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Skyline Drive: First Time a Victim of Anti-Motorcycle Bias

Not the first-
40+ years ago while still on the M/C learner permit, I was pulled over by a registry officer and was harassed for a number of things including too many keys on my M/C keyring :scratch
I'd let it go.
OM
 
I was on Skyline Drive yesterday and had been about 100 yards behind a park ranger for around a mile. Then he pulled over, flipped on his lights, and gave me a lecture about how "those things" can "easily speed." Keep in mind I hadn't broken any laws whatsoever. The he demanded to know how far I intended to ride on Skyline (which wasn't really any of his business) and felt compelled to correct my pronunciation of "Luray."

At the time, I didn't want to get confrontation so I could just continue on, but now that I've stewed about it, I'm considering filing a complaint. I'm a HUGE supporter of law enforcement but the fact is that there is some tiny minority of them who become abusive as a power trip, and this seemed like one.

Is that a state or federal park ranger on the Skyline?
 
File a complaint

I am in my second career now and working for the U.S. government. I can tell you that complaints are one of the things that get a lot of attention by management. Basically everyone in the "food chain" gets a lot visibility on addressing any complaints received by an office. Just be factual and professional. My office is required to document the complaint, investigate and respond to the complainant. So have at it. At the end, you might not get a response that makes you feel like they did much but they will have done more than might think.
 
Like Selyab said, if you felt you were done wrong or mistreated, file the complaint. Now that being said, my last assignment at the police department was in the office of professional standards which handled complaints just like that. Tickets, although NOT your complaint were not complaints and advised to argue that in court.

What Selyab said is correct, you'll also quite likely also be informed of the result. But know this going in about the result you may get (at least from my or most agencies) is that your complaint was:
  • Unfounded: The incident meaning the encounter or the stop never occurred.
  • Exonerated: Which means it occurred and occurred the way you reported but the officer followed documented agency procedures or operating rules.
  • Sustained: Which means there was a violation of agency procedures or operating rules. You will quite likely NOT be told what disciplinary action was taken.
  • Not Sustained: The was not enough evidence present to show that a work operating procedure or rule was violated or not violated. This does not clear the employee.
  • Exceptionally closed: The employee terminated their own employment or was terminated before and investigation was complete and could not be disciplined, no longer working there.
A word on not sustained. It means evidence, not statement. A companion's statement who may have been with you carries the same "weight" as an officer who may have been with the accused employee, no more and no less. Most often complaints are "not sustained" as it is basically one persons word against another's.
 
Recognizing the situation LEO are in, I really don't want to get the guy in trouble, just find some way to make him think more carefully. I'm less irritated by him pulling me just to "remind" me not to speed than by the piling on--demanding to know where I was going, etc. With hindsight, I think I would have just said "that's none of your business and if you want to elevate this to the official level, let's do."

I realize that we're all suffering from the publicity of the New York City motorcycle morons but I'm a middle aged, highly successful professional who was obeying the law and wearing full protective gear. I don't like being stereotyped.

It's not always "in trouble". A complaint such as that is often handled at the command or supervisor level and not a full blown internal affairs investigation. Most agencies us a system of "progressive discipline" which often means talking to him or officially known as "oral counseling". Most often it works. They don't know what he's doing good or bad unless people tell them.
 
Good for you, rockbottom! It would have been easier to just let it go but making the effort may be making a difference.

I suspect somebody in the National Park Service will be interested enough to read your note carefully and take appropriate steps, if any. Park rangers have a carefully crafted image (Smokey the Bear) and one bad apple will harm that image.

pete
"Be yourself. Everybody else is already taken." -Oscar Wilde
 
Had the same thing happen to around Mt Rushmore. I was picking off motohomes one by one and a ranger or sheriff or hiwaypatrolman pulled me over and lectured how dangerous these things were. It was close to Sturgis time of year and I just figured he had his fill of biker carnage. Meanwhile all the motorhomes I had been passing for the last hour went rolling by us :banghead. I'm sure he enjoyed his little power trip and it really wasn't any big deal to me.
 
Federal. And my problem with letting it go is that he's likely to just keep on with it until stopped.

The guy works for you (I assume you aren't in the witness protection program). As such, his management needs to know that he acted like a twit.
 
Good for you, rockbottom! It would have been easier to just let it go but making the effort may be making a difference.

I suspect somebody in the National Park Service will be interested enough to read your note carefully and take appropriate steps, if any. Park rangers have a carefully crafted image (Smokey the Bear) and one bad apple will harm that image.

pete
"Be yourself. Everybody else is already taken." -Oscar Wilde

Very nice work rockbottom: Beautifully crafted and efficiently written, I sincerely hope your fax soon elicits a response from the National Park Service!
 
Good for you for writing that letter of complaint. I know it's hard to think clearly in such times, when you are just stunned to be experiencing such knucklehead-ery... but the complaint may carry more weight if you could also notate the officer's name and badge number, then include this info in the complaint letter.
 
