geocach thouhgt to be a bomb

[gordieo]

Yesterday the OPP bomb squad was called you to Port Stanley Ontario for a bomb buti know the tree and there is a geocach there so i bet you once it comes back it will be a geacach not a bomb

 

heres a video

 

 

some one called after seeing someone come out from under the tree

[+DragonsWest]

Gotta put those OFFICIAL GEOCACHE logos on containers!

 

Any idea what kind of container it was?

[+The A-Team]

Looks like it's GC24B2C.

 

Here's the last finders:

[+Hasty Javelinas]

I'd love to see the look on the officers faces when they discover its just a box full of old happy meal toys, golf balls and expired coupons.

[+DragonsWest]

I'd love to see the look on the officers faces when they discover its just a box full of old happy meal toys, golf balls and expired coupons.

 

Won't matter. If it isn't clearly labeled as a Geocache it's not going to go well. I'm careful with my containers which are larger than Micro to stencil the identifcation on the outside of the container. I don't want a knock on the door.

[+cerberus1]

I'm hoping it's not just me...

I went on the cache page and see a lot of "hahahaha" going on, including a note from the OP.

Do you really think drawing this kind of negative attention to the hobby is funny?

[+DragonsWest]

Nothing funny about it. The CO will likely be contacted, if people aren't already flooding her email. Not quite the stress relief she thought the game would be.

[+Manville Possum]

I just watched the youtube video. The Police brought a bomb to blow up the geocache? Smooth move Exlax! The cache was a clear container with some camo tape on it, you could see the contents.

[knowschad]

Gotta put those OFFICIAL GEOCACHE logos on containers!

 

Any idea what kind of container it was?

You've been around long enough to know that won't stop them. Having the cache owner there hasn't stopped them in some cases.

[+StarBrand]

Gotta put those OFFICIAL GEOCACHE logos on containers!

 

Any idea what kind of container it was?

You've been around long enough to know that won't stop them. Having the cache owner there hasn't stopped them in some cases.

Yup, I know of several instances where local cachers tried to tell the police what the clear and labeled container was - didn't matter - they still "rendered it harmless".

[+the4dirtydogs]

Looked like a bomb to me...NOT. I can't believe the firemen had to call the bomb squad. They all really thought this was a bomb. I think they just wanted to blow something up and train a little. Has any geocacher been contacted by the police to pay for any of these geocache explosions yet. I always wonder about that.

[+DragonsWest]

Looked like a bomb to me...NOT. I can't believe the firemen had to call the bomb squad. They all really thought this was a bomb. I think they just wanted to blow something up and train a little. Has any geocacher been contacted by the police to pay for any of these geocache explosions yet. I always wonder about that.

 

Boston had a pretty bad reputation for this, including one box which was actually for measuring traffic along a road.

[+the4dirtydogs]

Looked like a bomb to me...NOT. I can't believe the firemen had to call the bomb squad. They all really thought this was a bomb. I think they just wanted to blow something up and train a little. Has any geocacher been contacted by the police to pay for any of these geocache explosions yet. I always wonder about that.

 

Boston had a pretty bad reputation for this, including one box which was actually for measuring traffic along a road.

Now that's funny. I could see the DOT guy say, " really it's for measuring traffic." And the bomb squad chief,"But it has wires coming out of it........BOOM!"

[+Ms.Scrabbler]

Did anyone else notice when the green man picked up a large piece of litter he looked it over and over then tossed it back on the ground? Can't have a cache/bomb around but litter is okay.

 

I think there are going to be some pissed off official people when they get around to looking up the cache and see all the hahahas. That was just the wrong way to comment about it - IMO.

[+Gitchee-Gummee]

It is truly an interesting (or... amazing) to read the note logs on the cache. So many cachers thinking that blowing up a cache is funny, including (to a point) the CO.

[knowschad]

Looked like a bomb to me...NOT. I can't believe the firemen had to call the bomb squad. They all really thought this was a bomb. I think they just wanted to blow something up and train a little. Has any geocacher been contacted by the police to pay for any of these geocache explosions yet. I always wonder about that.

