Getting Pulled Over

[Elvorin]

I got pulled over by a LEO on I-87N. I was doing triple digits sometimes. But he cited me for 96/65.
To elaborate, after purchasing my bike i didnt get a chance to ride it for over a month. So one fine weekend I saw the opportunity to ride and enjoy it a bit. I was riding with plenty of precautions and passing cars safely. At one point I saw a LEOs car in front of me. Thinking it'll be safer to be behind him and expecting him not to slow down stupidly like some other drivers do, I started following him. He sped up, slowed down a bit couple of times and then eventually pulled over to the left to go into a hiding spot between highways. So I passed him and went on to enjoy my ride. Little did I know following him pissed him off and he was following me from then. Once I passed all cars and had empty road in front of me, I opened up few times. Apparently he chased me over 10-15 mins and when I was tucked front and speeding (no one was in front of me for over a mile), I noticed someone pulling over on my right, and then I noticed it was him. So I nodded and signaled before I pulled over to right safely. He was very mad at me and saying he can take me to jail, impound my bike etc. etc. I was polite as much as I could. He wrote me 2 tickets, 1 for speeding 31 mph over (8 points) and 1 for failure to yield (3 points). So total 11, which basically is a suspension. I had to spend over $400 on a lawyer. He got a plea bargain to speeding for 76/65 (4 points) and illegal parking (0 points). Now I donno how much wud be the fine. Also I had to take driving improvement course, which costed me total $60 (took existing 3 points off my license).

I have gotten numerous tickets and suspension in all different states on my car. Many for stupid reasons. None of the occasion was I driving stupidly or endangering anyone. None of the time was I let go by giving a warning or anything like that. And then I hear from my female friends getting away by doing stupid stuffs like illegal U-tuns, speeding over 100 on busy roads, crossing red light, etc. etc., just by acting innocent or scared.

So yeah, IMO, LEOs are very much biased. It's all about who is riding and what you ride.

 

[BusaBret]

I have been pulled several times and without fail the change in attitude when my lid comes off is amazing. Even had 1 to say "well that explains why you stopped". Most do not expect a 30+ year old on a sportbike. In my experience it has also thrown them for a loop when they receive DL, insurance card, registration and pistol permit all at once. Had one to say over half he stops don't even have mc endorsement.
Posted via Mobile Device

 

[TallTom]

I don't believe all cops are bad. I come from an LEO family. I have family and friends that are LEO. Yes I discuss exceptionally bad examples of LEO. I also discuss exceptionally bad environments in which they are allowed to flourish.

I completely get that an officer on any given day could be subjected to deadly force by virtue of a simple traffic infraction pullover. I get that the have an adrenaline issue each time they pull anyone over for anything.

I am not attempting to support lawlessness or hooliganism. If you know the laws and penalties for speeding, and choose to speed, and you get caught, you have no one to blame but yourself if you get caught and that cop has an "attitude" because he just had a gun pulled on him the last time he pulled over a motorcyclist.

I expect to be treated with the same amount of respect they wish to be treated with. That is where a lot of LEO, particularly the younger ones seem to get a little lost. They love being in charge and showing you who is the boss and who calls the shots so to speak.

I also know the concept of revenue generation and the relationships to political agendas some of these laws and LEO operate under. They are partially graded on performance by the amount of revenues they generate (read how many tickets they write). Call it what you like, as long as you don't call it quotas. It is a fact of our lives.

Oh yeah and carry a video camera with you whenever possible. Film that police car tooling along at say 90 with no lights etc....they have a number on that car...turn that in to the local jurisdiction they operate out of with a letter showing that a copy will be sent to the local TV station.

They are as supposed to be held to the same standard we are out there. DEMAND IT!

