.......on the way home from work, heading back from the beach.
I was just past the draw-bridge and heading down at a good clip, about 300 feet after the road became flat again, I was buzzed by a shiny new black corvette. I failed my bird test and gave him the double birdies.
about 500 feet ahead, he pulls over, gets out of the car and flags me over.
I had my cell phone open and already had 911 dialed when I noticed that he was a police officer... at this point the conversation goes like this:
Officer (yelling): You need to be in the bike lane. If you were in the bike lane you wouldnt have to do this " gives me both birdies right back at me in my face"..
Officer: You need to be in the bike lane where you belong !
Officer: You need to be 18 inches from the side of the road.
Me: I did not see any bike lane signs posted anywhere, or indicated on the side of the road.
Officer: This is a bike lane, points at the 24 inch space between the right side fog line and the dirt.
Me: Sorry.
He gets in his car and I pass him on the left while he is parked in the " bike lane " .
I get into the " bike lane " and let him pass me.
This unmarked bike lane ends about 1000 meters after this location... so then I got right back into the road (about 3 feet in) where I normally ride on this road and continue on my way....
:eek:
The BikeForums Team
-adv-
This is an archived thread, you can find the full version of this thread, with images, links and more content here.
Did you get his name or his badge number? If so, that cop just gave you the double birds!
Da Tinker
If it ain't marked, it ain't a bike lane. Plus, the AASHTO standard for a bike lane is 4 feet minimum.
fordfasterr
Did you get his name or his badge number? If so, that cop just gave you the double birds!
As I have posted here before, I am weary of lone police officers. This guy obviously hates cyclists and I am not about to get into a shouting mach or anything like that. I would have snapped a shot of his plate, but then he would have noticed and who knows what he could have done to me.
This particular officer is very distinctive, and so is his personal vehicle. He may not have been from the area for all I know but I did not get any of his personal information OR his tag #.
Personally, I think this was a fluke.
I accepted the double bird as given. ( and so did he). :p
fordfasterr
If it ain't marked, it ain't a bike lane. Plus, the AASHTO standard for a bike lane is 4 feet minimum.
It would have been great to know every single bit of information to argue with him about it.. The point is that when you encounter a lone police officer on a long stretch of road with nobody around for 1/2 a mile... it is best to just take the punches and roll with it than to try to pick a fight....
The police officer is always right.... I had no interest in making him any angrier, or possibly having him arrest me on some made-up charges that he so easily could have done at any time.
noisebeam
Does FL has a mandatory BL use law? (of which this was clearly not one anyway)
It does have a new 3ft passing law. ;) (which may not be in effect yet)
Al
fordfasterr
Does FL has a mandatory BL use law? (of which this was clearly not one anyway)
It does have a new 3ft passing law. ;) (which may not be in effect yet)
Al
I don't know for sure, but as mentioned earlier, there were no posted signs or painted markings on the road indicating that the small bit of space between the fog line and the dirt was a bike lane....
Also, the officer did break the law when he buzzed me...
CrosseyedCrickt
If I read your post correctly, this was a police officer, off duty in his uniform, driving his personal vehicle?
If that's the case then **** him! Nothing, and I mean nothing pisses me off more than power drunk lifer cops. I got into a fistfight with an off duty cop at a bar once. After kicking the **** out of him, in a fight he started (I had witnesses), he actually tried to arrest me. That was funny, a drunk cop with a bloody face flashing his badge at you. That was 10 years ago and I have never trusted a cop since, I don't care if he has a halo floating over his head.
The only reason people become cops is so that they have percieved immunity from the law. I actually witnessed a cop pulling over a drunk driver, then letting him go because he was another cop. I was sitting on the tailgate of my truck no more than 15 feet from the both of them and heard the conversation. They always cover for each other. I hung out in bars alot when I was younger. These guys would get piss faced drunk together, then you'd see them walk out of the bar singularly with their keys in their hands.
For every good police officer there are 25 worthless cops.
And don't get me started on politicians!
Helmet Head
Even police officers can't/don't distinguish between narrow shoulders and bike "lanes". What percentage of the general public can do it do you think? 1%? I suppose police officer and motorist "education" is the answer here? :rolleyes:
Also, the existence of the concept of a "bike lane", and the cultural acceptance of it being a legitimate concept to segregate cyclists out of the way of motor traffic, is what even allows the officer to think and say things like, "You need to be in the bike lane where you belong !" (for all those who say it, imagine how many more there are that think it).