 

Boston had a pretty bad reputation for this, including one box which was actually for measuring traffic along a road.

 

Uhhh.... yeah: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_Boston_bomb_scare

 

[+thehawkers3]

That happened here once. This was a cache container:

 

http://montgomery.patch.com/articles/bomb-squad-finds-no-danger-at-riverside-cemetery

[GOF and Bacall]

I love the guys at the bar. "Look eh! See the bomb guy over there? He set a explosive on the tree over there eh." "Um, I wonder why he's stand'n way over there, eh?"

[+AneMae]

So, Aside from the CO thinking it is all a big joke, think of the wasted emergency resources, money and public alarm this caused, ha, ha real funny - How do we prevent similar things from happening in the future?

From what I saw the hide did not seem to be in an overly suspicious location. The town is not know for being/having any hard targets. I don't think an "Official Geocache" sticker would have changed anything.

 

Anyone have any ideas for solutions?

I think this is the type of publicity that could get geocaching banned in certain areas/municipalities etc..... We certainly do not want that.

Edited March 8, 2012 by AneMae

[jholly]

Clear, painted, labeled, not labeled, someone standing there telling them what it is simply does not matter. If the bomb squad gets called something is going to go boom. These are the guys that liked playing with big firecrackers when they were young. If nothing else it is used as a training exercise. Clan Rifster had a flow chart around here some where about a call for the bomb squad. If the first responder does not wish to make the call on what the item is, it will end up as a bomb squad call.

[knowschad]

So, Aside from the CO thinking it is all a big joke, think of the wasted emergency resources, money and public alarm this caused, ha, ha real funny - How do we prevent similar things from happening in the future?

From what I saw the hide did not seem to be in an overly suspicious location. The town is not know for being/having any hard targets. I don't think an "Official Geocache" sticker would have changed anything.

 

Anyone have any ideas for solutions?

I think this is the type of publicity that could get geocaching banned in certain areas/municipalities etc..... We certainly do not want that.

 

If you do a forum search for 'bomb', I think you will quickly come to the conclusion that "we" can't really do anything to prevent it. We could hide all of our caches in clear jars with Official Geocaching labels, but as has already been pointed out, there have been situations where even that hasn't worked. Those of us that have been around this forum for a while have seen and heard it all. A child's lunch box, a cache with the last finder standing there, proclaiming that he just signed the log in it, the cache owner standing there, a microwave in the woods that was 'plugged" into a tree... if they wanna blow it up, they're gonna blow it up, and there isn't much that we can do about it.

[+Castle Mischief]

Vanna, I'd like to buy an "E" for $200.

[+AneMae]

FYI, What the local news is reporting:

 

Bomb Scare Caused by "Geocaching"? Police in Port Stanley Still Trying to Find Out

AM980

 

3/8/2012

 

OPP are continuing to investigate Wednesday's bomb scare in Port Stanley.

 

Investigators are still trying to identify a canister with wires coming out of it, which was spotted by a passerby.

 

The canister was discovered under a tree, prompting OPP to cordon off a large parking lot and the King George IV bridge in Port Stanley for a few hours. The bridge is the most frequently used one in town.

 

The OPP explosives disposal unit used a robot to examine the canister before detonating it around 12:30 in the afternoon.

 

OPP say the device may have been a Geocache.

 

Geocaching is a real-world treasure hunting game where participants use GPS devices to find hidden containers.

[+Castle Mischief]

So, Aside from the CO thinking it is all a big joke, think of the wasted emergency resources, money and public alarm this caused, ha, ha real funny - How do we prevent similar things from happening in the future?

From what I saw the hide did not seem to be in an overly suspicious location. The town is not know for being/having any hard targets. I don't think an "Official Geocache" sticker would have changed anything.

 

Anyone have any ideas for solutions?

I think this is the type of publicity that could get geocaching banned in certain areas/municipalities etc..... We certainly do not want that.

 

There are two ways to stop this:

 

1. Stop placing caches

2. Move to a different country (and stop placing caches.)

[+Castle Mischief]

So, Aside from the CO thinking it is all a big joke, think of the wasted emergency resources, money and public alarm this caused, ha, ha real funny - How do we prevent similar things from happening in the future?

