LAS fall '16

First, glad to see this board relatively empty over the past year.

Not technically a LEO encounter...more of a series of rent-a-cop situations while spotting in LAS recently. I did some homework, looking up good spotting locations along Sunset Blvd, which is split between retail parking lots on one end and office park-type parking lots on the other. A search on some boards that appeared to have good local connections turned up that it was OK to use a few of the latter lots, ones for office and manufacturing, on the weekends since they're empty...though they were all listed as avoid on weekdays. Since it was an early Sunday morning I figured it was no problem and set up shop.

0700: I was in the first lot for maybe a half hour, right around sunrise, when a security guy in a golf cart pulled up. In the distance, a man was sticking his head out the front door of the building, watching the interaction. Security dude asks how my morning is, and asks to see my company ID. I say I don't have one, then introduce myself and explain what I'm up - why I chose the spot, etc and that I'd read online it was OK to use the spot on weekends. Security dude says he's sorry but that's not true and unless I'm employee I'll have to move along. He was very chill about it, and even had a tinge of "I don't care myself, but the guys in the security room in the building do, sooooo....yeahhhhh....you gotta go man." I said no problem, and told him I'd be out of his hair in a few minutes. He smiled, we shook hands, and I told him I'm sorry to take his time. He offered, just as I got into the car, that I could go to the next lot over (literally 20 feet away) as they didn't own it and it was empty on weekends. I thanks for the tip, moved over eight car spaces, and set up shop again.

0735: Big red trucks pull up behind me, woman in a security uniform asks me if she can help me. I say no, I'm doing pretty good enjoying the cool morning and shooting some file photos. She says that I've gotta go, since it's a private lot. A Southwest special was a few away from departure, and I asked her if I could have five minutes. She says no problem, just be gone in 15, and winks. She says I should go to the next lot over (not the one I came from), because it's empty on weekends. Super nice lady. I take the tip again and move over a few hundred feet.

0820: You're probably getting the idea by now...but in any case this repeated itself two more times. Friendly rent-a-cop says really sorry, you can't stay here but the next lot is perfectly fine, don't worry about it....so I move...thirty minutes later the process repeats itself. By 9:30, after the fifth time, I give up (would've given up earlier but that light was kick ass).

All in all a series of very pleasant encounters, but I probably won't try the spots again for quite awhile. Though, kinda frustratingly, I drove by the spot several times later that day (my airbnb was also conveniently right by the airport) and noticed there were always three or four spotters out in the same location. Maybe they have an arrangement with mgmt? Oh well. I still got most of the spots I wanted.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8275/2...506d3df3_c.jpg

Hi Jeremy,

Nah, just seems you were a tad unlucky. Have been a regular to Vegas the past couple of years and have not been confronted by any security along sunset. And if I see other spotters out there I would just rejoin them.

Regards,

Chris

Yeah, I haven't heard of many other problems. But it was that I got pushed along 5 times....that's a lot.

Having a 400 2.8 is not always a help...it's big and attracts attention, and I was the only one out. Might've helped if there were several of us.