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Are Playground Caches Allowed?


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Don't worry. I don't want to place one.

 

I'm just wondering because I've seen some come out and I thought I read in the forums that reviewers wouldn't be publishing them anymore. Understandably, a reviewer may not be able to tell if a spot is in a playground when reviewing a cache.

 

Edit for TyPe OhH

Edited by Skippermark
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Caches are not generally allowed on school property in the US because Groundspeak has decided that there is a possibility that a significant number of people might consider schools to be a potential terrorist target. I'm not sure how likely it is that "real" terrorists would target a US school as opposed to, say, an airport, but if you expand "terrorist" to include "armed nutjobs" (if someone's shooting at you, you don't much care if they have a political message) you can see that there is some sense to it. Hanging around the entrance to a school with a Garmin 60-series GPSr with its antenna pointing out at a jaunty angle might get a call to law enforcement. In other countries, the list of perceived terrorist targets might be different, as indeed would be the perceived level of threat from terrorism generally. They really don't worry very much about it in Sweden or Slovakia, for example.

 

Playgrounds are a little different because they are typically entirely open spaces and do not tend to have disgruntled [former] students. That said, it's obviously a good idea for a single male cacher whose raincoat is in need of dry cleaning not to hang around while kids are playing. Some towns put up signs saying "nobody over 12 allowed in here unless accompanying children".

 

I think that the best reason not to place a cache in a playground is that it will typically have a very short life. Kids tend to be explorers. :(

Edited by sTeamTraen
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Playground caches are OK unless at a school.

 

They are allowed, as in not against the guideline. Some of us don't think they are ok. I'd rather you put them on the other side of the park, not on the playground equipment.

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Playground caches are OK unless at a school.

 

They are allowed, as in not against the guideline. Some of us don't think they are ok. I'd rather you put them on the other side of the park, not on the playground equipment.

Or maybe place two caches. One on the playground and one on the other end of the park!

 

BTW- playground caches have the ability to be a tad sneakier which is why i think they have potential. Anyone can toss a lock-n-lock in a bush. I have found handcrafted caches on playground equipment. Slick.

Edited by Knight2000
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Playground caches are OK unless at a school.

 

They are allowed, as in not against the guideline. Some of us don't think they are ok. I'd rather you put them on the other side of the park, not on the playground equipment.

Or maybe place two caches. One on the playground and one on the other end of the park!

 

BTW- playground caches have the ability to be a tad sneakier which is why i think they have potential. Anyone can toss a lock-n-lock in a bush. I have found handcrafted caches on playground equipment. Slick.

 

So you can't hide a creative cache anyplace but on playground equipment? The few playground equipment cache I found weren't any different than any other caches except they were on playground equipment. I've since stopped looking for them.

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So you can't hide a creative cache anyplace but on playground equipment? The few playground equipment cache I found weren't any different than any other caches except they were on playground equipment. I've since stopped looking for them.

You can hide creative caches all sorts of places.

 

It's ok if you don't want to search playground caches. :(

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Despite public opinion, i do not think it is illegal for an old man to be at a playground in the park. If you take pictures of the kids it might get you in trouble though! :o

 

Taken from an old newspaper article:

 

It's an only in New York story. A woman was given a ticket for sitting on a park bench because she doesn't have children.

The Rivington Playground on Manhattan's East Side has a small sign at the entrance that says adults are prohibited unless they are accompanied by a child.

Forty-seven-year-old Sandra Catena says she didn't see the sign when she sat down to wait for an arts festival to start. Two New York City police officers asked her if she was with a child. When she said no, they gave her a ticket that could bring a one thousand dollar fine and 90 days in jail.

 

The city parks department says the rule is designed to keep pedophiles out of city parks, but a parks spokesman told the Daily News that the department hoped police would use some common sense when enforcing the rule.

 

The spokesman told the paper that ticketing a woman in the park in the middle of the day is not the way you want to enforce the rule.

 

I will never hide a playground equipment cache, nor will I ever look for one. My hides are designed to entertain finders, not to put them in a position to be confronted by "helicopter parents."

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Despite public opinion, i do not think it is illegal for an old man to be at a playground in the park. If you take pictures of the kids it might get you in trouble though! :o

 

I don't think anyone is worried about the legality. It is more about the appearance. I'd hate to have some group of over protective moms start telling anyone who will listen that geocaching is a way for old, bald, nut cases to hang around the playground.

