Commuting - reporting drivers to police

i saw this and was glad that the police used a HISTORY of events to help their case. just a reminder if you come accross an aggressive cager, phone them in! if something unfortunately happens to a cyclist similar to this case, it would be great to have a history of reports by other drivers cyclists! be safe!


http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_4313620,00.html

Six weeks before the fatal accident, on Sept. 23, the patrol notified Reynolds by mail that he had been reported numerous times for dangerous driving.
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Driver held in E-470 deaths
First-degree murder charges urged in Nov. road rage case


December 14, 2005
A Parker man with a history of aggressive driving has been arrested on two counts of first-degree murder in an alleged road rage accident that killed two men in November.
Jason Reynolds, 32, is suspected of causing an accident on E-470 that killed Kelvin Norman, 50, a well- known soccer coach, and Greg Boss, 35, a special agent for the Postal Service.

Even as Colorado State Patrol officers prepared to arrest Reynolds on Monday evening, they saw him driving recklessly again - cutting off a car and nearly causing an accident on E-470 near Quincy Avenue, said Trooper Kelly Pickering.

"He nearly struck an unmarked patrol car," Pickering said.

Immediately after the November accident, Reynolds was "irritated and indifferent," according to reports released Tuesday.

"I hope it doesn't seem mean, but he got what he (Norman) deserved and what he had coming," Reynolds told a tow-truck driver, according to an arrest affidavit.

The affidavit gave this account:

Norman was driving a Toyota 4Runner westbound on E-470 when Reynolds began tailgating and flashing the headlights of his Jeep Wrangler behind Norman to get him to move over.

After Norman changed lanes to allow Reynolds to pass, Reynolds pulled in front of Norman and slammed on his brakes. Witnesses told police that Norman swerved to the left to avoid hitting the Jeep, then overcorrected to the right, hitting the left rear tire on Reynolds' Jeep.

The collision sent Norman's Toyota careening into oncoming traffic, where it landed upside-down on a Ford Explorer driven by Boss.

Reynolds told police he accidentally caused the Jeep to brake suddenly when half of his boot caught the brake pedal as he was shifting. He also said Norman intentionally sideswiped his Jeep.

But the Colorado State Patrol had already flagged Reynolds' alleged reckless driving.

Six weeks before the fatal accident, on Sept. 23, the patrol notified Reynolds by mail that he had been reported numerous times for dangerous driving.

Trooper Don Enloe said it was the first time in his 12 1/2 years on the force that he has seen first-degree murder charges recommended in a road rage case.

Denver defense attorney Scott Robinson said the charge is unusual in a case where the weapon is a car, but he believes there have been first-degree murder charges in road rage cases involving a shooting.

"Everybody has their own deadly weapons," Robinson said.

According to the arrest affidavit released Tuesday, Reynolds was involved in 13 traffic offenses from April 1994 to May 2004.

Before the double fatality in November, Reynolds was allegedly a party to six incidents in 2005. Four of those involved reckless driving and one involved threatening another driver. In another, Reynolds allegedly fired pepper spray at a neighbor.

Reynolds was in a car accident on Jan. 4 on Parker Road in which he was rear-ended after stopping suddenly and for no reason, witnesses told investigators.

He was reported on July 5 and Sept. 9 in similar reckless driving incidents in which he allegedly pulled ahead of a vehicle he'd been tailgating and then slammed on his brakes.

On July 6, he was arrested for intentionally ramming another car in Douglas County.

He is scheduled to be sentenced today in that case.

A witness to the July 5 incident e-mailed a statement to police that read: "This man is going to kill someone if he continues to drive like this!!!"

Reynolds could face life in prison with no chance of parole if convicted, said Arapahoe County District Attorney Carol Chambers.

"This type of tragedy is so unnecessary," Chambers said.

"I don't think when Mr. Reynolds got in his car that day, he thought he'd be involved in this type of situation."

In addition to the first-degree murder counts, the State Patrol is recommending that Reynolds be charged with two counts of vehicular homicide and two charges of committing a crime of violence, which allow for enhanced punishment.

The families of the two men who were killed in the November accident declined requests for interviews.

A statement released by the Boss family on Tuesday said they trust the legal system to handle the case and that Greg Boss' death will not be in vain.

"Greg was an innocent victim of senseless road rage," the statement read. "Wrongdoers must be held accountable for their actions, and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."

Boss served as a special agent for the U.S. Postal Service for five years.

Norman was known for his Kick Soccer Camp and for his stint as a Colorado semipro soccer player in the 1980s.

He also played professional soccer in England and on a variety of soccer teams in Colorado, including the Colorado Comets. The United Soccer League named him the team's most valuable player in 1989, when his team won the championship.

