Beware county property and employees

Barneymartin3

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Went metal detecting in our county seat town hitting the side walks and parks. Was having a enjoyable day until I wondered too far into a grassy area of the county 911 building. A lady comes out carrying her cell phone and runs to my truck and takes a photo of my license plate then she approaches me asking me "Can I help you?". I told her I was just out enjoying my hobby of metal detecting and she immediately says "You are trespassing and need to leave!". I told her I thought there was nothing wrong with metal detecting on tax payers county property (I being a tax payer of the county) and that I had been metal detecting all day on the streets. She proceeded to lie telling me it was not county property even though I checked the property data of the area before I started and knew it was. I didn't argue with her and just moved on. I've been waiting for the sheriff to come to my house since she did take a photo of my license plate but so far they haven't. Some people can really make a good day of metal detecting turn bad. I'm going to check with the county clerk about getting a permit before going back.
 
I'm going to check with the county clerk about getting a permit before going back.

Why?, This could open up a whole can of worms, just let it go and find somewhere else to hunt.
 
And this is EXACTLY the reason why I do most of my nice-manicured turf hunting at night these days. So peaceful. So serene.

..... I'm going to check with the county clerk about getting a permit before going back.


Why?, This could open up a whole can of worms,....

Bajanick is right : If you already deduced that you're doing nothing wrong, then why do you think you need a "permit" ?

If you go swatting hornet's nests, "seeking clarification", you can/will end up with the "No one cared UNTIL you asked" routine kicking in.

Just avoid this singular lookie-lou in the future.

Like nose-picking: You can run around trying to convince everyone it's legal, and get permits for it, if you want. Or, you can just opt for more discreet timing. So as not to offend the squeamish. :roll:
 
If it were me, I wouldn't bother the county clerk. I'd just come back in 6 months, assuming you've verified that it is public property.

As for photographing your license, they do that so they can "prove" that you have been there before and they told you to leave. Not that that is really proof of anything except that they have a basic knowledge of photography on a phone, but that is their mindset, as I understand it anyway.
 
Why This Target?

A 911 facility seems like an unlikely target. Probably new construction with little foot traffic and tons of interference. You may have caused interference with some of their equipment too. Most 911 facilities around here are secured as they are a essential part of homeland security and are staffed by civilians. The lady you encountered was most likely following protocol by confronting you and recording your vehicle tag. I would steer clear if for no other reason than the staff has more important things to do.
 
....As for photographing your license,.....

Yes. This is just a bluff. Same for asking to see your drivers license, writing down your info, running your ID through their computers, etc... I've lost track of the # of times this has happened to me in my 45 yrs. of md'ing.

It's all bluff . Trust me : As soon as they leave you, that slip of paper they wrote your info on, goes into the trash. Trust me : The cops these days, have bigger fish to fry than a geek with a metal detector.
 
If i were to ask somebody,I,d ask the Sheriff,most of the time the Sheriff has responsibility for security at county facilities.
 
If i were to ask somebody,I,d ask the Sheriff,most of the time the Sheriff has responsibility for security at county facilities.

It is true that the county (and hence the "sheriffs" ) are the agency that oversees the grassy parks that surround the county court-houses. As opposed to city parks, where the city police have jurisdiction.

And yes, if someone feels they simply MUST have someone's princely blessing (an express 'yes'), then you're right : Better to ask an LEO agency, and not desk-bound park dept pencil pushers. Because, let's be honest : In this day & age, LEO's have bigger fish to fry. And are thus more inclined to say "yes". Eh ?

However, to ask EITHER the sheriff, OR the police, can be met with "gotchas" : 1) You might also bump into the "no one cared till you asked" routine there too. 2) There's been ample cases of md'rs trying this tactic, only to be told "go talk to the park's dept" (since the counties and city's have independent park maintenance dept's)

And actually, why ask anyone at all ? :?: Ie.: What do you think the person at the sheriff dept is going to base his answer on : Personal whimsical arbitrary mood driven opinion ? Or an actual law or rule ?

In other words, you and I assume that the answer ("yes" or "no") is based on whether or not a law/rule exists THAT ACTUALLY SAYS SUCH A THING. Ok, fine, then what's to stop us from looking up the county park rules, for ourselves ? If it doesn't say "no md'ing", then : Presto, not disallowed. Right ? Why play Russian Roulette ? :?:

I don't disagree that md'ing has ... uh ... "connotations" (that you might be about to leave a hole or "take something", blah blah). ok, hunt at lower traffic times and avoid such kill-joys.
 
If i were to ask somebody,I,d ask the Sheriff,most of the time the Sheriff has responsibility for security at county facilities.

No, Dont do that! Even though there are many storied of LEO confrontations ending up in friendy conversations about the hobby, if you inquire they may simply say no just to avoid any entanglements, especially if its a 911 call center, isnt that just common sense? :twisted:

But first thing to consider, is the area worth detecting? Was there an old trading post or something like that there? If not then why waste time detecting there in the first place, and why talk to anyone?

Unless you want to see NO METAL DETECTING signs popup all over your city parks I would recommend not talking to anyone and avoid the place alltogether.
When hunting, Just be descrete about it, dont ask anyone, dont talk to anyone unless you are talked to, unless its private property of course.
 
..... Unless you want to see NO METAL DETECTING signs popup all over your city parks I would recommend not talking to anyone and avoid the place alltogether.......

I bet that if he just goes, that no one gives 2 sh#ts. Just go at lower traffic times if there's a singular individual pest.

And "just going" is not what causes "signs to pop up". It's swatting hornet's nests and asking "Mother may I ?", that causes signs to go up.

JMHO
 
County owned ? Maybe not.

I researched my local 911 facility and it is privately owned so you might not just assume you are on county property. Hope this helps.
 
Take her "out back and slap her around".

But seriously,. Just move on bro. People like that are always looking for a reason to throw their imaginary athority on someone.
 
I live in a small sparsely populated county,I know the sheriff and most of the deputies by first name.IF I had a doubt about it I,d ask one of them just to have something to throw back at the looky lou in question. Sheriff trumps looky lou around here anyway.Just my two cents,I don,t usually worry about it much.Go where I want on public land,stay away from the obvious places like the regional detention center,also known as the pokey! If told to scram,I scram,don,t like arguments as I tend to go King Kong sometimes.
 
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