| Author | Message | ||
     Brucelee |
"not that I travel with any contraband, but I saw I guy pulled over in SD yesterday sitting on a fence 20 feet from his bike, whilst one of Wyoming's Finest was rifling through his luggage, and I couldn't help thinking that if he knew his rights he wouldn't be there)" Well, maybe. Since cops call in lic and reg numbers to dispatch, you friend could have been in all sorts of trouble. The fact that he was not cuffed is not necessarily a sign he was in the clear. Anyway, if you biggest worry is the man searching your Buell, I would wonder. Just where can you store anything on a buell anyway?  | ||
| Chainsaw |
...on a more topic related note, as I was flying past an endless parade of slow moving cruisers in the Black Hills yesterday, I thought what I would say to The Law if I were pulled over. I'm guessing I would just smile and say "MAN, that is a FUN road!" I wouldn't argue the ticket, frankly 90% I know exactly how fast I'm going and what the speed limit is. I wonder if these would help me get out of a ticket? | ||
| Chainsaw |
Anyway, if you biggest worry is the man searching your Buell, I would wonder. Just where can you store anything on a buell anyway? Stuff sacks and bungie cords! The only thing I had was sunblock and Sturgis T-shirts, but it's the principle of the thing. I had a Canadian Border guard go through EVERYTHING in my Harley luggage, and it is a VERY uncomfortable thing to for me to watch. Crossing into another country is one thing, crossing a state line....? | ||
| Sardawg2dpd |
Yes positive the sensors here are weight activated. there are a few however that are not. I look at traffic signals this way. What is a traffic lights purpose? To control the flow of traffic. If there is just myself & no other vehicles then there is no traffic, hence no need for me to wait at a signal I agree but... you should sit at a light long enough for it to cycle and if it does not, then by all mean go through it. General rule of thumb is 30 - 40 sec. depending on the time of day. Chainsaw - IF you refuse the consent to search, that id your right. No the officer can not get a search warrant based on your refusal, but if you have nothing to hide, whats a minute of your time. As far as searching you, The officer has every tight to "Patt" you down (Terry V. Ohio). Since you are on a bike and have no concelment for officer saftey he may "Patt" you down for weapons. If the officer feels something like a weapon or narcotics they may take them out of your pockets without permission. Otherwise its a over the clothes "Patt down." Everytime I stop a bike for an traffic stop I "Patt" them down for my safety. (Been shot at one to many times...) You would be suprised what people can come up with for storing things. I have already thought of a couple great places to hide things on my Buell. And finally, yes just because he was not in handcuffs does not mean he was under arrestt. Did you know that legally when you get a ticket, you are under arrestt. Thats why you sign the ticket. ITs a promise to appear of pay the fine. If you don't sign, well off to the pokey it is for you. Sar  | ||
| Crusty |
quote: but if you have nothing to hide, whats a minute of your time. I have nothing to hide, but I resent the hell out of being searched for any reason. Nazi Germany had rules to protect the general public, too. Unfortunately, it was at the expense of personal freedom. A trend that is becoming too popular in this country. The Dept. of Homeland Security scares the living 5hit out of me. Is the head of the Department going to be known as Field Marshal Rindge? | ||
| Sardawg2dpd |
Crusty, I agree, before I became a cop, I felt the same way, and I still do to an extent. I find more things searching cars and trucks then you can imagine. I do however use Officer discrection. There are certain things I ask the person I have stopped, if everything seems to be up and up then no bother searching, but... if I feel something is amiss then I will ask. I can honestly say I have never searched someone on a bike. Its always cars and trucks. But if you get a bike that has a lot of storage space, and I feel somethins wrong I will ask. I guess like I have said before, unfortunatley Troopers have a different way of doing things and to an extent I don't agree with it, but that is how they are trained. (Example: I pulled up on a traffic stop a trooper had made. Driver had a suspended license, he was taking him to jail and towing his car. I couldn't believe it. If it was me I would have wrote a ticket, told him his car was legally parked. I con't let him drive away, but I would be goning down the road and making the first right. What every happened to his car after I left, was none of my business.) That is how you gain the respect of certain people. I do that quite often and if I stop that person again, I may cut them a break....who knows, they are usually cool with me, and I cut them loose, and by doing that you would be amazed at the information I get from them about other people. Besides taking someone to jail for summin simple is to much paperwork for me. HEHE SAR | ||
| Danny |
