Do the police dicriminate?

well, I know this has probably been discussed before, but here's my $.02....
My roommate is a State Trooper in MD. He does not profile bikes, cars or people while doing traffic stops, he stops whoever's doing the fastest that he 1)can safely stop and 2)has personally radared, lasered, or paced at too high a speed. He doesn't look for any one type of bike, sporty or not. More often then not, speeding sportbikes are let go (if there's no chance of safely stopping them), because chases are too dangerous.
I'm sure there are those cops out there who have a hard-on for sport bikes or Corvettes, but it's definitely not all of them. Cops do not have quotas per se(they are expected to have a minimum depending on their function, task force, jurisdiction, etc, etc), or types of vehicles they have to stop.
Not trying to defend all of them, I'm sure the situation you've described does happen in some places.

------------------
j.------
"not everyone undertstands house music-it's a spiritual thing, a soul thing"

I have experienced this three times since I bought my current machine (April 19th). I totally believe that cops "profile" guys/gals on sportbikes. Be it out of jealousy, ignorance, or whatever, they definitely do this, and frequently.

I was pulled over for speeding, which I admit I was going 35 in a 25. The cop walks up after checking my record (clean) and says he could impound my bike for the speed I was doing. He claimed I was going 55 in a 25. I told him I wasn't, but he said he had it on the radar. (my dumb ass was too nervous to think of asking to see it) He said he would be "nice" and let me go with just a ticket for the 55 in a 25 and no court. I could just happily send in my money and be on my way. Yeah! What a dick...

I was pulled over a week later, at night this time, for "not using my turn signal". Thing was, my girlfriend, who was with me, and I both KNOW I used it. I ALWAYS use my blinkers. Anyway, this cop lectures me for 5 minutes on the visibility of motorcycles, or lack thereof, and how important it is to use "all means possible" to be seen...DUH! He then says that it is a law that passengers under 21 wear a helmet. It isn't in Ohio, what state are you from numb-nuts? Funny thing is, my girlfriend IS 21. HAHA!

Last time I was pulled over was yesterday. The cop pulled me over because my girlfriend didn't have a helmet on. He makes some claim about the passenger helmet law again. I just act stupid with a bunch of yessir's and nosir's and sorrysir's. He let me go. He was actually kinda cool about it. Makin' jokes and stuff. Still...there was no reason to pull me over in the first place, you know?

I hate cops...ALL COPS!!! The only good ones are the ones who ride bikes and know what it's like to be constantly harassed! I am absolutely fed up with cops and their dumbass attitudes. Thank God they can't pull you over for giving looks. If they could do that, I'd be in jail for not being able to pay my fines!!!

Ride hard, ride safe...annoy cops when you safely can!!!

------------------
~Nick
2000 CBR600F4
Piped, Jetted, totally trick...
Keep the Rubber side down
my Bruthas AND Sistas!!!

I'm with you on this one. ABSOLUTELY they discriminate!!!

A few weeks ago I was riding with some friends in the AZ back country. It's a Sunday and there are tons of bikes out. Sportbikes and groups of Harleys. We are driving out of Wickenburg on a single lane road. We are packed together behing a line of cars with cars behind us. As we come over this knoll, a cop is sitting there clocking people on radar. We all notice we are going about 50-55 in a 45. No biggy. Just going with the flow of traffic. As we go forward, we are all checking our mirrors to see if he pulls out. He doesn't.

8 miles down the road, here he comes with his lights going. I'm thinking "Well, he's not after me. He would have pulled out. Besides, I was going with the flow of traffic." Nope. He pulls all of us over (5 of us spread out over a 1/2 mile). He tells us we were clocked at 54 in a 45. He "thought about letting you guys go, but then thought 'Na, I'll get em'". He waited a minute, then pulled out and chased us down. Passing all the cars that were behind us going the same speed. Passing the group of 20 Harley guys going MUCH faster (they gunned thier throttles as they passed us pulled over).

Do cops single out sportbikes? Yes. Those friggin AHoles do.

He let all of us off with a warning, including the guy who didn't have his motorcycle endorsement yet. But not after he spent 5 minutes each lecturing us on how expensive insurance is on our bikes and we don't want a ticket and how unsafe riding a bike is and we need to slow down and .... blah, blah, blah... dick.