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I'm not a fan of playground caches because of view the overzealous officers and parents may take. Any person without a child in a park near a playground is automatically placed in the 'pedophile' flie (Sorry - couldn't resist the play on words). Seriously however - I'd rather not be on the wrong end of one of those folks whose primary interestest in protecting their children. In their mind we are out of place and threatening their children regardless of whether we are just reading the paper or poking a hiking pole around the base of a tree.

 

I'll always pass.

 

Along similar lines this example:

 

The city parks department says the rule is designed to keep pedophiles out of city parks, but a parks spokesman told the Daily News that the department hoped police would use some common sense when enforcing the rule.

This is just one example of misguided legislation and law enforcement. Normal everyday citizens have lost their freedom and end up in very unfair situations in the name of 'keeping pedophiles out of the park'. Seriously? The pedophile problem in our nation is not going to be resolved by silly laws like this. They simply promote a false sense of security and cause complacency and a lack of vigilance.

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I have seen some very clever hides (peal and stick letters on the underside of the platform) at playground.

 

However, in my opinion, it is not a good idea for the obvious reasons. Because they have to be clever hides, cachers will spend even longer looking for them. And when there are kids around that is just not a great idea.

 

One local cacher did an interesting thing. He put in a multi where stage 2 was an incredibly devious hide at a playground gym. But, at stage 1, he gave an alternate hide for stage 2 if cachers were not comfortable looking in the gym.

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Despite public opinion, i do not think it is illegal for an old man to be at a playground in the park. If you take pictures of the kids it might get you in trouble though! :o

 

I don't think anyone is worried about the legality. It is more about the appearance. I'd hate to have some group of over protective moms start telling anyone who will listen that geocaching is a way for old, bald, nut cases to hang around the playground.

I've found many playground caches. I have yet to 'hang around' at any of the playgrounds. Like any other cache location, if I can't make the find without being noticed, I move along. For playground caches, that means if there is anyone else there, I abort teh hunt and come back at another time.

 

Soon, this may change from me because we are currently developing an item that will allow unlimited access to playgrounds without suspicions being raised.

Edited by sbell111
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Despite public opinion, i do not think it is illegal for an old man to be at a playground in the park. If you take pictures of the kids it might get you in trouble though! :o

 

I don't think anyone is worried about the legality. It is more about the appearance. I'd hate to have some group of over protective moms start telling anyone who will listen that geocaching is a way for old, bald, nut cases to hang around the playground.

I've found many playground caches. I have yet to 'hang around' at any of the playgrounds. Like any other cache location, if I can't make the find without being noticed, I move along. For playground caches, that means if there is anyone else there, I abort teh hunt and come back at another time.

 

Soon, this may change from me because we are currently developing an item that will allow unlimited access to playgrounds without suspicions being raised.

 

Well, sounds like congratulations may be in order, no?

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Despite public opinion, i do not think it is illegal for an old man to be at a playground in the park. If you take pictures of the kids it might get you in trouble though! :o

 

I don't think anyone is worried about the legality. It is more about the appearance. I'd hate to have some group of over protective moms start telling anyone who will listen that geocaching is a way for old, bald, nut cases to hang around the playground.

I've found many playground caches. I have yet to 'hang around' at any of the playgrounds. Like any other cache location, if I can't make the find without being noticed, I move along. For playground caches, that means if there is anyone else there, I abort teh hunt and come back at another time.

 

Soon, this may change from me because we are currently developing an item that will allow unlimited access to playgrounds without suspicions being raised.

 

Well, sounds like congratulations may be in order, no?

Thanks, but apparently Lep did the heavy lifting.
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Despite public opinion, i do not think it is illegal for an old man to be at a playground in the park. If you take pictures of the kids it might get you in trouble though! :o

 

I don't think anyone is worried about the legality. It is more about the appearance. I'd hate to have some group of over protective moms start telling anyone who will listen that geocaching is a way for old, bald, nut cases to hang around the playground.

I've found many playground caches. I have yet to 'hang around' at any of the playgrounds. Like any other cache location, if I can't make the find without being noticed, I move along. For playground caches, that means if there is anyone else there, I abort teh hunt and come back at another time.

 

Soon, this may change from me because we are currently developing an item that will allow unlimited access to playgrounds without suspicions being raised.

 

Well, sounds like congratulations may be in order, no?

Thanks, but apparently Lep did the heavy lifting.

