Safety and Awareness Information 2014

General Law Enforcement

There are a lot of law enforcement organizations who have authority over Burning Man and the areas surrounding it. Burning Man is held on land owned by the Federal Government, subject to a special permit which Burning Man negotiates each year with the State and Federal governments. The large number of agencies involved means that you need to be very aware of the rules and regulations and make sure that you exercise common sense and good judgement.

Law Enforcement Agencies on Playa

• The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) - http://www.blm.gov/
• Pershing County Sheriff - http://www.pershingcounty.net/county-officials/welcome-to-the-sheriffs-office-webpage.html
• Nevada State Health Division - http://www.health.nv.gov/
• Washoe County Health Department - http://www.washoecounty.us/health

Law Enforcement Agencies in surrounding areas

• Nevada Highway Patrol - http://nhp.nv.gov/
• Washoe County Sheriff - http://www.washoesheriff.com/
• Pershing County Sheriff - http://www.pershingcounty.net/county-officials/welcome-to-the-sheriffs-office-webpage.html
• Nevada Department of Transportation - https://www.nevadadot.com/
• Pyramid Paiute Tribe - http://plpt.nsn.us/

Substance use

• It is important to note from the outset, that anything which is illegal in the rest of the state of Nevada or under Federal law is STILL illegal at Burning Man. All of it.
• Medical marijuana cards are not recognized by the federal government, and the State of Nevada does not recognize medical marijuana cards from other states. Having a medical marijuana card will not help you are Burning Man.
• On a practical note, please always exercise discretion and good judgement with anything that you put into your body. Burning Man is a very extreme environment and is not the time to take risks or experiment with new things. Always know your limits. Always have someone who can watch your back in case you run into issues and always watch out for the health and safety of those around you.
• The purity of anything which you get is always in question. Be careful, there is always bad stuff on market. Every year, people take things which are not what they think they are and which pose a danger to their health. Good judgement and lots of caution can help save you from a medical emergency or otherwise unpleasant experience. Remember, trust and reputation are as important on playa as they are in NYC.
• Handle your shit and don't be a burden. Know your limits, and respect them. Nobody likes to spend hours caring for someone who was irresponsible and overindulged in alcohol or anything else.
• Just like in the default world - never go around asking for any substances from people that you do not know and never offer anything to someone who you do not know. Burning Man is based on a gifting culture. Gifting means that things are offered to you, not that you ask for it. Anyone who is going around asking for something is either (a) not part of our community and not aware of our norms or (b) working for an agency that can get you into trouble. Yes, there are a lot of undercover agents at Burning Man and at all events in NYC.
• REMEMBER - no matter how hot someone is and no matter how much you think you want to get into their crotch - if someone asks you for something illegal, the answer always is "I do not have anything and I do not know where you can get anything". Every single year, someone gets into trouble because undercover agents approach someone else on the playa and that person leads the agents right to the tent of a person who has something illegal. It is incredibly irresponsible and really disgusting. Discretion with what other people are doing is even more important than discretion with what you are doing.
• Discretion goes a long way. Really. Overdoing it can never hurt, but being irresponsible can get you and everyone around you into a difficult situation. Never talk about anything illegal publicly. Never tell other people what you and others that you know may have.
• Keep our camp safe - never do anything illegal in any open area within our camp, and never advertise what you are doing. If others in the camp know about it, it means that it is public and people outside the camp may know about it.
• The possession of any illegal drug with intent to distribute is a more serious felony offence. Possession of large quantities or a variety of drugs may be interpreted as evidence of intent to distribute. Giving illegal substances to someone else could be considered drug trafficking, even if you do not take money or other compensation for it.
• Having Drug paraphernalia in your possession is a crime in the state of Nevada. Therefore, even if you have no illegal substances, if you have the paraphernalia you can be arrested or issued a citation and have your tent/rv/etc searched (see info on searching below).
• As a general rule, any law enforcement agency needs a warrant to enter your tent or RV. If Law Enforcement asks to come in or otherwise search your private space, NEVER LET THEM IN. NEVER OPEN DOOR TO THEM.
• The exceptions to the warrant requirement are when police have probable cause to believe that a crime is in progress inside the space or if the crime is in plain sight. Sight and Scent of illegal activity counts as plain sight and probable cause. Always be aware of where you are and who can see in or smell anything. In some extreme cases, Law Enforcement officers may take your tent or tow your RV to their headquarters and keep it there until they get a warrant. So always be careful.
• As a general rule - the more steps you take to make your vehicle or tent private, the more expectation of privacy you will have against an unwarranted search. On the other hand, if your tent has no walls, or your vehicle doors are always open, then your right to privacy may be diminished.
• If you are arrested, the police do not need your consent to search you and the area “close by,” which usually means just the room you are in. In this case, the police may not use the arrest as an excuse to search adjacent tents or RVs where there is no evidence of criminal activity/ However, law enforcement often take a lot of liberties with the definition of the area close by, and you do not want to be fighting this in court. Therefore, anything which you do that leads to the involvement of law enforcement puts you at risk and also puts everyone in your camp/pod at risk. Please be considerate of this and do not do anything to draw attention.
• If there is reasonable suspicion, law enforcement officers can pat you down but you do not have to consent to anything more.
• Lawyersforburners.com - this is a good website with information, as well as with fines schedule for people pleading guilty to lower crimes to avoid a record. Basically, you pay a high dollar amount and hopefully not have anything go on your record.

