Originally Posted by JohnCub
It doesn't really go to show that cops can do whatever they want. It shows that there are laws and as vehicles we too must follow them.
I agree. If these are actual laws where you are, like "bikes must have a horn" then your bad. If there's no such law then just show up, point that out to the judge, and you should walk on that charge.
The "failing to identify self" - did you get in the cop's face and refuse to ID, or were you just not carrying ID? That may be beatable too depending on the law about carrying ID when riding or just being in public where you are.
Where I am, a bell is required. So I spent $3 at k-mart and put on a bell. I never use it, but it doesn't bother me to have it on.
As far as failing to stop at a red light, if that's true then that's ALL your bad. I might do a rolling stop at a stopsign on a back alley with no cars in sight, but not on a main road, and at a stoplight, I stop and wait like everyone else.
Sounds like a perfectly valid pullover for running a red light, followed by giving a cop grief.
The truth is, cops MUST maintain control of every interaction they're in, they MUST NOT allow people to get away with giving them a hard time. That's just a fact of life brought on by the kinds of crap they have to deal with. When I get pulled over, I treat the cop like a person, talk with them, and do not get defensive. Maybe in other areas cops are automatic bad guys, but I've never felt I was being abused by a cop. Of course, most of the time when I'm talking to them it's just casual conversation or asking them a question, not being pulled over. If you always think of the cops as guys who are just waiting for an excuse to get you, and always avoid them, never talk to them unless they pull you over, then when you do have to deal with them, you'll be defensive and nervous, which will be a bad start to what will probably be a bad encounter.