When I say bike lanes are evil, this is what I'm talking about.
It's not the bike lanes themselves, it's the very concept that's evil (to cyclists and cycling).
fordfasterr
.......
When I say bike lanes are evil, this is what I'm talking about.
It's not the bike lanes themselves, it's the very concept that's evil (to cyclists and cycling).
I mostly agree with your perception of bike lane evil-ness. :mad:
msheron
Was he in uniform and in his patrol car and on duty? If not he is at that time just an ordinary citizen like you and me.
fordfasterr
Was he in uniform and in his patrol car and on duty? If not he is at that time just an ordinary citizen like you and me.
He was in uniform, but in what appeared to be his personal vehicle.
.
msheron
If I read your post correctly, this was a police officer, off duty in his uniform, driving his personal vehicle?
If that's the case then **** him! Nothing, and I mean nothing pisses me off more than power drunk lifer cops. I got into a fistfight with an off duty cop at a bar once. After kicking the **** out of him, in a fight he started (I had witnesses), he actually tried to arrest me. That was funny, a drunk cop with a bloody face flashing his badge at you. That was 10 years ago and I have never trusted a cop since, I don't care if he has a halo floating over his head.
The only reason people become cops is so that they have percieved immunity from the law. I actually witnessed a cop pulling over a drunk driver, then letting him go because he was another cop. I was sitting on the tailgate of my truck no more than 15 feet from the both of them and heard the conversation. They always cover for each other. I hung out in bars alot when I was younger. These guys would get piss faced drunk together, then you'd see them walk out of the bar singularly with their keys in their hands.
For every good police officer there are 25 worthless cops.
And don't get me started on politicians!
You are totally wrong and off base. Walk a mile in an officers shoes or a day on his patrol then post here. For every bad cop there are 25 good one's! Would you rush into a building with a gunman in your present situation and job to help someone you don't know and risk your life? I doubt very seriously. I am not defending a cop here and I think this guy who has a job as a cop may very well be a dick. But that is no reason to generalize all police officers as 25 to 1 as bad. I hope someday you really need one and see just how a job so thankless there will be a stranger willing to give his life to save your's!
sgtsmile
@OP: Couple things come to mind: how did you know he was a cop? Was he in uniform? My way of looking at it is if he is in a personal car, not in uniform, and says he is a cop, he aint a cop. Unless he can produce evidence to the contrary, he aint a cop. Also, buzzing you is illegal (already said) and for a cop, acting such as he did by flipping you off he displays a) childish immaturity (yes yes, it can be argued that you did to BUT you were pissed cause someone almost killed ya, what is his excuse?) and b) an alarming lack of professionalism.
EDIT: question answered already.
@HH: Cops do not know traffic laws any better than anyone else actually. Spooky, but if they way they drive here is any indication, they have no idea of what the highway laws are. SOME Cops here tailgate, make illegal dangerous lane changes, speed wrecklessly, and then hand out tickets for the same. Enough to drive you mental.
msheron
He was in uniform, but in what appeared to be his personal vehicle.
.
Then he is off duty I would highly say. Either going to or leaving. Just a citizen at that time. But still a dick for doing you that way. And yes, I am a police officer!
Dr.Deltron
Was he in uniform and in his patrol car and on duty? If not he is at that time just an ordinary citizen like you and me.
And just in case, I always cycle with my buddies...
SMITH & WESSON!:D
(their "badge" number?...629!)
CrosseyedCrickt
You are totally wrong and off base. Walk a mile in an officers shoes or a day on his patrol then post here. For every bad cop there are 25 good one's! Would you rush into a building with a gunman in your present situation and job to help someone you don't know and risk your life? I doubt very seriously. I am not defending a cop here and I think this guy who has a job as a cop may very well be a dick. But that is no reason to generalize all police officers as 25 to 1 as bad. I hope someday you really need one and see just how a job so thankless there will be a stranger willing to give his life to save your's!
Would you rush into a building with a gunman in your present situation and job to help someone you don't know and risk your life?
