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putting something in the cache to ID it.


uxorious

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A few days ago, I stopped into a little business to buy something. While the guy was writing up the contract, a friend of his stopped in. We all got to talking, and Geocaching came up. His friend had never heard of it, but he had.

 

Then he mentioned there was a Geocache at the entrance to his parking lost. I knew it was there and had signed it a while back. But he said when he first opened his business he didn't Know it was there. The first couple months he was at the location he had seen a few groups of kids and younger people grapping something under a rock, then putting it back. He was starting to wonder if it was the local drug drop, when an elderly lady came up and grabbed it. That got him curious enough to go grab it and see what it was.

 

The CO had put a paper in there telling what it was. He said that was a real relief. He had wondered if he should call the local cops and report a possible drug drop, and take a chance of someone breaking all the windows on his lot. Now he gets a kick out of watching people find it.

 

I have always put a geocaching description in my caches, but sometimes wondered if it really made a difference. It's nice to know it can. :P

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11 years ago, I believe it was required to put a description in/on the container describing what it was. As it's been a number of years since I've hidden one and haven't looked at the rules/guidelines, I wonder if it it still the thing to do. AS a Federal Law Enforcement Officer, I highly recommend it. We were finding caches this weekend in highly populate areas and in front of one local LEO and I kept wondering if people thought we were doing a drug drop.

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Yup that's still a requirement of new caches

 

http://www.geocaching.com/about/guidelines.aspx

 

I: PLACEMENT Guidelines: Placement guidelines govern the physical location of a geocache.

 

1.2.2 Label your geocache.

 

To avoid confusion and alarm when a cache is discovered accidentally, clearly label it as a "geocache" and include the GC code on the outside of the container. Transparent containers help to show that the contents are harmless. If the container has any military markings, we recommend permanently covering these or removing them. Include a printed "cache note" inside your cache to explain what it is and to provide a brief description of geocaching.

 

ETA quotation block for easy reading :)

Edited by Rat_Tails
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Why do people think drug dealers leave their wares out in random spots for someone else to come by and pick up? How is that a workable business model? Does it really happen that way in real life?

 

Every time I read about someone being concerned about a Geocache location being mistaken for a "drug drop", I have to ask myself the same question. Where do people get these ideas?

 

I can maybe fathom a scenario where a dealer might stash his goods a short distance away from whatever corner he's working, so he's not caught holding if the cops check him out. But he'd certainly be watching that spot like a hawk, or have a little thug-in-training watching it for him. If you got within 50 feet of that spot you'd know about it real quick.

 

But just dropping off drugs for someone else to pick up? Does anybody think drug dealers and users are that trustworthy that this system would work?

Edited by Chief301
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Why do people think drug dealers leave their wares out in random spots for someone else to come by and pick up? How is that a workable business model? Does it really happen that way in real life?

The question you should be asking is how insanely unlikely the idea of geocaching is to muggles. As unlikely as it is for this to be some irrational drug distribution scheme, they think of that first because it would seem even more unlikely that those people are playing a game.

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When I saw the thread title, I thought the subject was going to be on including the GC Code in the cache. I do that mostly, though not 100% of the time. I sometimes write the GC Code onto logs of caches I find.

 

I've TWICE had ammo cans returned to me because the GC Code and a stash note was in the cache, and someone took the time to contact Geocaching.com and explain to them that they had my ammo can. Both times the cache had been found, the contents strewn around and the can left opened on trail. Some kind soul picked it up and made the effort to get it back to its owner.

Well worth doing.

 

Re how people can image drug drop? I have no clue, but I guarantee that they do.

Edited by Isonzo Karst
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Why do people think drug dealers leave their wares out in random spots for someone else to come by and pick up? How is that a workable business model? Does it really happen that way in real life?

The question you should be asking is how insanely unlikely the idea of geocaching is to muggles. As unlikely as it is for this to be some irrational drug distribution scheme, they think of that first because it would seem even more unlikely that those people are playing a game.

