Martin_V3i
Elite Member
I and a hunt buddy went to a city just south of the actual county seat of McKinney, Texas. The city we were run off from was Plano Texas. I had personally never hunted Plano myself but I've come to know of several other detectorists who have or do hunt Plano, and who have also hunted with great success there over time.
So here's how it went down. We find this little park and there's only one local gent walking his dog, except for a gathering beginning at the lone pavilion there on site. I noticed what looked like official badges like officials would wear, so I wondered if it might be city, oriented. They grew in numbers until kids were there, moms too, all the while I and my friend was detecting at a distance. I had spent 90% of my time in the one and only wood chip playground right up to the point I noticed a policeman wandering our way after I'd hit the sodded area and dug, so I immediately joined my buddy just prior to our encounter with the cop.
He was pleasant, even complimentary of our digs since he couldn't see any signs of them, and he even made the comment that we were likely doing good by aerating the soil, removing trash and leaving the sod/plus invisible to the eye. I wasn't threatened by his demeanor at all. His report was from a "city employee" with a stern labeled description that we were up to serious, damaging misconduct. We discussed the city ordinances with the cop being he was claiming ignorance about metal detecting restrictions...he seemed like a rookie in some ways, or was that just his schtick to make his job easier.
So all is going good IMO, things are pleasant, the cop seems easy going and is about to leave us to our detection, yet then asked us if it's OK to get our names to report to the claimant that the report had been followed through. Our names then grew to asking for our DOB, and where we lived. His last request was for a cell number so he could contact us instead of actually coming back himself, to tell us that we weren't allowed to detect after all, following his researching the city codes himself. He left then.
So ten minutes pass and my friends phone rings, and there ensued a rather short conversation which ended in saying we weren't allowed to dig at all, or for that matter, I suspect we were asked to evacuate and leave. I say that because once the call was over I saw his squad car driving off slowly near the group of people at the pavilion. We left, but it's bothered me since how we cowtowed like sheep even to the point that we let him off the hook for not reappearing in person by giving the cell number, to finish this event. This burr is still under my saddle for my being that easy going.
IMO, I honestly believe that one loan person, maybe a soccer mom in that party at the pavilion, ran us off and we let it happen that way.
1. I don't trust cops even more. He admitted we made invisible digs and came across as impressed.
2. The vague verbage in EVERY city's ordinances concerning disturbing the landscape just gives an easy-out to appease some off duty city employee with a knee jerk call-in to the cops with an ugly term about what us two old timers were doing. Wish I could remember the exact term he reported. It was basically ugly.
3. I'm disappointed in myself by rolling over and accommodating this ending result.
This is fair notice to our other North Texas hunters who have hunted Plano successfully over time, some I know have hunted it for years, that you know it's was official today that Plano is "hunt at your own risk." It just seems odd that the county seat here in McKinney where I hunt several of the prominent parks here, where I've had park maintanence people chat about what I've found there, AND the police have driven by with a wave if a wave is sent first. Two cops chatted with me there once saying, "What you are doing is not illegal"
So, now the city of Plano has our personal information when it wasn't required, and you can bet that if either one of us were to decide to detect Plano again, our names are red flagged so the penalty won't be simply being run off.
Nice guys finish last. martin
BTW, this park was not one of their pride and joy parks either. Not maintained well. I didn't mind much leaving, but it's the principle of the thing. m
So here's how it went down. We find this little park and there's only one local gent walking his dog, except for a gathering beginning at the lone pavilion there on site. I noticed what looked like official badges like officials would wear, so I wondered if it might be city, oriented. They grew in numbers until kids were there, moms too, all the while I and my friend was detecting at a distance. I had spent 90% of my time in the one and only wood chip playground right up to the point I noticed a policeman wandering our way after I'd hit the sodded area and dug, so I immediately joined my buddy just prior to our encounter with the cop.
He was pleasant, even complimentary of our digs since he couldn't see any signs of them, and he even made the comment that we were likely doing good by aerating the soil, removing trash and leaving the sod/plus invisible to the eye. I wasn't threatened by his demeanor at all. His report was from a "city employee" with a stern labeled description that we were up to serious, damaging misconduct. We discussed the city ordinances with the cop being he was claiming ignorance about metal detecting restrictions...he seemed like a rookie in some ways, or was that just his schtick to make his job easier.
So all is going good IMO, things are pleasant, the cop seems easy going and is about to leave us to our detection, yet then asked us if it's OK to get our names to report to the claimant that the report had been followed through. Our names then grew to asking for our DOB, and where we lived. His last request was for a cell number so he could contact us instead of actually coming back himself, to tell us that we weren't allowed to detect after all, following his researching the city codes himself. He left then.
So ten minutes pass and my friends phone rings, and there ensued a rather short conversation which ended in saying we weren't allowed to dig at all, or for that matter, I suspect we were asked to evacuate and leave. I say that because once the call was over I saw his squad car driving off slowly near the group of people at the pavilion. We left, but it's bothered me since how we cowtowed like sheep even to the point that we let him off the hook for not reappearing in person by giving the cell number, to finish this event. This burr is still under my saddle for my being that easy going.
IMO, I honestly believe that one loan person, maybe a soccer mom in that party at the pavilion, ran us off and we let it happen that way.
1. I don't trust cops even more. He admitted we made invisible digs and came across as impressed.
2. The vague verbage in EVERY city's ordinances concerning disturbing the landscape just gives an easy-out to appease some off duty city employee with a knee jerk call-in to the cops with an ugly term about what us two old timers were doing. Wish I could remember the exact term he reported. It was basically ugly.
3. I'm disappointed in myself by rolling over and accommodating this ending result.
This is fair notice to our other North Texas hunters who have hunted Plano successfully over time, some I know have hunted it for years, that you know it's was official today that Plano is "hunt at your own risk." It just seems odd that the county seat here in McKinney where I hunt several of the prominent parks here, where I've had park maintanence people chat about what I've found there, AND the police have driven by with a wave if a wave is sent first. Two cops chatted with me there once saying, "What you are doing is not illegal"
So, now the city of Plano has our personal information when it wasn't required, and you can bet that if either one of us were to decide to detect Plano again, our names are red flagged so the penalty won't be simply being run off.
Nice guys finish last. martin
BTW, this park was not one of their pride and joy parks either. Not maintained well. I didn't mind much leaving, but it's the principle of the thing. m
But if they can't charge you with something they will let you go. I would think at the 24 hr mark they would probably let you go and give you a ticket for destruction of public property. Regardless it would all be a mess! I hope this kinda thing never happens to me, I tend to flip out. 