OK I better go take off my plates and put the Busa in storage for a few months cuz any LEO are gonna start looking for me now....:-)

 

[03busaman]

As we all know they have a quota to fill with tickets and they also have an attitude with the rice machines so I would just say it was harassment was the case as usual and I don't care if the leos on this site don't like it its a fact

 

[Snakers]

 

[Vonderbach]

As we all know they have a quota to fill with tickets and they also have an attitude with the rice machines so I would just say it was harassment was the case as usual and I don't care if the leos on this site don't like it its a fact

It's not a fact, it's anecdotal evidence. Facts come from hard data. Do you have hard data to back up your claim? I doubt it.

Cops come in all shapes, sizes, and flavors, just like regular citizens. Some are jerks, others are bikers themselves. Some have bias against bikers, others have bias in favor of bikers. Those of you that get cited, you instantly assume that every cop is out to get you, when your experience is anecdotal in nature and hardly representative of the profession. I'm not going to get angry, because it does me no good. Bias works both ways.

 

[fast08busa]

[/

 

[sixpack577]

I had a cop (lives in my neighborhood) tell me, "if I see a guy on a crotch rocket, with all the leathers on, he's getting my full attention". I asked "why most of the guys that wear the full leathers are doing so for protection". Without missing a beat he said "if they weren't acting like they were on a race track they wouldn't need all that protection". So I asked him what's the first thing you hear when there's an accident between a car & bike ? He said "I didn't see them" I said THERE YOU GO, now you know, and knowing is half the battle.....GO JOE !!

 

[sixpack577]

I don't believe all cops are bad. I come from an LEO family. I have family and friends that are LEO. Yes I discuss exceptionally bad examples of LEO. I also discuss exceptionally bad environments in which they are allowed to flourish.

I completely get that an officer on any given day could be subjected to deadly force by virtue of a simple traffic infraction pullover. I get that the have an adrenaline issue each time they pull anyone over for anything.

I am not attempting to support lawlessness or hooliganism. If you know the laws and penalties for speeding, and choose to speed, and you get caught, you have no one to blame but yourself if you get caught and that cop has an "attitude" because he just had a gun pulled on him the last time he pulled over a motorcyclist.

I expect to be treated with the same amount of respect they wish to be treated with. That is where a lot of LEO, particularly the younger ones seem to get a little lost. They love being in charge and showing you who is the boss and who calls the shots so to speak.

I also know the concept of revenue generation and the relationships to political agendas some of these laws and LEO operate under. They are partially graded on performance by the amount of revenues they generate (read how many tickets they write). Call it what you like, as long as you don't call it quotas. It is a fact of our lives.

Oh yeah and carry a video camera with you whenever possible. Film that police car tooling along at say 90 with no lights etc....they have a number on that car...turn that in to the local jurisdiction they operate out of with a letter showing that a copy will be sent to the local TV station.

They are as supposed to be held to the same standard we are out there. DEMAND IT!

OK I better go take off my plates and put the Busa in storage for a few months cuz any LEO are gonna start looking for me now....:-)

Well said

 

[IG.]

It's not a fact, it's anecdotal evidence. Facts come from hard data. Do you have hard data to back up your claim? I doubt it.

"...Officer Clumzy, you issued 150 traffic tickets this month while most other officers issued more than 200 tickests. Is everything allright with you? Are you devoting all your time to the job of protecting the public? I hope we won't have this conversation next month. OK, son?"

"Yes, sir!"


Ask yourself a simple question, if the punishment for traffic violations was a let's say 1-4 hours in jail depending on the severity, but no monetary fines, would there be the same number of tickets issued?

Ask yourself another simple question, why the speed limits are so grossly below what the flow of traffic is? Why a military technology (radars, lasers) are used to enforce arbitraty and imprecisely set speed limits, while at the same time no technology at all is used to change the speed limit in real time depending on conditions, flow of traffic, weather, etc? Why insurance companies so graciously provide radars and lasers to Law Enforcement community? Why a speeding ticket on a motorcylce affects insurance rates on cars that the same driver operates but has no tickets on?