^This.

 

"We use multi-million dollar satellites to find wet pill bottles filled with wet paper in a parking lot..." :ph34r:

 

Doesn't anyone remember that we are provided cache notes? I know it isn't very obvious, but it is right in the box with the new cache submittal stuff:

 

Regular stash note

 

Micro stash note

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Why do people think drug dealers leave their wares out in random spots for someone else to come by and pick up? How is that a workable business model? Does it really happen that way in real life?

The question you should be asking is how insanely unlikely the idea of geocaching is to muggles. As unlikely as it is for this to be some irrational drug distribution scheme, they think of that first because it would seem even more unlikely that those people are playing a game.

 

Touché'....an excellent point. Folks know that there are drug dealers in their town, but what's a Geocacher? 😳

 

"We use multi-million dollar satellites to find wet pill bottles filled with wet paper in a parking lot..."

 

I thought the saying was,"We use multi-million dollar satellites to find Tupperware in the woods"....I wish.....😁

Edited by Chief301
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Think about it. People working in a store sees someone go over to a lamp post in the parking lot and lift up the skirting and retrieve a pill bottle. They take something out and put something in. They don't know exactly what was taken and left. Then lets say another cacher comes up the same day and does the same thing. What would a normal person assume? Without saying anything about it, my wife made the exact comment the other day as we were caching. She said people are probably thinking we are doing a drug drop. Drops are common. It takes half of the suspects out of the scenario at any given time.

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Most people interpret what they see in terms of their own experiences. If you see someone acting in a way that draws your attention, your first thought is often " does this affect my safety?" then your mind runs through all the possible scenarios. The OP went to drug dealers, followed by a police report and broken windows. When I see people acting oddly in public, my first thought is often "they must be caching" Different frame of reference.

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Most people interpret what they see in terms of their own experiences. If you see someone acting in a way that draws your attention, your first thought is often " does this affect my safety?" then your mind runs through all the possible scenarios. The OP went to drug dealers, followed by a police report and broken windows. When I see people acting oddly in public, my first thought is often "they must be caching" Different frame of reference.

 

Note, the OP, (that would be me) would have gone right to "they must be caching". I am a Geocacher. The business owner I was talking to went to "drug dealers". He had little experience with caching.

 

I don't know if anyone uses a hidden cache for drugs, their own or some they are selling. However, there are a lot of people who are convinced it happens.

 

A cache in this area had to be archived because a neighbor thought it was a drug stash, and yelled and screamed at people finding it. <_< There is a cache in a small park across the street from my mother-in-law. Every one in the house thought there was a drug stash there. People stopping and going into the park for a few minutes. Yes it can be your frame of reference.

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A note inside has worked for me on several occassions. I was checking on a cache of mine, an ammo box hidden in a tree. I saw an older gentleman nearby and he started questioning me about what I was doing. I was kind of evasive, but eventually he mentioned the container in the tree so I admitted that I was the owner of it.

 

He told me that his son-in-law had found it and brought it home several months earlier. They opened it up and spilled out the "treasure" and wondered what it was all about until they read my laminated note. He said they packed it right up and put it back where they found it. And he had appointed himself guardian of the cache. He said a lot of kids play paintball and ride dirt bikes in the area and "If they mess with your cache they'll have to deal with me".

 

Another time I received an email from a stranger who said he found a geocache of mine sitting under a bench at the summit of a hill. I own a cache near the spot where he found it, but that cache was not in an ammo box and this stranger insisted what he found was an ammo box and it had my email address inside. I was quite perplexed. He said he had left it where he found it so I went there the next day to make sure that the ammo box, whatever it was, didn't walk away. The moment I opened it I knew it was another cache of mine that belonged about 1/4 mile downhill from where this guy found it. I'll never know how or why it made it to where this fellow found it, but I was grateful he did and emailed me. As an aside, that cache was hidden so well I hadn't been able to find it myself for a few years, even though other cachers were logging finds on it. At least I was able to re-hide it where I could find it.