From what I saw the hide did not seem to be in an overly suspicious location. The town is not know for being/having any hard targets. I don't think an "Official Geocache" sticker would have changed anything.

 

Anyone have any ideas for solutions?

I think this is the type of publicity that could get geocaching banned in certain areas/municipalities etc..... We certainly do not want that.

 

If you do a forum search for 'bomb', I think you will quickly come to the conclusion that "we" can't really do anything to prevent it. We could hide all of our caches in clear jars with Official Geocaching labels, but as has already been pointed out, there have been situations where even that hasn't worked. Those of us that have been around this forum for a while have seen and heard it all. A child's lunch box, a cache with the last finder standing there, proclaiming that he just signed the log in it, the cache owner standing there, a microwave in the woods that was 'plugged" into a tree... if they wanna blow it up, they're gonna blow it up, and there isn't much that we can do about it.

 

You forgot the DOT property!

[Mr.Yuck]

I'm hoping it's not just me...

I went on the cache page and see a lot of "hahahaha" going on, including a note from the OP.

Do you really think drawing this kind of negative attention to the hobby is funny?

 

Every single cache in the U.S. and Canada that has ever been the subject of a bomb squad call has had nothing but "hahahaha" from the locals going on on the cache page afterwords. We're a bunch of radicals here in the forums, don't you know.

[+GeoBain]

How do we prevent similar things from happening in the future?

 

Stop geocaching.

[+AneMae]

Stop Caching? "Move to another country"

C'mon- Lets be serious for a minute, how about some ideas on what can be done to avoid, or at least minimize these types of situations.

I'll start- (Before and after incidents happen) How about we open the communication lines between police and the local geocaching organizations/individuals.

Both sides could probably use some education from each other about what works, how things work and what doesn't fly.

Wether it be formal of informal some type of partnership may go a long way. It could not make things any worse.

Just a thought to get us started.

[GOF and Bacall]

Stop Caching? "Move to another country"

C'mon- Lets be serious for a minute, how about some ideas on what can be done to avoid, or at least minimize these types of situations.

I'll start- (Before and after incidents happen) How about we open the communication lines between police and the local geocaching organizations/individuals.

Both sides could probably use some education from each other about what works, how things work and what doesn't fly.

Wether it be formal of informal some type of partnership may go a long way. It could not make things any worse.

Just a thought to get us started.

 

Take a few minutes to follow the advice give about searching the forums. You'll find that we have been all through this ad infinitum. There really is not a whole lot that can be done. Short of not hiding geocaches at all some are going to be "made safe" by bomb squads.

[+Castle Mischief]

Stop Caching? "Move to another country"

C'mon- Lets be serious for a minute, how about some ideas on what can be done to avoid, or at least minimize these types of situations.

I'll start- (Before and after incidents happen) How about we open the communication lines between police and the local geocaching organizations/individuals.

Both sides could probably use some education from each other about what works, how things work and what doesn't fly.

Whether it be formal of informal some type of partnership may go a long way. It could not make things any worse.

Just a thought to get us started.

 

Not inciting our neighbors against the local caches would be another good way to reduce bomb squad calls. Just saying.

Edited March 8, 2012 by Castle Mischief

[+Dr. House]

Stop Caching? "Move to another country"

C'mon- Lets be serious for a minute, how about some ideas on what can be done to avoid, or at least minimize these types of situations.

I'll start- (Before and after incidents happen) How about we open the communication lines between police and the local geocaching organizations/individuals.

Both sides could probably use some education from each other about what works, how things work and what doesn't fly.

Wether it be formal of informal some type of partnership may go a long way. It could not make things any worse.

Just a thought to get us started.

 

Groundspeak provides the ability for local Land Managers and Law Enforcement agencies to obtain a premium membership free of charge to assist in situations such as these.

[knowschad]

Stop Caching? "Move to another country"

C'mon- Lets be serious for a minute, how about some ideas on what can be done to avoid, or at least minimize these types of situations.

I'll start- (Before and after incidents happen) How about we open the communication lines between police and the local geocaching organizations/individuals.