No, because that is not my job. That is not the CHOICE I made for myself. That is not what I get paid to do nor what I want to do. Though I have been stabbed while defending a person I didn't know, does that mean I am purer than Caesars wife? Taking that job and putting themselves in those situations are THEIR CHOICES and I have no pitty for a person who makes choices that cause them potential harm. They aren't born into that service, they chose to, and they can leave it at any momentI've learned alot from my mistakes, mostly on how the legal system works and have had run ins with many cops and police officers, and out of 50 of them only 2 have been worth a crap.
I feel I can generalize them... why? Because it's my opinion, I might be a little off, but that is still my opinion.
I'm sure there were some good folks in the German military in the 1940's too. But there are plenty of people in places such as Poland that are very happy that the rest of the world generalized them with the rest of the *******s.
CrosseyedCrickt
SOME Cops here tailgate, make illegal dangerous lane changes, speed wrecklessly, and then hand out tickets for the same.
Yeah, there should be a law against being a hypocrite for any government official, and have it be enforced. That would definately help clean up the country I live in.
fordfasterr
Yeah, there should be a law against being a hypocrite for any government official, and have it be enforced. That would definately help clean up the country I live in.
lol, how would the cop catch the speeding law breaker if he didn't speed aswell ?
LOL
Anyway - off topic.
CrosseyedCrickt
lol, how would the cop catch the speeding law breaker if he didn't speed aswell ?
LOL
Anyway - off topic.
quite a conundrum we have here then
hmmm.....lol
anyhow, enough off topic stuff here, in danger of hi-jacking this thread
and I'm too drunk and too sleepy to keep going
sgtsmile
lol, how would the cop catch the speeding law breaker if he didn't speed aswell ?
LOL
Anyway - off topic.
An officer speeding on a call with lights going is not the same as an officer being lazy and breaking the rules because they feel like it when not on a call. There is a world of difference.
fordfasterr
An officer speeding on a call with lights going is not the same as an officer being lazy and breaking the rules because they feel like it when not on a call. There is a world of difference.
Maybe to normal citizens like you and me there is... but not to them.
I have police officer friends (even ones that go way back to high school) that I talk to all the time and I know how it really is.... In a way, cops are on duty ALL THE TIME.
In my case however, I think he just happens to be an anti-cyclist.
. :eek:
noisebeam
In just about every profession, and more so for publicly visible ones, ones conduct on or off the job refects on ones employer and profession, like it or not. There are even legal consequences tied to the employer/employee relationship that don't distingish betwen working vs. non working hours.
Obvious examples include actors, judges, politicians, teachers, CEOs... perhaps slightly less obvious include engineers, managers...
Al
sentinel4675
crosseyed,
You sure seem to know a lot about cops. I've been a cop for over 16 years and didn't get into it to get a "perceived immunity from the law." I got in to it to try and make a difference in life. I think I have done it despite someone like you trying to knock us down no matter what. Are there bad cops? Heck yes, we still hire from the human race last I knew. I guess if I said all cyclists were in it to be jerks and show who was the boss, that would get you mad and rightly is should.
Maybe because you are crosseyed, you don't see things straight.
sentinel4675
msheron,
I can't speak for Florida law, but in Indiana, I can make a traffic stop by EITHER being in a marked police car or I can even be in my personal car, but have to be in full uniform. I've never stopped someone while In uniform in my own car, but legally, I can. Boy, some on this board really hate cops. Pretty sad actually.
CrosseyedCrickt
Boy, some on this board really hate cops.Not all, just the ones who abuse the power that I, as a tax paying citizen, have given them. And no matter how small an act they perform, everyone I have encountered has done it.
* I've been pulled over by a drunk sheriff.
* I've been beaten, unprovoked might I add, by two cops because in high school I broke one of their sisters hearts
* I've been ticketed for leaving my keys in a parked vehicle, LEAVING MY KEYS IN A PARKED VEHICLE!!!!
*I watch them all the time flashing their lights to go thru red lights only to turn them off as soon as they get thru and then see them a mile later driving casually when I catch up to them
* I was pulled over once as a kid, forcefully pulled out of my car and two cops tore my car apart looking for drugs. They never asked me my name or for my license. When I asked what it was about the mexican cop put his hand on my face, shoved me to the ground, and told me I didn't have the right to know, all while I was cuffed. Later, after a state cop saw them and stopped by did I find out that they thought I was someone else. They just left me there with my cars interior torn all to ****.
