Originally Posted by
rutanman
I still ride my street bike and saw abuses of power because the people in power call the shots.
Here's a story of one abuse way back when I lived in Wichita, KS:
Riding with about 5 friends one night and a cop gets behind us at a red light as all of us were getting ready to make a left hand turn from one busy road onto another busy road. The light changes to green and all of us make the turn. As soon as we completed the turn - the cop lights come on. The last guy, one of the newest guys to the group, pulled to the center (turning) lane and pulled into a parking lot on the left. All of us parked further down the road and waited for him to catch up, which he did after a 15-20 minute delay. I knew none of us were carrying on at any time that the cop was behind us, so I asked him what happened. He said, she wrote me a ticket. I said, "for what?". He said for pulling off to the left side of a road when a cop is signaling behind you. (instead of pulling off to the right). I said, Holy crap, I didn't even know a law like that was on the books. But then it occurred to me: What was the basis of you getting pulled over? He said there was no reason. To me it sounds like a case of entrapment, there was no legit reason to be pulled over, but the cop did so and then issued a ticket when the kid made a move of getting out of flowing traffic. Point of the story - the cop had an agenda. Could the kid have argued that he was pulled over for no good reason? Maybe, but I think he paid the fine and was done with it.
At another time, a cop pulled me over and asked for my license and registration. Being that I was pretty sure that I did not break any driving rules, I asked, "Sir, Can I ask why you pulled me over?" He said, I kind of wanted to see your bike up close. If everything is in order (license and registration), you can be on your way. A few minutes later he came back, we talked for about 5 minutes and I was back on my way with the cop saying, "Drive Safe." I am still not completely sure how I feel about the situation. The cop was congenial, but it felt like a "fishing" party to me. (of course, my license and registration was in good shape.)
Those with more legal background here, might be able to answer if the cop in each case was legally allowed to do what they did. Would their actions hold up in a court room?
Food for thought.
There isn't a cop out there that can't figure out a reason to pull you over right now for doing nothing more than driving down the street. Not saying it's fair, it just is the reality. In CT, anything hanging from your rear view mirror is justification for stopping, even a piece of string. Guess how many people drive with their handicap sticker on the rear view? A light out, a smudge on the license plate that obscures a number. Cut that corner to short or too long turning right, brushed up against the center line..boom, here come the lights. Perhaps your car fits a vague description of a car involved in something a week ago, another reason. The best advice is to deal with it calmly. Hands on the wheel, be respectful. Tape the stop if you can on your phone. Move slow to get your paperwork. Answer the questions you feel you must, then move on. It's almost impossible to win any argument with a cop right there. We've all seen the videos too where things head way down the wrong path very quickly, is this hobby really worth anything close to that?
If the officer has violated any protocol, report it. Not sure, report it anyway, it creates a paper trail and a history that will follow the officer and can help establish a pattern and practice after the fact. Notwithstanding the forecasts of FAA troops or even LE at the local fields, have your paperwork at the ready in case you're approached, and just check the ego and answer the questions. Fine, some might call you a sheeple for not "standing up" to the cops, but I can bet 99.99% of the time you'll walk away to fly another day.