Cook County bans Metal Detecting

[Keppy]

Illinois is very good at banning things. So much so that when I drive across the country, I actually avoid Illinois so as to not pay any fuel tax, nor will I do any business with an Illinois based business (barring my employer )

WM

...... I know what you mean about Illinois i would not drive through there again either.... The State Police at a scale gave us a ticket for being over weight.... We were not over weight and we knew it ...... But you are stuck at the scale and if you want to keep moving you pay the ticket to the crooked State Boys...........

 

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[Tom_in_CA]

I have read through everybody's response so far. Question: What brought about Cook County's original notion, to have even done such a thing to begin with? I mean, for example, if this were a turf park, the knee jerk reaction would be: "someone must have left holes." But in this environment, certainly no one would care about that. Therefore, what caused the county people to even begin to think about this, to begin with? What put us on their radar?

I would also point out, that this is only for county-owned spots (forest only?), and not city or other types/entities.

 

[Keppy]

I have read through everybody's response so far. Question: What brought about Cook County's original notion, to have even done such a thing to begin with? I mean, for example, if this were a turf park, the knee jerk reaction would be: "someone must have left holes." But in this environment, certainly no one would care about that. Therefore, what caused the county people to even begin to think about this, to begin with? What put us on their radar?

I would also point out, that this is only for county-owned spots (forest only?), and not city or other types/entities.

.... Would it be the metal detecting tv shows ??

 

[Archeillogical]

I don't know of any bans near Effingham. I can't believe we can't even search the beaches in Shelbyville. It's not like the area isn't already disturbed, which is the reason I'm told we can't hunt around the lake.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

.... Would it be the metal detecting tv shows ??

Not even us detectorists can stand those shows. So something makes me think it's highly unlikely that Cook County bureaucrat lady was up late at night watching such nonsense, if not even us detectorists watch that junk.

 

[Keppy]

Not even us detectorists can stand those shows. So something makes me think it's highly unlikely that Cook County bureaucrat lady was up late at night watching such nonsense, if not even us detectorists watch that junk.

WE do have some here that watch it ..Why i don't know.......

 

[Archeillogical]

WE do have some here that watch it ..Why i don't know......./QUOTE]

I will fess up and admit that I watch Diggers on National Geographic since I don't have the luxury of living in a warm part of the country. Those of us in the north can't do much detecting since the ground is frozen, at least I can watch it. I don't watch fishing shows, but I'll bet there are a lot of fishing guys and gals out there that watch their shows when they can't get out. Maybe the shows are corny, but it beats watching a lot of other TV shows.

 

[Keppy]

WE do have some here that watch it ..Why i don't know......./QUOTE]

I will fess up and admit that I watch Diggers on National Geographic since I don't have the luxury of living in a warm part of the country. Those of us in the north can't do much detecting since the ground is frozen, at least I can watch it. I don't watch fishing shows, but I'll bet there are a lot of fishing guys and gals out there that watch their shows when they can't get out. Maybe the shows are corny, but it beats watching a lot of other TV shows.

..... For the winter this year i took up ....Coin Roll Hunting...... And so far i have not done well at it.......

 

[pat-tekker-cat]

Our forest preserves are full of pimps, hookers, johns, prostitutes, junkies, alcoholics, perverts, people having sex shooting up drugs poaching and they send the forest preserve cops out to target and ticket metal detectorists.

Man gk, real soory to hear about the kinda trash ya'll got in your woods up there, and of your detector bans. They were gonna ban it in Florida, and t-net and all of us got on the horns, lit up our capital. We were diligent (and lucky) to get a represenative on our side to speak for us on the floor.

I wish I had a solution for you all that would help. I would say to organize, start making sense to them, and maybe they would rethink their position. And remind them, they don't clean the trash up outta the woods, they may not be voted back in next election. Perhaps good common sense and a healthy dose of embarresment would get them to use the brain among the 12 or 15 of them.

Seems as if they are infringing on that "pursuit of happiness" thing, no?

 

[gerryk]

I have read through everybody's response so far. Question: What brought about Cook County's original notion, to have even done such a thing to begin with? I mean, for example, if this were a turf park, the knee jerk reaction would be: "someone must have left holes." But in this environment, certainly no one would care about that. Therefore, what caused the county people to even begin to think about this, to begin with? What put us on their radar?

I would also point out, that this is only for county-owned spots (forest only?), and not city or other types/entities.

I have not heard why, the ban came up out of the blue and was voted on and passed. Usually when something like that happens it is secretive because one board member s aw something and didnt know what they snaw so banned it. They forget the forest preserves are there for all of us not jus the criminals.

In my home town, they had banned metal detecting. The reason was all the wholes that were dug and left. What the morons didnt realize is that those holes were du by squirrels and not the kind you elect. A friend was stopped bu a cop and told he cant do that it is banned. He said because you guys dig and leave holes like those over there. My buddy said ok show me a hole i dugand he pounted to the one a squirrel was digging amd didnt see the two at his feet my friend dug. Wen that was brought to his attention, he said carry on, good luck and have a nice day as he walked back to his patrol car.

