If you feel that you have mastered your metal detector, or at least feel really comfortable using it. Let your Law Enforcement know that you are willing to help if they ever need it. Why you ask? (Go ahead and ask why.)
Law Enforcement from time to time needs help. Usually, there will be at least one officer with a metal detector on the squad. However, if they are trying to find a stray bullet, or other item, one detector can't cover all the ground very fast. That's where you come in. Send a formal letter to the Chief of Police, the Sherrif and even if there is a State Police barracks in your town to the head Officer in charge. Let them know that you are more than willing to help if they ever need it. Years ago, I even included a nice photograph of some of my finds.
I'll give you a case in point. There's a man I was introduced to, who bought a Side Scan Sonar system. He had visions of using it in the Summer searching the lake he lived on for sunken motors, or just general treasure hunting in the lake. He went around to the Marinas, and asked if he could put up a flier offering his services for items lost in the lake. One Winter day, he got a call from the local Sherrif's office. One of the Deputies had remember seeing his flier and wondered if he could help them out. He readily agreed and loaded his equipment on their boat and went in search of what they were looking for. (I'm sorry, I don't remember what it was, but he found it.) The divers went into the frigid waters and retrieved it.
Now, not only is he called into help the local Sheriff's Dept. But the Police and and State Highway Patrol. All season, they call on him to use his equipment. There was a missing girl and the State Highway Patrol presumed that the might have drowned in the lake. They found her car parked near the water's edge. So they called him in to start his search. He laid out his grid pattern, and soon were searching the lake's bottom for any sign of human life. They even had a boat with Cadavor dogs in it searching. The dogs got a hit out in the water and he was called over with his Sonar. It wasn't the missing girl, but it was a car. Probably had been there for 20 years resting on the bottom. The dogs were going crazy! The car was pretty far out into the lake, but the divers were able to hook a cable to it and with the help of a crane, drag it to shore. Inside the trunk was the remains of another woman, long since passed away. They never did find the missing girl. I'm not even sure that they found out who was locked away in the trunk of that car.
Don't you think that he has built up a good repore with the Law Enforcement Agencies? I'm not saying you will find Jimmy Hoffa, but you maybe able to find a key piece of evidence! Please note: I would not do this if you just got your metal detector.
Early this Summer, I wanted to search a Grade School that had been closed. I pulled up with my van and metal detector. In the parking lot was a Deputy Sherrif's car. Not sure what the rules are in the town, I decided to go to him and ask if there was a problem if I searched the school grounds. I also handed him my business card. "Treasure Seekers International". It has my name, web-site, address even my e-mail on it. I told him who I was and that I wanted to search the school grounds and if there was a problem with that. He said that since the school was abandoned, they didn't like anyone to be on the grounds, due to vandalism. I expained that I wasn't there to cause any problems, and thanked him and I was ready to leave. He told me that he had about an hour of paperwork to do. That it would be alright it I searched while he was there.
I thanked him again, got my machine out of my van, and proceeded to search. I was really hamped in my efforts due to the long grass. (It was over a foot high and very thick!) After about 30 minutes, I hadn't found a thing. So I decided to pack it in. I went back to his cruiser and expained to the deputy that the high grass was making it very hard to search and almost impossible to dig. I thanked him and told him that I was going to go. He handed me back my business card, and I told him to keep it. That his Department should feel free to call me if they ever needed an area searched. Now I don't know if they ever will. However, if they do, I'll be there. (I'll also bring all of my machines just in case I run into long grass again.)
The worse that a Law Enforcement Agency can say is, "No thanks".
Until next time. This is Charlotte49er saying, Good Hunting!
