Awakened by the Sheriff This Morning

[VanTrekker]

<p style="text-align: left;"><img style="margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto; display: block;" rel="lightbox" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vttyQi8QtK8/ULdsPyTPMLI/AAAAAAAAEpk/3eLcfEGEL5M/s320/Otterville+Area.jpg" class="bbc_img" /><br /><br />Today I was awakened the by a Buchanan county sheriff's deputy.&nbsp; This location is&nbsp;a place called Otterville, just north of Independence, Iowa on WMA (wildlife management area) ground.&nbsp; It is perfectly legal to camp here.&nbsp; I wanted to share as many details as possible because this was actually&nbsp;a positive experience.<br /><br />At approximately 4:45 AM I heard&nbsp;a knock on the side door of the camper van.&nbsp; Startled, I yelled "HEY!", thinking it was a burglar.&nbsp; Then I heard two&nbsp;words "Sheriff's Department."&nbsp; At first I was scared but then thought I'd rather it be the law rather than a burglar.<br /><br />I quickly pulled on some clothes and shoes.&nbsp; The officer asked if I was the only occupant and I say yes.&nbsp; He asked my name and I said Bradford.&nbsp; Then I told him I would be opening the door.&nbsp; <br /><br />I moved outside slowly with my hands in plain sight, greeting the deputy with "Good morning."&nbsp; He was very friendly and asked why I was here.&nbsp; I told him I was on my way back to Cedar Rapids and&nbsp;camped over for the night.&nbsp; He asked when I arrived and I said about 4:00 PM.&nbsp; My driver's license was checked and came back as clean (of course!).&nbsp; We also discussed something I saw about 7:00 PM last night - people hunting near the riverbed using headlights on caps.&nbsp; The officer said people are sometimes looking for coyotes at night.</p><p>The deputy asked where I worked and said Target, up until a couple of weeks ago.&nbsp; He pressed and asked distribution or retail?&nbsp; I told him the Super Target in Cedar Rapids and had some difficulties and quit.&nbsp; Then he asked about my address and I advised I am from Cedar Rapids.&nbsp; That sufficed.&nbsp; I maintained friendly eye contact and the conversation was friendly.<br /><br />The sheriff's deputy was cordial&nbsp;and let me know that I had broken no laws and am welcome to camp here but he did recommend that next time I contact the sheriff's office to let them know I would be out there&nbsp;in case anyone might wonder and then call in.&nbsp; He also suggested that by doing so I can make sure and not camp in any areas that close at 10:00 PM.&nbsp; In fact, he said I had a "pretty nice setup" in the van.<br /><br />We discussed the TV antenna and the steamed windows - he knew someone was inside.&nbsp;&nbsp;I told him that instead of parking closer to the river and out of sight, I decided to park in view of the road so law enforcement would know I wasn't trying to be shady.&nbsp; That seemed to be well received.&nbsp; (I feel like there's no reason for trying to be stealthy on public lands.... especially in a white van!)<br /><br />I assured the deputy that I would call in next time and would also pass the word along to friends of mine who camp as well.&nbsp; We often worry about a knock in the night rather than letting law enforcement know in advance we will be somewhere camping.&nbsp; We ended up shaking hands and I thought he did a great job of representing law enforcement.&nbsp; I hope I did an equally good job of showing that campers are pretty cool people too... even those of us in white cargo vans.<br /><br />Am I looking forward to the next knock at night?&nbsp; No, not exactly.&nbsp; It shakes you up a bit.&nbsp; But the overall encounter actually made me feel better about the local law enforcement and the legality of camping on state public hunting grounds.<br /><br />V.T.</p>

 

[josephusminimus]

Strikes me that 4:45 am is a bit early to be knocking on the doors of vehicles parked legally in a public camp ground unless there's some larger issue such as a crime commited nearby or an escaped prisoner on the loose.<br /><br />Can't help wondering how he'd have responded if you'd asked him to stand in front of the vehicle so's you could see his uniform, or kick on his light bar to allow you to be certain he was actually an enforcement officer.&nbsp; It would seem a reasonable precaution on your part.<br /><br />If he ran your tags and didn't find any reason to suspect anything illegal was going on a person might be justified in wondering why all the questions about the job, the destination etc. until sometime after daybreak.<br /><br />On the other hand, I suppose he knew you were willing to bend over backward to avoid a confrontation when you opened the door to him without asking for any proof of identification as an officer.&nbsp; Probably figured anything this side of putting the cuffs on you or laying you out spread-eagle on the ground was fair game.<br /><br />But I reckons I'm old fashioned.

