| Author | Message | ||
     Fresnobuell |
You must not get out much. No, i just make it a practice to keep my exposure to idiots to a minimum. Like it or not a GREAT many cops are not well educated and have an axe to grind with the world. They fall in love with the power of "I can do whatever I want" and it's a recipe for disaster. Lots of you think public safety personnel (fire, police, hwy patrol, etc) walk on water...but if you open your eyes their agenda and actions are WAY different than what you want to believe. Just know that for every ugly incident documented and/or filmed there are dozens that happen and never get publicized. } | ||
| Spiderman |
, because some a**hole has more testosterone than gray matter... Good to see that you can recognize that about your self  | ||
| Tpoppa |
Like it or not a GREAT many cops are not well educated and have an axe to grind with the world. They fall in love with the power of "I can do whatever I want" and it's a recipe for disaster. Unfortunately, I agree with this  | ||
| Mnrider |
Another cop with a dangerous attitude problem. Then there're kids grow up with the same attitude and end up in jail or with better than you attitude. | ||
| Ferris_von_bueller |
As I recall, the report I heard on the radio stated the cop hit the motorcyclist from behind when the cyclist pulled over. I could be wrong. Also, the cop was way out of his jurisdiction and disobeyed direct orders more than once. | ||
| Mnrider |
Like Green Day says "is the cop or the mime the one thats really dangerous" | ||
| Fast1075 |
I have known a LOT of police officers, some of them since childhood...out of all of them only TWO are officers due to a sense of civic duty...ALL of the rest are on a power trip. Four of them that I knew as a kid were thugs, pure and simple. | ||
| Bikertrash05 |
Fast1075, I have heard that is usually the case. I personally don't know any cops, but my parents went to school with a few that became cops, and they were the wild ones who where most commonly seen in the principal's office. | ||
| Paint_shaker |
Most agencies I know of have a policy that specifically PROHIBITS officers from pitting, ramming or using spike strips on motorcycles and ATVs. It is not "business as usual" for law enforcement to "take out" a motorcycle with a patrol car(short of murder or some other captial type offense and even then authorization would probably only come from THE top man in the agency). | ||
| Hammer71 |
+1 | ||
| Tpoppa |
Get out your history books for one minute. Notice the similarities between gov't enforcement of laws today, and the gov't enforcement of laws in the UK that our founding fathers found intolerable so many year s ago... I stand by this statement. Early American leaders were wise enough to know that gov't and law enforcement with too much power is a BAD thing. See Bill of Rights. Now we let civil rights get washed away under the guise of safety and security. The people with power want more power... Plain and Simple. | ||
| Littlebuggles |
"I'll keep my mouth shut until someone leaks the video..." I'll have to agree with that. Running from the cops is called "Felony Fleeing" here. Not a great idea. Generally a polite attitude will go a long way, but running tends to make folks think you're doing something you shouldn't be. Why run from the authorities if you've done nothing wrong? All that said, if the officer hit the bike intentionally, then he was probably acting with malice. Told to call off the chase and didn't, now he's on his own, the dept hung him out, er, he hung himself out to dry on that one. Still, a bike can stop a lot faster than a car. It would be unfortunate if the rider had a change of heart and jammed on the brakes, only to get run over by a car that simply couldn't stop in the space necessary to avoid the bike. Or perhaps got hit trying to further evade by grabbing a handful of brake and misjudged the officer's ability (or desire) to get around him. It's surprising to read various people's statements on this when there seems to be a shortage of information. Many make their opinions obvious from the start. It surprises me how many posters seem to have a general disdain for those in authority. To them I just have to ask, "What have you done to improve the world around you"? Do you vote? Do you volunteer? Have you considered joining the local police force to have a positive influence? Have you served in the military? Do you know there are a lot of community oversight groups that help monitor local law enforcement behavior, perhaps not only the community but you individually would benefit from some time on such a committee. It's obvious our country is heading in the wrong direction, even though there are probably far more good people around than we might believe. If all the good folks would step up and do something about it, things would be a whole lot better. | ||
| Doug_s |
because some a**hole has more testosterone than gray matter... Good to see that you can recognize that about your self well, my i.q. is 160, but since my libido is still like that of a teenager, and i am 54, mebbe i do have a bit more than my share of testosterone...  i am not an a**hole, however; i simply recognize 'em when i see 'em, and, unfortunately, a police uniform is oftentimes a dead give-away. from the tenor of all the posts on this thread, it seems many agree, and it is your opinion that is in the minority here. not sure why you would think me having enough common sense to try to awoid trouble would make you think i am an a**hole w/more testosterone than gray matter. dunno about your testosterone levels, but perhaps there's a bit of a shortage in your gray matter? doug s. | ||
