Law Enforcement and GC Event

[+Winstonsmom]

Hello all from a Forum Newbie

 

This is my first time to post a question to the knowledge-bank here in the forums. I am asking for help in planning an event with our local law enforcement and fire fighters following a "typical" bomb scare involving a light post cache.

 

I have heard MANY stories similar to ours of the local bomb squad called to find an LPC, but this is the first time it happened "in my backyard." That hurts! The local media's report was NOT favorable to geocachers, which poked us all in a very personal way. http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local-beat/High...-109005394.html

 

My question is: How do we engage the local public safety community to talk with geocachers? I want to host an event where geocachers hear from LEO folks about their call for public safety and where LEO hear about the positive and vibrant geocaching experience of the folks they are protecting.

 

If anyone has hosted an event with a similar theme, I would appreciate any ideas, wisdom, concerns to help us organize our response to our sad LPC bomb.

 

P.S. One of our geocaching friends is a fire figther and he is working to find contacts with the LEo trainers, so we have an "in" to make this happen. I am looking for wisdom about how to organize the event to achieve postive outcomes for LEO and geocachers.

[knowschad]

It sounds to me as though you already have a good foot in the door with your firefighting geocaching friend. But don't be surprised if, after holding what seems to be a hugely successful event, another geocache gets blown up. I think that you will learn from the LEOs that attend that once an object is called suspicious, that it may not matter if the cache owner and two dozen finders are there, jumping up and down and waving their arms and yelling "GEOCACHE!!!" that the robot gets sent in anyway. Its the machine. That's the way it generally works, and probably has to work.

 

They will also likely tell you to use clear, and clearly labeled containers, which, of course precludes most clever camo jobs.

 

Those things said, I think that it is a commendable effort, and I wish you the very best with it!

[+LizzyHoops]

I love how they used Wikipedia as a source, and clearly did not do enough research to even have a clue how the game works. Seriously...transmitters? (well there are chirps...)

[knowschad]

I love how they used Wikipedia as a source, and clearly did not do enough research to even have a clue how the game works. Seriously...transmitters? (well there are chirps...)

 

While there were some points in the article and the interview that I had issues with, I will say that my biggest issue was with the cache container. It really did look more like a pipe bomb than a cache container to me, particularly for such a conspicuous area.

[+secretagentbill]

That article was really, really sad.

 

But it sounds like you have an awesome event idea.

 

I'm sure law enforcement and safety personnel could really benefit from the education and discussion. But geocachers could probably also help out by not making caches that look like pipe bombs and also not hiding caches in such spots like parking lots and public areas.

[knowschad]

...wait...

 

along with a logbook and little cheap tchotchkes.

 

The tchotchkes that I put in my caches are NOT cheap, nor are they generally little!

 

walked away muttering something about "those damned kids and their stupid games."

"Kids"? OK, these guys definitely need to be invited to an event. They need to see these "kids" with their own eyes. And you can see in that one statement the problem I have with the official spin of calling this activity a "game".

 

The Arlington Fire Department officials said the false alarms caused by the game are on the rise.

 

Look... here the come now!!

 

[+ReedKyCacheFinders]

Hello all from a Forum Newbie

 

This is my first time to post a question to the knowledge-bank here in the forums. I am asking for help in planning an event with our local law enforcement and fire fighters following a "typical" bomb scare involving a light post cache.

 

I have heard MANY stories similar to ours of the local bomb squad called to find an LPC, but this is the first time it happened "in my backyard." That hurts! The local media's report was NOT favorable to geocachers, which poked us all in a very personal way. http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local-beat/High...-109005394.html

 

My question is: How do we engage the local public safety community to talk with geocachers? I want to host an event where geocachers hear from LEO folks about their call for public safety and where LEO hear about the positive and vibrant geocaching experience of the folks they are protecting.

 

If anyone has hosted an event with a similar theme, I would appreciate any ideas, wisdom, concerns to help us organize our response to our sad LPC bomb.

 

P.S. One of our geocaching friends is a fire figther and he is working to find contacts with the LEo trainers, so we have an "in" to make this happen. I am looking for wisdom about how to organize the event to achieve postive outcomes for LEO and geocachers.

 

A Louisville, Ky. geocaching group had a Event a month or so ago that involved the Police,Fire Dept. & not sure who else. The way I took it they was going to make people more aware of geocaching, Plus the Police was going to blow up a geocache container too. Maybe look back in some of the Louisville area Gecachers profiles & see if they attended this event & you could go in if it's archived now to see who put it on & get some Feed back from them. Hope this helps.

