Anyone who has ever driven on the 403 from Burlington to Hamilton (not the Skyway) has probably seen the massive church situated right alongside the highway. Last night, after doing some successful exploring in the Hamilton area we decided to check it out as we were told it was easy to get to the top. We parked a few blocks away and walked to the Church, where we saw it was under construction and there was a staircase that led to the top. The staircase started on the second floor and went around the outside of the tower, but was easily accessible. We didn't see any cameras so we thought we might as well try it. We went around the side where there were a ledge and a fence that made a perfect ladder to get onto the construction base on the second floor. My friend started climbing, and in less than a minute we noticed two police cars in a pretty visible parking lot. He immediately got down and at that point they started shining a flashlight at us. We walked around the front of the building when they started driving around. They parked about 20m apart and a police officer came out of each one. One of my friends was texting someone when the first police officer yelled: "Son put your phone away". That's when we knew they weren't the nice cops. He followed by saying "Now all of you get your hands out of your pockets because you are all under arrest for trespassing. Now do any of you have ID" Three of us said we didn't meanwhile the fourth didn't reply. They split us up and to of us went with each police officer. The officer told us to put our hands on the hood of the car, at which point he searched us and found a wallet inside my friend's back pocket. "I thought you said you didn't have ID" and he threw it on the hood of the car. He wrote down all of his information and then asked me for mine (seemed pretty stupid to me because I could have given him a fake name and address, even though I offered to get my ID from the car). He asked us what school we attended, where we worked, and if we had been in trouble with the police before. Along the process, we were cooperating with everything but he still wasn't nice to us. Even though we had no lockpicks, spray paint, or drugs he was not giving us an easy time. We were just trying to explore a bit for the amazing hobby it is. That's just my experience with a police officer for trespassing which I thought would have gone a lot smoother with him just telling us to leave. Feel free to share your past experiences if you've had any, and I don't recommend exploring the church unless you want to risk getting caught but I think there would be a great view from the top. Here's a picture of the church I found online.

Cops are just doing their jobs. If you guys are honest and are cooperative then things usually go quite smoothly. No reason to lie to them.

Posted by ZenCanadian Cops are just doing their jobs. If you guys are honest and are cooperative then things usually go quite smoothly. No reason to lie to them.

Exactly.

It also helps if you don't root around at night. Night time is when criminals like to play.
*groan* If I handled cops like you did, exploringnazi, my shit be all fucked up.
You're lucky the cop was tolerant.

You'd been wiser to have never posted this thread.
Reading your story makes my brain hurt for a couple different reasons.
jeeeeeesze.

*Don't be texting especially when it's dark.
When a LEO is approaching you, put phones away.
Keep your hands in plain sight at all times.
Do not reach for your ID before asked to.
Wait for the LEO to ask the Qs, think before you answer but don't take too long.
Be polite, and stay calm.
Never lie when the truth would serve you better.
Lie by omission only unless you're feeling lucky...

And don't cop an attitude, it's just business.

Posted by blackhawk Exactly. It also helps if you don't root around at night. Night time is when criminals like to play. *groan* If I handled cops like you did, exploringnazi, my shit be all fucked up. You're lucky the cop was tolerant. You'd been wiser to have never posted this thread. Reading your story makes my brain hurt for a couple different reasons. jeeeeeesze.

I don't understand what I did wrong. I was fully cooperative, the only thing was my friend didn't say he had ID on him.

If you're doing something wrong, they're not going to be nice to you. Trespassing is against the law.

I don't condone breaking the law, but this hobby is among the more benign things you can do. The main thing you did wrong was allowing yourself to get caught. Never think "I'm just walking around--security or the police won't really care". Their job is to prevent this sort of thing from happening.

That's one of the biggest churches in Hamilton, and you may have been highly visible. There was probably someone on the grounds who called the police.

Posted by Hi/Po If you're doing something wrong, they're not going to be nice to you. Trespassing is against the law. I don't condone breaking the law, but this hobby is among the more benign things you can do. The main thing you did wrong was allowing yourself to get caught. Never think "I'm just walking around--security or the police won't really care". Their job is to prevent this sort of thing from happening. That's one of the biggest churches in Hamilton, and you may have been highly visible. There was probably someone on the grounds who called the police.

