Got pulled over riding a bike yesterday!

[Mark Hickey]

Sam Yorko <[email protected]> wrote:

>bgaudet0801 wrote:
>>
>> He gave me the standard: 'Have to follow the rules. It's still counts as demerits against your
>> licence.' He did ask for ID which I told him I didn't have and that I don't have licence - which
>> left him a bit flustered. [who _doesn't_ have a licence???]. But I was suitably meek and
>> apologetic. I didn't cop an attitude and he let me go with a warning.
>
>Not if I ever get pulled over. I carry my passport with me; ain't >no< way they'll be able to put
>the ticket against my driver's license.

Sam, you seem to worry about a lot of unlikely things... but carrying a passport is probably a good
idea if you find yourself pulling a Forrest Gump and simply riding around the world a few times on a
whim in the middle of what starts out as a commute.

Mark Hickey Habanero Cycles http://www.habcycles.com Home of the $695 ti frame

 

[David Reuteler]

Zippy the Pinhead <[email protected]> wrote:
: Here we have a saying. If there is a fatal traffic accident in Wisconsin, they put up a cross with
: flowers around it on the side of the road.
:
: In Minnesota, they put up a stop sign.

actually it's a red light with a no turn on red.

can't vouch for the behind the cheddar curtain, tho.
--
david reuteler [email protected]

 

[Quiet Desperati]

I was pulled over by a police car on Friday while biking on my day off.

My only crime was I fit a local profile of a solitary man riding a bike during the day on a
work week.

The officer checked by ID, asked where I lived, where I was headed and if I was on parole (!), and
then just sent me on my way. He was very civil, but the whole thing struck me as weird. I asked if
some crime had happened in the last few minutes, but he said no, and that's when he came right out
and told me about the profile.

A sweaty guy wearing an iPod and headphones on a bike fits a profile? And I was on the home stretch
of my ride against a hefty head wind, so I way just tooling along pretty leisurly.

Anyone else have this happen? It didn't even strike me as odd initially. I thought I just had a good
little cycling tale, but it seems odder and odder the more I think about it.

 

[Brunswick_kate]

Originally posted by Quiet Desperati
I was pulled over by a police car on Friday while biking on my day off.

My only crime was I fit a local profile of a solitary man riding a bike during the day on a
work week.

The officer checked by ID, asked where I lived, where I was headed and if I was on parole (!), and
then just sent me on my way. He was very civil, but the whole thing struck me as weird. I asked if
some crime had happened in the last few minutes, but he said no, and that's when he came right out
and told me about the profile.

A sweaty guy wearing an iPod and headphones on a bike fits a profile? And I was on the home stretch
of my ride against a hefty head wind, so I way just tooling along pretty leisurly.

Anyone else have this happen? It didn't even strike me as odd initially. I thought I just had a good
little cycling tale, but it seems odder and odder the more I think about it.

Are you in Ottawa Ontario Canada? If so, the police are beating the bush for a lone male cyclist suspected of having sexually assaulted and murdered a woman on one of the bike paths.

 

[Ride Your Bike]

If you are not working, shopping, at home watching television or driving to one of those activities,
then you are a suspect of not towing the corporate line. What's unusual about that, it's been that
way for a while.

"Quiet Desperation" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:230820032036177372%[email protected]...
> I was pulled over by a police car on Friday while biking on my day off.
>
> My only crime was I fit a local profile of a solitary man riding a bike during the day on a
> work week.
>
> The officer checked by ID, asked where I lived, where I was headed and if I was on parole (!), and
> then just sent me on my way. He was very civil, but the whole thing struck me as weird. I asked if
> some crime had happened in the last few minutes, but he said no, and that's when he came right out
> and told me about the profile.
>
> A sweaty guy wearing an iPod and headphones on a bike fits a profile? And I was on the home
> stretch of my ride against a hefty head wind, so I way just tooling along pretty leisurly.
>
> Anyone else have this happen? It didn't even strike me as odd initially. I thought I just had a
> good little cycling tale, but it seems odder and odder the more I think about it.

 

[Luigi De Guzman]

Quiet Desperation <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:<230820032036177372%[email protected]>...
> I was pulled over by a police car on Friday while biking on my day off.
>
> My only crime was I fit a local profile of a solitary man riding a bike during the day on a
> work week.
>
> The officer checked by ID, asked where I lived, where I was headed and if I was on parole (!), and
> then just sent me on my way. He was very civil, but the whole thing struck me as weird. I asked if
> some crime had happened in the last few minutes, but he said no, and that's when he came right out
> and told me about the profile.
>
> A sweaty guy wearing an iPod and headphones on a bike fits a profile? And I was on the home
> stretch of my ride against a hefty head wind, so I way just tooling along pretty leisurly.