While driving on I-80 outside of Rock Springs, WY (am I sensing a pattern here?) I was pulled over for no front license plate and given the fix-it ticket. The WHiP asked me "do you have any drugs, weapons, or large amounts of cash?" I had my M1 Carbine with me (me and my brothers were going to have some fun while I was on vacation) and I told him so. His response: "Then you won't mind if I search your car?" I didn't know my rights, so I rolled my eyes (behind sunglasses)and opened the door.He said he had to wait for backup. TWENTY MINUTS LATER the guy in the Camaro shows up to "watch" me while the other guy searches my car, poorly. If I had anything worth hiding, which I didn't, he wouldn't have found it. He thought he had me when he found my the girlfriend's (now wife's) generic Ibuprofen in a baggy in her purse. "What's this?" g/f: "Generic Ibuprofen." You should have seen his face drop when he smelled it and realized it was... generic ibuprofen. He let me go with alook like he knew I had something, he just didn't find it. 40 minutes out in the middle of nowhere with my car idling on the side of the road. The more I thought about it, the more pissed I became. If that situation happens again my reponse will be "You know what? No. I've been up front with you, I've told you what I do have, I'll even tell you what I don't have if you ask. If you want to search my car, get a warrant, otherwise I'm leaving." BTW, I sold that car two years later... with no front license plate ever installed. | ||
| S2pengy |
Back to the subject of lights not sensing bikes.... A new light was installed in my town at a T intersection... It would not sense my Buell but would sense my HD... I called the Town Hall and got the roadworks guy.. He told me the sensor was adjustable and we met and he adjusted the sensor so the light works for the Buell now... It was magnetic and there was too much alum on the bottom of the Buell.... Soo if there is a light that always gives you fits make a call.... Also according to Motorcycle Consumer News always try to place the bike at intersecting lines cut into the pavement it helps the sensor spot an object... | ||
| Chainsaw |
but if you have nothing to hide, whats a minute of your time It's the principle of the thing for me. What if: The FBI comes knocking on your door and wants to seize your computer because they think you have been downloading illegal bootlegged clips of apes copulating, and the officer has come to this conclusion based on your attire, a Curious George T-shirt. Now, I'll assume you don't have any clips Monkey Porn on your computer, and you have all the time in the world, do you want them to produce a warrant first, or would you let the Federal LE rifle through your personal stuff on a whim? I'm guessing you would ask the Federal LEO to convince a judge of probable cause, to which the judge will reply with a hearty laugh. As far as a pat down is concerned, they can have at it. If a Leatherman and Chapstick count as contraband, I'll be in trouble.  | ||
| Reepicheep |
LEO types... what can I do to make your job easier if I ever do get pulled over on the bike? Obviously, bike gets turned off, gloves and helmet come off. Would it be helpful to slowly take off the riding jacket, and lay it over the front bars? Or is that just gonna add stress? | ||
| Outrider |
Come on guys...this started by talking about getting stopped near Sturgis in High Season. With all the Federal, State and Local Law Enforcement Types out monitoring outlaw motorcycle gang activities you can expect to get hassled a little. If you have nothing to hide, who cares. If you do, you just messed up. | ||
| Mikej |
Reep, Do only what you would have someone do if the roles were reversed. 1. Pull off the road into a safe well lit location, or at least pull safely off onto the shoulder or close to the edge of the pavement. 2. Turn the engine off and put the sidestand down, but remain seated on the seat. 3. Do not unzip your jacket, do not retrieve your ID until asked to do so. 4. Do remove your helmet and gloves and place them on top of the gas tank. 5. Wait for further instructions. Remain calm. Have at least a slight smile on your face, not a huge "who me" smile, not a devilish "guess you saw that huh" smile, just a friendly face, or at worst a neutral face. 6. If you have to go to the restroom or have a bad case of gas feel free to inform the officer of that. Grabbing your crotch and grimmacing and whining some may either shorten or lenghten your visit with the officer. 7. And make note: doughnuts are best discussed while sitting in a doughnut shop eating doughnuts. Coffee can be discussed anywhere. "I just downed a decent cup at the last gas stop but it went right through me if you know what I mean" (see item #6). 8. Some people have no sense of humor, some do, but sometimes one's sense of humor is shaded by other events of the day prior to your current interraction with the officer. Being aware of this can help to ease an otherwise tense situation. 9. If you live in N.f.D, YMMV. 10. And finally, do not whistle the tune of the Andy Maybury RFD show while you wait for the officer to return from the squad car, unless he begins whistling it first. | ||
| Bomber |
had a city worker adjust the light near my (then) house same municipality refused to adjust another -- when I spaced, and hit a red at that intersection, I'd wait a bit (couple of minutes -- intersection is out in the toulies), and then ride on through -- got stopped once, explained to the officer that it was a malfuncitoning light, and that I'd stopped, checked traffic, and went on ahead -- he said that was fine, said he didn't ride, but had heard similar stories that bike wouldn't trip some of the sensors (mag loop types), told me to be careful, and went on his way | ||
| Jssport |
I use the "Green Light Trigger" rare earth magnet and it works pretty good. | ||
| Raraf |