That's true, but sometimes security or cops just tell you to leave. And the cops were already on site, that's why we got caught.

*Blackhawk: Thanks for the tips I'll keep them in mind for next time.

Posted by exploringnazi That's true, but sometimes security or cops just tell you to leave. And the cops were already on site, that's why we got caught. *Blackhawk: Thanks for the tips I'll keep them in mind for next time.

You're welcome. If it's completely fenced off, has electricity, and/or is being worked on, that's a good indication you will get cited if caught.

Night time is almost always the worst time to explore with certain exceptions. As you saw or more to the point didn't see, the cover of night is a two way street. If the cops are using night vision or FLIR, they have a leg up and night is no longer neutral.
Although darkness is generally neutral it makes it very hard to avoid hellholes without using lights.
Falls are your biggest threat.

C'mon guys, give him a break. It takes a while to get to know how to handle cops, my first encounters were pretty stupid. At least they didn't run off or punch one of the cops like some of my idiot friends. Keep making fun of people who post their fuckups, and people will stop posting, a valuable learning opportunity lost.

My advice is to try to be interesting/funny. Cops tend to be bored as fuck, they like a bit of entertainment. Depends on the cop though.

Posted by Lars C'mon guys, give him a break. It takes a while to get to know how to handle cops, my first encounters were pretty stupid. At least they didn't run off or punch one of the cops like some of my idiot friends. Keep making fun of people who post their fuckups, and people will stop posting, a valuable learning opportunity lost. My advice is to try to be interesting/funny. Cops tend to be bored as fuck, they like a bit of entertainment. Depends on the cop though.

Well... if you post a "I got busted" thread on UER, expect to get ribbed. It's traditional.
Where's your sense of humor?
Getting arrested means -you- screwed up. It happens and is sometimes -almost- unavoidable.

A last thing I would do is post a thread about being arrested if the case was still open.
Cops do surf the net. I wouldn't give the location either normally. Later I might share the story here, to educate and as humor. A tripod got me busted. Not fond of tripods anymore

As for dealing with cops.

Limit the damage. Know what a felony is and don't set yourself up for a felony conviction.
Any site the falls under federal jurisdiction, handle with extreme caution. Active military bases/federal buildings/research facilities, etc.
The FBI has no sense of humor that I'm aware of and the prison sentence for federal trespassing is up to 5 years and up to $10G in fines, if I recall correctly.

The calm, relaxed cop is the better...
Never do anything to escalate the situation once the police make contact with you.
Staying calm and not acting nervous is important.
Don't run your mouth; always let the cop lead the conversation (investigation). Don't shout, get loud or curse, much...

Be complaint. Cops gauge what they can expect from a perp by how they respond. Cops don't like wild cards. Being compliance with their orders shows respect and makes their work easier and hopefully safer. Be very patient and don't fidget. This is part of being complaint.
Lol, I was handcuffed to a bench once for 2 hours or more. I only spoke when asked a Q. Latter when the cops released me on my own recognizance rather hold me overnight in jail, they told me I was the most complaint prisoner they ever had. wow.

Be clear and concise in what you say to them. Never use the word "Boss" to address them; prison slang. Use the term officer or Sir.

Put yourself in their shoes. They want to go home at the end of their shift the same way they started it.
Talk to cops when they have free time like at events.
Most cops are people persons.
The more you understand the laws, LEOs protocols and training, what they are looking for etc, the easier it is to deal with them and avoid being arrested.
Most cops hate to bust a good guy; don't force them to... it doesn't help your cause to think of them as the enemy. This kind of thinking -will- show its self when dealing will them.
Over time you will develop your own style in dealing with LEOs. You need to do it to learn it. I've talked with dozens over the last 2 decades. None are the same, but their training is similar.

.....so what happened? Did you get a ticket? Did they let you go with a warning?

Posted by terapr0 .....so what happened? Did you get a ticket? Did they let you go with a warning?

They just told us to go home and advised us to not go back to that place. They did also write down our information on the computer. Does anyone know how long they keep that there? I'm sure it doesn't affect anything other than if something similar happens again and our names come up for getting a warning.