OK, I faxed this:

I am writing to express my concern about an incident that occurred on Skyline Drive the morning of November 2. I was riding a motorcycle on the northern segment of Skyline. For about a mile, I'd been a hundred to hundred and fifty yards behind a park ranger. We were averaging 30-35 MPH. A car pulled out of one of the overlooks in front of me and was going well below the speed limit. I was in a legal passing zone so I passed the car and continued at my previous pace.

About a quarter mile further along the ranger turned on his lights and pulled me. In his words he wanted to "remind me" that "those things can go fast." He did not write a citation.

Three things bother me about this. One was being pulled when I had broken no laws. But more than that, I was irritated that the ranger demanded to know where I intended to exit Skyline (which wasn't really any of his concern) and then felt compelled to correct me when I mispronounced "Luray." I did not make an issue of this at the time because I wanted to continue on but was deeply bothered by it.

To me this seems like an issue where I was painted with a broad brush because of the misdeeds of some motorcyclists. I am not one of the New York City motorcycle hooligans--I am a middle aged professional, a Department of Defense official (my bike had a DoD sticker on it), was wearing full protective gear, and, most importantly, had broken no laws.

I am a great supporter of law enforcement and do not wish to take any formal action. I realize what a tough and vitally important job the ranger has and am thankful for his service. But I would encourage him to think more carefully about stereotyping.

I too am a HUGE supporter of law enforcement. I often find the bias and paranoia on this site excessive and subjective.

That being said, you have composed a well-written letter detailing your 'issues' with this official. I think you are more than justified lodging your complaint, as his attitude is in serious need of redirection.

You did the right thing. :thumb
 
OK, I faxed this:

I am writing to express my concern about an incident that occurred on Skyline Drive the morning of November 2. .... For about a mile, I'd been a hundred to hundred and fifty yards behind a park ranger.
Unfortunately, this fell on deaf ears. "A" park ranger certainly isn't specific enough to even have a clue *who* that park ranger was.

If it were me - and it actually was some time back going through Yellowstone, not exactly the same but very close - I would [and did] ask the ranger his name, write it down, then ask to speak to his supervisor. As is the case with law enforcement, they are REQUIRED to contact their supervisor for you to voice your complaint.

Someone already said when things like this happen, the WILL happen again if you allow it without filing a complaint.
 
Unfortunately, this fell on deaf ears. "A" park ranger certainly isn't specific enough to even have a clue *who* that park ranger was.

Someone already said when things like this happen, the WILL happen again if you allow it without filing a complaint.

I once wrote a complaint letter to the Virginia State Police when I observed a trooper treating another motorist unfairly. I didn't get enough information on the trooper to identify him specifically but I provided them with the interstate mile marker along with the day and time of the incident. They sent a Sargent from the State Police 40 miles to my home to personally interview me about the incident.
 
I once wrote a complaint letter to the Virginia State Police when I observed a trooper treating another motorist unfairly. I didn't get enough information on the trooper to identify him specifically but I provided them with the interstate mile marker along with the day and time of the incident. They sent a Sargent from the State Police 40 miles to my home to personally interview me about the incident.
"State Police" and Federal Park Ranger are two entirely different agencies, of two very different in size and how they handle "unspecified" complaints. With near 35 years Federal and Military experience, I can tell you no one in National Park Service is going to go the extra mile on a complaint like this.

However, I certainly applaud VSP for following up. The sad part is, that's the exception - not the rule.
 
"State Police" and Federal Park Ranger are two entirely different agencies, of two very different in size and how they handle "unspecified" complaints. With near 35 years Federal and Military experience, I can tell you no one in National Park Service is going to go the extra mile on a complaint like this.

However, I certainly applaud VSP for following up. The sad part is, that's the exception - not the rule.

Painting with a rather broad brush.............
 
I'd let it go.
Of course, with writing a letter and all the subsequent investigation, and writings, and interviews, and probably plenty of overtime, you may feel you 'made a difference', but I don't think you ever will.
I think all you may do is engage their system of "rigamarole" which keeps them busy, rather than just getting paid to sit around, or keeps them from doing other things, like harassing other cyclists, true, but comes to no different end.
The guy still does the same for the next 14 years til he gets his 20 and out, or 30 and out, with pension, and benefits, etc., etc., etc.
And merely chuckles about your complaint.
I was stopped last month also. And much the same. A lecture and all that, and questioning, which I saw more as a curiosity and friendliness. He was smiling all the time he talked to me. And if he had seen me at the gas station and talked I would gladly have talked to him for an hour.
And when he told me about the accidents, and deaths from deer strikes, I told him about some nearby ones he didn't know about, and I agreed, and said, oh, I know how dangerous it is.
I would have stayed and talked to him longer, but he then left. I suppose he felt he "had to get back to work".
In Colorado in May I had a road construction supervisor lady chew me out real good about sort of by-passing the construction zone. I like to talk to people. Sometimes I like to just listen and agree.
And it left me chuckling.
dc
 
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