Police said they found no fault in Norman's driving.

"There is nothing more severe than when people get angry" while driving, Chambers said.

"They need to stop and think . . . there are very serious consequences."



prietob@RockyMountainNews.com 303-892-5219

I saw this on 9news last night. Scary looking guy. Scary incidents. I'd hate to see what would happen if this fool happened upon a cyclist.

I need to find these phone numbers to report careless driving and\or road rage. I was right hooked the other day by a SUV and am still annoyed. Actually, almost right hooked. I barely avoid her rear bumper. Scared the crap out of me.

Funny. Six weeks before he killed two people, the police sent him a letter. "You've been very naughty. Please drive safer!"

Is it just me, or does anyone else think that might have just pissed him off that much more?

It is good to know that police will actually file and use those reports. I have always figured that the person taking the call is just doodling away on a pad, pretending to take down the information. This guy should get life, and they should only let him out of the walls to pick up trash on the highway!

I need to find these phone numbers to report careless driving and\or road rage. I was right hooked the other day by a SUV and am still annoyed. Actually, almost right hooked. I barely avoid her rear bumper. Scared the crap out of me.
I hate that crap. The effects of the intimidation linger for a long time. I wonder if there's a safe way to put a camera mounted on the handlebars to snap pictures of vehicles and license plates, because it's just too hard to think clearly and memorize a plate & vehicle description when you've just escaped a dangerous situation in one piece.

I hope the first degree murder charges stick and that he gets convicted and sentenced to the maximum penalty for the charges.


"I hope it doesn't seem mean, but he got what he (Norman) deserved and what he had coming," Reynolds told a tow-truck driver, according to an arrest affidavit. - He doesn't even know Norman and he's justifying his actions and the passing of an innocent life as something the guy deserved? I hope that's admitted into court during his trial.

I need to find these phone numbers to report careless driving and\or road rage. I was right hooked the other day by a SUV and am still annoyed. Actually, almost right hooked. I barely avoid her rear bumper. Scared the crap out of me.

Colorado State Patrol uses *277 for highway situations that do not warrant a 911 call. Road rage that doesn't immediately result in an accident, suspected DUI, etc. It's a free call from any cell phone.

I hate that crap. The effects of the intimidation linger for a long time. I wonder if there's a safe way to put a camera mounted on the handlebars to snap pictures of vehicles and license plates, because it's just too hard to think clearly and memorize a plate & vehicle description when you've just escaped a dangerous situation in one piece.

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=157772
Discussion of a bike cam.

Colorado State Patrol uses *277 for highway situations that do not warrant a 911 call. Road rage that doesn't immediately result in an accident, suspected DUI, etc. It's a free call from any cell phone.


Cool. Thanks for the info. However, I do not bike on freeways. :p
Does this work for a city like englewood? Or do you have to keep track of what city you are in and its associated phone number?

The one time I reported an aggressive driver - he rolled down the window, started cursing, and pointed a rifle at me - I stopped immediately ran to a phone, called 911, and made a report, including a description of the pickup and the license plate number. About an hour later, a Denver officer arrived at my house to take a report. He told me that certainly wouldn't be looking for the guy since I wasn't hurt.

Actually, that was the second time. The first time I was hit by a car in the park. When I recovered consciousness and returned from the hospital I called the police. An office came the next day to take a report. I couldn't remember a thing about the accident, except that I was told that I was laying in the middle of the road. My bike had a badly bent fork and the front wheel had been pushed back into the chainring. The officer, after glancing at the pieces of the bike (and me), said that I had probably gotten a wire from the road caught in the "sprocket [chainring]" and that caused the accident. He declined to take a report.

I'm not saying that my experience is representative.

The one time I reported an aggressive driver - he rolled down the window, started cursing, and pointed a rifle at me - I stopped immediately ran to a phone, called 911, and made a report, including a description of the pickup and the license plate number. About an hour later, a Denver officer arrived at my house to take a report. He told me that certainly wouldn't be looking for the guy since I wasn't hurt.

Actually, that was the second time. The first time I was hit by a car in the park. When I recovered consciousness and returned from the hospital I called the police. An office came the next day to take a report. I couldn't remember a thing about the accident, except that I was told that I was laying in the middle of the road. My bike had a badly bent fork and the front wheel had been pushed back into the chainring. The officer, after glancing at the pieces of the bike (and me), said that I had probably gotten a wire from the road caught in the "sprocket [chainring]" and that caused the accident. He declined to take a report.

I'm not saying that my experience is representative.

That is pretty bad.

