Geocachers find trinkets and trouble
November 15, 2009 | National News
Hobby using GPS to discover hidden containers prompts additional police scrutiny
When the Loudoun County sheriff's deputy stumbled on the green ammunition can hidden in a Sterling drainage pipe, he did the right thing. He called in the bomb squad.
It turned out to be a false alarm. The bomb techs opened the box and found a few small trinkets, a notebook and a pen inside. It wasn't an ammo box at all. It was one of about 939,000 active "geocaches" worldwide.
Geocaching, an online game in which players use global positioning devices to track down hidden containers at coordinates posted on a Web site, is soaring in popularity.
But what might seem like a harmless hobby is causing increasing consternation for law enforcement. Police and emergency responders must be wary of any suspicious packages in this region. So they are trying to keep a watchful eye on the phenomenon, warning gamers to exercise caution and training officers to recognize the devices.
"It is something that has raised some concerns," said Loudoun sheriff's spokesman Kraig Troxell. "They're everywhere."
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