When I drove to Vegas with my bro and our car overheated. Cop doesn't offer to help. Just tears our car apart and drives off. Even ripped out our seat cushions. Like it is my "right" to say no. The F*ck*er has a gun and I don't. Make it legal to get a cop's address like he has a right to find out where you live. Make it legal to perform corrective measures on a cop. No more problems. Only a cop who LOVES his job will hang around. Don't feed us crap about "if you have nothing to hide...". Another update on crappy cops here in Denver: Cops break into a home of a who beat his girlfriend. Cops try and get in. LEAVE! Come back 10 minutes later with a ladder. Neighbors tell cops the guy left while they were gone. They climb in anyways and shoot and kill an invalid old man laying in his bed holding a SODA CAN. He didn't even know they had climbed into his window. Make it legal to kill em first...Problem solved. Tell that poor old man about "nothing to hide" | ||
| Socoken |
So Rara, what are you saying? those cops knew the assailant was gone and decided, "I didnt get geared up for nothing, lets go inside and shoot some old man!" really? mistakes happen. odds are, a reasonable and prudent person made the call to go in. its even safe to say, IMO that the police did not know what the neighbors MIGHT have witnessed till after wards. HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE DIE every year because of car accidents, DWI, not paying attention. SHEER STUPIDITY with no real reason. most people drive WAY more than they really need to, for SELFISH REASONS. HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS DIE. but on rare occasions, police officers, trying to do the right thing, make mistakes, and all of a sudden you are a bleeding heart for the innocent, give me a break. if you are so intimidated by a police officer as to not express and use your rights, thats your fault, not his. remember, police officers must follow an escalation of force, and cannot shoot you for refusing to let them search your car. | ||
| Outrider |
Was merely pointing out that enforcement in the Sturgis area is high right now and it is definitely not a good place to be especially if you are in possession of or doing something illegal. Your two illustrations appear to be unjust and most certainly two instances where legal recourse against the officers involved is warranted. Legal recourse won't bring that man back to life nor will it compensate you for the humiliation you endured but it is at least something you can do here in the US. Rest assured I am not making any excuses for overzealous police. I don't like them anymore than you do. However, they exist in every country in the world and are as bad as the criminals they pursue. At least here, there is something we can do about them legally. | ||
| Outrider |
Then again, Denver has it's questionable areas just like everywhere else. Three years ago, one of my best friends son's was shot dead by a Denver cop from almost 20' away. Cop claimed the kid (around 30) pulled a knife and one was found at the scene. Needless to say, the cop won out of court as there were no witnesses and the law was on his side concerning the knife being considered deadly force. Doesn't sound like either you or the old guy's survivors have that problem and could do well with a "Wrongful Whatever" suit. The inverse is, my friend will never know what really happened that night. | ||
| Raraf |
Yes, Socoken, that is what I am saying. That those idiots did it on purpose or put themselves in a situation be be idiots. Mistakes happen alright. If I shoot someone, cop investigates = murder. Cops shoots someone+ overheard saying he couldn't wait to try out his new glock that day = "mistake". The bleeding heart thing applies to you as well with your love of cops. I have met enough cops to know that rights mean nothing if there are no witnesses. My fault! That is like telling a rape victim it is their fault for having orifices! Intimidation, that is what cops use NOT this "escalation of force". I am just waiting till the scales of justice are balanced and I know how to fix the problem but it is a felony. | ||
| Bluey |
I just got pulled over this morning(about 4:30) No one around for miles!! Kicked it up to 90+....Flashing lights behind me...Ready for the worst... Cute blond female cop doesn't even stop but yells out"You are gonna slow down from now on...right?" and then takes off. I almost 5h1t a brick. Got me to slow down though!! I owe her one! Gotta get her #......... | ||
| Socoken |
So, you would rather cops not be so intimidating? you would rather the men of the law, many times the only thing standing between your girlfriend/daughter/wife/parents and murder/robbery/rape was wearing a skirt and clown shoes so that they would be less scary? and if im reading you right, and id like to think that i am, you think the way to fix this is to let you beat up cops if they get out of line and have it be legal? you mean to tell me you are so scared as to not speak up for your rights, but think you would just beat up cops? Cops protect our loved ones while we cannot, and protect us while we sleep. care to picture the country without LE? compare it to our country without armed forces. the fine men and women of law enforcement are fighting the REAL war, here at home, and have probably saved you many times over without your knowledge. Doctors make mistakes and people die, should we be able to assault them to "fix" it? firemen make mistakes and buildings and people perish, do you want to beat them up too? school teachers make mistakes and bad things can happen if they do not notice a problem with a student, want to kick teachers asses too? if a police officer makes a mistake, as outrider stated, you have actions you can take LEGALLY and SAFELY. there are things you can do, should an unjust action be taken, or you feel you have been wronged. if that system is not sufficient, then fight to have changes made. i do not have a "love" for cops. i have had my fair share of run-ins with the law, and not many of them were favorable. i do have respect and appreciation for what they do for me, and anyone that doesnt, is truly lost. | ||
