Overly Aggressive LEOs This Year?

[Raoul]

Did anyone notice the LEOs being overly aggressive this year?

Several folks, myself included, had stories of run-ins with them that were ridiculous. Some were undercover (but obviously LEO based on their absolutely horrible acting jobs and lame attempts to dress the part) and some were uniformed. One friend of mine had the acrylic, laser-cut pendants he was giving as playa gifts in a plastic bag. When he pulled the bag out to gift someone, the BLM were on him instantaneously. They didn't believe him that they were just pendants until he offered to give them the whole bag. Then they got pissed off that he didn't have anything they could use to bust him.

I had a couple direct encounters. One of them was an undercover who approached me one evening at the Tree of Tenere and asked me for rolling papers. When I told her I didn't have any, she decided to play the sexy card and proceeded with an acting job that made daytime soap operas from the 70s seem Oscar-worthy. I wasn't about to take the bait, so I offered her some water since she had no water bottle, Camel Bak, etc., and she declined. She ended up walking away in disgust when I still didn't have any rolling papers. Another incident was out near the trash fence at one of the big sound cars. Like so many other people, I keep a copy of my ID taped to my cup, and it was clipped to my backpack. A BLM agent came up behind me, shined his flashlight on my cup and called in my name and address to see if I had any outstanding warrants. I didn't have anything to hide in any of these situations, but it seemed far more over-bearing and invasive as compared to previous years. This is my fourth Burn, and it is the first time I have had any sort of encounter with LEOs other than a "Hi, how are you" when bicycling past their tent on Esplanade.

Others I spoke to on playa and at various stops while driving home on Monday had similar stories. I'm really curious to see the arrest statistics for this year as compared to prior years.

Anyone else experience anything like this?

[TT120]

About 5 of us were sitting around the burn barrel Thursday night around midnight when 2 randoms came up and asked if they could sit down next to the fire for a bit. It's not too uncommon for that to happen so we said sure, sit down and tell us about your burn. My spidey sense started tingling so I was keeping an eye on them. 2 minutes later another random showed up out of thin air and asked if we had any rolling papers.....RED ALERT!!! RED ALERT!!! we all just looked at each other like he was speaking a foreign language and said nothing. He asked again and we all said no, we have no rolling papers. All 3 of them disappeared as quickly as they had appeared. Fucking narcs, go eat a donut somewhere else.

[BBadger]

My friends and I were walking by the BLM operations camp (or whatever it's called) on Esplanade and one of the officers out front gave us each a shiny BLM Junior Ranger clip-badge and jokingly told us that it allowed us to arrest and harass other burners for no good reason.

[spacetime]

We had no run-ins or saw run-ins with LEO this year. Was told by ratty I looked way too clean cut to be bothered by them! Sorry to hear about some of these stories.

[Token]

Anyone else experience anything like this?

Since you had three LEO-free years prior, what did you different this year that may have drawn attention?

Maybe the way you dressed, places you went, company you kept?

Curious to see if there were any "profiling" angles.

Having one incident is rare, having several is like winning the lottery.

[lucky420]

Hardly saw any cops at all

[maladroit]

I must be out of the loop but when did rolling papers become a target of sting ops? Is that probable cause to search you or something?

[Ratty]

I made a dozen LEO swag patches and still have half of them. Hardly saw any this year.

[Savannah]

I must be out of the loop but when did rolling papers become a target of sting ops? Is that probable cause to search you or something?

I don't know when it started, but I've seen it in Law Enforcement threads before. I don't know if it can actually be used as probable cause, legally, because lots of people roll cigarettes. However, I feel it serves at least three different purposes for them to ask:


* Profiling. Law Enforcement probably associates ownership of rolling papers with likelier ownership of marijuana. (It's a good prompt to look harder for actual probable cause.)

* Proximity. While you're locating rolling papers, they've got a reason to stand next to you, maybe peek into your bag, sniff you, walk near your tent, etc.

* "The Foot in the Door" manipulation technique. When you ask someone for a little something and receive it successfully (and positively reinforce it), you're more likely to receive a future favor from that person, because A) the favor-giver now sees you as Officially Deserving (they don't want to second-guess their own judgment), and b) "what harm does one more little favor do?"


The only time I saw Law Enforcement in full swing this year was at Gate. It was a great place to ding people for speeding 11mph, and then use that crime as a springboard to a search. I kind of expected to see that, and was not disappointed. Definitely sorry for all the people forced to unpack, whether innocent or guilty.

