So, it's 3:00am, you're rooting around the shrubbery of a closed Burger King trying to find a film canister, when suddenly, your world is lit up with red & blue lights. Some gruff-speaking character is wanting to know "What the heck are you doing?"

Getting Hassled by The Man, Version 1.1

Something to always keep in mind about law enforcement officers is that they are just people. Some folks want to place cops on pedestals, some want to condemn them all as knuckle-dragging thugs. Neither is appropriate, nor accurate.

A cop's job, at its simplest, is to prevent crime. Failing that, the job switches to enforcing those laws that get broken. One of the tools they use to accomplish this is common sense. Cops are constantly evaluating their surroundings, looking for things of a suspicious nature, and determining a proper course of conduct when they find it.

Let's face it, Geocaching, by its very nature, appears suspicious. I mean, who wouldn't wonder about hordes of odd-looking folks following an arrow on a handheld electronic device, searching for Tupperware full of broken McToys?

Your behavior, when confronted by "The Man", can greatly influence the outcome of any encounters. Most cops have built in BS detectors that let them know a suspicious character is feeding them a link of bunk. They might not be able to figure out exactly what the lie is, but they will certainly know it's there, and once they determine that the person they are dealing with doesn't respect them enough to tell the truth (the whole truth & nothing but the truth), they will do their darndest to ferret out the truth, and they will be a lot more likely to lean toward a resolution that expresses their dislike of you fibbing to them (think handcuffs & jail cells).

BS'ing your way out of an encounter with muggles is a time-honored tradition in this game, and adds a certain degree of excitement to it. Trying those same tactics with cops can cause you more problems than you need.

The best solution when faced with those annoying blue lights is to simply be honest. Arming yourself with a few Geocaching flyers, courtesy of Geocaching University is always a good idea, as these explain the game better than you can when there's a million candle power spotlight shining in your eyes.

The flyer is available here: http://www.geocacher-u.com/resources/brochure.html

In this instance, an ounce of education is worth a pound of bail money.

A few more tips when dealing with cops;

1. Keep your hands out of your pockets.
2. Make direct eye contact.
3. If you must reach into a pocket, ask first.
4. "Yes Sir, No Sir" / "Yes, Ma'am, No Ma'am" will do a lot to relieve tension.
5. They will probably run your name through their "Wanted" list. This is normal.
6. You already look suspicious enough. Don't make any sudden or furtive movements.
7. If you've found the cache, show it to them. Maybe we'll gain another convert.
8. If you haven't found it, maybe they'll help?
9. If the cop asks you to leave, don't argue about needing to be FTF.

Good luck, and happy caching!

By Clan Riffster

Clan Riffster is a contributing author to The Online Geocacher.