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Yup that's still a requirement of new caches

 

http://www.geocaching.com/about/guidelines.aspx

 

 

No it is just a recommendation. Otherwise nano caches would not exist.

 

2.Label your geocache.

To avoid confusion and alarm when a cache is discovered accidentally, clearly label it as a "geocache" and include the GC code on the outside of the container. Transparent containers help to show that the contents are harmless. If the container has any military markings, we recommend permanently covering these or removing them. Include a printed "cache note" inside your cache to explain what it is and to provide a brief description of geocaching.

 

The only recommendation that I see is to cover military markings or removing them. It clearly states to "clearly label it as a "geocache" and include the GC code on the outside of the container" and "Include a printed "cache note" inside your cache to explain what it is and to provide a brief description of geocaching." Don't see the words we "recommend" on those lines.

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Why do people think drug dealers leave their wares out in random spots for someone else to come by and pick up? How is that a workable business model? Does it really happen that way in real life?

 

Every time I read about someone being concerned about a Geocache location being mistaken for a "drug drop", I have to ask myself the same question. Where do people get these ideas?

 

I can maybe fathom a scenario where a dealer might stash his goods a short distance away from whatever corner he's working, so he's not caught holding if the cops check him out. But he'd certainly be watching that spot like a hawk, or have a little thug-in-training watching it for him. If you got within 50 feet of that spot you'd know about it real quick.

 

But just dropping off drugs for someone else to pick up? Does anybody think drug dealers and users are that trustworthy that this system would work?

 

Yes they do. They actually will use pay-pal for payment and then leave coordinates for the drugs.

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Why do people think drug dealers leave their wares out in random spots for someone else to come by and pick up? How is that a workable business model? Does it really happen that way in real life?

 

Every time I read about someone being concerned about a Geocache location being mistaken for a "drug drop", I have to ask myself the same question. Where do people get these ideas?

 

I can maybe fathom a scenario where a dealer might stash his goods a short distance away from whatever corner he's working, so he's not caught holding if the cops check him out. But he'd certainly be watching that spot like a hawk, or have a little thug-in-training watching it for him. If you got within 50 feet of that spot you'd know about it real quick.

 

But just dropping off drugs for someone else to pick up? Does anybody think drug dealers and users are that trustworthy that this system would work?

 

Yes they do. They actually will use pay-pal for payment and then leave coordinates for the drugs.

First, you're generalizing. Second, it doesn't matter. Third, a coordinated drop in a wide-open area that doesn't have lots of people around to provide as distraction? I can see using a busy place where nobody would pay any mind, but a dead end street in full view of houses/businesses? If I were them, I'd leave coords a few miles away from anything, not a lightpost in a SprawlMart parking lot.

 

If something looks suspicious, someone is likely to say something. This is where some of the off-limits areas were added to the guidelines. This is also where "Stealth" comes into play, and urban caches really push that envelope.

 

And I'm sorry, but I think drug drops are likely a bit more wary of calling attention to themselves than we geocachers are. I can't imagine a drug drop where the pick-up person stares at their GPS device, then pulls the item out, lingers on site for a while, and then puts something back to walk away. That's waaay slower than I'd imagine a crim would act. But, there are dumb crims out there, and there are also non-stealthy cachers. Either will draw the attention of the public.

 

Label your cache inside and out. Nuf said.

Edited by NeverSummer
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Why do people think drug dealers leave their wares out in random spots for someone else to come by and pick up? How is that a workable business model? Does it really happen that way in real life?

 

Every time I read about someone being concerned about a Geocache location being mistaken for a "drug drop", I have to ask myself the same question. Where do people get these ideas?

 

I can maybe fathom a scenario where a dealer might stash his goods a short distance away from whatever corner he's working, so he's not caught holding if the cops check him out. But he'd certainly be watching that spot like a hawk, or have a little thug-in-training watching it for him. If you got within 50 feet of that spot you'd know about it real quick.