Honolulu Police now take it one step farther. They try and avoid taking a report by telling victims that defended themselves during an assault or spat on a car from which a road rage driver was forcing a cyclist off the road; that the victim could also be arrested for assault or spitting (which is not illegal in Honolulu).

In traffic accidents now, if no one went to the hospital and damages are estimated by the police to be less than $3,000, Honolulu police will not even investigate the accident. The most they might do for you is fill out a carbon copy form with each drivers insurance information. By Honolulu police estimates, accidents almost never involve more than $3,000 of damages - yea right.

Even worse - because the State of Hawaii will not give the city a cut of the traffic citation fine (major fight between governors and mayors here) the city cut way back on the number of traffic tickets they write. You really have to pi$$ a cop off here to get a ticket nowadays. (Excludes the times when the federal government will give the city money for issuing “no seat belt” tickets. Then the cops are all over the place handing out seat belt tickets to make the quota.)

Makes me appreciate the state and city cops elsewhere, who do put in the effort to make the roads safer for everybody.

I'd hate to be a VC cyclist out in the middle of the lane on a 55mph road when this guy comes along... he'd make a hood ornament out of me! I'll stick to the shoulders and bike lanes and hope that he's locked up for life.

Cool. Thanks for the info. However, I do not bike on freeways. :p
Does this work for a city like englewood? Or do you have to keep track of what city you are in and its associated phone number?

I did say highways, not freeways, and I expect that the number would work on any Colorado state or US highway outside of city limits, where most of the law enforcement is done by CSP.

I keep the Summit County police/fire/ambulance dispatch number programmed into my phone for non-911 stuff around the county, I don't know how that would work in a more urban environment.

I hate that crap. The effects of the intimidation linger for a long time. I wonder if there's a safe way to put a camera mounted on the handlebars to snap pictures of vehicles and license plates, because it's just too hard to think clearly and memorize a plate & vehicle description when you've just escaped a dangerous situation in one piece.

Good point.

Today I was walking to work and I was almost run over by the Jeep. The driver said sorry(couldn't tell whether he was being sincere), but I was right in the middle of the road walking. There was plenty of space to go around me if he wanted too. I think I intentionally wanted to scare me out of the road.

I had my cell/camera phone on me, but the was shakened up so I didn't react fast enought to take a photo of his license plate.

Is there any small portable cameras that people use just to take photos of car license plates? It'll need zoom and a fast shutter.

That is pretty bad.

Honolulu Police now take it one step farther. They try and avoid taking a report by telling victims that defended themselves during an assault or spat on a car from which a road rage driver was forcing a cyclist off the road; that the victim could also be arrested for assault or spitting (which is not illegal in Honolulu).

In traffic accidents now, if no one went to the hospital and damages are estimated by the police to be less than $3,000, Honolulu police will not even investigate the accident. The most they might do for you is fill out a carbon copy form with each drivers insurance information. By Honolulu police estimates, accidents almost never involve more than $3,000 of damages - yea right.


Have the cyclist clubs in Honolulu raised a protest to the Police supervisors, chief, and so on? What about going to the mayor and city council people and.or media, if such outrageous behavior can be proven?

I did say highways, not freeways, and I expect that the number would work on any Colorado state or US highway outside of city limits, where most of the law enforcement is done by CSP.

I keep the Summit County police/fire/ambulance dispatch number programmed into my phone for non-911 stuff around the county, I don't know how that would work in a more urban environment.

highway freeway *shrugs* Same difference to me. I'm sure I am completely incorrect. :p

Anyways, I guess I could plug in the numbers for the counties I ride in. That would be Adams, Denver, Arapahoe, and occasionally Douglas. 3 counties in one day. ugh
Better than keeping track of the city numbers. Thornton, Northglenn, Denver, Englewood, Greenwood Village, and maybe several of those tiny cities stuck smack dab in the middle of the metro area that I have no clue about.
Time for some research.

In Missouri, we have a wonderful not-for-profit organization called the Missouri Bicycle Federation.

Here's one of their services for unruly drivers.

http://mobikefed.org/resources.html

In Missouri, we have a wonderful not-for-profit organization called the Missouri Bicycle Federation.

Here's one of their services for unruly drivers.

http://mobikefed.org/resources.html

Wow, that's nice. I wonder if other states have similar services?

"I hope it doesn't seem mean, but he got what he (Norman) deserved and what he had coming," Reynolds told a tow-truck driver, according to an arrest affidavit.

I hope it doesn't seem mean, but I hope Reynolds gets life without parole. And a large, sadistic cellmate. It's what he deserves and what he has coming.

On second thought, I don't care if seems mean.