| Doug_s |
littlebuggles, a few comments. first, a typical car will in fact outbrake a typical bike, not the other way around. second, while much is not known about this particular incident, it is known beyond doubt that the cop was in the wrong. period. what isn't known is how much in the wrong the biker was. or whether the cop intentionally ran over the biker or not. but, even if unintentional, the cop was ordered to stop the chase & he did not. so, why are you surprised to read the comments here? it's obvious many law-abiding folks have been on the wrong side of abusive cops, which is why there's the attitude of "general disdain for those in authority" as you want to put it. ymmv, doug s. | ||
| Bikertrash05 |
It surprises me how many posters seem to have a general disdain for those in authority. For me, it is more of a general distrust, you never know what kind of cop you are going to get. From the cowboy who hates bikers and is having a bad day, to the fellow rider who likes your bike and is having a good day. | ||
| Tpoppa |
I am as law abiding as they come, aside from taking a few corners above the posted limit I am educated, a former Marine, a business owner (not that it matters, just saying I am not someone who has had problems with the law). I have very little trust in police. The cops I have met over the years bend or break laws more frequently than anyone else I have ever met. I don't know if the job attracts the power hungry, or if it brings out the worst in people. There are definitely good cops out there, but there are more bad ones than anyone wants to admit. Police are entrusted with a certain level of power. If/when they violate the law, their punishment should be double that of a civilian for breaking that trust. | ||
| Cochise |
Do you know why firemen become firemen? To give cops someone to look up to. not you Hammer  | ||
| Fast1075 |
Let me share some stuff about a couple of officers I have known...this is all real. One of the guys was an officer in the town where I went to school...he was most often serving in a detective role. He was to all appearances the identical twin of the cop played by Dennis Franz in NYPD Blue...Italian, hard nosed, take no crap from anybody kinda guy...if he spoke, you better listen...carefully. If you gave him any crap he would beat you down...If you did what he said, he was professional, and compassionate...I saw him on his knees crying at a car wreck where a kid got killed once....he would bust a kid for drugs and plead the judge for leniency at the trial...a real cop...doing his job...and giving a damn about it. The other guy...was a guy named Walter...completely out of character in the backwards deep south town I grew up in...he was black...and in this backwards burg, he was respected by everybody...because he took pride in his job...he understood the failings and frailties of humanity...when he died, the whole town turned out for his funeral...kids used to search him out for advice, and he would spend time talking to them and help any way he could. He did his job, he wrote tickets and enforced the law. I have seldom known many men that deserved to stand shoulder to shoulder with him... Those are a couple of the people I have known in law enforcement. Different ends of a spectrum...both great cops. And lastly on cops in general...My experiences with the business end of law enforcement has been with the traffic enforcement division  ...I will say this Florida Highway Patrol officers have never been less than completely professional with me...and I have been caught wayyyyyy off the hook on bikes and in cars in my past.... | ||
| Tpoppa |
If you gave him any crap he would beat you down So, if you weren't on board with his power trip, he would violate your civil rights? | ||
| Littlebuggles |
Doug I'll kindly disagree, after having taught the MSF basic and experienced courses. Most bikes can and will stop in a much shorter distance than a car (this can depend widely on the rider and the bike). 400lbs wtih superior brakes and tires built for traction will far out-brake thousands of pounds of police car laden with electronics and various gear added to those vehicles, now a sports car may be another matter entirely. There's and article in the Aug. Sport Rider comparing the BMW1000RR to the M3, would be nice for this discussion if they'd included braking figures instead of just lap times and graphs. Anyway, for those who've had bad experience with police, I suppose I have too, but the good has out weighed the bad. It's always unfortunate when a motorcyclist dies. I hope to read more details on this event when time permits. Tpoppa, thank you for your service. | ||
| Doug_s |
sorry, cars stop faster than bikes. i dunno why so many bikers can't get it. one example, from fast bikes - september 2002. - subaru wrx 60-0mph 39.6m - suzuki gsx-r1000 60-0mph 42.2m - suzuki gs500e 60-0mph 47.7m you can find stuff like this all over the place... of course, you can find a bike that will out-brake a car - sport bike vs luxo-barge, for example. but, like-for-like - sport-bike vs sports car; or goldwing-type cruiser vs luxo-barge; the car wins... doug s. | ||
| Ulyranger |
