If you go fast, you get a ticket. If you go slow (below the speed limit)and do a wheelie, you get a ticket. Where has the freedom "to do as you like as long as you don't endanger anyone else" gone? It is becoming a POLICE State or what. I was riding to work, obeying all the laws, and a DFW AirportPolice officer followed me (in his personal truck/vehicle) into my work parking lot. I wasn't speeding, used my signals etc. He gets out and asks me about my license plate. I asked what's wrong with it; did it fall off? He said that he couldn't see it because it was blocked by my wheel and that it belongs at the very rear of the bike. Then he goes to tell me to get it fixed because the chances of us running into each againother are great. The Station is across the parking lot so there are cops going in and out all the time. I don't get it. You can see my plate fine especially from a truck and I wasn't doing anything wrong. These guys are ******** and just like to hassle us and push their authority around. Don't they get it? We are on the same side! I have National Security Administration & FBI Clearance and Accessto be able to work at and insidethe Secured side of theAirport.I have worked for AA for 19 freakin years as a proffessional! I don't have a criminal background, not a teenager on a stolen bike out for a joyride. This was adead-end road; only the Hangar and the Station at the end. They know all about me before they even get out of the car; my age, race, color, height, weight, address, the cars I own and whether it's used for business or pleasure. (Yes they know that stuff; it's all in the database.) Why do Police Officers have to be such DICKS especially to motorcyclists? Everytime I ride, I am a target for cops. I see them coming up behind me fast all the time like they are going to run into me or that I will take off. Somebody tell me what's going on here in this FREE Country that we live in? There are RED LIGHT & SPEEDINGCAMERAS everywhere now; you can't fart without someone hearing or seeing you. The US constitution states that you should be able to face your accuser, which was a citizen or an officer. Now it's a freaking Camera. What next; a robot. The Liberty & Freedom in this great FREEcountry is disappearing fast. Soon there will be checkpoints. Heck the tollways are pretty much checkpoints already, they just aren't manned with the law.

No offense to any Police Officer's on this forum because they are cool motorcyclist and respect, appreciateand understandthe freedom that motorcycling offers. I have friends that are officers too.Yes DG, you too.

 

That is crap! No law enforcement should be able to hassle a person without a CAUSE. Luckily, I haven't had too many run-ins with the law on my bike. I have been followed maybe twice which was offensive to me considering I never speed, and follow all of the traffic laws 99.999% of the time. I suppose it all depends on where you live though. Maybe the officers in your area have had a lot of issues with motorcyclists. IDK.

 

i dont know either. but i feel your pain. city cops here in cincinnati are even on the same team. there have been reports recently of cops here bein crooked and you can see just by goin downtown that there sittin there talkin with the hookers and pimps. its like come on but as soon as you roll on down there with your motorcycle there in the squad car following you waiting for you to not use your blinker. its like dont you have much larger issues to deal with other then the placement of my tags or if i used my blinker properly. a ffriend i was riding with through downtown got pulled over for leaving his blinker on. are you kidding me. on vine street which is known here in the nati as a notorious prositute and drug street. who knows whats goin on with these cops these days

 

FWIW, it's not about your behavior as much as it is the perception (mindset of the cop) of your behavior. A lot of cops allow their mood, preconceptions, stereotypes, and personal baggage to determine theirinterventionthreshold.Theycombinethat, with their approach on the probability of a violation, through their experience. They may have also seen some nasty outcomes and had to tell family members their son or daughter is now dead (mutilated, decapitated, etc.) I've got some buddies in the state patrol; it's not all coffee and donuts. 90% of the time it's not truly personal; it's not about YOU as much as it is the puzzle pieces seeming to fit. So, avoid that attitude even though that becomes your perception. (You bring baggage, too.) "Profiling?" No; it's more "probability." It's a fact of life in law enforcement and prevention of bad stuff happening.
Ever heard of the "Hawthorne effect," "halo effect," etc.? In a nutshell, people will see what they want to see, or anticipate seeing, based on what's going on inside their head, (more often than what's going on outside of it.)
I'm not a cop. However, I'm a Mediator. I do divorce, custody, truancy, visitation, and a bunch of situations where (too often) perception ismore important than reality.
Just always keep YOUR head ontight. Don't be guilty of the same preconceptiondistortion thatunfortunately comes your way and tempts you to become part of the problem.