You're lucky he didn't book you for riding with headphones. Many states prohibit this outright, for
instance, Virginia:

"It shall be unlawful for any person to operate a motor vehicle, bicycle, electric personal
assistive mobility device, electric power-assisted bicycle, or moped on the highways in the
Commonwealth while using earphones on or in both ears.

For the purpose of this section, "earphones" shall mean any device worn on or in both ears that
converts electrical energy to sound waves or which impairs or hinders the person's ability to hear,
but shall not include (i) any prosthetic device that aids the hard of hearing,
(ii) earphones installed in helmets worn by motorcycle operators and riders and used as part of
a communications system, or (iii) nonprosthetic, closed-ear, open-back, electronic
noise-cancellation devices designed and used to enhance the hearing ability of persons who
operate vehicles in high-noise environments, provided any such device is being worn by the
operator of a vehicle with a gross vehicle weight rating of 26,000 pounds or more. The
provisions of this section shall not apply to the driver of any emergency vehicle as
defined in §
46.2-920."

-Code of Virginia, (Code 1950, § 46-219.1; 1950, p. 882; 1958, c. 541, § 46.1-202.1; 1989, c. 727;
1993, c. 126; 1997, c. 36; 2001, c. 834; 2002, c. 254.)

As my Dad told me many times: Don't even give the cops the *excuse* to give you trouble--because if
you do, they sure as hell will *make* trouble for you....

-Luigi

 

[Len]

"Luigi de Guzman" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Quiet Desperation <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:<230820032036177372%[email protected]>...
>
> You're lucky he didn't book you for riding with headphones. Many states prohibit this outright,
> for instance, Virginia:
>
> "It shall be unlawful for any person to operate a motor vehicle, bicycle, electric personal
> assistive mobility device, electric power-assisted bicycle, or moped on the highways in the
> Commonwealth while using earphones on or in both ears.
>
> For the purpose of this section, "earphones" shall mean any device worn on or in both ears that
> converts electrical energy to sound waves or which impairs or hinders the person's ability to
> hear, but shall not include (i) any prosthetic device that aids the hard of hearing,
> (ii) earphones installed in helmets worn by motorcycle operators and riders and used as part of a
> communications system, or (iii) nonprosthetic, closed-ear, open-back, electronic
> noise-cancellation devices designed and used to enhance the hearing ability of persons who
> operate vehicles in high-noise environments, provided any such device is being worn by the
> operator of a vehicle with a gross vehicle weight rating of 26,000 pounds or more. The
> provisions of this section shall not apply to the driver of any emergency vehicle as defined
> in §
> 46.2-920."
>
> -Code of Virginia, (Code 1950, § 46-219.1; 1950, p. 882; 1958, c. 541, § 46.1-202.1; 1989, c. 727;
> 1993, c. 126; 1997, c. 36; 2001, c. 834; 2002, c. 254.)
>
> As my Dad told me many times: Don't even give the cops the *excuse* to give you trouble--because
> if you do, they sure as hell will *make* trouble for you....
>
> -Luigi

Thanks for doing the home work. The way I read it means; that you can ride with one earphone. It
also gives me one more reason for getting those Bose noise cancelling earphones.

 

[Jdsingleton]

On Sat, 23 Aug 2003 20:36:17 -0700, Quiet Desperation <[email protected]> wrote:

>I was pulled over by a police car on Friday while biking on my day off.
>
>My only crime was I fit a local profile of a solitary man riding a bike during the day on a
>work week.
[snip]
>Anyone else have this happen? It didn't even strike me as odd initially. I thought I just had a
>good little cycling tale, but it seems odder and odder the more I think about it.

I've never been pulled over, but I had a police cruiser come alongside and ask me a few questions. I
was on my morning commute and they were looking for someone on a bicycle. They were not looking for
me and the questions were about whether I had seen someone else. (I got the impression that the
lights and reflective gear made me too conspicuous, anyway.)

 

[Ajrbjr]

Yup. The exact same thing happened to me several years ago.

I was on my way for some auto parts (breakdown) and a woman in an unmarked car came along side REAL
close. I got mad and had some REAL choice words for her. Choice meaning foul! She had come so close
that she almost hit me.

Then she flashed a badge. When I questioned if she pulled me over because I swore at her she said
no. I hadn't backed down though. I was still yelling at her for getting so close.

She was real nice though and then I remembered the story from the news the night before about some
molester who's M.O. was to ride to schools on his bike and bug little kids.

She admitted that I in no way fit his description (other than a bicycle). She said the only reason
they stopped me was that I was the only person they saw on a bike all day.

I told her , no surprise, after all, it was about 98 degrees. No big deal but they take your name
and address so it is kinda scary.

 

[Duffy Pratt]

I've been pulled over 3 times:

First was about 20 years ago, for speeding. It was a long downhill stretch and I was going 40+ in a
35 mph zone. I asked the cop to give me a ticket, but he wouldn't.

