real trouble understanding the concept, even the concept of finding a location using GPS! He seemed rather worried that locations could be posted on the internet for others to see!

I'm a little floored. What? He's been policing the bottom side of a rock for the past 15 years? Luckily I haven't had any run-ins with the police yet.

[+KD7MXI]

...he had real trouble understanding the concept, even the concept of finding a location using GPS! He seemed rather worried that locations could be posted on the internet for others to see!

I'm a little floored. What? He's been policing the bottom side of a rock for the past 15 years? Luckily I haven't had any run-ins with the police yet.

 

hes probably trying to enforce a leftover ww2 law that says it is against the law to take pictures of, map, and document hospitals and government owned properties such as post offices <i think it was written between 1929 and 1950

 

GOD I HATE IT WHEN COPS GO BY THE BOOK - especially a really really old book

 

[+team_goobie]

We had to explain our license plate to a Highway Trooper in Jackpot NV (it's part of our trail name). He knew all about it and could rattle off all the caches in the vicinity, though he was not a cacher. Real nice guy, $237 dollars later....

[+zazth]

My most recent run in with the local police was too funny considering the parallels. I won't name the cache to protect its' owner but here goes:

My husband and I and our six year old son were out on a caching spree in the Williamsburg area and decided to hit one more before stopping for a bite to eat. The last cache was to be a small in a grocery store parking lot. The clue seemed pretty straight forward until we got there. Coordinates were wierd/bouncy/off. We still found the cache after rambling around the parking lot for about 15 minutes, GPS in hand.

 

The container was disappointing, a pill bottle. The outside had been written on in magic marker but had faded to where it was illegible. At first I was in doubt that it was the cache but who puts a pill bottle under a rock other than a geocacher? The inside was in pretty good shape. We got back in our truck and headed out only to detour back for lunch in the pizza place across the lot.

 

About five minutes after we go into the restaurant, two police vehicles tear into the parking lot. One circles around the building, the other heads to the grocery store parking lot where a guy with a cell phone points out our vehicle to the policeman. My husband took his GPS and went over to talk to them.

 

He came back in a fit of laughter. Seems this place is a known drug area. Dope heads regularly drop off suspicious packages in the bushes and then other dope heads come and retrieve them. My husband showed them the cache and the police enjoyed a good laugh after checking out the container. The cell phone guy sheepishly disappeared about this time. The policemen stuck around for a brief tutorial on geocaching and to write down the website. The one was very interested in trying it out as soon as possible.

[+JaseFifty1]

Since I am a police officer, I can assuredly tell you that the police are usually not interested in recovering discarded contraband. Maybe a large amount such as a brick of marijuana but not a small amount that came out of someone's personal stash. There's nothing wrong with scattering the contents of the bag to the wind and going on your way. I definitely would not recommend carrying the marijuana anywhere. If discovered in your possession, the "I found it" explanation likely would not fly.

 

As far as awareness of geocaching, most of my fellow officers would have no idea of the concept. I've introduced geocaching to one other guy on my shift who is pretty into it now. The others on my crew just don't get it. We are paid to be suspicious of people. If you are found geocaching late at night, prepare to be scrutinized.

Edited December 1, 2008 by JaseFifty1

[+Nishnabotna]

You'll never take me alive, copper!

[+vitaminwater]

Fellow local cacher had a run in near my Apartment complex.. heres his short story

 

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/log.aspx?LU...2e-832e9d15cf65