------------------
- Dan

There will always be squids who ruin our reputation. Anyone who rides without a helmet(IMO) is a squid. Anyone who wheelies through an intersection after seeing me stopped at a light is a squid. Anyone doing a nose wheelie with their girlfriend on the back without helmets is a squid. Any "clan" of riders who think they are all that are squids. Remember, this is all my opinion, and these people are the ones who ruin it for the rest of us. The cops who are dicks may have seen one of the squids do something stupid and were unable to ticket them, but when they see you ride by on the same type of bike, they will now nail you for the squids stupidity. Even civilians on the street in their minivans and suvs and any other car on the road will look at you in a bad way because they saw one of the squids actions. They will say, "Oh, those things are very dangerous, you are going to kill yourself on that thing." And I'll say, "Yes, I understand the risk involved." and smile and continue on my way.

Yes, squids want to die, and yes, they ruin it for everyone else.

------------------

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Aril, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by RCjohn:
...Asshole squid riders are the reason that we can be profiled. They created the profile in question and everyone that buys one of the tapes, from the Extreme street riding, is just adding to the problem...<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>


Oh Man that has to be the best thing ive read on SBW yet. When combined with taner261's eloquent post i have to say this summerizes my beliefs on that matter more accurately than i could put it.

About cops profiling sportbikers? YES. Case in Point: my wreckless driving ticket in 1994.

(for refernce, the cop had me doing 52mph in traffic that was doin 49, I was at the beginning of a large pack of morning rush hour traffic, the >motorcycle cop< had to fight his way through this entire pack of congested traffic to get to me and by the time he was clear of the traffic i was at least 1/2 mile ahead, driving to my workplace on city streets. By the time he got to me i was parking in my spot at work)

He commenced to get off his bike and say:
"YOU DAMN KIDS ON YOUR $10,000 RICE BURNERS THINK YOU CAN DO ANYTHING YOU WANT, I WAS RISKING MY LIFE...I WAS DRAGGING MY BARS CHASING YOU...YOU WERE TRYING TO OUTRUN ME!!!!!"

Well, my bike was only a $3000 bike, i didnt think i could do anything i want, and i wasnt trying to outrun him in any manner...
(as a matter of fact i never knew he was chasing me untill i saw him in my employers parking lot).

On the court day he "didnt recall" calling my bike a $10,000 rice burner..go figure. Did this cop profile me??? YES...

Ive found that the motorcycle cops are worse than the cruiser cops. He told my lawyer also, (in interview) that my bike "was a 5 speed" and could "only do 110 mph" and i would have "never been able to outrun" him. (HAHAHA)

The bike i had at that time was a 6 speed and was capable of 143mph...if i had been trying to "outrun him" *he* would have never caught me.

This question is one we all need to be aware of.

------------------
Fear Green.

[This message has been edited by GreenNinja (edited June 28, 2000).]

YES, all sport bike riders are targets and profiles. Come to Dallas/Ft. Worth if you want that theory proven for you.

Perhaps, the squids have made this a reality, but I know that other "riders" are not hassled like people on sport bikes.

I think that ALL cops, state, local, and county are biased towards rockets. I have yet to encounter a "cool" cop.

That is my .02 on this issue. I would not
piss on a cop if he/she was on fire.



------------------
GSX-R750 -- If speed kills, do brakes give life?

Good Evening Everyone-

Didn't see it mentioned, but one of the most important things to remember at a traffic stop is that the officer must come to view you as a real, live, human being. You don't want to be "just a ticket."
<UL TYPE=SQUARE>
<LI> Always remove your helmet!
<LI> Engage the officer in conversation. Even if you know where your registration, license, and insurance credentials can be found...pat yourself down. "Now where did I put that stuff? Oh yeah! Officer, my insurance card is in the storage box under my seat. Should I remove my motorcycle body panels and get it for you?"
<LI> Ask for a break!
<LI> Cry. This is especially effective if you're a 225 lb., well-muscled male. Imagine if you were the officer...Let me out of here! Slow it down, buddy!</UL>

Have fun out there for the July 4th weekend!

Regards,

~ Blue Jays ~

------------------


[This message has been edited by Blue Jays (edited June 29, 2000).]