And sometimes when you report a driver to the police, the police do nothing. See my other post:

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=160873

It's gratifying to see that other police services take these complaints seriously, log them and follow up with them. It seems that whenever I have contact with police here I get "It's not a priority. We'll send someone when and if a unit is available or we'll notify constables to drive by during routine patrol."

It's gratifying to see that other police services take these complaints seriously, log them and follow up with them. It seems that whenever I have contact with police here I get "It's not a priority. We'll send someone when and if a unit is available or we'll notify constables to drive by during routine patrol."

Even if it's not a priority, I would request that they at least log your information. That way if the guy does ever hurt you or someone else, you can establish a pattern of abuse.

Have the cyclist clubs in Honolulu raised a protest to the Police supervisors, chief, and so on? What about going to the mayor and city council people and.or media, if such outrageous behavior can be proven?
Proof is the problem. As it stands, it is my word against 2 different cops in 2 incidents.

Right now the Hawaii Bicycle League is working on projects that are a higher priority to me.

Besides, in both incidents, the bully drivers seemed to learn that their getting physical was a bad idea. They figured a 50+ old guy with some extra weight around the middle would be an easy mark to pump up their egos. Both were extremely surprised at my strength and realized they had now placed themselves at risk of getting their butts pounded. The first incident ended after the driver (about 28 years old) tried to push me off my bike a second time, I had a foot on the ground and was able to push him back about 5 feet. In the second incident, as I looked down to unclip my camelbak to get my cell phone out, the driver (about 25 years old) throw 3 punches to my head. I set my bike down and took a defensive stance. The driver stepped towards me to throw more punches, but I got a kick followed by 2 punches on the bully driver first. At that point he starts backing up yelling “stay out of my face, keep away, don’t come near me”.

And here I thought that my days of having to fight against bullies ended in the 9th grade. Sad that there are guys this old that think being a bully is cool.

Side note: bicycle commuters are in better shape and have much stronger legs than most bully drivers. Learn to kick and just about any of us can defend ourselves but you still have to watch out for those that are so impotent that they need a knife or gun to feel big.

To the good cops out there; thanks, we still support you guys and gals and don’t lump you in with the bad ones.

The one time I reported an aggressive driver - he rolled down the window, started cursing, and pointed a rifle at me - I stopped immediately ran to a phone, called 911, and made a report, including a description of the pickup and the license plate number. About an hour later, a Denver officer arrived at my house to take a report. He told me that certainly wouldn't be looking for the guy since I wasn't hurt.That's not just aggressive driving-- at the least, it's brandishing a weapon, perhaps even assault with a deadly weapon. I think it would be helpful in incidents like these when the police seem entirely disinterested in doing the job they're paid to do, to be armed with a knowledge of the law. So, for example, you could cite, by statute number, each of the violations of state law the guy committed, and the classification (misdemeanor, felony, etc.), as an aid for the cops to understand what the aggressive driver is up to. I think it would be more difficult, in this example, for a cop to say they're not going to be looking for a guy who committed assault with a firearm (I'm guessing that's a felony) than it would be for the cop to say they're not going to be looking for a guy who yelled at you.

At the least, we need to remember the point of this thread-- that creating a police record of a driver's conduct can be used as evidence in future incidents.

Side note: bicycle commuters are in better shape and have much stronger legs than most bully drivers. Learn to kick and just about any of us can defend ourselves but you still have to watch out for those that are so impotent that they need a knife or gun to feel big.


Plus, those of us who ride clipless also have an added defense in the form of cleats. Imagine getting kicked with a cleat. Ouch

I tried to tell everyone yesterday in my thread that some drivers don't care about cyclists's safety and they don't care if they run cyclists off the road or not, and people said that I was crazy for saying it.

I can't believe that cyclists actually think the cops are going to help them If you want anything done you have to do it yourself.

If someone tried to force me off the road or got aggressive, they would find something thrown through their windshields, the hell with waiting for the police to do something.

I have a 16 mile OW commute 5 of which is marked bike lane the remainder on the road. The morning people are pretty courteous and give me plenty of room. The evening people are much more agressive - in a hurry to get home I guess - and I have changed my route otherwise I would be getting into a fight every day.... It never dawns on these folks that you are going to catch them at the next light.

Nice to see them going after a driver.

Funny how that's not quite what happens when the killer behind the wheel is one of their own.

http://www.bikefriday.com/main.cfm?fuseaction=news.article&ID=532&Category=News

-Trevor

in NJ there is a phone # you can call to report agressive drivers....forget what it is at the moment. I'm sure other locales have a similar thing. I haven't used it yet, but I definitely will if/when I need to....