Myers Depot Metal Detectors

First police encounter

NMsilver

NMsilver

Elite Member
Joined
Aug 11, 2011
Messages
500
Location
New Mexico
Well, it finally happened and I'm quite surprised it took so long. I've been detecting about 5 years now and today had an officer roll up on me investigating a "911 call".
I was out hitting some curbstrips in the hoity-toity historic district of town. I dug a couple impeccable plugs in front of the entrance to a house (even though the grass was in not so great shape), chasing ghost signals and zincs giving beautiful silver signals after the rains, then walked a few houses down.
The officer said someone reported that I was "going in people's yards" I said I never go in yards without permission and was only doing the curbstrips. He said ok and left.

The thing that gets me is that someone would call 911 and lie!

I feel more like a veteran detectorist now that I can say that I've had someone call the cops on me, :lol:
 
NMsilver said:
Well, it finally happened and I'm quite surprised it took so long. I've been detecting about 5 years now and today had an officer roll up on me investigating a "911 call".
I was out hitting some curbstrips in the hoity-toity historic district of town. I dug a couple impeccable plugs in front of the entrance to a house (even though the grass was in not so great shape), chasing ghost signals and zincs giving beautiful silver signals after the rains, then walked a few houses down.
The officer said someone reported that I was "going in people's yards" I said I never go in yards without permission and was only doing the curbstrips. He said ok and left.

The thing that gets me is that someone would call 911 and lie!

I feel more like a veteran detectorist now that I can say that I've had someone call the cops on me, :lol:
Click to expand...

Having grown up in town it would have been a little weird if someone was outside my from door detecting the curb strip. Not wrong, just weird and assume you could understand.
 
NMsilver said:
... The thing that gets me is that someone would call 911 and lie! ....
Click to expand...

Well, it's not that they would think or know they were telling a "lie", it's that they didn't understand. In their mind's eye, you were "on their yard". So in that sense, it's not a "lie". It's a lack of understanding on their part.

Good end of story that the cops didn't shoo you away, and therefore must've agreed with your ability to be there doing that. NOT that that means any of us "rub it in someone's face" or "be defiant in the case of a gripe", but the end of your story does quell the legal debate on the issue. But sure, we should still not swat hornet's nests, whenever possible.
 
Be safe, not stupid !

!!!!, the police are the least of my worries around here. It's the gangs, thugs, and the general riff-raft, that worries me! You get out there alone, and you better hope there's a cop close by.......:(
I really don't even venture into town. It's just safer out here in the country - very slim pickings - but better slim than sliced ! :no:
 
Reef Runner said:
!!!!, the police are the least of my worries around here....
Click to expand...

Correct. The police have bigger fish to fry. And I would add that the vast majority of the time, when anyone posts a "police encounter", it's usually NOT that the police just "happened to be driving by and saw an md'r on a curb strip" or "happened to see an md'r in the park etc....". Have you noticed that ? The REASON they are most often there is NOT that they personally have any issue with it. It's almost always that some lookie-lou called it in. And the police therefore are duty-bound to come "please miss lookie-lou".
 
Dialing 911 for that is way wrong

Most people don't understand the curb strip is not their property. So I can undertand they think you are in their yard or trespassing next door. But to dial 911 for that is just wrong. 911 is for emergency use only.
 
Ludlow6 said:
Most people don't understand the curb strip is not their property. So I can undertand they think you are in their yard or trespassing next door. But to dial 911 for that is just wrong. 911 is for emergency use only.
Click to expand...

You would be amazed at what we get 911 calls for- I got one for."a squirrel trapped in my garbage can!"
 
Bucktrout said:
You would be amazed at what we get 911 calls for-....
Click to expand...

Correct. This is why the mere fact of a cop ushering some md'r on from some place (a park, a school, a parking strip, etc...) does not always, in-my-mind, constitute "some law or rule that needs to be over-turned". Or "such & such place must be off-limits". etc.... On the contrary, it often-times simply means "avoid that one particular miss-lookie-lou in the future".

I even had a cop one time, after initially trying to say "you can be doing that", then change his tune and admit it was just that they'd gotten a call from a person whose window over-looks that exact window of the park. And as he said that, he rolled his eyes off-into-the-direction of the house he was referring to (without actually turning his head that way, in case said-person was looking). He said, with a wink, "just go to the opposite end of the park, out of this person's view, to keep everyone happy".

That's why not even police encounters need-always-be-construed as "no md'ing allowed always/ever". Sometimes you have to read between the lines. Naturally we should give lip service, and not being defiant, but .... just sayin ' .....
 
Same here. I got a call once for a snake inside of an office building. I responded with my baton and put it inside of the garbage can, walked it outside to a field and let it go.
I AIN'T GOT TIME FOR THAT!
 
