Welcome to Friendly Shawnee Mission...

[The Bird Father]

I would like to know how this is going to affect the Wide Open or even the Worlds this year.  I understand full and well that our players can not drink or do anything illegal while playing their rounds.  My main concern is are they going to be harassing the players during the competition?  I know if I were in the middle of a round the LAST thing I would want to worry about is some cop bothering me.  Will there be an understanding with in the P&R that we are there to merely compete and Outside distractions would be discouraged?

Or Rocket's launching every 5 mins...or kites flying or cross country bikers....

I don't believe SMP is a good call for ANY tournament play based on the distractions alone.  We won't even start talking about the whole course being boring.

[CD]

And thanks for the free legal advice!!!

That will be $1 Million and a beer of your choice!!

[CD]

We won't even start talking about the whole course being boring.

You're just jealous because you can't birdie every hole yet. My bet is that only Arturo has managed that.

~Pin High~

[CD]

Freedom is a possession of inestimable value. - Cicero (106 BC - 43 BC)

Note: Cicero must have been Bill Turner's uncle somewhere down the line.

[jack]

I would like to know how this is going to affect the Wide Open or even the Worlds this year.  I understand full and well that our players can not drink or do anything illegal while playing their rounds.  My main concern is are they going to be harassing the players during the competition?  I know if I were in the middle of a round the LAST thing I would want to worry about is some cop bothering me.  Will there be an understanding with in the P&R that we are there to merely compete and Outside distractions would be discouraged?

Has been addressed, check your inbox

[eupher61]

aren't you gonna share that info, Dick or Jack??

[dickthediscparker]

Sure.  The police have no right to search you if you don't give them probable cause.  Their lips to your ears.   If they ask to search you say what Bill the Lawyer just told you.  They will close the course if I pay them to and they won't bother us.

[gunar]

I recently met 3 friends at SMP, they are all new to the game. It was only the second tee box where officer Short McPudgy saw us, pulled his car over, got out, walked through a swamp, told us forcefully that he needed to search our bags.

There was no asking to search, he simply told us "I need to search your bags please." I quickly asked "Why?" and he informed me it was to check to see if we had alcohol. My friend quickly freaked out and opened his bag up. (We were all clean, as I had told my friends to leave their beers at home prior to playing.) Anyway, after he search my friends bag, he looked at me and said "I need to search your bag." And I said "No." That made him mad. He quickly started spouting off that if we got caught with alcohol it would be a $70 fine. I assured him that I didn't have beer, that I had played the course before, and I knew my rights. It was only after I brought it up, that he said that the search was only by consent. I realize that you have to know your rights before you're entitled to them, but still.

I hope his attitude was a result of something else in his life going horribly wrong, not just some pre-determined disposition against disc golfers.

[dickthediscparker]

Well being the fact that you were the first to say NO and he at that point understood you knew your rights makes me think if we as individuals just make sure to let them know PEACEFULLY that we have our rights and we understand their rules.  The worst they can do is watch you and make sure your not drinking.  Eventually if we all do this I think they will quit bothering us and just wait until they have a reason.

[Rick Rothstein]

It's really quite simple. The rules in SMP include no drinking, no dogs off leash, no cavorting after curfew, and probably lots more that are less relevant to what we do. The rangers aggressively enforce these rules and I suspect that there will be some people who end up paying the published fines, either due to ignorance or stupidity. Those reading this thread can not claim ignorance.

I've bumped lawyer Bill's comments up as it is important that everyone know that you DO NOT HAVE TO CONSENT TO SUCH A SEARCH. Knowing our rights in a free society goes hand in hand with keeping those rights. Please be polite to the rangers whether you consent or not.

I wrote the above post before finding the third page of prior posts, so I now must respond to Anthony's post:

I understand that you don't want your bag searched. Honestly I don't care. I feel like they have provided the park for me to play in, so they can choose to do what they want. I think we just have to remember to respect them even if they do ask to search our bags. Because I have a feeling the more disgruntle disc golfers they run into who complain about them searching it, or have a bad attitude towards a guy who is just doing his job, the more they will continue to search our bags. But hopefully if we show them respect and are polite to them, even if we don't agree with what they are doing, they will at least start to show us a little respect in return.

Not that I am attacking Anthony here or anything, just disagreeing with his ideas as gently as possible

No, the police cannot choose to do whatever they want, unless we consent to let them.  We do not have to trade away our rights to be free from warrantless searches in exchange for the right to use the public park that is supported by public taxes.  Respect for the police does not require surrendering our rights for which so much blood has been spilt over our nation's history to protect.  It seems you are suggesting that disc golfers should agree to surrender their rights so that the police will respect us by then searching bags less often?  Frankly, I think the police will continue to use tactics that work.  If everyone refused consent, then asking for consent would no longer work, and thus make it more likely for the police not to continue to request warrantless searches.

Seriously, the drafters of the constitution understood that just because the police dont wear redcoats, does not mean that the citizenry does not need protection from unreasonable searches by the police.  So, they gave us the right to be free from the random searches like those by the British that had pissed them off.  I really find it disheartening when people seem willing to give us fundamental rights in exchange for perceived safety or security, much less respect.

Sure, we do choose to give some of these rights when we travel, or when we enter a concert hall, but the park is not such a scenario.  (I am now stepping off the soapbox).

[David E]

Leagues are going be fun at SMP!!! I can't wait, but I'll have to wait until the 26th at least...