Both sides could probably use some education from each other about what works, how things work and what doesn't fly.

Wether it be formal of informal some type of partnership may go a long way. It could not make things any worse.

Just a thought to get us started.

We are being serious.

 

Some areas have had gettogethers with the local police. In some cases, it may have helped to some extent, but once somebody calls a geocache "a bomb", they will have to assume that is what it is, until it has been proven otherwise by "rendering it safe". That is SOP.

 

The website does have a page dedicated to educating police and landowners, and will even provide them with a Premium Membership free of charge: http://www.geocaching.com/parksandpolice/default.aspx

[+StarBrand]

I'm really not all that upset over the local authorities doing what they should do, what their training tells them to do. What we the public have demanded they do. React to our reports of suspicious activity - taking all the care and concern for safety that they should.

 

No reason to ban anything. Best we can do is keep the LEO's informed about caching and cache containers. Even then - some will go boom.

[+Mr.Benchmark]

Groundspeak provides the ability for local Land Managers and Law Enforcement agencies to obtain a premium membership free of charge to assist in situations such as these.

 

I wonder how useful this really is? It is the right thing for GS to do and all, but in many areas, the cache saturation is pretty high, so if you ask "is there a geocache nearby", the answer is liable to be "yes." And even if the item really is a geocache, how do they know someone didn't put a bomb in a known geocache? Sure, it's improbable, but they don't really know. If they blow it up then there is no question that they have dealt with the situation, whatever it is - problem (or non-problem as the case may be) solved.

 

I would imagine that it is generally understood in law enforcement that if you want people to call in suspicious things they see that there will be some false alarms...

[GOF and Bacall]

I'm really not all that upset over the local authorities doing what they should do, what their training tells them to do. What we the public have demanded they do. React to our reports of suspicious activity - taking all the care and concern for safety that they should.

 

No reason to ban anything. Best we can do is keep the LEO's informed about caching and cache containers. Even then - some will go boom.

 

Yup.

 

It always bugs me when people get all pissed off because some bomb squad blows up a cache. Perhaps they were over cautious. But all it would take is one instance of them not being cautious when they should have to change everything.

 

What does tick me off is when after doing their duty someone gets it in their empty skull that someone needs to be punished. Geocaches are just one of many items mistaken for bombs. It happens. That doesn't mean someone did something wrong.

[+Dr. House]

Groundspeak provides the ability for local Land Managers and Law Enforcement agencies to obtain a premium membership free of charge to assist in situations such as these.

 

I wonder how useful this really is? It is the right thing for GS to do and all, but in many areas, the cache saturation is pretty high, so if you ask "is there a geocache nearby", the answer is liable to be "yes." And even if the item really is a geocache, how do they know someone didn't put a bomb in a known geocache? Sure, it's improbable, but they don't really know. If they blow it up then there is no question that they have dealt with the situation, whatever it is - problem (or non-problem as the case may be) solved.

 

I would imagine that it is generally understood in law enforcement that if you want people to call in suspicious things they see that there will be some false alarms...

 

I have no doubt that this would be immensely helpful, if utilized. I also have no doubt that, as many other folks in here have said, some caches will suffer this fate no matter the tools provided. I can imagine that in the role of the bomb squad folks, they simply can't take chances once deployed.

[+AneMae]

Food for thought:

From "The Squid Zone"

 

How to keep geocaching from being banned

Posted on 2008-07-29 by Evolving Squid

Once again, a case of a geocache being exploded by the bomb squad is in the news. It’s probably fair to say that most people who hide geocaches understand that there is a risk that any given geocache hide will meet its end that way, however, it seems clear that some hides are much more likely than others to end up at the business end of the bomb squad’s water cannon.

 

I’m a geocacher, but I also do security work. This may give me a unique insight into this subject matter. Certainly the fact that two of the three events in Ottawa of which I am aware were wrongfully attributed to me in 2004 gives me a perspective that other people may not have.