Posted by exploringnazi They just told us to go home and advised us to not go back to that place. They did also write down our information on the computer. Does anyone know how long they keep that there? I'm sure it doesn't affect anything other than if something similar happens again and our names come up for getting a warning.

How long? Forever and ever
Not sure, but digital data can be kept indefinitely and accessed easily.
Don't go back there without permission unless you're feeling lucky.

That cop cut you a break

Posted by blackhawk A tripod got me busted. Not fond of tripods anymore

I'm curious about that one.

Posted by Mickael I'm curious about that one.

Told the story here long ago.
Quick version:
A dumb ass 13 yo girl saw the tripod on my back from 15 feet away when I walked by her. Thought it was a rifle... and so it started.
A double tree line and too far back to hear anything they were saying... to me clearly, and a dozen pissed off cops, full perimeter, road blocks, command center, ambulances, K-9s on the way, etc
3 hours latter I was taken down with a 12 gauge shotgun pointed at my chest from 10 feet away... fun times

At least I got into the Nike base and got some good shots
Yes, well...

Posted by blackhawk Told the story here long ago. Quick version: A dumb ass 13 yo girl saw the tripod on my back from 15 feet away when I walked by her. Thought it was a rifle... and so it started. A double tree line and too far back to hear anything they were saying... to me clearly, and a dozen pissed off cops, full perimeter, road blocks, command center, ambulances, K-9s on the way, etc 3 hours latter I was taken down with a 12 gauge shotgun pointed at my chest from 10 feet away... fun times At least I got into the Nike base and got some good shots Yes, well...

Damn, I'd bet the long version of that story makes my mostly recent encounters appear quite boring.., and some of those have been doozies.
I'm not sure how humorous they are though... Except that time I was caught on the top of a bell tower trying to hide behind a tripod, lol.

Posted by Dee Ashley Damn, I'd bet the long version of that story makes my mostly recent encounters appear quite boring.., and some of those have been doozies. I'm not sure how humorous they are though... Except that time I was caught on the top of a bell tower trying to hide behind a tripod, lol.

Meh, boring is good. I got more excitement than I wanted!

The cops were professional to spite being really pissed at first. I started a dialog with them in the car. They were angry, but not closed minded.
Once they learned what really had happened they cooled down and were friendly... took about 3 hours.
They didn't break any gear or rough me up at all.
In fact they wuved my tac gear.
Being honest and complaint can go a long way and save you a lot of needless trouble.
Don't take it personal... it just business.
Treat them with respect; what goes around, comes around.

Posted by blackhawk Told the story here long ago. Quick version: A dumb ass 13 yo girl saw the tripod on my back from 15 feet away when I walked by her. Thought it was a rifle... and so it started. A double tree line and too far back to hear anything they were saying... to me clearly, and a dozen pissed off cops, full perimeter, road blocks, command center, ambulances, K-9s on the way, etc 3 hours latter I was taken down with a 12 gauge shotgun pointed at my chest from 10 feet away... fun times At least I got into the Nike base and got some good shots Yes, well...

Wow, that's probably one of the craziest stories I've heard. Definitely had some adrenaline in you for that one. Was this in Ontario? Also, do you have a link to the post you made by any chance? I'd love to give it a read.

Posted by exploringnazi Wow, that's probably one of the craziest stories I've heard. Definitely had some adrenaline in you for that one. Was this in Ontario? Also, do you have a link to the post you made by any chance? I'd love to give it a read.

More pain in the ass suspense than adrenaline.
Although that moment I came to the last tree line and realized they were hopping all over the place looking for me was priceless.
They hadn't spotted me, but no way to wait them out. At that point my car had already been impounded. It was impressive how fast things went from zero to shit.

Jersey. No idea where thread is. Somewhere after 6/2006... I have a lot of posts.

"You're under arrest for trespassing", literally so jokes... Trespassing isn't an indictable offense. Most they can do is ban you from the property and give you a ticket.

I've been caught by police twice. Once I was arrested for B&E, later let go and the charges dropped due to "lack of evidence", and the second time the cops were really nice and just told us to be careful (then escorted us off the property).