I could go on and on like this, but why. Maybe you're a good cop, maybe your a bad one who thinks they are good, I don't know... don't really care either. You get bitten by every dog you come across and sooner or later you begin to think all dogs are bad.
I've deserved alot of things I've gotten in my life, deserved most of the ass kickings I've recieved, I'll admit that. But none of that has influenced my opinion on the police.
And I see things straight just fine, only thru the eyes of a betrayed man.
Blue Order
Even police officers can't/don't distinguish between narrow shoulders and bike "lanes". What percentage of the general public can do it do you think? 1%? I suppose police officer and motorist "education" is the answer here? :rolleyes:
Also, the existence of the concept of a "bike lane", and the cultural acceptance of it being a legitimate concept to segregate cyclists out of the way of motor traffic, is what even allows the officer to think and say things like, "You need to be in the bike lane where you belong !" (for all those who say it, imagine how many more there are that think it).
When I say bike lanes are evil, this is what I'm talking about.
It's not the bike lanes themselves, it's the very concept that's evil (to cyclists and cycling).:lol:
Blue Order
<snip> Nothing, and I mean nothing pisses me off more than power drunk lifer cops. I got into a fistfight with an off duty cop at a bar once. After kicking the **** out of him, in a fight he started (I had witnesses), he actually tried to arrest me. That was funny, a drunk cop with a bloody face flashing his badge at you. <snip>
You are totally wrong and off base. Walk a mile in an officers shoes or a day on his patrol then post here. <snip> A few years back, here in Portland, two off duty, out of uniform cops were in a club, and started harassing some guy who was dancing because he was gay. So the gay guy left, and they followed him outside, still harassing him. I don't remember if the gay guy told them to F- off, but i *think* that's what happened. The next thing you know, the two off-duty cops were smashing his face through a plate glass window. Some people watching stepped forward to intervene, and sure enough, the cops pulled out their badges and told everybody to back off.
I don't think all cops are a-holes, but I don't think all cops should be carrying a badge and a gun, either. And you know what other cops do about the bad apples on the force? They cover for them. The Blue Wall. Just like the mob's "Omerta."
DieselDan
Dirty lying corrupt cops? I watched three lie under oath on the witness stand. I was on a jury of a DUI, and what the officers said was contridicted by the video tape they were using to try and hang a US Marine DI. We aquitted him.
Want more corruption? I was stopped early on a Sunday morning on my way to work. The officer's excuse? I was driving just below the speed limit (My speedometer reads +2) alone on a 4 lane road. When I told him I was driving the posted speed limit to not get a ticket, he stated I was then trying to HIDE from law enforcement. Goddammed Republicans. My vehicle was searched, and he mistook a pedal wrench as a coke spoon. We're still sorting out that lawsuit.
Also, in these parts, flipping the bird is consirded disorderly public conduct.
fordfasterr
Dirty lying corrupt cops? I watched three lie under oath on the witness stand. I was on a jury of a DUI, and what the officers said was contridicted by the video tape they were using to try and hang a US Marine DI. We aquitted him.
Want more corruption? I was stopped early on a Sunday morning on my way to work. The officer's excuse? I was driving just below the speed limit (My speedometer reads +2) alone on a 4 lane road. When I told him I was driving the posted speed limit to not get a ticket, he stated I was then trying to HIDE from law enforcement. Goddammed Republicans. My vehicle was searched, and he mistook a pedal wrench as a coke spoon. We're still sorting out that lawsuit.
Also, in these parts, flipping the bird is consirded disorderly public conduct.
Wow !! I hope things work out for you.
BTW: What do you call unsafely overtaking a bicycle, then getting out of the car and telling him to get into the non-existant bike lane?
sentinel4675
Still sad, some of you think all cops are bad. Do you realize that there are hundreds of thousands of police officers who work every day and you never hear about them. You only hear about the vast minority who screw up. I have no problem with bad cops paying the price, they make my job that much harder. So far today, Thursday, there were 3 officers killed in the line of duty that I have heard about. Two were in Ohio and a third in Florida.
Blue Order
I was pretty clear that i don't think all cops are bad.