 

[Doc T]

Ok, I just gotta add my story to this!&nbsp; Having been a city dweller for a long time there have been many many "checks" on me.&nbsp; Most recently they said they were checking on my "well being".&nbsp; Most officers are really very nice.&nbsp; I have ever only had one bad attitude cop check me out.&nbsp; <br />But the one I have to sort of laugh at in embarrassment is the one that knocked on my door and woke me up to tell me that I was in an area that I could not park in and&nbsp; he had been called by the parking lot security person, was the one that I was very passive aggressive with.&nbsp; I could see out my window that it was in fact a cop car, but he did not have his lights on and I in fact was used to seeing the flashing lites in the past, so instead of answering the knock I called 911!&nbsp; I told them that I was parked and where, and that there was a man outside knocking on my door and saying he was the police, but since I am just a little old lady, I was afraid it might not really be the cops, since there were no flashing lites and it was too dark to see what the car was..&nbsp; The 911 person checked (I could hear the conversation!) and reassured me that it was indeed an officer, at which point I opened my door and he apologized and said the next time he would flash his lights.&nbsp; Yes, I know that was mean spirited, but what can I say.&nbsp; I am human.&nbsp; I was grouchy for being awakened in the middle of the night!<br /><br />

 

[josephusminimus]

DocT:&nbsp; Seems a reasonable and prudent [intelligent] response by a citizen with a clear conscience.

 

[VanTrekker]

Howdy,<br /><br />Just a clarification... I wasn't camping in a designated campground.&nbsp; It's just a little gravel pull-off where people are allowed to hunt or fish.&nbsp; It does not close at night like a park so they&nbsp;don't mind if you camp there.&nbsp; There&nbsp;is no method for registering,&nbsp;either.&nbsp; As long as you don't break any laws, most WMAs are cool.&nbsp;&nbsp; <br /><br />Many such areas do get&nbsp;checked because people go there to drink, smoke reefer, make meth, have sex, etc.&nbsp; My life isn't that exciting...&nbsp; A couple of those activities would be more fun than just eating dinner and sleeping... No drugs for me though... <br /><br />The concern might have been because 30 miles away two girls were abducted and a white van was suspected.&nbsp; There has been a lot of hysteria...<br /><br />V.T.

 

[drivebyandy]

<p>Glad it all went well! I hate being woken up by knocking at odd hours of the morning. Definitely puts you on the edge, no matter who it is.<br /><br />That's one thing I hated about living in an apartment. There was a buzzer to get in the main door downstairs and that buzzer would always scare the crap out of me and make me feel very anxious all the time. Especially since I almost never had visitors of my own to begin with. Just random people buzzing my buzzer.</p>

 

[offroad]

Saw the blog posting. Was wondering about WMA areas for camping a single night. On the east coast you can get a permit for many state owned beaches, to be fishing for stripper bass during the night. Just need a fishing license (which is needed for salt water fishing now)! And you need a cheap salt water pole and reel. If you take a nap in you vehicle, be prepared for a check on your fishing license.&nbsp;<br /><br />Always find it funny that boondock camping- sleeping in vehicles is not allowed. But hiking all day for 8-10 hours of daylight is fine. You can walk in, go find yourself a nice hiding sit down place for a while, and that's okay.

 

[VanTrekker]

It's surprising how many WMA areas we have in Iowa.&nbsp; They are everywhere, especially in the wooded north east Iowa.&nbsp; No fishing or hunting license is required.&nbsp; Most let you camp there although there are special cases where it is posted "No overnight camping" or "Park closes after&nbsp;10:30 PM" etc.&nbsp; A person also has to be diligent not to leave any trash, etc.<br /><br />The law in Iowa is you can't camp in&nbsp;a park or other public place more than 14 consecutive days.&nbsp; I wouldn't try that anyway in a WMA.&nbsp; I like to use these areas just for a quick overnight stay.&nbsp; They are free but the downside is that they put you at risk for someone waking you up.&nbsp; I suspect any vehicle - even a beautiful new conversion van - would get checked out.&nbsp; There is such a huge meth problem in this region.&nbsp; Thankfully, law enforcement around here seems to do a good job of balancing the public interest with also keeping it enjoyable for the campers, too.<br /><br />I have been tempted to do a longer stay - like a week -&nbsp;but maybe at a $5 / day primitive county campground.&nbsp; At least that way you are more of a "customer" and a "guest" rather than a freeloader or worse.<br /><br />