SE7EN Posted October 1, 2003 Share Posted October 1, 2003 If you cache for any length of time you're eventually going to be confronted by an officer of the law. My encounters have ranged from "Billy Bad@sses" to cordial officers. I've always been polite, which I try to be with everyone anyway. There's a card floating around here somewhere that you can printout that explains geocaching. My most recent encounters have gone even smoother with that card. With that said, I have run into officers that shouldn't be. Having poor overall attitudes and strange ideas of "their" town don't make for a good officer. All you can do is smile, hope you get out of the situation without too much trouble, and never go back. ( But, people like myself sometimes can't help themselves. ) But some of the things I've read here disturb me and that's about giving up rights. We have the right to move freely about our society, day or night, within the limits of the law. I'm not about to become a shut-in because someone might call in a report about me acting suspicious. If I can legally be there, then there is no reason for me to not be there. An officer can come and see what I'm doing. No problem. About openly and honestly explaining caching to every person who asks is inviting people to remove caches. There is a reason that you should be protecting the cache's location--unless you don't care that the caches go missing. Never compromise the cache unless it's going to prevent you from going to jail. Quote Link to comment
+Confucius' Cat Posted October 1, 2003 Share Posted October 1, 2003 quote:Originally posted by SE7EN:Never compromise the cache unless it's going to prevent you from going to jail. That's a little too extreme. I believe each case deserves its own consideration. If the person who is asking you seems to be a good candidate for a new convert, explaining and letting them go along on the hunt is OK. If the person is an XXXX (and not law enforcement) then tell them a story to get them to go away. "Freedom is a two-way street." GDAE, Dave Quote Link to comment
+Confucius' Cat Posted October 1, 2003 Share Posted October 1, 2003 quote: from superalphaquote: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Originally posted by Bo Peep & The Sheep: Yas I am as protective of my rights as anyone else, BUT I know when my "priorities" are secondary to larger issues, and Geocaching isn't an "essential liberty". -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sure it is! It is what freedom is all about! General Patton said something to the effect that the hero is not the person who gives his life for his country, but the person who makes the (enemy soldier) give his life for HIS country. Rights are ALWAYS worth fighting for. But not ALL fights are worth fighting. Discretion is the better part of valor. Picking insignificant battles that you are likely to lose is a fool's tactic. "Freedom is a two-way street." GDAE, Dave Quote Link to comment
SE7EN Posted October 1, 2003 Share Posted October 1, 2003 quote:Originally posted by ChurchCampDave:If the person who is asking you seems to be a good candidate for a new convert, explaining and letting them go along on the hunt is OK. Thing is you don't know the person. There's been stories of "helpful" people on hunts where the cache soon comes up missing. I'm sure not all cases are the person who was brought into the know, but I'm sure many are. Sometimes you can't help it. Like when caught climbing out the bushes with cache in hand and you never saw the person until the last second. Stuff like that happens. Many times I've abandoned the search when people are curious. I do leave them with the URL to here, though. Then, if they are still curious, they can come out and hunt it. Look, I can't tell anyone what to do, but this is what I do and why. I won't compromise someone's cache just because I trusted someone I've just met or I have to have that one more notch on my belt. I'd feel really bad if I caused someone's cache to come up missing and I'd be angry if someone compromised one of my caches that way. It ain't worth it. But that's just me. Quote Link to comment
+Team GeoCan Posted October 1, 2003 Share Posted October 1, 2003 It happened this morning to Team GeoCan, Bridget and I were doing a Scurvy Dog multi where the second location was adjacent to a sidewalk in a new housing tract. The Superentendant advised us (and the cops) that we were trespassing on private land, because he hadn't signed it over to the city yet. I explained what and why we were looking in the foliage next to the sidewalk, but he was TOTALLY unimpressed. He told us to leave, and told us that if he found the cache, there would be hell to pay. He seriously wanted us arrested for trespassing BAAAD! BAAAAD!!!! A BAAAD Ancestor is Good to Find!!!! http://blacksheep.rootsweb.com/ Quote Link to comment
+GEO*Trailblazer 1 Posted October 1, 2003 Share Posted October 1, 2003 Actually Freedom is here. FREEDOM I did get it after we had our little talk. I gave up no freedoms,I was just asked what I was doing.The same goes with all the other times I have been detained for a short while. I am glad in these times that there are people watching. It's when they use the information that is gathered against you. Example. The little device that is in all new cars logs everything that vehicle has done and you as well.Now when(they already have)start using this in court,to say you did not bucckle your seat belt,or you were going to fast......and on. This is were to me freedoms are being misguided. As for GPS you ought to know that the enemy has it as well and since it is our system they need to watch all activities especially around the National Monuments and the Pres.and his Cabinet. All the original documents were put on display the day before, Sept. 17,not 500 ft. from where I was at. The Original Constitution,The Bill of Rights,The Declaration of Independence. All in view for "We the People" to view in the next few..do not know how long they will be on display on the Rotunda. There is also a vote for the top 10 of the 100 documents that formed our Nation. See: New Civics Initiative The Peoples Vote The Top 100 Documents that formed the NationUSA Freedom Corps WHEN ALL ELSE FAILS *GEOTRYAGAIN* TAKE PRIDE IN AMERICA http://www.doi.gov/news/front_current.html 1803-2003 "LOUSIANA PURCHASE" http://www.lapurchase.org "LEWIS AND CLARK EXPADITION" http://lewisclark.geog.missouri.edu/index Arkansas Missouri Geocachrs Association http://www.ARK-MOGeocachersAssociatoin@msnusers.com http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Ark-Mo-Geocachers Quote Link to comment
SE7EN Posted October 2, 2003 Share Posted October 2, 2003 eh, never mind. [This message was edited by SE7EN on October 02, 2003 at 04:59 AM.] Quote Link to comment
+Toniczech Posted October 5, 2003 Share Posted October 5, 2003 I was stopped by cops twice - when caching abroad. 1) In Germany: I had 2 or 3 spare hours in Munich, and the cache I was looking for is located by a busy way in a park. When I was searching for the cache in bushes, a police patrol appeared and asked me what I was doing. They probably suspected me of drug dealing. One of them put gloves on and searched my rucksack through. The other cop had a look into my passport, while I was trying to explain them, what geocaching is. A printout of that cache's page helped a lot. Finally I managed to convince them of my harmlessness and the cops went away. 2) When caching in Austria near border with Czech Republic. That cache is in a wood not far from a road. I was walking along the road and approaching the cache (in a distance of approximately 200 meters) and suddenly a police car stopped by my side. "Your passport, please. Do you have the entry stamp" they asked. The stamp was OK. "Where are you off to?" I told them I was hiking, and showed them a map and my Garmin. That satisfied them and they wished me a pleasant journey... Quote Link to comment
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