 

To all geocachers, if you get nothing else from this blog post, please take this away: If geocachers don’t buck up and start applying a little more brain power to their cache hides, this activity absolutely will get banned or severely curtailed in Canada. We’ve already seen an inkling of this with the negotiations with Parks Canada a few years ago – their geocaching ban was improved to a rather strict curtailment, and although geocaching is still permitted on Parks Canada land, they’ve made the rules a bit of a PITA. At least it’s still permitted… geocaching is already banned in Ontario parks. I assure you that the bomb squads won’t have to be called out too many times in too many places before cities take a hard-line approach.

 

You might think that a bomb-squad response is over the top… after all, you know it’s just a geocache, so why couldn’t they look it up? The answer to that is startlingly simple – it’s not their job to look it up, it’s their job to treat suspicious packages as potential bombs. It should be readily apparent that some nutbar could register a geocache and put a bomb on the spot. Is it likely? Of course not. It is, however, possible, and that’s why we have a bomb squad – to deal with those unlikely, but possible, scenarios.

 

So here, then, are things that I think geocachers collectively have to understand and how they should alter their behaviour to reduce the risk of a public backlash against geocaching.

 

Stop hiding cache containers on private property

This past week’s bomb scare involved a package that was hidden on private property, in violation of the guidelines for geocache hides. Even if one were to argue that it is a bridge on which people are encouraged to walk, permission should probably have been sought. In my own geocache hunts, I’ve had to stop at “No Trespass” markers, knowing full well that the container was “just over there”.

 

Surprisingly, there have been few actual complaints about caches on private property, but I am certain that is because when there is a complaint, it’s usually about a bigger issue, or the property owner finds the cache and simply removes it.

 

Here are examples of places that are private property and should not have a cache hidden without the owner’s permission: quarries, shopping mall parking lots, mass transit infrastructure, airports, people’s yards, farmland.

 

Stop hiding cache containers on public infrastructure

Directly related to the point above, and in direct contravention of the cache listing guidelines, attaching a cache to most public infrastructure is a bad idea. In particular this would apply to bridges, power equipment, rail infrastructure, and historic sites that attract tourists.

 

Often, such a hide would run afoul of private property guidelines, but more to the point, emergency services do not tend to react well to odd packages stuck on bridges, hydro towers, and so forth. It doesn’t matter if it’s got a geocache sticker on it, nobody is going to care and they’re going to blast the cache and make a stink about it. It will get media attention and it will reflect negatively on the hider and on geocaching and geocachers as a whole.

 

Stop hiding caches in dangerous places

One would think this would go without saying given how geocachers themselves seem to go ballistic if there’s a little pen-knife in a geocache. Nevertheless, I’ve seen a number of hides that are inherently dangerous and tend to violate the previous two discussion points as well. Here’s a list of hides that I have seen that are, in my opinion, dangerous:

 

Lamp post caches – high voltage runs inside the lamp post. Placing caches under the skirt is dangerous because it encourages fingers to poke where high voltage may be. Additionally, many lamp posts are on private property or are part of public infrastructure.

Electrical transformers – It’s arguable that these are private property but they do, for the most part, carry warnings right on them not to touch, stay away, yadda yadda. When power company employees see a cache stuck on one of these things they invariably remove it. When a member of the public sees one, there is a high risk of a call to the bomb squad. Good sense says you stay away from electrical boxes.

Wells – Yes, I’ve seen one of these… a cache in a well or similar dank hole that had to be retrieved by a stick from a hole that was large enough for a child or small adult to fall into. At first glance, even I thought “What a cool spot!” but later it dawned on me that a slip or a bit of horsing around and there would be a major issue.

Notice here that I’m not whinging about terrain. If the cache is a bit dangerous because you need to be an Edmund Hillary-level mountain climber to get it, that’s fine. That’s not the same as risking electrical shock to retrieve the thing.

 

Stop using marked ammunition containers

This is a pet peeve of mine. I absolutely concur that military surplus ammunition containers make absolutely wonderful cache containers. They’re all but impossible for animals to open. They’re proof against all kinds of horrible weather. They’re relatively indestructible. They’re relatively inexpensive for what you get. So what’s the problem?