[+ReedKyCacheFinders]

Hello all from a Forum Newbie

 

This is my first time to post a question to the knowledge-bank here in the forums. I am asking for help in planning an event with our local law enforcement and fire fighters following a "typical" bomb scare involving a light post cache.

 

I have heard MANY stories similar to ours of the local bomb squad called to find an LPC, but this is the first time it happened "in my backyard." That hurts! The local media's report was NOT favorable to geocachers, which poked us all in a very personal way. http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local-beat/High...-109005394.html

 

My question is: How do we engage the local public safety community to talk with geocachers? I want to host an event where geocachers hear from LEO folks about their call for public safety and where LEO hear about the positive and vibrant geocaching experience of the folks they are protecting.

 

If anyone has hosted an event with a similar theme, I would appreciate any ideas, wisdom, concerns to help us organize our response to our sad LPC bomb.

 

P.S. One of our geocaching friends is a fire figther and he is working to find contacts with the LEo trainers, so we have an "in" to make this happen. I am looking for wisdom about how to organize the event to achieve postive outcomes for LEO and geocachers.

 

A Louisville, Ky. geocaching group had a Event a month or so ago that involved the Police,Fire Dept. & not sure who else. The way I took it they was going to make people more aware of geocaching, Plus the Police was going to blow up a geocache container too. Maybe look back in some of the Louisville area Gecachers profiles & see if they attended this event & you could go in if it's archived now to see who put it on & get some Feed back from them. Hope this helps.

 

I found the Event. Here it is. http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...26-353563e5d54f

[knowschad]

I found the Event. Here it is. http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...26-353563e5d54f

I think that this was a bit of the reverse, however... this sounds more like the police, fire department, and bomb squad asking for an event to educate geocachers. It is still getting the two sides together, of course, but in a totally different relationship.

 

From the logs:

• Very informative. Thanks
  
• Impressive demonstration and lecture .
  
• I/we enjoyed this very informative cache meet, being from the boon docks, I never thought about some one thinking a cache might be a boom.
  
• Thanks for all the info, we never gave this a thought.
  
• You know I never thought of these issues before but I will be aware now.
  
• Very nice presentation & lots of good information.
  
• I can honestly say I will not look at those ammo cans in the woods the same again.
  

[+JL_HSTRE]

Is it just more or are the vast majority of bomb scares from geocaches LPCs? I wonder if LPCs might eventually be banned for that reason?

[+Don_J]

Is it just more or are the vast majority of bomb scares from geocaches LPCs? I wonder if LPCs might eventually be banned for that reason?

 

Not at all. It seems that most have been various containers placed too close to schools. Keep in mind that most parents that are dropping off or waiting to pick up their children are highly vigilant.

 

Also note the that in this incident, the police examined the cache and determined that it was safe. Nothing got blown up.

 

A few months ago, all train traffic between Los Angeles and San Bernardino was stopped for four hours, including eight commuter trains, while the bomb squad isolated and blew up a a plastic bag full of rotten meat.

[+raykyra]

JUst curious as to whos cache it was.

[+ReedKyCacheFinders]

I found the Event. Here it is. http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...26-353563e5d54f

I think that this was a bit of the reverse, however... this sounds more like the police, fire department, and bomb squad asking for an event to educate geocachers. It is still getting the two sides together, of course, but in a totally different relationship.

 

From the logs:

• Very informative. Thanks
  
• Impressive demonstration and lecture .
  
• I/we enjoyed this very informative cache meet, being from the boon docks, I never thought about some one thinking a cache might be a boom.
  
• Thanks for all the info, we never gave this a thought.
  
• You know I never thought of these issues before but I will be aware now.
  
• Very nice presentation & lots of good information.
  
• I can honestly say I will not look at those ammo cans in the woods the same again.
  

 

Well, He or She did ask "My question is: How do we engage the local public safety community to talk with geocachers?"

 

So we just put in our 2 cents

[+ReedKyCacheFinders]

Is it just more or are the vast majority of bomb scares from geocaches LPCs? I wonder if LPCs might eventually be banned for that reason?

 

Would give us a more reason to pull our few Lamp Post Caches we have & other do the same then we would end the boring "This place just needed a cache" lamp post caches for good.