A stupid cop story...

[wilmar13]

OK, so I was out for a ride today, climbing a long hill that is roughly 6% grade with moderate traffic, one way with two lanes, and a very wide and good shoulder... This bus in front of me pulls onto the shoulder to pick someone up (maybe 500m in front) and just at that moment a truck comes by going about 5kph faster than I was, so I sped up and tucked behind him and followed him past the bus at about 25kph. Just then I hear a siren, and a cop car pulls right behind me this fat f*ck sticks his head out the window and yells at me to get on the shoulder, I responded "but there was a bus back there", and he says he doesn't care (this was the passenger, I didn't see the driver), at that point the car pulls right beside me and forces me off the road all about 1m behind the truck... I was incredulous, but I had some reserve so I put the power down, passed the truck on the shoulder and crested the hill at a tad over 40kph. My heart was pegged at 180 and I was putting down more than 1000watts, but it was one of those times where you dig deep without effort. I tucked in kept the power on and descended the other side which was about 1.5km long. Because the cop got in behind the truck he couldn't get back out because of traffic, and neither one passed me until about 3KM later which was sweet revenge, and I am sure it ****** them off. I have had dumb cop run-ins before, but trying to hit me with their car takes the cake. I wasn't a smart ass or anything and there was only about 20 seconds from the initial contact until he tried to run me off the road. Is that messed up or what? I should also be clear and say that this is Brazil, so the quality of the Police force is even lower than in much of the civilized world, but I still just couldn't believe it.

*I am not anti-cop there are good ones and bad ones, unfortunately the bad ones tend to be the ambassadors for the profession however

 

[cydewaze]

And I thought our cops were bad. Sheesh.

 

[TrekDedicated]

I got pulled over the CAMPUS police week and a half ago....

Nothing like college 'cops' trying to go on a power trip. (I passed him on the right when he had a speed bump)

On my next 'offense' I get a HUGE ticket, and have to do see the Dean.

So funny.


'Hi Dean blah blah, I know you have to deal with students drinking, cheating, and defacing school property, well, I've done far far worse. I passed a campus police officer on my BIKE!...."

I would imagine he would laugh and not stop until I left...

 

[wilmar13]

I got pulled over the CAMPUS police week and a half ago....

Nothing like college 'cops' trying to go on a power trip. (I passed him on the right when he had a speed bump)

On my next 'offense' I get a HUGE ticket, and have to do see the Dean.

So funny.


'Hi Dean blah blah, I know you have to deal with students drinking, cheating, and defacing school property, well, I've done far far worse. I passed a campus police officer on my BIKE!...."

I would imagine he would laugh and not stop until I left...

Yeah, you would think college town cops would be the most bike friendly and knowledgeable. I had two dumb cop run-ins during my time as a grad student in the cycling mecca of State College PA. Once I was riding parallel to a totally shitty bike path complete with lumbering mtn bikes, soccer moms walking dogs, kids riding bikes, roller bladers, tons of broken glass, etc. when a local cop pulled beside me and ordered me to get off the road and use the bike path. I looked at him and said that at the speed I was riding it was not safe to be on the bike path, he told me to slow down, and ride the path, because it is illegal to be on the road when there is a bike path available. I reluctantly complied until he was out of site, I doubt this is true, but if it is, it is a stupid law. Then another time riding through a town not too far away (Lock Haven) I was going through a main street kind of area, with parked cars on both sides, and a fair amount of traffic, this cop turns on his siren behind me, but I am already hugging the parked cars and was like WTF? go around me. Turns out he turned on his siren FOR ME not because he was going somewhere in a hurry. He pulls up beside me and very angrily yells at me to get on the sidewalk. I coolly responded that it was illegal to ride a bicycle on a sidewalk, and he screamed that it is also illegal to block traffic with a bicycle... We were in a 25mph zone, guess how fast I was riding, yes 25mph, besides, there was plenty of room to pass me . He turned off his siren, floored his engine car for effect and kept going, I kept riding. Then of course there was the cops coming down on a weekly group "speed ride" of locals and students that went through the boonies surrounding the town and university. They acted like we were critical mass protesters or something just because some hick got upset that a group of cyclists were "ridin' er bicicles too fast dowen the road" in the middle of nowhere with no traffic ...Geesh. It makes you wonder what these guys have to do to get hired.

I love to see cops on bike patrol. They are almost always way cooler and seem like normal human beings. Maybe if PD's around the world got rid of a significant % of their rolling cages, where practical, the quality of police recruits would go up significantly... Or maybe those guys were jerks before they started tooling around on bikes, and the bikes made them happier and more competent (I know I am a better person with riding). Maybe we need to fund some research projects to determine the relationship between cycling and police effectiveness...