Undercover-wise, I had no run-ins, but a friend of mine had someone approach his camp really ham-handedly. I'm looking forward to him posting his account.

[mudpuppy000]

We had a green tortoise bus get stopped in front of our camp. Supposedly the license plate was "dusty" so they used that as a pretext to pull everyone out of the bus, unload all the luggage and have everyone stand there for hours as the dogs went through their luggage. Saw a few people in handcuffs before I stopped watching.

[Jackass]

I must be out of the loop but when did rolling papers become a target of sting ops? Is that probable cause to search you or something?

It may be a way to see if you retrieve them from an area where your weed may be as well, like a weed box, a jar or a rolling tray... Or it could have been someone that wanted to roll a joint or cig

[Sham]

In years past, I have seen extremely aggressive LEO's. They did some bizarre sting on our camp to check ownership of the RVs and trailers. Still not sure WTF that was all about, but before they left, one cop asked me if he could have one of my necklaces. I told him, "under the circumstances, NO".

This year, I hardly saw a single LEO except when I went by the LEO coral on the esplanade. I got a plastic badge to prove it.

[Savannah]

In years past, I have seen extremely aggressive LEO's. They did some bizarre sting on our camp to check ownership of the RVs and trailers. Still not sure WTF that was all about, but before they left, one cop asked me if he could have one of my necklaces. I told him, "under the circumstances, NO".

YIKES. What cheek!

[mgb327]

I also got one of those plastic swag-badges they had on the table on the Esplanade. I gave them all a lanyard/laminate. I had 4 contacts with LEOs this year, all were very friendly and pleasant. One was on entry. My GF and I were standing at the flag rope looking out onto the playa, and this LEO pulled right up to us and started telling us how much he loved the burn. He told us he was retiring in 5 months. He then said, excitedly, that next year he gets to go to the burn as a "participant/civilian". He was truly a gracious, kind person. I wish I could remember his name, he really set our expectations for the burn this year. Wonderful interaction.

[Token]

If I recal, NV zero tolerance laws include all drug paraphernalia. Possession is a crime.

The rolling papers may be the technicality they need for the broader search.

The papers being with contraband also sounds reasonable as they can always claim the "smelled" it.

[Raoul]

Since you had three LEO-free years prior, what did you different this year that may have drawn attention?

Maybe the way you dressed, places you went, company you kept?

Curious to see if there were any "profiling" angles.

Having one incident is rare, having several is like winning the lottery.

All of my encounters this year were in the proximity of the same large, well-known art car but on different days. Thinking back, I've never really spent any time near that car in past years.

[korierika4]

I made a dozen LEO swag patches and still have half of them. Hardly saw any this year.

Dam, I would have loved one of those for my journal.

[EGAZ]

One completely random undercover contact last year, no contact at all this year. I guess I'm of no interest to them.... Which is fine by me.....

[Blueschaser]

Had WAP through GPE, set up camp at corner of J & 5:30 Friday pre-event. No other campers there yet to impede view across the block back to L street. After sunset, we had an LEO lightshow: saw AT LEAST 15 stops, in only the 2 hours we were paying attention. Talk about a speed trap! One stop must have resulted in an injury: ambulance and 4 different agencies of 8 LE pick-ups. After a while it became "oh, another one..." Continued for next couple of days.

[Chowski]

We had a lurker come through our camp at 7:30 and C asking for drugs, as we shooed him away. He came back a few days later, and we quickly passed the word that he was a narc, so no one interacted with him. One other night, my husband and I were clearly, visibly intoxicated at the Tree of Tenere when a small group of burners started chatting with us and quickly asked if we had drugs. Because I had practiced my response, I blurted out "I DON'T DO DRUGS AND I DON'T KNOW WHERE TO GET DRUGS" and quickly walked away. I actually don't think they were narcs, based on the embarrassed, awkward farewell they gave us, but I was proud of myself for having remembered the speech in my deep, deep intoxication.

[Savannah]

We had a lurker come through our camp at 7:30 and C asking for drugs, as we shooed him away. He came back a few days later, and we quickly passed the word that he was a narc, so no one interacted with him. One other night, my husband and I were clearly, visibly intoxicated at the Tree of Tenere when a small group of burners started chatting with us and quickly asked if we had drugs. Because I had practiced my response, I blurted out "I DON'T DO DRUGS AND I DON'T KNOW WHERE TO GET DRUGS" and quickly walked away. I actually don't think they were narcs, based on the embarrassed, awkward farewell they gave us, but I was proud of myself for having remembered the speech in my deep, deep intoxication.