 

But just dropping off drugs for someone else to pick up? Does anybody think drug dealers and users are that trustworthy that this system would work?

 

Yes they do. They actually will use pay-pal for payment and then leave coordinates for the drugs.

First, you're generalizing. Second, it doesn't matter. Third, a coordinated drop in a wide-open area that doesn't have lots of people around to provide as distraction? I can see using a busy place where nobody would pay any mind, but a dead end street in full view of houses/businesses? If I were them, I'd leave coords a few miles away from anything, not a lightpost in a SprawlMart parking lot.

 

If something looks suspicious, someone is likely to say something. This is where some of the off-limits areas were added to the guidelines. This is also where "Stealth" comes into play, and urban caches really push that envelope.

 

And I'm sorry, but I think drug drops are likely a bit more wary of calling attention to themselves than we geocachers are. I can't imagine a drug drop where the pick-up person stares at their GPS device, then pulls the item out, lingers on site for a while, and then puts something back to walk away. That's waaay slower than I'd imagine a crim would act. But, there are dumb crims out there, and there are also non-stealthy cachers. Either will draw the attention of the public.

 

Label your cache inside and out. Nuf said.

 

you'd be surprised

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Prior to starting geocaching, we wondered what the heck people were stopping for outside our house. They had pieces of paper and were looking at their "phones." One day I had just got home from work, and sat in my car watching some folks doing the same thing. They became aware of my scrutiny, and left. I should explain that most houses on our street have long driveways, and we are out in the country. Takes the RCMP a long time to get here, and some neighbours have had break ins. Fast forward a year or so, we become cachers, and there is a cache two minutes walk from us. I thought the people we had seen may have been casing the houses, when all along, they were probably just cachers.

Easy to think the wrong thing, I should have just gone and asked if they were lost, and not thought the worst.

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Granted I only have 2 hides, and one was adopted. I will have to go back and add the notes I downloaded from a previous post (thanks). I certenly dont want to add to the confusion and bad press cachers have already gotten. I prefer to be part of the solution rather than the problem.

 

Given the nature of what we do, I expect people that pay attention to whats going on around them to think the worst, its human nature. That is why when I night cache, I keep some geocaching flyers on me and have been approached by the cops twice and becaue of the flyers, it was easier to explain what it was I was doing. Now most of the cops around my area know about geocaching. We had a good chat about it and a laugh or 2, now I am left alone, but still keep the flyers just incase.

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I've always hoped that putting a cache note in my caches would help if they were discovered by non geocachers, but so far it hasn't. I've lost caches to park/property owners, etc. and they either didn't read the note or didn't care.

 

The first exception was that recently a cache of mine was left alone by a park when they took all the ivy out. They found my cache and left it there. I'm not even sure if that cache had a cache note in it. I was so pleased to see it left alone by the park staff, because that's never happened to me before.

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I've always hoped that putting a cache note in my caches would help if they were discovered by non geocachers, but so far it hasn't. I've lost caches to park/property owners, etc. and they either didn't read the note or didn't care.

I'd go with didn't care. They likely wanted it gone and didn't care about our game. :anicute:

 

The first exception was that recently a cache of mine was left alone by a park when they took all the ivy out. They found my cache and left it there. I'm not even sure if that cache had a cache note in it. I was so pleased to see it left alone by the park staff, because that's never happened to me before.

I'd hope that someone in this group of park workers had some knowledge about the game and knew what it was when they saw it. I'm always surprised to see who knows about geocaching but doesn't play. There's lots of folks out there that fit that description, or so my experience has shown me.

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Actually we had a drain pipe that was used as a drug drop.

 

I knew about it in highschool. It was a local weed dealer, and if you watched the pipe you could nick the weed before the person who bought it came to collect it.

 

I never saw any weed in the pipe, but some guys at school used to brag about it lol

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