Back in the mid to late 1980s, someone in our club "got it in his brain" that parking strips were fair game. So he chose a bunch of 1940s/50s neighborhoods, and merely started up one side, and back down the other. Block after block, every few days. Got a bunch of common wheaties and silver doing this. And for the most part, was largely ignored , even if-seen.
But one day however he did run into someone making a hissy fit. My friend tried to explain the public access/right of way. But the griper wasn't having any part of it. And was threatening to call the cops. Well my friend, being the .... uh ... *obstinate* sort, told the guy: "Go ahead". And then he purposefully kept detecting.
5 or 10 min. later, a cop pulls up. He hears both parties sides of the story. Then they pulled my friend aside and told him "You're in the right. However, do us a favor, and go around the block to resume your hobby. Because we just want to keep the peace ".
Notice that the cops agreed with the md'r, as for the basic premise of it. NOT SAYING IT'S ALWAYS A GOOD IDEA (just like nose-picking: There's right times and wrong times to do it). But ... just sayin' ... there was an example of the cops siding with the md'r. Perhaps they were mistaken but ........ just sayin' ....