| Raraf |
I think I wasn't too clear on that one. Cops do not intimidate me, I just want an equal playing field. Cops ARE the problem standing between me and my girlfriend/daughter/wife/parents and murder/robbery/rape. I am not scared to stand up for my rights but I do realize a losing situation. Once again, I need to clarify. The cops I have met are not making mistakes. They purposefully inact their injustices. My bro was a cop. The COPS had stolen our stuff. He legally stood up to them and got his stuff back. I let the bastards keep it. He sued and won. Later he was kicked off the force. Nice. He could have sued and got back on but I think he realized the environment he would be going back to. Respect. I appreciate their job description but I do not respect the scum carrying it out. I had to take a stinkin bus because of the security at the airport terminals now. I'll take my chances of dying from a terrorist compared to me getting shot by the Security guy with the automatic having a bad day. I didn't say get rid of LEOs just rein it in. IMO, people who blindly respect and appreciate losers because they feel it is their civic duty are lost. | ||
| Sardawg2dpd |
once again my job is best described as THE PERSON EVERYONE LOVES TO HATE! We as officers have to make split second descions and if it is the wrong one then we do feel bad. Trust me I know from experience. Its not the greatest feeling in the world when you shot someone, but God D#@it, I have a four year old son to go home to and I am not gonna let any one stop me from doing that. He is the thing that keeps me going. I am not saying there are not horrible cops out there but for the most part we are good people. Just because you have one bad experience with the badge, don't take it out on all of us because were not all like that. BOTTOM LINE, I am not going to defend my job and the descions I have to make everyday. I have had my share of bashing and been sued numerous times. I love my job by getting the bad guys off the street and if you think all cops are bad then why should I help you. but I will do it anyway because it is my job, no matter had mad or how many names you call me, I will still help you out. That is why I am a cop, that is why I was in the military. I defended my country and I will protect the people that I am sworn to protect. Hate me if you want, call me all the names in the world, I am still going to work tomorrow and coming home to my son, knowing I did a great job. SAR | ||
| Sardawg2dpd |
Sorry to have gotten off on a tangent there but, I take my job seriously, and I hate having to defend it because of a few bad apples. Trust me I am not your typical cop. I can come off strong when it comes to defending my job. I always tell people, ride with me for one day and bet you will see things differently. anyone interested and in the area drop me a line and I will get it set up SAR | ||
| Raraf |
I wish it was 1 bad experience. I have met over 200 cops in my lifetime. I have no criminal record. I have had 1 ticket in my lifetime (improper lane change). I have had cops pull guns on me, steal my stuff, run me off the road, etc. The same sentiments apply to me but with no balance. I know cops hate me and I have had them call me names, I know I do a good job at work but when a cop pulls me over I would like some equality to make sure I get home to my little girls. I experience the same mentality. Every time a cop pulls me over or I see one and there are no witnesses I wonder if I am going to see my girls that night. Well, when one of those bastards finally shoots me because he wants to see his kids and he makes a "mistake" at least my wife can sue. Thanks for the advice Socoken. | ||
| Bluey |
Officer Goben, I would be more than honored to ride with you if you ever come out to my neck of the woods(Long Island, N.Y.) We have some killer roads out here and lots of great bike gatherings where you will see all kinds of bikes from Harleys to Crotch rockets all hanging out together with one thing in common. Also some wild customs too...Never been to Iowa. If we're ever out that way, we'll let you know! | ||
| Sardawg2dpd |
Raraf, I am sorry you have had such a bad experience with the law. All's I can say is by all means know that we are not all like that. I can not change the way you feel just know that if you ever come to Iowa, you will not be treated that way. IF you ever do come to Iowa, let me know and I can hook ya up. SAR | ||
| R1DynaSquid |
I wanna drive the cruiser & hit the  | ||
| Rick_a |
Re-posting this...put it in the wrong section...oops. Well guys, for the past couple years I've been pulled over for several infractions and have been let off for all of them. I've learned to never admit guilt, not to give any actual figures, and to attempt to be polite instead of getting angry. Seems to work pretty well. It can be embarrasing to get your ••• chewed by another adult, but oh well, I'll take it over a ticket any day! BTW, my bike usually always looks pretty ratty...it's got some scratches from quick, oh crap I need to get this fixed before work repairs (as well as a couple mishaps), and is seldom cleaned...it's also missing most road amenities...I like hand signals better anyway... | ||
| Chainsaw |
Sardawg2dpd : Sad to see an intelligent discussion turn into cop bashing. Do any of you LEO's out there have an answer to my theoretical question posted above? |