What causes more accidents, slow moving cars in the left lane which promotes disruption of traffic and frustration of other drivers, or a few bikes which, yes, go fast at times, but rarely crash because of speed alone? Don't you find it ridiculous that sportbikes which handle so much better than your average car - accelerates better, swerves all day long, brakes so much better - should adhere to the same speed limits? Why not set 55 for cars and 110 for bikes? Oh, poor bureacrats find it too complicated to figure it out, and derive the new rules of the road. Oh, wait, why bother changing anything when they can collect so much more money - and all in the name of safety - no one will argue with safety, right?

Why driving is allowed at all? Do you know how many people get killed in USA every year in car accidents? It's roughly 150 people per day - you do the math - 40,000-50,000/year. Do you here this on the news every day? "Dear citizens of this country, we had a terrible day today. 150 of our fellow citizens were lost to an invisible enemy which plaged our society. This invisible enemy hides along our roads and highways, and strikes on unsuspected drivers. Our country lost 40,000 lives last year, and we don't know what this year will bring."

I could go on and on, but anyone could just analyze a bit, and see how ridiculous things are.

If you didn't figure it out, you never will. Corruption and racket at its best - because you don't even realize it is happening. All in the name of safety of course.

Unfortunately, LEO's have nothing to do with it. They just follow orders and "hints". If they are told to issue traffic tickets to only slow moving vehicles while giving a friendly waves to any bike passing by at above 100, they will be doing just that.

 

[Vonderbach]

Unfortunately, LEO's have nothing to do with it. They just follow orders and "hints". If they are told to issue traffic tickets to only slow moving vehicles while giving a friendly waves to any bike passing by at above 100, they will be doing just that.

Why are you addressing this to me? My problem stems from bias against LEO's, not the system. You seem to have a problem with the system. How does this address my comments at all?

FYI, some jurisdictions count warnings and infractions. And furthermore, if you're speeding, there's no excuse. You can either be a part of society, or you can rebel. If you choose to rebel, then perhaps this isn't such a great place to live? Some of us prefer to have rules in place. While they may not be a "one size fits all" they are generally beneficial to the public. I prefer not to have bike racing down my road at 100+mph when children are playing nearby. I prefer to not get run over when I'm riding my bicycle on the road because some squid wishes to get a knee down on a public road.

It's not a matter of rights, it's a matter of living within society. Either you choose to live by societies rules, or you do not.

 

[Elvorin]

I believe the inconsistency of LEOs behavior is what makes people mad. I mean if all over the country, every single LEO cites every single driver for every single offense equally, people will know for a fact that LEOs are merely imposing the laws. But when every single day while going to work you see people driving at 70/55 and then one fine day on the same road you get pulled over for speeding at 70/55 and given a ridiculous ticket, then that just seems unfair and unjust.
If LEOs were really trying to impose public safety, then that wouldnt have happened.

 

[ogre]

and because he was still looking for bill

 

[IG.]

I believe the inconsistency of LEOs behavior is what makes people mad. I mean if all over the country, every single LEO cites every single driver for every single offense equally, people will know for a fact that LEOs are merely imposing the laws. But when every single day while going to work you see people driving at 70/55 and then one fine day on the same road you get pulled over for speeding at 70/55 and given a ridiculous ticket, then that just seems unfair and unjust.
If LEOs were really trying to impose public safety, then that wouldnt have happened.

Exactly my sentiment! If you go 1 over the limit, you get the ticket. You are not sure about your speed, so don't drive close to speed limit, right? Unfortunately, speed limits are set too low, so it becomes up to a LEO to enforce an imaginary speed limit.

I was on some country roads - 1 lane in each direction - with speed limit of 55. I was only comfortable driving at 40. Perhaps someone who drives there every day, would be comfortable driving 50-55. So, that road had a properly set speed limit.

However, when you drive an a divided highway, 3 lanes in each direction, light traffic, excellent weather - and the speed limit is also 55 - that's ridiculous. Such conditions call for speed limit being 90. Most would drive at well below that. Then, feel free to issue tickets for 91 - that would be reasonable.

 

[IG.]

Why are you addressing this to me? My problem stems from bias against LEO's, not the system. You seem to have a problem with the system. How does this address my comments at all?