But anybody who thinks there aren't bad cops has his/her head in the sand. And almost ALL cops, good and bad, cover for the bad ones. You know that as well as anybody, i would think.
Wino Ryder
. So far today, Thursday, there were 3 officers killed in the line of duty that I have heard about. Two were in Ohio and a third in Florida.
The one in Florida happened right here in my county. A Polk County sheriff's deputy (k-9) and his dog were shot and killed by some idiot they chased into the woods. Whats really sad is it was the deputy's wife's bithday.
Oh man, I feel so sorry for her and their three kids.
Carusoswi
Still sad, some of you think all cops are bad. Do you realize that there are hundreds of thousands of police officers who work every day and you never hear about them. You only hear about the vast minority who screw up. I have no problem with bad cops paying the price, they make my job that much harder. So far today, Thursday, there were 3 officers killed in the line of duty that I have heard about. Two were in Ohio and a third in Florida.
Few of us think ALL cops are bad. We just know that few cops, good or bad, will turn in the bad ones. That point has been presented a couple of times in this thread, but, you have not addressed it, sentinel. So, do you think it is ok that bad cops should get away with breaking the law because their fellow officers are reluctant to arrest or turn them in?
I am good at my job, too. No one hears about it, either. You only read about those who abused their positions, steal corporate funds, perform illegal acts. Personally, policemen(women) get a fair share of good press - I hear about how police risk their lives in the line of duty all the time. The catch phrases are never far off the tip of the tongue. No such phrases are available to describe what I do in my work - and I am just as dedicated to it as you are to your job.
Why don't you be candid with us for a moment and tell us your personal experience with bad cops. Have you ever observed any, ever report any, ever failed to report any law-violating men(women) in blue?
This cop was definitely out of line, and the OP was wise to avoid further confrontation.
On more than one occasion, I have been issued speeding tickets that I did not deserve - I wasn't speeding, checked my speed when I saw the cop coming in the opposite lane, and, still, he pulled me over and cited me for speeding - when I protested, he told me, with a sly grin, to tell it to the judge.
I definitely know some very good cops, but there are definitely plenty of bad ones, as well. Here in PA, there was a spate of outright sexual harassment cases involving state troopers who were intimidating motorists into having sex in patrol cars and at the barracks, viewing porn videos at the barracks, etc.
Unfortunately, only bad news makes the news these days, so, the bad guys color perception for all the good guys. That's just the way it is.
Caruso
pfe
It's okay, I got a ticket for passing cars in the left lane the other day when they were going slower than me. $115. I guess the law is here that you always have to be in the right lane...even when turning left! Woooo!
digger
Just to add my own $0.02 worth:
Two of my uncles are police officers. One is retired RCMP the other OPP. Both have stated to me, in front of their wives, who agree with them, that they just hate black people, especially Jamaicans. Apparently they cause nothing but trouble and have admitted that they've been a tad...rough when arresting.
The uncle who is OPP regularly carries his badge when off duty (fair enough, I would too) but will drive as fast as he possibly can everywhere he goes. If he gets pulled over he just shows that badge and off he goes. I don't care if he is a police officer and trained in high speed maneuvers, it is unsafe do drive excessively fast (140 in a 100!). He is still human after all and prone to errors like the rest of us, plus roadways are unpredictable and things happen fast.
I recently became a CAN Bike (http://www.canadian-cycling.com/English/programs/canbike/canintro.htm) Instructor (same as LAB), on that course there were 3 police officers. I was glad to see it, let me tell you. I asked one of them what I should do when being harassed by motorists as I have had no luck with police in the past. One of them said "ah just give 'em the finger" Oh that's really nice. His wife is a city councilor who is a bike advocate, by the way. I told him, no I don't do that because that only escalates the situation and he should know better. He laughed.
As to harassment while cycling, one time I called the police and described how someone tossed something at me. Conversation went like this:
PO: Was anyone killed?
me: No
PO: Was anyone hurt?
me: No
PO: Was there any property damage?
me: well.....no
PO: Then there is nothing we can do.
I hung up. Jerk. Could at least paid him a visit, what if he actually kills someone next time? Comforting to know that they'll actually do something when it's too late.
During a bike advocacy meeting (this was a committee rewriting the bicycle section in the drivers Ed handbook) a police officer on the meeting said - "you do realize", she said with great authority, "that bikes are to be as far right as POSSIBLE?"