 

I'd say that last part is between the three of you, or rather the four of you, now.

Good luck and we are all waiting patiently for the pictures of the little one in the ammo can.

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a parks spokesman told the Daily News that the department hoped police would use some common sense when enforcing the rule

You would think the fidiots who were granted the authority to write laws would use some common sense in the creation stage, thus taking these types of incidents out of the equation. Yeah, I know. Bureaucrats are physically and mentally unable to incorporate common sense into anything, once the phrase "It's for the chilruns" has been invoked.

 

I'm not a fan of playground hides, for a couple reasons.

1 ) Unlike RK's stellar example in another thread, the ones I have found have all been of the uninspired variety.

Crappy containers, uninventive placement, boring cache pages, etc.

2 ) A playground, during daylight hours, is not a place I feel comfortable in, if I don't have my rugrats with me.

 

That being said, I don't see them going away any time soon.

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Along similar lines this example:

 

The city parks department says the rule is designed to keep pedophiles out of city parks, but a parks spokesman told the Daily News that the department hoped police would use some common sense when enforcing the rule.

This is just one example of misguided legislation and law enforcement. Normal everyday citizens have lost their freedom and end up in very unfair situations in the name of 'keeping pedophiles out of the park'. Seriously? The pedophile problem in our nation is not going to be resolved by silly laws like this. They simply promote a false sense of security and cause complacency and a lack of vigilance.

 

NYC? Ah. Thank goodness for the restrooms near the 96th and Lex subway stop!! The park includes the rules 'adults not permitted except when accompanied by children'. (Since the park was rebuilt a few years ago.) No one has ever questioned us at that park. Thank goodness.

Yes. I find those rules discriminatory. It's a public park with a rest room!

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a parks spokesman told the Daily News that the department hoped police would use some common sense when enforcing the rule

You would think the fidiots who were granted the authority to write laws would use some common sense in the creation stage, thus taking these types of incidents out of the equation. Yeah, I know. Bureaucrats are physically and mentally unable to incorporate common sense into anything, once the phrase "It's for the chilruns" has been invoked.

 

I'm not a fan of playground hides, for a couple reasons.

1 ) Unlike RK's stellar example in another thread, the ones I have found have all been of the uninspired variety.

Crappy containers, uninventive placement, boring cache pages, etc.

2 ) A playground, during daylight hours, is not a place I feel comfortable in, if I don't have my rugrats with me.

 

That being said, I don't see them going away any time soon.

 

Don't you just love how the people who write the stupid laws blame the police for enforcing it? If, heaven forbid, something did happen it would be the local officers fault for not enforcing the law. [expletive deleted]

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I think people should use common sense and avoid hiding caches on the equipment in playgrounds. Adults with no kids hanging around playgrounds is just not common and raises too many suspicions. The other point is that caches on the equipment have a high likelihood of getting muggled.

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I think people should use common sense and avoid hiding caches on the equipment in playgrounds. Adults with no kids hanging around playgrounds is just not common and raises too many suspicions. The other point is that caches on the equipment have a high likelihood of getting muggled.

 

An excellent observation for your first ever post!! I haven't seen any caches hidden on playground equipment in years anyways, so I tend to think most people have the opinions of them as stated by most in this thread. And I'm not just talking about my region either. Not that I'm a world traveler or anything.

 

I do remember a leg of a multi in suburban Scranton, Pa.; I showed up on a Saturday afternoon to this wooden playground, and there had to be 100 kids playing on it! I came back a few days later at about 6:00 AM. This cache, placed in 2003, is still active I see.

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Caches are not generally allowed on school property in the US because Groundspeak has decided that there is a possibility that a significant number of people might consider schools to be a potential terrorist target. ....

I think that the best reason not to place a cache in a playground is that it will typically have a very short life. Kids tend to be explorers. :anibad:

 

You have a point on the schools. However I have been in one during a lock down. That was interesting. I think the real issue about a school is the tendency to over react.

 

As for playground caches, I think you hit the nail on the head. They would have short lifespans for exactly the reason you point out.

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...

Soon, this may change from me because we are currently developing an item that will allow unlimited access to playgrounds without suspicions being raised.

 

Those playground appliances are cool. I suspect you are going to be pleasently suprised at how much joy they bring in moments where they are doing their job allievating suspicion.

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I wouldn't personally place one. As a parent, I don't want a bunch of strangers skulking around where there are kids.

