Silly me

[kwalker]

Today I was originally scheduled to have flying lessons at a local airport but the flight instructor wasn't able to make it. Oh well, some reworking of the agenda and we left. I figured I had some time left over and I'd drive over to a stretch of train tracks that I'd been itching to check out for a while now. So I shoot on over to where I want to go and park the car near the train tracks.

I start walking and look up on a telegraph pole and see some nice looking insulators still on the poles. I'm looking around and spot a tree branch on the ground and pick it up. I look up and realize the branch won't reach and toss it into the woods next to me. Almost a second later I look down the tracks towards my car and what do I see....

It seems a police officer decided to roll up and see what was going on. He waited patiently at the crossing for me to awkwardly walk up towards my car like a puppy in trouble. He gets out of his car and says "Everything alright?"

My first instinct was to say that nature had called me and I was relieving myself in the woods next to the train tracks.

"Yeah I saw you with that stick in your hand"

....Alright. So I told him I was trying to get a few of the insulators because I collect insulators and the like. I could tell this wasn't one of the "don't worry about it carry on" kind of guys. He said right away "Well are you on your way then?" ...sure. And I left

I kind of felt salty; but at the same time pretty let down. There were pieces of insulator everywhere on the ground and I really was looking forward to getting a few of the ones on the poles. They were a deep shade of aqua; almost cobalt or cornflower blue even. But I sort of figured that if I did have any in my hand I probably would've gotten more than one of my awkward fits. I hope he doesn't think I won't be back though; I really want one of those insulators []

 

[Plumbata]

The best way to deal with cops is to beat them at their own mind games. Many times i have been annoyed by the intrusions of police while digging for bottles or quarrying for fossils, and my method of interaction with these types has served me very well;

Initiate verbal communication first (very important) I.E. "Hello officer, can I help you?"

Exude confidence and a sense of general legitimacy.

Display friendliness, while explaining in high-minded language what is going on (or what you want him/her to think is going on, using big words, but not to the extent that it seems arrogant). "Oh, well I am just exploring the late-Permian shales exposed in this location in search of the denticles of the listracanthus proto-shark"...

"Oh, you are a student" they say, slightly confused, and you confirm their innocuous assumptions.

They back-off and repeat rote-memorized lines suggesting that you should be careful and blah blah blah blah pig oink blah blah.

You tell them to have a very safe day, and thank them for checking-up on you.

They leave.

You then proceed to guzzle 11 beers, smoke 7 rocks of crack, inhale 5 joints of chronic, and inject 100mgs of intramuscular heroin. Afterward you dig up some great bottles, insulators, and/or fossils without any unwanted molestation from the police force.

Win. []



Honestly, I've dealt with the cops over 20 times while doing nothing illegal at all, and it has become very easy for me to dictate the course of the interaction. Cops are not particularly intelligent generally speaking, so if you can remain a step or two ahead of them, you will do just fine. They are flawed human beings just like us and everyone else, and as such they are influenced by the same manipulations which are effective with the general public. If you can learn how to manipulate these people using the extraordinarily useful human triggers available to the observant, you can get away with far more than you should... []

... as i have... []

 

[swizzle]

What until there's a fair going on it town and the cops will be preoccupied with that. Swiz

 

[myersdiggers1998]

Just flash your fake badge and tell them your undercover FBI and that your looking for jimmy hoffa.[][8D]

 

[ajohn]

ORIGINAL: Plumbata

The best way to deal with cops is to beat them at their own mind games. Many times i have been annoyed by the intrusions of police while digging for bottles or quarrying for fossils, and my method of interaction with these types has served me very well;

Initiate verbal communication first (very important) I.E. "Hello officer, can I help you?"

Exude confidence and a sense of general legitimacy.

Display friendliness, while explaining in high-minded language what is going on (or what you want him/her to think is going on, using big words, but not to the extent that it seems arrogant). "Oh, well I am just exploring the late-Permian shales exposed in this location in search of the denticles of the listracanthus proto-shark"...

"Oh, you are a student" they say, slightly confused, and you confirm their innocuous assumptions.

They back-off and repeat rote-memorized lines suggesting that you should be careful and blah blah blah blah pig oink blah blah.

You tell them to have a very safe day, and thank them for checking-up on you.

They leave.

You then proceed to guzzle 11 beers, smoke 7 rocks of crack, inhale 5 joints of chronic, and inject 100mgs of intramuscular heroin. Afterward you dig up some great bottles, insulators, and/or fossils without any unwanted molestation from the police force.

Win. []



Honestly, I've dealt with the cops over 20 times while doing nothing illegal at all, and it has become very easy for me to dictate the course of the interaction. Cops are not particularly intelligent generally speaking, so if you can remain a step or two ahead of them, you will do just fine. They are flawed human beings just like us and everyone else, and as such they are influenced by the same manipulations which are effective with the general public. If you can learn how to manipulate these people using the extraordinarily useful human triggers available to the observant, you can get away with far more than you should... []

... as i have... []

[][][][][][][][]
Plum ol buddy,Back in my darker days,I sure could of used you on my team[]

 

[nydigger]

I was diggin a hole on the south side of the City of Newburgh,NY with a diggin buddy of mine...mind you we are out in the open in an almost 6 foot deep hole.. we hear whatcha doin? We look up to see a patrolman in his car staring at us with a puzzled look on his face..we knew we had permission but he didnt. so my buddy says we are digging for old stuff .....his face even more puzzled he says here? and what kind of old stuff and are you suposed to be here? so ha walks over and with out a beat my buddy says we have permission and would you like to talk to the land owner, I can call him...that moment the puzzled look went to a curious look as he looked at what we where doing. we showed him what we found and he hung out for a few minutes than said be carefull and have a nice day. If your honest or act like you know what your talkin about than they tend to move on. This guy was cool and I think it was more curiosity that brought him over than anything else.. He was also an older gentle man with his stripes on his shirt so he'd been around the block long enough to know we were not doing anything stupid... it was also a way for him to break up an ordinarily boring day for him.

 

[Jim]

I have been visited by the cops several times while digging. Never once have I had any problems with them. Most of them thought what I was doing was cool, and were impressed with my knowledge of local history and history in general.

I had a local lowlife call the cops on me one time, AFTER the guy came over, talked to me and the guy who was digging with me and knew exactly what we were doing. It was not his property (doubt he owned anything), we had permission, and he acted like everything was cool. A short while later, a local officer (who I know), came and informed us that we had been reported as "suspicious activity" by this same dude. We all got a good laugh, and my cop buddy said to have a good time, AND if any "local jokers" came by with any problems, to let him know and THEY would be asked to leave [] ~Jim

 

[rockbot]

I've run into the law four times while digging. Three were cool and one was an sob. One cop was my neighbor growing up and after he found out I was looking for bottles he escorted me to this place that he was doing special duty at. Freaken bottles were everywhere. Got me a few good ones that day.[]

 

[RICKJJ59W]

*

 

[kwalker]

Im guessing this guy was more concerned with me being on "Railroad property" than anything else. But i mean come on, the telegraph poles are so deteriorated and there are miles of tracks with these poles that still have full sets of insulators on them. Should've just went down the road a few miles instead [8|]