I pulled out the Nova Scotia MVA slide it across the table and asked her to read the highlighted section:
No person shall ride a bicycle on a highway except as near as practicable to the right of the main traveled portion of the highway and no person shall ride a bicycle abreast of or generally parallel to another bicycle in motion on the highway except for the purpose of passing any such other bicycle. R.S., c. 293, s. 171; revision corrected.
"To me", I said, "that means I stay far right unless my safety is compromised and it is the responsibility of motorists to PASS WHEN SAFE, shall I reference you to THAt section also"
Rarely have I called the police to report harassment/assault and every time I tell them I was on a bike when it happened, the tone of the voice changes to imply that I deserved it.
In my opinion, I treat police with respect and with caution.
msheron
So much negativity here that this will be my last post. And to crosseyes..............yes we make a decision to become officers and for a vast majority it is to make a difference. There are no thanks for breaking up the domestics and preventing a homicide; no thanks for saving your kid when a gunman takes them hostage (just criticism for not acting fast enough or acting too quick); no thanks for taking the drunk driver off the road before they hit your family head on; and I could go on. Only of the hundreds of thousands there are like stated earlier in a post, you hear of the bad ones. Why? That's news. Not the good things the thousands do daily. So crosseyes, yes I made my decision like one could say Tillman made his to go to Iraq when he had a plush NFL carrer. As far as the bad things that happened to you by cops, I suspect you earned it maybe with your attitude, but if not, I apologize for those officers. In my agency we don't protect fellow officers, wrong is wrong my friend and that is as simple as I can put it. Like I said, go one day and see what it is like. I forgot, was not your choice to do so.
sentinel4675
carusowi,
I think bad cops are a blight to law enforcement. I have testified in Federal court against some dirty cops, maybe that answers you inquiry about what I do with bad cops. I've worked my butt off in my career to make law enforcement positive in whatever I do. I am very proud to be a law enforcement professional and would lay down my life without a second thought to save others. I've never said everyone on this board is anti-cop, just some. I've learned a long time ago there are 3 sides to every story; yours, his and the truth.
slagjumper
I know that many cop-oaths entail "upholding the law" even when off duty. That is, if they see illegal behavior they are supposed to intervene as if on duty.
A friend who's father was chief of police in a local municipality used to say, " If you really want to be a cop, you probably should not be one."
I know of a case where a municipal on duty cop pulled a friend over for riding in the street. The cop proceeded to make him dump his bags and finally the cop warned him to, "never let me see you riding on the street again."
Last year I posted if anyone had received a ticket for cycling in Pittsburgh. There where 2 and one of those was given by an off duty cop. Both cyclists admitted that they had broken the law.
Seems like off duty time is when some officers can “take charge” and do things that they feel strongly about, like berate and harass cyclists, even though that might not be officially approved as part of their enforcement duties. Some might even view that as a perk of the job, along with “professional courtesy”, like being let go for driving without registration.
The Human Car
Excuse me officer but just to be clear, are you telling me the law requires me to ride my bike in an unsafe manner and on something that does not meet federal safety standards?
OH306
<snip>Goddammed Republicans.<snip>
??? I suppose George Bush sent them out there to get you ???
mparker326
I know it is sometimes hard to do, but you need to stop the one fingered salutes. Even if you are mad, it justs makes other people want to do crazy things. Is it worth getting run over because you are mad?
N_C
If you hadn't flipped the double birdie he probably would not have stopped. Next time ride in the travel lane if you wish but keep your hands on the handle bars, not in the air flipping people off.
Also if he was off duty he may not have had cause to have you pull over, you may want to check with your city hall to find out. Unless it was really obvious he was a officer you probably could have went around him.
I would have doubts as to the validity to his statements about the distance you need to be from the edge of the road.
It also sounds like this cop is on a power trip that was triggered by your actions, like that never happens, right sentinel?
Bottom line here though is keep your fingers to yourself when being passed, even if it is too close. It could have avoided this situation.
I would also advocate for obvious markings regarding the BL & find out if it is indeed a law or ordinance that cyclists have to use the BL. If it is not the officer should have known this & had no cause to pull you over. Flipping people the bird is not illegal, just rude.