The other times were in a nearby neighborhood where a cop seems to have it in for cyclists. Both
times he stopped me for running a stop sign at an empty 4 way stop in a quiet neighborhood. He
warned me both times that if he saw me do it again, he would give me a citation. The second time I
said that if I had to stop at every single stop sign, it would be completely pointless to ride in
the area, and he said that that was the idea.

Duffy

"jdsingleton" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news[email protected]...
> On Sat, 23 Aug 2003 20:36:17 -0700, Quiet Desperation <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> >I was pulled over by a police car on Friday while biking on my day off.
> >
> >My only crime was I fit a local profile of a solitary man riding a bike during the day on a
> >work week.
> [snip]
> >Anyone else have this happen? It didn't even strike me as odd initially. I thought I just had a
> >good little cycling tale, but it seems odder and odder the more I think about it.
>
> I've never been pulled over, but I had a police cruiser come alongside and ask me a few questions.
> I was on my morning commute and they were looking for someone on a bicycle. They were not looking
> for me and the questions were about whether I had seen someone else. (I got the impression that
> the lights and reflective gear made me too conspicuous, anyway.)

 

[Marlene Blansha]

In article <230820032036177372%[email protected]>, Quiet Desperation <[email protected]> wrote:

> I was pulled over by a police car on Friday while biking on my day off.
>
> My only crime was I fit a local profile of a solitary man riding a bike during the day on a
> work week.
>
> The officer checked by ID, asked where I lived, where I was headed and if I was on parole (!), and
> then just sent me on my way. He was very civil, but the whole thing struck me as weird. I asked if
> some crime had happened in the last few minutes, but he said no, and that's when he came right out
> and told me about the profile.
>
> A sweaty guy wearing an iPod and headphones on a bike fits a profile? And I was on the home
> stretch of my ride against a hefty head wind, so I way just tooling along pretty leisurly.
>
> Anyone else have this happen? It didn't even strike me as odd initially. I thought I just had a
> good little cycling tale, but it seems odder and odder the more I think about it.

Something like that happened to me years ago! My boyfriend and I were riding our bikes (regular old
crappy bikes at the time) and all of a sudden these cops pulled us over! They said we matched the
description of a couple who had just committed a robbery in the area. They were shining a flashlight
in our faces and it just struck me as so absurd I was laughing, and one of them said severely, "It's
not a joke." Duhhhh. I was just wondering who would be doing a getaway from a robbery on BIKES?

 

[Marlene Blansha]

In article <[email protected]>, "Duffy Pratt" <[email protected]> wrote:

> I've been pulled over 3 times:
>
> First was about 20 years ago, for speeding. It was a long downhill stretch and I was going 40+ in
> a 35 mph zone. I asked the cop to give me a ticket, but he wouldn't.
>
> The other times were in a nearby neighborhood where a cop seems to have it in for cyclists. Both
> times he stopped me for running a stop sign at an empty 4 way stop in a quiet neighborhood. He
> warned me both times that if he saw me do it again, he would give me a citation. The second time I
> said that if I had to stop at every single stop sign, it would be completely pointless to ride in
> the area, and he said that that was the idea.
>
> Duffy
>
Geez, maybe they could be on the lookout for, say, rapists or robbers? Unless you're in a low-crime
area where there is nothing for cops to do.

 

[Sam Yorko]

bgaudet0801 wrote:
>

>
> He gave me the standard: 'Have to follow the rules. It's still counts as demerits against your
> licence.' He did ask for ID which I told him I didn't have and that I don't have licence - which
> left him a bit flustered. [who _doesn't_ have a licence???]. But I was suitably meek and
> apologetic. I didn't cop an attitude and he let me go with a warning.
>

Not if I ever get pulled over. I carry my passport with me; ain't >no< way they'll be able to put
the ticket against my driver's license.

Sam

 

[James Messick]

"Sam Yorko" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> bgaudet0801 wrote:
> >
>
> >
> > He gave me the standard: 'Have to follow the rules. It's still counts
as
> > demerits against your licence.' He did ask for ID which I told him I
didn't
> > have and that I don't have licence - which left him a bit flustered.
[who
> > _doesn't_ have a licence???]. But I was suitably meek and apologetic. I didn't cop an attitude
> > and he let me go with a warning.
> >
>
> Not if I ever get pulled over. I carry my passport with me; ain't >no< way they'll be able to put
> the ticket against my driver's license.
>
> Sam

Ya think?

 

[Rich Clark]

"Quiet Desperation" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:230820032036177372%[email protected]...
> I was pulled over by a police car on Friday while biking on my day off.
>
> My only crime was I fit a local profile of a solitary man riding a bike during the day on a
> work week.