 

So you only go to playgrounds where you know everyone? Strangers with kids, or who are kids, are still strangers.

 

People need to *parent* instead of banning whatever demographic they like to picture the bad guys being in.

 

You have *no* idea how many kids are sociopaths and sex offenders, and it's not legal to track or register them no matter how heinous their crimes. I used to work with at-risk kids, some of whom had already committed sex crimes by age 7 or 8. They play at parks, go to school, etc. with all the other kids, and no one knows. If they knew, they likely couldn't legally warn anyone.

 

Unless someone behaves aggressively or inappropriately, there is no reason for me to fear them being at a park or playground my son is at. He asks before he goes anywhere out of line of sight, or out of where he's been told I expect him to be. I keep my eyes on him. I'm prepared to defend him should anyone make a move to harm him.

 

Freak circumstances aside, the only kids who get victimized by a sex offender while at a playground with their parents are kids whose parents are falling down on the job. Kids who weren't taught not to wander off, who don't respond to instructions from their parents, and/or whose parents aren't watching closely enough.

 

Pedophiles are pedophiles because kids are easy targets, and less threatening than adults. It's a strange occurrence when they engage in open confrontation of any kind (even a mild verbal confrontation), let alone physical violence. Some have it in them, but not that many. If you are watching your kid, and have taught them not to act stupidly, they should be fine at a playground.

 

This is why most children who are sexually abused are abused by a family member, neighbor, teacher, priest, babysitter, or other adult to whom the parents have given access *on purpose*, because they see the offender as not being a threat.

 

--Susan

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Despite public opinion, i do not think it is illegal for an old man to be at a playground in the park. If you take pictures of the kids it might get you in trouble though! :anibad:

 

Taken from an old newspaper article:

 

It's an only in New York story. A woman was given a ticket for sitting on a park bench because she doesn't have children.

The Rivington Playground on Manhattan's East Side has a small sign at the entrance that says adults are prohibited unless they are accompanied by a child.

Forty-seven-year-old Sandra Catena says she didn't see the sign when she sat down to wait for an arts festival to start. Two New York City police officers asked her if she was with a child. When she said no, they gave her a ticket that could bring a one thousand dollar fine and 90 days in jail.

 

The city parks department says the rule is designed to keep pedophiles out of city parks, but a parks spokesman told the Daily News that the department hoped police would use some common sense when enforcing the rule.

 

The spokesman told the paper that ticketing a woman in the park in the middle of the day is not the way you want to enforce the rule.

 

I will never hide a playground equipment cache, nor will I ever look for one. My hides are designed to entertain finders, not to put them in a position to be confronted by "helicopter parents."

I wonder about the legality of this law. :)

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Despite public opinion, i do not think it is illegal for an old man to be at a playground in the park. If you take pictures of the kids it might get you in trouble though! :anibad:

 

Taken from an old newspaper article:

 

It's an only in New York story. A woman was given a ticket for sitting on a park bench because she doesn't have children.

The Rivington Playground on Manhattan's East Side has a small sign at the entrance that says adults are prohibited unless they are accompanied by a child.

Forty-seven-year-old Sandra Catena says she didn't see the sign when she sat down to wait for an arts festival to start. Two New York City police officers asked her if she was with a child. When she said no, they gave her a ticket that could bring a one thousand dollar fine and 90 days in jail.

 

The city parks department says the rule is designed to keep pedophiles out of city parks, but a parks spokesman told the Daily News that the department hoped police would use some common sense when enforcing the rule.

 

The spokesman told the paper that ticketing a woman in the park in the middle of the day is not the way you want to enforce the rule.

 

I will never hide a playground equipment cache, nor will I ever look for one. My hides are designed to entertain finders, not to put them in a position to be confronted by "helicopter parents."

I wonder about the legality of this law. :)

 

You'd think the sign would simply read, "Pedophiles are prohibited". :)

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Despite public opinion, i do not think it is illegal for an old man to be at a playground in the park. If you take pictures of the kids it might get you in trouble though! :anibad:

 

Taken from an old newspaper article:

 

It's an only in New York story. A woman was given a ticket for sitting on a park bench because she doesn't have children.

The Rivington Playground on Manhattan's East Side has a small sign at the entrance that says adults are prohibited unless they are accompanied by a child.

Forty-seven-year-old Sandra Catena says she didn't see the sign when she sat down to wait for an arts festival to start. Two New York City police officers asked her if she was with a child. When she said no, they gave her a ticket that could bring a one thousand dollar fine and 90 days in jail.