 

yeah the perception. there is a bad name on motorcyclist allready. its not so much about us individually. I personally don't do much to attract much attention espeically if im in the area i described in my previous post. but the perception toward us motorcyclist from cops is the same as our perception of cops form motorcyclist. yes some cops give other cops a bad rep and aren't good cops. i personally know some cops as well from workin down at the reds stadium. very good quality by the book cops. but just like some morons on motorcycles has ruined our reputation some moron cop that is just out to use the power given to him by the government has ruined the reputation for them. Unfortunatly here in cincinnati ive seen more bad stuff happen by cops the good stuff. it really just depends really. but like anything else there are allways two sides to each situation. but when it comes down to it. if we just behave most of the time we shouldn't have much to worry about. Unless that one bad cop gets behind you. just ride safe is really the bottom line.

 

The unfortunate truth about our situation is that people only see the stupid things that the few morons on sport bikes do, and it's not just police officers. It seems that every time I talk to my father (who lives in Atlanta) he just has to tell me about what he saw some idiot on a sport bike do. When I got my old sport bike, I never heard the end of it. It'sthe idiots that you see flying down the highway trying to break the sound barrier on two wheels that have given all sport bike riders a bad reputation. Police officers are people, above all else, and unfortunately are not above the same sport bike prejudice that the rest of the non-riding society is guilty of. It's a sad fact that people only notice the stupid people, and not the majority of us who ride as a means of enjoying life. The few people who do notice a rider who is minding his own business and riding safely tend to be amazed at this. They believe that the only reason we like these bikes is because they are fast and regard us merely as adrenaline junkies out looking for a fast fix. The problem inherent in this is that police officers, being human themselves, tend to fall into this trap. Once the idea gets into their head that a sport rider is going to do something stupid based on the type of bike, they do what they can to keep a catastrophe from happening. Most of them truly have the best of intentions, but lack the mindset required to put their prejudice aside. That is just my $0.02.

Vic

 

Love ya too speed!

I guess we were lucky where I worked....almost ALL of the guys I worked with rode bikes, including the Lt.'s. Not many females rode tho. Only 3...the rest were ticket happy. I pulled a guy over just to tell him "man you need to get some eye protection on cause there are officers who will write their mom a ticket around here" he didn't have his motorcycle endorsement (In Arkansas the motorcycle is a 10 question test...anyone with common sense can take it in two minutes and pass...the driving test is in the parking lot, four left turns...as long as you can stop before the line and not tip over during the test you pass...sad but true) and I told him to go get it so in case something happened and someone else pulled him over he would be all good then we talked about his bike and my bike and gear. (In Arkansas helmets are optional past the age of 21..again sad but true.). 4 months later a lady in an SUV pulled out in front of him....he wasn't wearing a helmet and his sunglasses were imbedded in his head (because his front tire hit the driver side front wheel well and was launched over the SUV's hood...along with the bike)...I helped EMT's remove them...not pretty, but he had gotten his endorsement and he said "Officer Loftis!!! I'm so glad its you....I swear I wasn't doing anything wrong! and he smiled" made me laugh. We took him to the ER.....where he asked me out to dinner...even though his girlfriend was in the ER waiting room..I said "NO! Your girlfriend would just die id she knew you did that...so we will forget you said that...are you sure you don't have a concussion!"....I never gave anyone a ticket on a bike....I have pulled bikes over...but only to warn them about the "ticket happy" cops I worked with. I hated writing tickets. They suck.

So I'm with ya on the being pulled over for no reason. Its not cool and not something a good cop does. They may think they are a good cop but they're not. The difference between a good cop and other cops....a good cop does whats right whether someone is watching or whether they are alone. I'm a good cop. Ask Brian. LOL

 

I am an agreement with most of you that the reason that the cops give some of us a hard time is that a few retards do stupid things. I have been followed quite a few times while heading to and from work because a kid in town has a bike that looks just like mine( his: 06 Ninja 636, blue and mine 07 Ninja 650r, blue). He got caught a couple months ago doing a wheelie in front of the high school doing a 120mph in a 35mph zone. I think that it is bull@!**, but what can I do other than ride the way I am suppose to. I just remember that I give them no reason to pull me over in the first place, because I do not speed, act stupid or do anything else to give them a reason.

 

yea what he said. Same goes for the cops its the few a-holes that give them a bad rap, problem is that every department has a few a-holes just like every city has a few a-hole riders. It's a cycle (no pun intended) that will continue forever.

 

If you KNOW you got pulled over for no reason then ask 1 of 2 questions.
1. "Whats your reasonable su****ion?"
2. "Whats your probable cause?"

if they can't answer immediately, ask for their supervisor. Screw those guys. Just cause I'm a cop doesn't mean I agree with what OTHER cops do.