Well done!!

Self-preservation game = strong.

[spacetime]

We had a lurker come through our camp at 7:30 and C asking for drugs, as we shooed him away. He came back a few days later, and we quickly passed the word that he was a narc, so no one interacted with him. One other night, my husband and I were clearly, visibly intoxicated at the Tree of Tenere when a small group of burners started chatting with us and quickly asked if we had drugs. Because I had practiced my response, I blurted out "I DON'T DO DRUGS AND I DON'T KNOW WHERE TO GET DRUGS" and quickly walked away. I actually don't think they were narcs, based on the embarrassed, awkward farewell they gave us, but I was proud of myself for having remembered the speech in my deep, deep intoxication.

We were at that tree late burn night. Folks were, deep into their burn, so I wouldn't be surprised if some foolish person would think it would be a good place to ask.

[Bodmin]

Huge presence at the airport this year. When the burner express planes pulled up all the bags were put onto carts and the dogs were walked up and down. I did hear that they were only confiscating, not issuing citations, and that they were looking for large quantities rather than personal use amounts.

After a couple of days of not finding any big scores they moved the operation to the other side of the airport ramp and focused on the little 4 place Cessnas and Pipers and gave them the same treatment as soon as they landed. Still no big score so they seemed to give up by Thursday.

[fireheadwhale]

I saw this guy hitchhiking after the "Ticketed Personnel Only" electronic sign around Wadsworth.. I stopped for gas I think it was in Nixon, and then I saw the same guy beside the road hitchhiking again. I didn't dismiss the paranoid thought he was a cop. Something about his look. Like contrived scruffiness and the fact he popped up so quickly in different spots. Wouldn't the first ride more than likely take him all the way? If he was a cop, it was a clever ruse.

[motskyroonmatick]

* "The Foot in the Door" manipulation technique. When you ask someone for a little something and receive it successfully (and positively reinforce it), you're more likely to receive a future favor from that person, because A) the favor-giver now sees you as Officially Deserving (they don't want to second-guess their own judgment), and b) "what harm does one more little favor do?"

This was used on me this year and my alarm bells went off big time. Nice to hear it as a laid out technique. Easier to recognize now that I know the pattern and workings of it.

[some seeing eye]

* "The Foot in the Door" manipulation technique. When you ask someone for a little something and receive it successfully (and positively reinforce it), you're more likely to receive a future favor from that person, because A) the favor-giver now sees you as Officially Deserving (they don't want to second-guess their own judgment), and b) "what harm does one more little favor do?"

Reverse the footsie. Why did you volunteer for this? What does your family think of you going? Would you bring them? Have you been camping in the wilderness? What's the food like for you? How are your shoes holding up? How does day/night shift work? What's been your most memorable experience here? How long does it take you to get back to your regular job? How do you do uniform washing? Have you been tempted sexually?

[some seeing eye]

Huge presence at the airport this year.... They moved the operation to the other side of the airport ramp and focused on the little 4 place Cessnas and Pipers and gave them the same treatment as soon as they landed. Still no big score so they seemed to give up by Thursday.

Wow weird. They don't understand pilots.

[Sham]

Weren't the police playing postal carrier a few years back, and delivering packages to camps thinking the boxes MUST be stuffed with illegal drugs. I don't think that turned out to be anything worthwhile for them.

[some seeing eye]

Pershing County is conservative and they elected a new sheriff:
http://www.rgj.com/story/life/2015/08/2 ... /32155029/
Then Trump changed out the Interior Secretary (and Attorney General), the old BLM director (who was burner friendly and a former Reid staffer) has been replaced by an acting director from the BLM Energy, Minerals & Realty Management Directorate, then the Winnemucca field office changed:
http://www.rgj.com/story/life/arts/burn ... /95393576/
So likely the event will be in this pattern for some time.

(Edited to fix acting director, thanks Bless)

[Bless]

Then Trump changed out the Interior Secretary (and Attorney General), who changed out the BLM director (who was burner friendly)

Trump hasn't nominated a new BLM director, yet. Kornze stepped down in January, as is typical for political appointees.