Bikepacker67
The point is that when you encounter a lone police officer on a long stretch of road with nobody around for 1/2 a mile... it is best to just take the punches and roll with it than to try to pick a fight....
So it'd be a bad idea to go "Oink"?
ItsJustMe
"To me", I said, "that means I stay far right unless my safety is compromised and it is the responsibility of motorists to PASS WHEN SAFE, shall I reference you to THAt section also"
So, did she concede the point, or just grunt and continue believing what she wanted to?
CrosseyedCrickt
Two wrongs don't make a right.
Three lefts do.
Paul L.
So much negativity here that this will be my last post. And to crosseyes..............yes we make a decision to become officers and for a vast majority it is to make a difference. There are no thanks for breaking up the domestics and preventing a homicide; no thanks for saving your kid when a gunman takes them hostage (just criticism for not acting fast enough or acting too quick); no thanks for taking the drunk driver off the road before they hit your family head on; and I could go on. Only of the hundreds of thousands there are like stated earlier in a post, you hear of the bad ones. Why? That's news. Not the good things the thousands do daily. So crosseyes, yes I made my decision like one could say Tillman made his to go to Iraq when he had a plush NFL carrer. As far as the bad things that happened to you by cops, I suspect you earned it maybe with your attitude, but if not, I apologize for those officers. In my agency we don't protect fellow officers, wrong is wrong my friend and that is as simple as I can put it. Like I said, go one day and see what it is like. I forgot, was not your choice to do so.
Well, true heroic deeds should not be done necessarily for an expected thank you. But anyway. Thanks for all you do msheron, and heck, thanks to Sentinal too. I have been pulled over by many good officers and have to say the good outnumber the bad in my experience. Anytime power is given to anyone, there is the chance that that power/authority will eventually go to their head. I salute the ones who are able to keep it in check. I don't defend cop haters or bad cops but contend that before you cast the first stone at the whole establishment, look at your own tendencies when you have been given authority and what you did with it. If you have never been given authority..... well, I will let you decide if you have any legs to stand on. Heck, even the FBI took 20 years to catch their last bad guy and he killed dozens of people in Russia over the years by outing their identities. It is not always so easy to catch a person abusing power unless they were wired with tape recorders for the length of their shift. At least the police around here seem to be bicycle friendly, so maybe it is all dependant on your locale and local police department culture.
sgtsmile
So much negativity here that this will be my last post. And to crosseyes..............yes we make a decision to become officers and for a vast majority it is to make a difference. There are no thanks for breaking up the domestics and preventing a homicide; no thanks for saving your kid when a gunman takes them hostage (just criticism for not acting fast enough or acting too quick); no thanks for taking the drunk driver off the road before they hit your family head on; and I could go on. Only of the hundreds of thousands there are like stated earlier in a post, you hear of the bad ones. Why? That's news. Not the good things the thousands do daily. So crosseyes, yes I made my decision like one could say Tillman made his to go to Iraq when he had a plush NFL carrer. As far as the bad things that happened to you by cops, I suspect you earned it maybe with your attitude, but if not, I apologize for those officers. In my agency we don't protect fellow officers, wrong is wrong my friend and that is as simple as I can put it. Like I said, go one day and see what it is like. I forgot, was not your choice to do so.
At the risk of sounding trite: thank you.
A lot of people that work for the bettermet of the public good get tarred with the same brush that those who hold the same jobs get tarred with when they do something illegal or unprofessional. Sadly, we live in a society that considers ignoring the good actions of the majority (except for low priority feel good human interest stories that are written as stories and not "news") while focusing on the poor actions of the few. This gives the reader a moral right to be "superior" and allows for some good old fashion lynching without the need to get tar on your fingers. Isnt trial by press a wonderful thing? Guilty by accusation I say! Who needs that reputation anyway! Cause you see, once a person is named in a newpaper article in connection with dirty cops, unethical doctors or teachers, they are ruined since the "oops we got it wrong" portion of the story when a person is found innocent almost NEVER makes the front page, and is mentioned once if then at all. Sometimes I really do not like people much...
sentinel4675
Well put Sgtsmile.
Bikepacker67
Anytime power is given to anyone, there is the chance that that power/authority will eventually go to their head.
I contest that many of the folks who naturally gravitate to positions of power and authority are precisely the type of sociopaths that should be screened from those vocations.