Well, wearing headphones while operating a vehicle is illegal most places.
>
> The officer checked by ID,

And because of the headphones, he had you. Police can demand identification of someone suspected of
or in the process of committing a crime. Not otherwise. Of course, making a stand on this issue can
result in great unpleasantness.

> Anyone else have this happen? It didn't even strike me as odd initially. I thought I just had a
> good little cycling tale, but it seems odder and odder the more I think about it.

Where were you when this happened?

RichC

 

[Mike Kruger]

"AJRBJR" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
>
> She was real nice though and then I remembered the story from the news the night before about some
> molester who's M.O. was to ride to schools on his
bike
> and bug little kids.
>
> She admitted that I in no way fit his description (other than a bicycle).
She
> said the only reason they stopped me was that I was the only person they
saw on
> a bike all day.

The detective might have been at loose ends and gotten down to low probability leads. It's not
unreasonable to think that you might have seen the cyclist in question if you had a little more
info. For example, if I was asked if I new anyone in the area with a yellow recumbent, I'd answer "I
don't know his name, but he often rides along X street in the evenings about 6pm -- I think he's a
city fireman. The bike is a Rans Stratus."

 

[Buck]

"Quiet Desperation" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:230820032036177372%[email protected]...
> I was pulled over by a police car on Friday while biking on my day off.
>
> My only crime was I fit a local profile of a solitary man riding a bike during the day on a
> work week.

My uncle was pulled over three times during a trip because his car matched the description of the
getaway car for a robbery in the area. Each time he was treated to the full "armed and dangerous
criminal" stop with guns drawn, instructions being yelled from behind open cop car doors, dangerous
guy lying down on the pavement, and finally, handcuffs. Each time they were apologetic after they
established that he wasn't their guy, but what should have been a hour-long trip turned into a three
hour nightmare.

I would have thought that the different agencies were in communication so that his license plate was
exempted from the search after the first stop....

-Buck

 

[Michael]

"Quiet Desperation" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:230820032036177372%[email protected]...
> I was pulled over by a police car on Friday while biking on my day off.
>
> My only crime was I fit a local profile of a solitary man riding a bike during the day on a
> work week.
>
> The officer checked by ID, asked where I lived, where I was headed and if I was on parole (!), and
> then just sent me on my way. He was very civil, but the whole thing struck me as weird. I asked if
> some crime had happened in the last few minutes, but he said no, and that's when he came right out
> and told me about the profile.
>
> A sweaty guy wearing an iPod and headphones on a bike fits a profile? And I was on the home
> stretch of my ride against a hefty head wind, so I way just tooling along pretty leisurly.
>
> Anyone else have this happen? It didn't even strike me as odd initially. I thought I just had a
> good little cycling tale, but it seems odder and odder the more I think about it.

If you had your number safety-pinned on your jersey, the cop might have pulled you over due to
"racing profiling."

M

 

[Bgaudet0801]

"Rich Clark" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> "Quiet Desperation" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:230820032036177372%[email protected]...
> > I was pulled over by a police car on Friday while biking on my day off.
> >
> > My only crime was I fit a local profile of a solitary man riding a bike during the day on a
> > work week.
>
> Well, wearing headphones while operating a vehicle is illegal most places.
> >
> > The officer checked by ID,
>
> And because of the headphones, he had you. Police can demand
identification
> of someone suspected of or in the process of committing a crime. Not otherwise. Of course, making
> a stand on this issue can result in great unpleasantness.

What if you aren't carrying ID? I often do not. It's not a matter of making a stand. It's just a
matter of not carrying something I don't need and thus don't have to worry about losing.

I did have a cop-stop experience:

I admit it. I ran a red light. It was going straight through a T intersection early Sunday morning.
I saw the cop car a fair distance ahead of me . I figured; 'what are the odds that he would be
looking back?' Well he was.

He gave me the standard: 'Have to follow the rules. It's still counts as demerits against your
licence.' He did ask for ID which I told him I didn't have and that I don't have licence - which
left him a bit flustered. [who _doesn't_ have a licence???]. But I was suitably meek and
apologetic. I didn't cop an attitude and he let me go with a warning.

Oh, and as far as committing crimes on bikes: One town over from Guelph; [Cambridge] there is an
apparent cycling pervert who passes women on his bike and sets him self up at a park bench so that
the women.... errrrr.... come upon him doing rude things to himself.

I can't recall for sure but weren't police in Ottawa looking for a suspect on a bike after the
cycling student from U of Waterloo killed?

 

[Zippy The Pinhe]

On Sun, 24 Aug 2003 12:34:27 -0400, "Rich Clark" <[email protected]> wrote:

>> I was pulled over by a police car on Friday while biking on my day off.

>
>Where were you when this happened?

On his bicycle, but that's not important right now...