FYI, some jurisdictions count warnings and infractions. And furthermore, if you're speeding, there's no excuse. You can either be a part of society, or you can rebel. If you choose to rebel, then perhaps this isn't such a great place to live? Some of us prefer to have rules in place. While they may not be a "one size fits all" they are generally beneficial to the public. I prefer not to have bike racing down my road at 100+mph when children are playing nearby. I prefer to not get run over when I'm riding my bicycle on the road because some squid wishes to get a knee down on a public road.

It's not a matter of rights, it's a matter of living within society. Either you choose to live by societies rules, or you do not.

Nothing personal, just ranting on the system. I am all for rules - but rules which make sense.

 

[Elvorin]

I personally in oppose to any speed limits. Not just because of the fact I like speeding, more because of the fact that only 15% accidents are because of excessive speeding and also because of the fact that Autobahn, which has no speed limit, has way less accidents and fatalities than any US interstate highways.
But that is totally a different discussion.
Back to the topic, IMO, all officers are biased. Because they dont enforce laws equally and in every situation. Some LEOs say 'oh we cant pull everyone over'...that's the lamest excuse. Yes you can. There were plenty of occasions where roadblocks been used...I personally have seen cops pulling over people on interstate in Jacksonville, FL by walking in front of incoming cars on the interstate lane. And if they cant pull everyone over for breaking law, that's their shortcoming and they are system is responsible for enforcing it...LEOs shouldnt have the power to decide whom to pull over and whom not to. And what good does a LEO really do by hiding between highways, keeping car AC running, burning fuel if not just to get some tickets issued to generate revenue for state...system should put them to stop real crimes, like busting drug dealers, catching thieves (like cars and bikes)...putting more at high crime areas, so that people dont get shot.

 

[lar300mag]

They will and do profile people. I have a Texas DPS officer that has pulled me over twice while riding the Busa, and will wave at me while I am riding the Harley. So I was in one of my moods one day, I decided to ask him why. Since he was quite a bit younger than me and in a little bit of a bad mood himself, he didnt find it amusing. The next day, he pulled me over yet again on the Busa, As he walked up, he said "figured you might what to run", I did tell him there was no way I would ever run, but even if I did, my Harley could outrun your Crown Vic. LOL. He wasnt happy... After enough complaints from the residents here on the officer, he was transferred somewhere else.

 

[Vonderbach]

If an officer unfairly discriminates against you, file an official complaint. These complaints are registered with IA in many cases and if there is a pattern, they will be terminated. Don't just call up the desk sergeant, make an official complaint at their offices.

 

[Elvorin]

Last week, I apparently drove 3 or 4 miles at 102-120 tucked in with sirens I couldn't hear and lights I didn't see with my mirrors adjusted for upright riding buzzing right behind me.

No traffic anywhere, I was just cruisin right along. The ONLY car I passed was pulling over to the shoulder from in front of me, and I sat upright to check it out, in case a flat or some other prob, I'd of stopped to help out. That's when I saw the LEO lights in the mirrors.

Same thing happened to me. I didnt even see him behind me as I was tucked in and the mirrors were adjusted to sitting straight up position. Since then I've adjusted my left mirror for tucked in and right for sitting straight up.

 

[kitchener rider]

Had two cops sitting chatting, when the wife and I pulled out of a parking lot just as a sport bike was going the other way. One cop followed him and the other followed my wife and I. I was leading and noticed he was tailgating my wife, so where the lane split into four I let my wife go in the lead and I held back and let him tailgate( about 10 ft off my butt) me for aprrox 5 miles. I slowed down enough that he started to pass, as he passed I yelled hey at him he slowed and I pointed out that his left headlight was out with a very sarcastic tone. He was pissed, said thanks rather sheepishly and then abruptly turned right. We turned left and well kinda let it rip for a bit, our own act of defiance. Up here 50 over they automatically take your vehicle. That forces me to slow down but some guys say thats the reason they run. I'm not lucky enought to run.