 

The problem is that ammunition containers are marked with stencilled letters that describe the contents. Even if you paint over them, the letters usually have sufficient relief that the original contents of the can are still easily readable. So while all geocachers may well know that at some coordinates there is a perfectly safe ammunition can, a wandering member of the public sees a green box marked “AMMUNITION .50 CAL, MK II, C1, 4B 1T, 2000 UNITS”. They call the police, the police blow it up, etc. This does NOT endear geocaching or geocachers to the public.

 

This problem is also easy to fix. Stop using marked ammunition cans. Sand/file/scrape off the old markings and repaint the can. Most people wouldn’t know what an ammo can was if it bit them… assuming they can’t read the ammunition markings on the side.

 

Start using transparent / translucent containers

The corollary to the previous item is that I believe geocachers should use transparent or translucent containers when hides are anywhere that the public might reasonably stumble across the container. In essence, if the hide is in the core urban area, use a transparent or translucent container such as a Lock’n'Lock. This allows people who might be coming to blow up your geocache an opportunity to look inside it without opening it. They still might not look, and blow it up anyway, but I believe the chances of cache survival are greater if it looks inspectible.

 

The three caches that I have been involved with that were suspected of being bombs were: A camouflaged pipe in a park (!! – cache was blown up by the bomb squad), a marked ammo can about 1.5 km down a trail in the middle of nowhere slung in a stick tower topped by a garden gnome (container opened safely, contents and gnome returned to owner), and this most recent (!! metal can on a Transitway bridge blown up by bomb squad).

 

All it takes is a little extra thought when placing a cache. Is that really so much to ask?

[+Totem Clan]

Do you even read the replies to your post?

 

All that has been addressed in spades.

[+DragonsWest]

I'm really not all that upset over the local authorities doing what they should do, what their training tells them to do. What we the public have demanded they do. React to our reports of suspicious activity - taking all the care and concern for safety that they should.

 

No reason to ban anything. Best we can do is keep the LEO's informed about caching and cache containers. Even then - some will go boom.

 

Yup.

 

It always bugs me when people get all pissed off because some bomb squad blows up a cache. Perhaps they were over cautious. But all it would take is one instance of them not being cautious when they should have to change everything.

 

What does tick me off is when after doing their duty someone gets it in their empty skull that someone needs to be punished. Geocaches are just one of many items mistaken for bombs. It happens. That doesn't mean someone did something wrong.

 

The examples we've seen since 9/11 are the terrorists attempting to blow stuff up, along with themselves.

 

I really don't want to contemplate the Bomb Squad chasing me around town because they think what's in my day pack is dangerous.

[+jellis]

Sorry for the loss of the bomb. Something I dread all the time on mine. We had a bomb squad come to one of our parks and I went there and met the police and they reassured me it was not a geocache, but real pipe bombs. (sigh of relief I think)

I noticed the first line of the cache page"I was very shocked today to find next to no caches in this amazing town."

Maybe there was a reason for it.

It was mentioned it was under the tree. Did that mean it fell? Cause if it was in the tree no one would really look in a tree but a cacher or a landscaper trimming it so I don't see how it was the owners fault unless he didn't maintain the attachment device.

[+The A-Team]

Uhhh.... yeah: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_Boston_bomb_scare

From that article:

A group of police found them to be sharing "some characteristics with improvised explosive devices." These characteristics included an identifiable power source, circuit board with exposed wiring, and electrical tape.

Oh my god! How did all these bombs get into my home?! They're everywhere!!

 

...

Posted on 2008-07-29 by Evolving Squid

...

If geocachers don’t buck up and start applying a little more brain power to their cache hides, this activity absolutely will get banned or severely curtailed in Canada.

Hmm. Nearly 4 years later, and Geocaching has done nothing but expand in Canada. Yes, there are areas that now ban caches, but there are others that have embraced them.

[+Coldgears]

That happened here once. This was a cache container:

 

http://montgomery.patch.com/articles/bomb-squad-finds-no-danger-at-riverside-cemetery

The shortened link on my screen says, "Montgomery.PA" took me a while to realize that it wasn't the Montgomery county in PA (Pennsylvania) but that the PA was part of Patch shortened...