Anyone else got stories of run-ins with a Barney Fife? What about positive stories of cops related to cycling?

 

[snyper0311]

I got pulled over a couple weeks ago for going 32 in a 25. The dumb asses were setting up a speed trap on a hill near my house. I hit the hill, tucked and peddaled my butt off. Next thing you know, there's a cop on a motorcycle pulling me over. He tried giving me a ticket, but I had no license, registration or proof of insurance on my bike. Needless to say, I disputed the ticket, took it to court, and had it dismissed. One of the coolest things I heard came from the judge. He asked me if I was really going that fast and when I said yes, he said, "Your Crazy."

 

[peet9471]

I was going down a big hill in Atlanta and this van sped up and tried to pass me. Just as he got to where he was going he took a right turn in front of me. With nowhere else to go, I hit the van doing about 25-30. Luckily we in front of the campus security building. Unluckily it was a campus security van. They tried to say it was my fault, but the skid marks said differently.

 

[cucamelsmd15]

Ive had the actual sheriff in my county harass me close to the Uni in a 25mph zone, and I think I was doing about 26. Anyway, no liscense or insurance, makes it hard to write me a ticket. On top of that, this particular officer is known to harass other students, just for the fun of it. Second time was a flashlight cop in a little golf cart who ran me down at a stoplight, for passing a stopped car who had pulled off to the right for no apparent reason. He continued to gripe at me, until I said that in NC, cycles are considered motor vehicles, and I didnt remember a law stating that motor vehicles could not pass on the left. He shut up, got in his cart and drove away real quick.

 

[malcolmh]

Some story! Rmind me never to go to Brazil on Holiday.

OK, so I was out for a ride today, climbing a long hill that is roughly 6% grade with moderate traffic, one way with two lanes, and a very wide and good shoulder... This bus in front of me pulls onto the shoulder to pick someone up (maybe 500m in front) and just at that moment a truck comes by going about 5kph faster than I was, so I sped up and tucked behind him and followed him past the bus at about 25kph. Just then I hear a siren, and a cop car pulls right behind me this fat f*ck sticks his head out the window and yells at me to get on the shoulder, I responded "but there was a bus back there", and he says he doesn't care (this was the passenger, I didn't see the driver), at that point the car pulls right beside me and forces me off the road all about 1m behind the truck... I was incredulous, but I had some reserve so I put the power down, passed the truck on the shoulder and crested the hill at a tad over 40kph. My heart was pegged at 180 and I was putting down more than 1000watts, but it was one of those times where you dig deep without effort. I tucked in kept the power on and descended the other side which was about 1.5km long. Because the cop got in behind the truck he couldn't get back out because of traffic, and neither one passed me until about 3KM later which was sweet revenge, and I am sure it ****** them off. I have had dumb cop run-ins before, but trying to hit me with their car takes the cake. I wasn't a smart ass or anything and there was only about 20 seconds from the initial contact until he tried to run me off the road. Is that messed up or what? I should also be clear and say that this is Brazil, so the quality of the Police force is even lower than in much of the civilized world, but I still just couldn't believe it.

*I am not anti-cop there are good ones and bad ones, unfortunately the bad ones tend to be the ambassadors for the profession however

 

[wilmar13]

Some story! Rmind me never to go to Brazil on Holiday.

No Brazil is really nice in many ways, just don't go to Rio de Janeiro, or expect to be able to bicycle tour across the country like you could in the US, or Europe.

 

[wilmar13]

Why can't we do that?

Do what, go to RdJ or cycle tour?

If RdJ, because the crime sucks, and there are nicer places to go.

If cycle touring, mostly because the roads are terrible, almost unbelievable how bad they are, with exception of the privately owned toll highways which are quite good, but who wants to ride on the interstate on a bicycle tour? Also this has not happened to me, but supposedly it is very unsafe to ride your bicycle alone because of being assaulted and robbed. Brazil has one of the highest income disparities in the world, many super rich, a burgeoning educated middle class, and the remaining 80% are poor as dirt thus the safety aspect that you do not have to worry about in NA or Europe.

 

[mozak]

Do what, go to RdJ or cycle tour?

If RdJ, because the crime sucks, and there are nicer places to go.

If cycle touring, mostly because the roads are terrible, almost unbelievable how bad they are, with exception of the privately owned toll highways which are quite good, but who wants to ride on the interstate on a bicycle tour? Also this has not happened to me, but supposedly it is very unsafe to ride your bicycle alone because of being assaulted and robbed. Brazil has one of the highest income disparities in the world, many super rich, a burgeoning educated middle class, and the remaining 80% are poor as dirt thus the safety aspect that you do not have to worry about in NA or Europe.

Bad Cop .