 

The city parks department says the rule is designed to keep pedophiles out of city parks, but a parks spokesman told the Daily News that the department hoped police would use some common sense when enforcing the rule.

 

The spokesman told the paper that ticketing a woman in the park in the middle of the day is not the way you want to enforce the rule.

....

I wonder about the legality of this law. :)

 

It's an inane feel good law that accomplishes nothing but making criminals out of the innocent so some stupid (yes stupid) parents can feel better without actually making the world one iota safer (less so since now someone who could have interceeded with an abduction is now not allowed to be there) for children.

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Despite public opinion, i do not think it is illegal for an old man to be at a playground in the park. If you take pictures of the kids it might get you in trouble though! :anibad:

 

Taken from an old newspaper article:

 

It's an only in New York story. A woman was given a ticket for sitting on a park bench because she doesn't have children.

The Rivington Playground on Manhattan's East Side has a small sign at the entrance that says adults are prohibited unless they are accompanied by a child.

Forty-seven-year-old Sandra Catena says she didn't see the sign when she sat down to wait for an arts festival to start. Two New York City police officers asked her if she was with a child. When she said no, they gave her a ticket that could bring a one thousand dollar fine and 90 days in jail.

 

The city parks department says the rule is designed to keep pedophiles out of city parks, but a parks spokesman told the Daily News that the department hoped police would use some common sense when enforcing the rule.

 

The spokesman told the paper that ticketing a woman in the park in the middle of the day is not the way you want to enforce the rule.

 

I will never hide a playground equipment cache, nor will I ever look for one. My hides are designed to entertain finders, not to put them in a position to be confronted by "helicopter parents."

I wonder about the legality of this law. :)

 

You'd think the sign would simply read, "Pedophiles are prohibited". :)

Many times locales create laws that are not legal. That is all that I meant. It sounds kind of dumb, but it happens. It happens in my state often (in regard to firearms). I am sure it happens many other places too.
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But would it be legal?

 

I think cities can restrict playgrounds to people with kids. It seems rationally related to a legitimate goal so it passes the constitutional muster (in my opinion).

 

But playground caches can be rough on those of us whose kids are now a little older. A few years ago, a friend was looking for a cache in a playground early in the morning before the kids got there, but that made him stand out even more. The "I didn't want to look suspicious" and "You already do" type of conversation with a park person.

 

If you have to place a cache around a playground, at least do it outside the boundaries of the play area.

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But would it be legal?

 

I think cities can restrict playgrounds to people with kids. It seems rationally related to a legitimate goal so it passes the constitutional muster (in my opinion).

 

First of all, no, that law is not rationally related to a legitimate goal. It has absolutely no purpose but to mollify and reinforce the behavior of idiots who think their children's safety is everyone's responsibility but their own. See my comment above.

 

Second, "rationally related to a legitimate goal" is NOT a valid legal argument in the opinion of anyone who understands one iota about constitutional law. If it were, I'd have some apparently well-reasoned arguments with which we could ignore the entire Bill of Rights, and several parts of the Constitution itself.

 

The document exists for a reason. If only speech with positive effects is protected, then NO speech is protected, because the government gets to decide which speech has positive effects. You may as well argue that we shouldn't have due process for "clearly guilty" people, or the right to belong to the "wrong" religion.

 

I would find it VERY hard to argue that the above law does not clearly violate the freedom of association, and possibly equal treatment under the law.

 

But playground caches can be rough on those of us whose kids are now a little older. A few years ago, a friend was looking for a cache in a playground early in the morning before the kids got there, but that made him stand out even more. The "I didn't want to look suspicious" and "You already do" type of conversation with a park person.

 

How are they "rough on" anyone? If you don't have the spine to clearly state your rights to the police officer, along with the fact that you aren't breaking any laws (or any constitutionally valid laws, should the example at hand apply), then you can skip those caches. I skip caches all the time. I skip park and grabs because I find them dull and anticlimactic; I skip caches in the city of Chicago because they have a record-setting homicide rate and no right to self defense; I skipped caches in one part of a park I recently visited because the terrain was too steep for my six-year-old. Different cachers want different things in a cache -- just pick the ones that suit you!

 

If you have to place a cache around a playground, at least do it outside the boundaries of the play area.

 

No one *has to* place a cache anywhere, nor does anyone *have to* seek a particular cache, let alone any cache at all. It's called individual choice.