HOW TO ACT WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT

• You must reveal your legal name when asked by any law enforcement officer.
• You have no legal obligation to answer anything else, but you can be taken into custody if you refuse to answer things and law enforcement has probable cause to continue to investigate or make an arrest.
• The vast majority of the time, law enforcement will issue a citation or a warning and nothing more. Dealing with law enforcement in an intelligent manner can help minimize the impact of any interaction which you have with them.
• LEO must be able to verify your identity. SS number is generally enough to verify that, so usually ok to give that to them. LEO can never force you to go back to your camp to retrieve a government issued ID. If you do allow an officer to take you back to your camp, you may risk having your tent or RV searched.

Keep a copy of your license on you so that you have id but dont lose your real license. May want to put name, camp, emergency contact and critical health info on it as well. Stopped for questioning - ask if you are under arrest or free to go. If you are informed you are free to go, leave. If you are under arrest, you have a right to ask what you did. Don’t bad-mouth the officer or run away. Even if you believe law enforcement is acting unreasonably, confronting an officer or running away could lead to your arrest. Do not volunteer any information that may incriminate you. Remaining silent is your constitutional right. Do not believe a police officer who says they will simply “let you go” if you hand over any controlled substances or contraband. If you observe an incident - do not get involved. Call others over if that makes sense. Take notes of officer’s names and badge numbers and what agency they are from. Note what they did and what happened. File a report ASAP at the nearest ranger station. DUI very serious crime applies to art car driving as well. Art cars - booze must be in a compartment separate from driver and out of the reach of the driver. OTHER LEGAL ISSUES Urination and defecation on the playa is a violation of federal regulations. You may be issued a ticket that will cost you hundreds of dollars. Driving on playa is a crime in violation of the rules of BM LEO are watching to ticket anyone that drives across playa during the event (includes Sunday and possibly monday after temple burn). They will also harass and search you. ANY CRIME CAN RESULT IS SEARCH AND LOTS OF HASSLE. In Camp Safety WRISTBANDS - NO STRANGERS IN CAMP. SPEAK UP, ASK IF YOU CAN HELP THEM, ETC Your guests are YOUR responsibility. Anyone that comes into your space should be trusted by you, and should be watched. Guests are not camp members just because you are fucking them. LOCK AND SECURE YOUR SHIT (especially during man burn) CONSENT IS SEXY - DONT BE TOO TRUSTING Speak up on your behalf and on behalf of others Protect each other - if you are unsure, ask the person who may be in trouble. No means no, until THEY approach YOU and indicate a change of mind. Pressuring or continued asking is NOT OK. Stay aware and alert and trust nobody Underage drinking be aware of undercover agents Fines for you AND for the camp Trip to and from speeding will cost you and get you a free schwag, but not worth it. Accidents kill and maim. On request, show police officers your driver’s license, registration and proof of insurance. Same search requirements apply (probable cause or ask for consent from you, and ask if you are being detained etc) If you're given a ticket, you should sign it; otherwise you can be arrested. You can fight the ticket in court later. Nevada law allows an officer to use reasonable force to obtain fluid/breath samples to test for DUI. So give the sample if asked for it. Gate Road - huge gauntlet of LEO pulling people over as much as possible for any reason. DONT GIVE THEM ANY REASON. CHECK ALL VEHICLE LEGAL DETAILS, LICENSE PLATE NOT BLOCKED BY BIKES, THINGS TIED PROPERLY, ETC. NO OPEN CONTAINERS. Erratic Driving is grounds to be pulled over GATE ROAD IS STILL A ROAD, NOT BM. NO DRINKING OR OPEN BEVERAGES. Make sure nobody in your car has something which can be detected or which can cause you problems (remember that paraphernalia is a crime)