[+Ms.Scrabbler]

AneMae, I've said it before, you post nothing but negativity.

I decided to look at your profile and see you have hid one cache.

 

Maybe it's just me, but does this info from that cache conflict with your "ideas" on what cachers should not do when hiding a geocache?

 

Gathered on BOT

"A camouflaged peanut butter jar off the side of the road.

 

Additional Hints (Encrypt) Hanging on a piece of wire in tree stump."

 

Wire? peanut butter jar?

[+Team Mars]

Every time I hear about this all I think is... The terrorists have won, since their job is to strike fear into people. Did people think every odd container was a bomb before 9-11? I guess it is also a sign of our new times.

[+The A-Team]

Wire? peanut butter jar?

Now, where have I seen something like that recently...?

 

Oh yeah!

 

[+The A-Team]

Every time I hear about this all I think is... The terrorists have won, since their job is to strike fear into people. Did people think every odd container was a bomb before 9-11? I guess it is also a sign of our new times.

I'd have to agree with you. I'd like to think it isn't as bad up here in Canada, but this very topic concerns a Canadian cache getting "rendered safe". A bit of paranoia can be healthy, but some places have gone too far. The US "If You See Something, Say Something" campaign seems a bit over-the-top to me, but that's just me, and starting to go off-topic. Getting back on-topic, I completely understand that bomb squads need to err on the safe side in cases like the cache in question. With the increased paranoia in these times, more caches will likely be identified as being suspicious, and the bomb squads will have to do their job. We cachers just need to make sure we do all we can to identify our caches as caches, and educate local law enforcement of what we do and how to identify caches for what they are.

[+Mr.Benchmark]

That happened here once. This was a cache container:

 

http://montgomery.pa...erside-cemetery

The shortened link on my screen says, "Montgomery.PA" took me a while to realize that it wasn't the Montgomery county in PA (Pennsylvania) but that the PA was part of Patch shortened...

 

The link is really, really funny! Someone reported one of the decorative cannon balls in the cemetery that had become dislodged as being a bomb, because a metal sphere with an apparent fuse is obviously what bomb's look like! "Gol'dang Marge! It was just like the bomb Boris used on 'Rocky & Bullwinkle!'" Probably the guy thought that the lack of the word "Bomb" on the side of the thing was the terrorists being sneaky! Too funny!

[+Totem Clan]

That happened here once. This was a cache container:

 

http://montgomery.patch.com/articles/bomb-squad-finds-no-danger-at-riverside-cemetery

Oh My Gawd!

 

We have to do something we are all in danger.

 

Let's ban all cemetries.

[+AneMae]

The Provincial Organization has yet to publicly respond to this incident. What are they doing over there?

 

The president tweeted that:

 

I think that they knew what it was and just wanted to practice. I don't think a pro would think it looks like a bomb.

 

How unprofessional is that. They should be on top of this to be proactive about the situation, on many different levels

How disappointing that they are not fulfilling their own mission and at the same time questioning the response of local Law Enforcement

 

Their own by-laws state:

 

2. Mission Statement

 

OGA – Providing fun, information, education and support to the Ontario geocaching community.

 

3. Objectives

 

To promote geocaching and its benefits.

To provide additional support for geocachers of Ontario.

To provide an entertaining outlet for geocachers to announce events and other social gatherings.

To be available to landowners and government agencies as a liaison for setting

safe geocaching policies and guidelines in Ontario.

To assist in educating all groups, as required, about geocaching. These include

new geocachers, landowners and government agencies on the guidelines, recreational

benefits, generated tourism, and environmentally friendly objectives of geocaching.

To host, support and promote OGA related events including,

but not limited to, annual OGA Day Events.

[+Treknschmidt]

I am the Secretary of the Ontario Geocaching Association and I hardly think we are doing nothing. What the president tweets about on her personal twitter page is her business and there is nothing unprofessional about it. The OGA does not find anything about this situation amusing, nor have we ignored it. I find your post downright offensive we put a lot of VOLUNTEER man hours into what we do and we don't take any of it lightly so your claim is completely out of line.