 

--Susan

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Second, "rationally related to a legitimate goal" is NOT a valid legal argument in the opinion of anyone who understands one iota about constitutional law.

 

That seems a little harsh -- and I hope you would not address an officer or park official with that kind of tone if they ask you about what you are doing in a playground that was limited to adults with children by a city ordinance. I admit that it has been a few years since I took constitutional law and 10 years since I practiced in an area (and spoke at conferences) involving standards applied to governmental actions, but I also checked with my older stepdaughter who just took the subject at Harvard Law. Perhaps I have an iota of understanding.

 

In terms of the scrutiny applied to this kind of restriction (under a first amendment/substantive due process claim and through the equal protection clause of the 14th amendment), courts have analyzed various restrictions on park usage under a rational basis test. That is a very deferential standard, although I used to argue that it was not complete abdication. After my curiosity was raised, I did look at Westlaw to see if a restriction has been successfully challenged.

 

How are they rough on anyone?

 

Playground areas and areas around schools can be sensitive, and the presence of single men can raise a number of concerns if children and their parents are in the area. I would not have been bothered if someone was looking for a cache when I used to take my daughter to the playground. But some people are.

 

I realize that one does not "have" to find a cache or place a container anywhere. And I too have passed by caches, including those in playgrounds, where I do not feel comfortable searching. Nevertheless, there are those of us who like to find the caches near where we live, regardless of where they might be placed. Yes, there is no one making us do that and you might be right that the compulsion that some of us feel about caching is not the same as "having" to do something. My wife has made that point on occasion.

 

Did I have to find the cache that involves bushwhacking in the middle of nowhere through thick brush after a long hike? Probably not, but it was the one closest to where I live. Did I have to look for one in the neighborhood playground? Probably not, but I like to save the ignore list for puzzles that involve higher math, computer programming, and understanding of the Enigma code.

 

So think of it as a polite request. If you want to place a cache in order to honor a playground in some way, then please try to make it comfortable for people who come there without kids. And if access to the playground is restricted by law, why tempt someone to go there? Or at least clearly identify it as a playground cache so people can make up their minds before driving out of their way to get there.

Edited by Erickson
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A few years ago, a friend was looking for a cache in a playground early in the morning before the kids got there, but that made him stand out even more. The "I didn't want to look suspicious" and "You already do" type of conversation with a park person.

Surely all this friend needed to do was to explain to the park person that he was geocaching and looking for the cache that the park authorities had given permission for. Presumably the cache owner had complied with the Geocaching.com guidelines and had obtained permission from the landowner? As the park authority had given permission for the cache they couldn't complain when people actually came looking for it.

 

Or am I being naive?

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Second, "rationally related to a legitimate goal" is NOT a valid legal argument in the opinion of anyone who understands one iota about constitutional law.

 

That seems a little harsh

 

I think that today we (meaning as a country, not this forum in particular, where folks are generally fairly sane) are a bit past harsh. Too often our rights slip away because no one wants to make a supposedly impolite point just because it's right.

 

...I hope you would not address an officer or park official with that kind of tone if they ask you about what you are doing in a playground that was limited to adults with children by a city ordinance.

 

No, but I don't expect someone acting as an officer of the law to interpret the constitutionality of it for the most part. I expect the citizens putting up with this garbage to stop doing so -- anyone who tolerates an abridgment of their rights only contributes to the erosion of them.

 

...Courts have analyzed various restrictions on park usage under a rational basis test and I believe that most would give a lot of deference to this type of restriction. But now that my curiosity has been raised, I might look to see if such an ordinance has been successfully challenged.

 

When last I checked (which, granted, was some years ago) there had been plenty of rulings on parks restricting use by time, activity, etc. However, nothing I could find challenging age restrictions. I can tell you that some years ago when the parks near a family group we belonged to had posted age restrictions (such that families with multiple kids couldn't go to *any* park because one kid was the right age for one, and the other for another), one of the members threatened a lawsuit and the regulations were immediately changed.

 

How are they rough on anyone?

 

Playground areas and areas around schools can be sensitive, and the presence of single men can raise a number of concerns if children and their parents are in the area.

 

But not *legitimate* concerns. I know people who fear for their children's lives if a playground has a seesaw (they have actually been banned from schools here in Illinois, as have swings, merry-go-rounds, and maypoles). That doesn't make them right.

