Tips on stealth

[+TeamRabbitRun]

As I've written in the past, things like this are a great joke, but they're a great INSIDE joke.

OUTSIDE the hobby, not so much. You're pretending to be an agent of an official-sounding group, poking around. 90% of the time, people will see you, accept it and go away. But, some won't. If you cross paths with someone who's actually responsible for something or someplace and they don't know about you, you just get some additional attention, and not the friendly type.

Add to that the fact that the 'organization' name sounds like an official government entity. Wrong security guard, cop, meter reader, power company worker, etc, and you're approached, officially.

 

[+Goldenwattle]

I've known a couple of cachers to hide a cache while wearing yellow workmen safety gear. They looked like official workmen, and even the police in a police car waved to them as they drove past.

[+cerberus1]

Spent most my life in law enforcement one form or the other, and am always amused by the bs.

Most areas I'm familiar with,  if there's a guy "acting" like someone they're not, someone will mention it to police.

May just be casually questioned, but they'll be keeping a watch of "that nut with a hardhat n clipboard" JIC.  

[+ecanderson]

10 hours ago, TeamRabbitRun said:

As I've written in the past, things like this are a great joke, but they're a great INSIDE joke.

OUTSIDE the hobby, not so much. You're pretending to be an agent of an official-sounding group, poking around. 90% of the time, people will see you, accept it and go away. But, some won't. If you cross paths with someone who's actually responsible for something or someplace and they don't know about you, you just get some additional attention, and not the friendly type.

Add to that the fact that the 'organization' name sounds like an official government entity. Wrong security guard, cop, meter reader, power company worker, etc, and you're approached, officially.

 

We have thus far had zero (not 10%)  problems with this approach, and it's now several years old.  What our name 'sounds' like is precisely why it was chosen.  That said, it's no different than U.S. Steel, or my old heros, U.S. Robotics.  I could legitimately record it as a company name with the Colo. Sec. of State and turn it into a business (we checked in order to assure we weren't stepping on any existing company toes).

 

It's necessary to take it rather to the extreme to be truly effective (not all of the details' of our in-plain-sight  'camo' have been provided in photos).  A ruse of this sort doesn't play well otherwise.  Play it to the hilt, and it's quite the success.

 

As for your list, no meter reader, power company worker or security guard pays us the least bit of attention, and we've certainly got a script in hand should they ever approach, though I'll admit, its reference to 'benchmarks' is entirely bogus. If we're in a hurry, 'civilians' are treated to the 'benchmark' line, or if we think they might be interested in the hobby for any reason and we have the time, we give them the straight scoop on what it's all about.

 

If someone with any real authority in this area wishes a discussion, they're almost all familiar with the hobby around here (this is target rich territory!) and we'll be more than glad to explain what we're about.  A few of the most local locals are actually friends.  I work part time for the PD.

 
So after almost 4 years of doing it this way without incident, I think we'll continue on as we have been.  While I appreciate your concern, the downside certainly hasn't been borne out in practice, and the upside has made caching a while lot easier in many respects.

 

@cerebrus1

The important thing is not to "act" (unless you're a veteran spook or UC cop that can just flow into character, you'll surely fail), but rather, to simply go about the business at hand.  If you're confident about your cover and just apply yourself to the immediate task, you never do things that make you look furtive, and you don't raise suspicion. 

 

[+TeamRabbitRun]

2 hours ago, ecanderson said:

We have thus far had zero (not 10%)  problems with this approach, and it's now several years old.  What our name 'sounds' like is precisely why it was chosen.  That said, it's no different than U.S. Steel, or my old heros, U.S. Robotics.  I could legitimately record it as a company name with the Colo. Sec. of State and turn it into a business (we checked in order to assure we weren't stepping on any existing company toes).

 

It's necessary to take it rather to the extreme to be truly effective (not all of the details' of our in-plain-sight  'camo' have been provided in photos).  A ruse of this sort doesn't play well otherwise.  Play it to the hilt, and it's quite the success.

 

As for your list, no meter reader, power company worker or security guard pays us the least bit of attention, and we've certainly got a script in hand should they ever approach, though I'll admit, its reference to 'benchmarks' is entirely bogus. If we're in a hurry, 'civilians' are treated to the 'benchmark' line, or if we think they might be interested in the hobby for any reason and we have the time, we give them the straight scoop on what it's all about.

 

If someone with any real authority in this area wishes a discussion, they're almost all familiar with the hobby around here (this is target rich territory!) and we'll be more than glad to explain what we're about.  A few of the most local locals are actually friends.  I work part time for the PD.

 
So after almost 4 years of doing it this way without incident, I think we'll continue on as we have been.  While I appreciate your concern, the downside certainly hasn't been borne out in practice, and the upside has made caching a while lot easier in many respects.

 

@cerebrus1

The important thing is not to "act" (unless you're a veteran spook or UC cop that can just flow into character, you'll surely fail), but rather, to simply go about the business at hand.  If you're confident about your cover and just apply yourself to the immediate task, you never do things that make you look furtive, and you don't raise suspicion. 

 

 

EC - I'm glad it works for you, but as you say you live in a pretty insular area.

 

It's an approach I don't recommend you try here in New York.

[+ecanderson]

By that, you must mean "the City".   The approach works just ducky in upstate NY

[+ecanderson]

"Insular".  Chuckle.

Yeah, well, OK.  The People's Republic up the road did pretty well botch a national case.  Caching there might be considered 'insular'.....

 

However, community and agency size isn't the reason for the closer than usual knowledge of the hobby.  The caching community here has gone out of its way to maintain contact with  local LEO and land management agencies  just to keep us all on the same page.  In the end, it's been a real benefit to both.  If nothing else, the bomb teams have been a little less active than they had been for a short while earlier in the game.  Having your container 'detonated' is the ultimate muggling job.

 

 

Edited April 3, 2019 by ecanderson
typos

[+TeamRabbitRun]

16 hours ago, ecanderson said:

"Insular".  Chuckle.

Yeah, well, OK.  The People's Republic up the road did pretty well botch a national case.  Caching there might be considered 'insular'.....

 

However, community and agency size isn't the reason for the closer than usual knowledge of the hobby.  The caching community here has gone out of its way to maintain contact with  local LEO and land management agencies  just to keep us all on the same page.  In the end, it's been a real benefit to both.  If nothing else, the bomb teams have been a little less active than they had been for a short while earlier in the game.  Having your container 'detonated' is the ultimate muggling job.

 

 

 

Well, by 'insular', I mean that it sounds like you have an area where you don't have the paranoiac concerns faced by us closer to "the City", as you called it.

If that's due to overt action on your part, then kudos to you,