""I'll keep my mouth shut until someone leaks the video..." I'll have to agree with that. Running from the cops is called "Felony Fleeing" here. Not a great idea. Generally a polite attitude will go a long way, but running tends to make folks think you're doing something you shouldn't be. Why run from the authorities if you've done nothing wrong? All that said, if the officer hit the bike intentionally, then he was probably acting with malice. Told to call off the chase and didn't, now he's on his own, the dept hung him out, er, he hung himself out to dry on that one. Still, a bike can stop a lot faster than a car. It would be unfortunate if the rider had a change of heart and jammed on the brakes, only to get run over by a car that simply couldn't stop in the space necessary to avoid the bike. Or perhaps got hit trying to further evade by grabbing a handful of brake and misjudged the officer's ability (or desire) to get around him. It's surprising to read various people's statements on this when there seems to be a shortage of information. Many make their opinions obvious from the start. It surprises me how many posters seem to have a general disdain for those in authority. To them I just have to ask, "What have you done to improve the world around you"? Do you vote? Do you volunteer? Have you considered joining the local police force to have a positive influence? Have you served in the military? Do you know there are a lot of community oversight groups that help monitor local law enforcement behavior, perhaps not only the community but you individually would benefit from some time on such a committee. It's obvious our country is heading in the wrong direction, even though there are probably far more good people around than we might believe. If all the good folks would step up and do something about it, things would be a whole lot better." That right there is about the most intelligent post in this entire thread Littlebuggles. Spot on. There's been a whole lot of determinations made with very little supporting information. Pretty pathetic. Biker quite obviously broke at least a couple laws. The Officer violated internal policy and may well find himself civilly liable later on. I wonder how many would be supporting the biker if he T-boned a soccer mom vehicle full of kids during his flight from enforcement? I'm actually quite shocked that some here think it's perfectly acceptable behavior to evade...... Both individuals made some poor decisions, both have/will pay a price, though unfortunately the biker paid the ultimate one. I refuse to pass judgement purely based on some media account of the actions. If the officer was guilty of use of unnecessary force, trust me, he will face charges. If the biker did something unpredictable in front of the cruiser, not allowing the pursuing officer time/space to avoid, my sympathies are with the officer. I've been riding practically my whole life, and fail to see how it's somehow commendable for individuals to think they're better than everyone else, instigate how speed pursuits and evasive speed runs on occupied highways. Riders that do are as bad as drunk drivers IMO. Two lives wrecked here regardless of the guilt........ | ||
| Doug_s |
for grins, another example, cars outbrake bikes, from the dutch: http://www.motornet.be/rijden/veiligheid/021011_remmen.html dry concrete: Voertuig 120 km/uur 90 km/uur 50 km/uur Toyota Avensis 52 m 28 m 8 m Honda Fireblade 64 m 35 m 8,5 m BMW R1150RS met ABS 55 m 31,5 m 8,5 m wet asphalt: Voertuig 120 km/uur 90 km/uur 50 km/uur Toyota Avensis 46 m 25 m 7,5 m Honda Fireblade 49,6 m 25 m 6,6 m BMW R1150RS met ABS 45,5 m 28,5 m 9,2 m the abs-equipped bmw actually beat the standard toyota family car by 1.5' in one of the categories... more interesting to me is that all wehicles stopped faster on wet asphalt than dry concrete - go figure...  seems the bikers are decent riders...  for a somewhat garbled translation, use: http://babelfish.yahoo.com/translate_txt doug s. | ||
| Doug_s |
ulyranger, i agree much is not known about this incident. but - again - it is known w/o doubt that the cop was wrong. i hope he gets the book thrown at him. if the cyclist t-boned a soccer mom full of kids - all the more reason to throw the book at the cop. he was ordered not to chase the guy. something similar actually did happen in md on the dc beltway a coupla years back. they never caught the cyclist iirc, but at least one person was killed when the cop wrecked... doug s. | ||
| Paint_shaker |
The rider was wrong... Had he simply pulled over, the whole situation would have been avoided. The officer was wrong... Had he stopped the pursuit when ordered to do so, the rider MIGHT still be alive. 2 wrongs don't make a right... in this case it ends 1 man's life and another's career. | ||
| Ourdee |
I wish it was only sports cars behind me on the road. | ||
| Malott442 |
I don't remember a part of the motorcycle written test that let me know a cop can kill me for a misdemeanor..... This thread needs moved. Backfire! And hootowl, yes you made an idiotic statement. Next time you speed, do you want to be murdered? | ||
| Jstfrfun |
Bottom line is, take away the badge and uniform the driver of the car is a murderer in the eyes of any court. Ok the guy on the bike evaded, but the cop was ordered to break off so he had no business being there. All balls no brains, bad cop no dough-nut. | ||
| Bosh |
We'll never know the details of what really happened. Nevertheless.... we should riot and loot all the electronics stores in protest for this poor guy. | ||
| Reducati |
Just as every cop is a criminal And all the sinners saints As heads is tails Just call me Lucifer 'Cause I'm in need of some restraint So if you meet me Have some courtesy Have some sympathy, and some taste Use all your well-learned politesse Or I'll lay your soul to waste, um yeah Pleased to meet you Hope you guessed my name, um yeah |