 

As I stated earlier, if the parents are doing their job, the kids aren't in danger.

 

I would not have been bothered if someone was looking for a cache when I used to take my daughter to the playground. But some people are.

 

It's really not our job to make every idiot out there comfortable, and it's *especially* not the government's job.

 

I realize that one does not "have" to find a cache or place a container anywhere. And I too have passed by caches, including those in playgrounds, where I do not feel comfortable searching. Nevertheless, there are those of us who like to find the caches near where we live, regardless of where they might be placed. Yes, there is no one making us do that and you might be right that the compulsion that some of us feel about caching is not the same as "having" to do something. My wife has made that point on occasion.

 

Other's choices are not my problem -- they are just that, choices. Having some caches available that you don't want to search for doesn't diminish the number of ones you do like, it just adds more options to the table. If one wishes to search for *every* cache, one must accept that not all of them will be ideal.

 

...So think of it as a polite request. If you want to place a cache in order to honor a playground in some way, then please try to make it comfortable for people who come there without kids. And if access to the playground is restricted by law, why tempt someone to go there?

 

Even if we assume for the sake of argument that playground caches are only good for families, so what? There are plenty of caches out there that are no good for people *with* kids, why should all caches be appropriate for people *without* kids? If some places insist on passing harebrained laws restricting some people from public parks/playgrounds, why should caches not be there for people who can legally seek them, and why are the people who feel left out not challenging these laws?

 

Or at least clearly identify it as a playground cache so people can make up their minds before driving out of their way to get there.

 

I do think that *every* cache needs a clear enough description that people can choose which to seek before they get there -- that's my whole point -- PERSONAL CHOICE.

 

--Susan

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... After my curiosity was raised, I did look at Westlaw to see if a restriction has been successfully challenged.
Would you mind sharing your results with the rest of the class?
A few years ago, a friend was looking for a cache in a playground early in the morning before the kids got there, but that made him stand out even more. The "I didn't want to look suspicious" and "You already do" type of conversation with a park person.
Surely all this friend needed to do was to explain to the park person that he was geocaching and looking for the cache that the park authorities had given permission for. Presumably the cache owner had complied with the Geocaching.com guidelines and had obtained permission from the landowner? As the park authority had given permission for the cache they couldn't complain when people actually came looking for it.

 

Or am I being naive?

I don't think you are being naive. I do think that you misunderstand the permission guideline, but that's fodder for a totally different thread.
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Unless you are a radius slave, what is the problem? You can just ignore it.

 

If only people with kids can go in parks do the rest of us have to pay taxes anymore?

 

A community in my state refused to change their rules/law banning firearms in their parks. It went to the supreme court where (of course) it was ruled unconstitutional. They ended up paying for it too.

 

Allowed although many do not like them.

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...

No one *has to* place a cache anywhere, nor does anyone *have to* seek a particular cache, let alone any cache at all. It's called individual choice.

 

--Susan

Some cachers would not place it there for reasons already identified. It's called Wisdom. Not all people who make individual choices have it.
Not all people who claim to have it, actually do.
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...

No one *has to* place a cache anywhere, nor does anyone *have to* seek a particular cache, let alone any cache at all. It's called individual choice.

 

--Susan

Some cachers would not place it there for reasons already identified. It's called Wisdom. Not all people who make individual choices have it.
Not all people who claim to have it, actually do.

So true, so true.

 

I've known folks who in every sense seem dumb as a rock. Yet, they do, effortlessly, the right thing for the right reasons, every time. When you talk to them, it's all so clear and simple. Where some can't see past the rock, I see genius.

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I think people should use common sense and avoid hiding caches on the equipment in playgrounds. Adults with no kids hanging around playgrounds is just not common and raises too many suspicions. The other point is that caches on the equipment have a high likelihood of getting muggled.

In my opinion, this is an easy cache attached to playground equipment that should not have been approved. What do readers of this forum think about this cache?

 

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I think people should use common sense and avoid hiding caches on the equipment in playgrounds. Adults with no kids hanging around playgrounds is just not common and raises too many suspicions. The other point is that caches on the equipment have a high likelihood of getting muggled.

In my opinion, this is an easy cache attached to playground equipment that should not have been approved. What do readers of this forum think about this cache?

 

Caches aren't "approved," they are published after being reviewed to see if the listing guidelines have apparently been followed.

 

Please quote the listing guideline which you think has been violated in this example.

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