Stealth is situational!

[+TheAlabamaRambler]

This cache got destroyed because the cachers apparently thought stealth rather than honesty was the way to go...

 

The Colorado Springs police bomb squad blew up a suspicious package left near the Pikes Peak Community College Rampart Range campus that turned out to be a collection of toys used in geocaching, a GPS hide-and-seek game, where players leave items for others to find.

 

Access to the east side of the campus was blocked for more than two hours after a campus police officer saw a car pulled off to the side of the road about 1,500 yards away from the college and two people carefully handling a rectangular box near a ditch.

 

When the officer approached the car, the people jumped in and took off, said campus police chief Ken Hilte.

 

“There is certainly the potential that this could be something as innocent as a scavenger hunt of sorts,” Hilte said. “In this day and age with what we’re reading in the paper and seeing on the news, you need to exercise caution and due diligence.”

 

Classes continued on schedule, with traffic diverted to the west side of campus, Hilte said.

 

"When the officer approached the car, the people jumped in and took off, said campus police chief Ken Hilte."

 

Just tell the cops what you are up to. This did not have to happen!

 

Yes, some level of care should be taken, the level based on each situation, to avoid revealing a hide EXCEPT when it is a person of authority, then tell them what you are doing and explain the game.

 

If the authority (police, landowner, etc.) says the permission is not adequate ask them for permission to let it remain. If they tell you no then file a NA explaining what the authority said and let the Reviewer and cache owner hash it out, but don't try to hide or evade... that's not helping anyone. In fact it hurts us all.

 

Could be the cachers didn't see the cops coming, but from the published description of events it sounds like somebody feared a conversation with the cops... and that's a real shame. I get stopped a lot, maybe 75 times so far, and every experience has been pleasant... some quite funny at the time or in hind-sight!

[+moparots]

Maybe they were stoned, and had the bag with them?

[AZcachemeister]

Running from the police seldom has good consequences.

Perhaps the cachers in question were just trying to beat the latest 24 hour 'record', and never saw the officers?

[+mfamilee]

When the officer approached the car, the people jumped in and took off, said campus police chief Ken Hilte.

What... no high speed chase?

[+atmospherium]

two people carefully handling a rectangular box near a ditch

 

Let's set it down right here, Bob. Ok, gently, gently. Don't jostle it; there's Hot Wheels cars inside. Those things cost a buck a piece. Down a little further on your end. Slowly...easy does it. ...Cheese it!! The Cops!!

[+ngrrfan]

two people carefully handling a rectangular box near a ditch

 

Let's set it down right here, Bob. Ok, gently, gently. Don't jostle it; there's Hot Wheels cars inside. Those things cost a buck a piece. Down a little further on your end. Slowly...easy does it. ...Cheese it!! The Cops!!

While your attempt at humor is duly noted, this cache has caused a big problem. The news station has gone to geocaching.com, gotten some cache locations, and attempted to find them. Lo and behold they are on private property.

 

The caching community needs to police itself better because right now it's getting a big black eye here.

[+Knight2000]

Maybe they had a warrant out.

[+sbell111]

"When the officer approached the car, the people jumped in and took off, said campus police chief Ken Hilte."

The cachers may never have noticed that the officer was approaching the car. I rather doubt that he called out to them and was ignored.

While your attempt at humor is duly noted, this cache has caused a big problem. The news station has gone to geocaching.com, gotten some cache locations, and attempted to find them. Lo and behold they are on private property.

Most caches are on private property. Why should this, in and of itself, be bad for the game?

[Mr.Yuck]

two people carefully handling a rectangular box near a ditch

 

Let's set it down right here, Bob. Ok, gently, gently. Don't jostle it; there's Hot Wheels cars inside. Those things cost a buck a piece. Down a little further on your end. Slowly...easy does it. ...Cheese it!! The Cops!!

While your attempt at humor is duly noted, this cache has caused a big problem. The news station has gone to geocaching.com, gotten some cache locations, and attempted to find them. Lo and behold they are on private property.

 

 

How do you know this about the station? Is there going to be a report on this? Was there already?

 

I agree with Sbell111, the perps may have had no clue they were being watched by the cops.

[+sbell111]

While your attempt at humor is duly noted, this cache has caused a big problem. The news station has gone to geocaching.com, gotten some cache locations, and attempted to find them. Lo and behold they are on private property.

 

The caching community needs to police itself better because right now it's getting a big black eye here.

I assume that you are talking about KRDO. According to their article, they looked for two caches. Of these, they found one. It was a micro in a mall parking lot. They made no complaints about it.

 

They actively searched for one more, they identified that cache because they thought that it might be hidden near some power lines. They actually ended up in someone's back yard. I suspect that they were in the wrong location, just another case of operator error.

 

They did not actively search for the third cache, as it had gotten dark.

 

Beyond the fact that they ended up in the wrong location on one of their searches, I see no 'black eyes' in their story.

[+sbell111]

It should also be noted that according to other reports, the officer who spotted the geocachers was off-duty. Even if the geocachers were aware of his presense, they may not have realized that he was a campus cop.

[+CanUK_TeamFitz]

I question the original press report too.. it sounds like they're trying to buff up what is a pretty mundane story. Seriously - going after other geocaches to establish their legitimacy reeks of an attempt to induce panic and outrage in the local populace.

 

Geocachers = acting like terrorists = danger to America!

 

I highly doubt any geocaching would attempt to outrun the cops, and if they did I'd expect the cops to give chase immediately.

 

They probably had either no idea they were spotted, or they were like "quick - a muggle!"

[+atmospherium]

Geocaching is bound to get an occasional black eye, just like every other activity in the world. People are people, and we aren't going to act or react perfectly every time in every situation. I know I hardly ever do.

 

If it's any consolation, the news media here in New York didn't say or print a single word about this little incident. "Quick - a muggle!" accompanied by a giggling dash to the car, seems like a probable scenario.

[+Okiebryan]

I love how they use the word "device" to make it sound more scary.