 

[gerryk]

They also recently inacted an ordinance that if you dont report a gun stonel withon 24 hours they fine you. This is the same county that insisted i buy a window vehicle sticker for my snowmobile trailer. They insisted i was messing with the, when i said it didnt have a windshield and asked how can i see to drive it smart ass? I said i pul it behind my truck i dont drive it and they said stop trying to get out of paying for my vehicle sticker. They also mailed me a ticket for trimming a tree that a neighbor said i cut down. When e building inspector came out he asked me to show him the tree i cut down. I said no you show me and he couldnt and thats whenhe admitted he never came out only mailed the ticked on the word ofma neighbor.

 

[Digging Deeper]

Wow I thought they (government) was asking a lot here. I guess I was wrong, we don't have a lot messed up laws, permits, and window stickers. I don't think I would like all those regulations. I live in the southern part of the country, we tend to trend a bit slower and that is not a bad thing. Good luck with getting through with the cook county board. That really sucks.

a day without pull tabs is like a day without sunshine.

 

[frankg7262]

what is this country coming to? not feeling the freedom to much anymore, and the banning is just a little piece of what this country is all about

 

[Tom_in_CA]

I have not heard why, the ban came up out of the blue and was voted on and passed. ......

Gerry thanx for taking a stab at possible answers to my question.

I'm going to venture another guess, as to why this ban was even something for-their-discussion:

That someone in Cook County, took it upon themselves, to go ask the county: "Can I metal detect in the forest?". And then, sure, all the other possible reasons for a "no" then start manifesting themselves. Ie.: holes, history, disturbing earthworms, or whatever. But as you can see, those reasons are not what brought about the ban, it was the "asking" that put it on someone's radar as a "pressing issue that needs to be addressed", that put it on the radar!

Perhaps we'll never know (unless you asked enough bureaucrats there how this got to them as a subject needing their addressing). But in the meantime, I'm betting this is how it started.

Moral of the story?

 

[George (MN)]

I went to the Cook County website, tried putting metal detecting & metal detectors in search box & nothing came up. How do I get to where this ordinance is posted. I'd really like to see the specific details. Thanks. Best wishes, George (MN)

 

[G.I.B.]

I went to the Cook County website, tried putting metal detecting & metal detectors in search box & nothing came up. How do I get to where this ordinance is posted. I'd really like to see the specific details. Thanks. Best wishes, George (MN)

I looked for it too, and was unable to find anything concerning a ban. I would like to read it as well.

On another note, I did drive through Ill last fall. I was on my way home from N.D. to Fl. There it was, in the middle of the interstate. The regular interstate highway, a toll booth.... yeah, I know.... a toll booth on the interstate- the first thing I did was think I had somehow become lost and was on the wrong road...

Crazy place...

 

[x512x]

I heard of this threw a video from treasurefiend

 

[joecherry]

IS THIS BAN ONLY ON THE FOREST PRESERVE OR ENTIRE COUNTIES CITY PARKS AS WELL?

 

[gerryk]

This is only the cook county forest preserves.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

reply

George MN, and G.I.B, if you do find the details of the supposed law, and if it did give their rationale for the law, it's still not going to take-you-back to the genesis of this. I mean, for example, it might say something like: "to protect our cultural heritage history" (in which case, we md'rs say "durned those archies"). Or it might say: "because holes are a liability" (in which case we md'rs say "durned those guys who must've left holes"). And so forth.

But as I say, those "Go - To" reasons of theirs, are just their justification (things they had to think long and hard as reasons to say "no" to), for the law they just invented. It STILL does not answer the question of, how did it ever get on their plates, as something to consider, BEFORE that. And as I say, probably because someone(s) went in asking "can I detect?" questions. And once that's done, then let's face it: What's the inherent connotations of metal detectors? If they pass this "pressing question" past the county archies, well of course his ears will bristle and the mention of detectors, and he'll say "make a law" (since, of course, most archies are against md'ing). Or just in general, the "average joe", when he thinks of detectors, will of course have a mental image of "digging", afterall (whether or not there ever actually was any holes left there, or that they'd have ever given the matter thought, etc...).

So even if you found reference to the formulation of the law, it's not going to say something like "We instituted this because a person(s) came in asking permission".

However, with that said, I HAVE seen some rules, laws, etc.... in reference to the subject, that do indeed give as their basis (background talk), things to the effect of ".... Due to the numerous inquiries our parks dept receives each year, the following will serve to clarify the park's dept's stance on the subject of metal detectors in our parks....." (and then it goes on to spell dire sounding restrictions or no's). So reading that closely, you see the "d/t the inquiries" parts pretty much sums it up. Ie.: apparently *before* that, it was simply silent on the subject, un-addressed, etc... But most of the time, you see no such back-ground start-up momentum. Simply that, for whatever reason, the topic is "on the floor".