Do not give a person the benefit of the doubt. Any person that owns property and taxes are paid they know their property line and curb property. So the idea someone thinks digging in yard is wrong. They are nuisance people, I am surprised they didnt call about you swinging a weapon around.
 
Ludlow6 said:
Most people don't understand the curb strip is not their property. So I can undertand they think you are in their yard or trespassing next door. But to dial 911 for that is just wrong. 911 is for emergency use only.
Click to expand...

Where I live, almost all calls are through 911 and encouraged. They have a procedure to use a non-emergency number, (hard to access) and when you do, it takes an hour or more before police arrive, if they ever do. By that time it's "too late", the offense is over. That may be why they called 911 in this case, IDK.
 
i was at a park north if montreal a couple of weeks ago.
It was a school/tot lots and park.
The custodian came up to me,took my picture and told me to leave or he'd call the cops.
I left but i was pi$$ed and upset.he said i was "stealing from children".
I had wondered why such a nice park was devoid of children--now i know.
He probably chased them all away.i'm sure my "canada" t-shirt angered him.in quebec
We have some bigots who hate the english...
 
Glad it worked out okay for you. I will caution some though to check your ordinances and laws on curb strips in your area. Do not assume. In my area the property owners property includes the curb strips and there is an easement given to the utility companies for construction and repair but in no way gives others permission to dig and it is not City property. The owners are responsible for maintainence of the curb strip just like they are for their yard. Some of them take great pride in the way they are maintained. I'm not one of those but if I saw someone in front of my house detecting the curb strip without my permission, I probably would be a little upset.
 
toyboy said:
i was at a park north if montreal a couple of weeks ago.
It was a school/tot lots and park.
The custodian came up to me,took my picture and told me to leave or he'd call the cops.
I left but i was pi$$ed and upset.he said i was "stealing from children".
I had wondered why such a nice park was devoid of children--now i know.
He probably chased them all away.i'm sure my "canada" t-shirt angered him.in quebec
We have some bigots who hate the english...
Click to expand...

In the future, if that ever happens again, pull out your cell phone, take their photo, call 911 and tell them that there is a strange man harassing you, and that you got a photo of him. Remember, be the first person to phone 911!
 
pescadore said:
Glad it worked out okay for you. I will caution some though to check your ordinances and laws on curb strips in your area. Do not assume. In my area the property owners property includes the curb strips and there is an easement given to the utility companies for construction and repair but in no way gives others permission to dig and it is not City property. The owners are responsible for maintainence of the curb strip just like they are for their yard. Some of them take great pride in the way they are maintained. I'm not one of those but if I saw someone in front of my house detecting the curb strip without my permission, I probably would be a little upset.
Click to expand...

You said:

"In my area the property owners property includes the curb strips and there is an easement given to the utility companies for construction and repair but in no way gives others permission to dig and it is not City property."

Same in my city, they are not just public property here...
 
I guess it can vary from city to city or state to state. However in Utah and Michigan any utility easement is public property. In fact 18' from the center of the road is public if there is a sidewalk or not.

Even some officers do not know the laws and need to be educated. They get called and want to appease the caller.

BEFORE, any say the property is not public, RESEARCH the law in your city or state YOURSELF and print off a copy of it to have in your vehicle.

I have ALL the Michigan riparian right laws in my truck. As most know on here, I will and have argued with officers and I have always been in the right. I haven't gone to jail yet.

Pick your battles, know your rights and DO WHAT YOU FEEL IS RIGHT. Either stand your ground or leave when confronted. ONLY YOU know how far you want to challenge authority.
 
I own a tree service,and here in Pennsylvania the city and boroughs own the grass between the sidewalk and the road.I know this because I hafto get the ok from the borough or city'depending on where I'm working,before I trim or remove any trees from that area.Ans sometimes I hafto get a permit..But a lot of homeowners think they own it',,they don't.
 
The cops around here are bad too. It seems like they have nothing better to do. Just yesterday I was harassed for no reason just walking down the street. Said I looked suspisious and I know why. It was cold and I had my hoodie on :lol:
 
The city sometime thinks they own what they do not. I own a large lot in San Antonio and got a notice after all the rain to have it cleaned up. The part I like is they what me to clear the trees and brush but “first I have to hire the city arborist” to tell me which plants are not an “endangered or protected” species. They will mark the trees and plants that I can cut down on my own property. Right! They will need to do DNA on the wood chips now! Inspector showed up and said it looked good and passed inspection.
The only holdup was waiting on the police to come pick up the planter with marijuana someone had placed on the property. I am sure the city arborist would have snagged them; they looked endangered.
 
glad it worked out for you,the cop was prolly thinking he had something better to do then to bother a metal detectorist!!
 
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