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

It's another case of a 5-foot cop with a 6-foot badge. He used his "color of authority" to harass you (which is illegal) and to discriminate against you (which is also illegal). He was also trying to get you to say something that would be self-incriminating, thus giving him cause to cuff you while he tossed your bags.

Note that these guys will pick on lone travelers - not couples or groups. Been there done that, as have several of my friends.

RockB handled it well; I've also found (like David) that chatting right back seems to throw them off course. Play innocent + ignorant, ask dumb questions right back. It doesn't avoid the [silly] hassle in the first place, but it defuses it sufficiently. Still an unnecessary P.I.T.A.
 
Good for you for writing that letter, who knows, it just might help some poor motorcyclist like me when that same "park ranger" sees me go by on the BRP or Skyline Drive. Thanks, and good for you.



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Skyline-Drive-First-Time-a-Victim

Good for you for writing! Wave your flag proudly. I, for one, am sick and tired of the "I want to be a police man" mentality, often accompanied by the attitude that the Rangers think that somehow "they" own the National Parks. All the US citizens own the parks. I blame the Park Service Law Enforcement for allowing their officers to act in what is clearly not within the law. They know what is going on out there. In 40+ years of riding on the northern end of the Blue Ridge Parkway, I have seen a lot first hand. I was recently pulled for not giving a turn signal pulling out of a Overlook and treated like a criminal. Well, after all, I guess that since I was guilty of such an infraction, I was a criminal. Pretty petty, but I think "BooBoo" wanted to call his mother and tell her that he had "another one". Once, I was told to leave where I was sitting on the side of the Parkway, at a beautiful spot, legally parked way more than 3' from the road. Clearly not legal to make someone move from a public area. I have learned a lot about traffic laws and our Constitution since. I have the greatest respect for real law enforcement, but also the greatest disdain for the ignorant ones and the young beginners who have absolutely no business being turned loose on the public. Too bad that you cannot tell the difference between the two types. How do you handle the fact that by law, they can lie to you but, you are not supposed to lie to them?
Did none of his training or none of his superiors tell him that it is none of his business where you were going? Keep waving that flag until your arms just about fall off. To the people that say "let it go", they are part of the problem and the reason that we have arrived to where you were illegally pulled and where the Ranger thought there was nothing wrong in the way that he was doing his job. Had he worked in the private sector, he would have been fired for making his company look like a bunch of fools.
Charlie
 
cops are people

And just like people, you will find some that are above board and treat everyone well and others who are first class pricks. I have been stopped so many times that I lost count years ago; but my attorney can tell you that he has been paid for 26 cases.

I try to treat difficult members of the law enforcement community like difficult people everywhere. Don't provoke them. Don't challenge them. Engage them in a friendly way. If you are cited, call your attorney. But if they are clearly there to dick you around, get a supervisor on the scene immediately. I am retired now; but formerly taught at the Criminal Justice Academy in Columbia, SC. There have been cases where an officers encounter with me ended up with the officer standing in front of his/her supervisor. I never used my status to escape from a ticket; but would use it to correct an abuse.

Remember, the officer is often alone and potential danger is his/her constant companion. Treat the good ones well and report the bad ones AFTER you have left the presence of the officer. Arguing with someone who has a badge and a gun is just stupid.
 
Of course

Was there a course on policing up passed out frat boys from Five Points?

The tactic depended on what kind of resistance was encountered. The preference was to hold them for the campus police. Once they were in their custody, the Dean of Student Affairs, Dennis Pruitt, would deal with them on an individual basis. All were required to attend workshops on responsible behavior and required to do community service. Most would prefer to go to jail and let Daddy take care of it. Once they had this strike on their campus record, they were made aware that ANY other violation would end their academic career.
 
Had he worked in the private sector, he would have been fired for making his company look like a bunch of fools.
Charlie

I have become endlessly tired of this crock of crap cliche. Hasn't anybody ever had to deal with security guards at a mall, a stadium, or an industrial plant? They are far worse than most any public sworn officer I have ever run into.
 
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I have been stopped so many times that I lost count years ago; but my attorney can tell you that he has been paid for 26 cases.

Excuse me, I'm only 54, so I might be a bit of a novice, but how is it humanly possible to have 26 court appearances? I've been in a court room twice in my life, once for a friends naturalization ceremony and the other time was for my wedding.
 
Exactly. You know what you all said - and who I'm talking to.... If it's you, we agree. If you don't think it's you - then don't read this far.
 
I'm Canadian, my perspective.

I truly appreciate the effort and sacrifice police make. I've had my hassles, some fair and some not so fair. I've got friends that are cops and I see some of the stuff they have to do. I even think the rent-a-cops do their best with what they have and the orders they are given.

I chose a career where I didn't have to carry a gun or wear clothing to protect me from being shot at or stabbed. Regardless of the color of stripe on their pants, I always answer with respect and so far, have been treated with respect. If I don't like a ticket or something else, I let the courts decide what's right.
 
I try to treat difficult members of the law enforcement community like difficult people everywhere. Don't provoke them. Don't challenge them. Engage them in a friendly way. If you are cited, call your attorney.

That's all we can really do. I have found that blunt honesty can be the best policy and disarming, no pun intended. When I've been pulled over for speeding, (Not quite as much as Jerry), when the cop asks, do you know why I am pulling you over? I say yes, I was speeding. If he asks do I know how fast I was going, I will tell him to the MPH. Cops are used to people being weasels about it and when they are faced with honesty, often will give me a break. Not always, but a lot more often than not.
 
There was a chance when.............

We could be living in Nazi Occupied North America.

I hope everybody stops and takes time on Monday to remember the fallen and the few that are still with is. I think the occasional grumpy cop is better than the Gestapo with a boot holding your head down.
 

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We could be living in Nazi Occupied North America.

I hope everybody stops and takes time on Monday to remember the fallen and the few that are still with is. I think the occasional grumpy cop is better than the Gestapo with a boot holding your head down.

Yes, but the trains would run on time and BMW would be the #1 brand in America. :wave
 
We could be living in Nazi Occupied North America.

I hope everybody stops and takes time on Monday to remember the fallen and the few that are still with is. I think the occasional grumpy cop is better than the Gestapo with a boot holding your head down.

Very good point.

As an aside from this side of the border, when did the VFW and American Legion quit using the poppy as a Veteran's Day symbol? I remember seeing the poppy in the late 60's and early 70's as a fund raising gift/reward, but then it disappeared.
 
I truly appreciate the effort and sacrifice police make. I've had my hassles, some fair and some not so fair. I've got friends that are cops and I see some of the stuff they have to do. I even think the rent-a-cops do their best with what they have and the orders they are given.

I chose a career where I didn't have to carry a gun or wear clothing to protect me from being shot at or stabbed. Regardless of the color of stripe on their pants, I always answer with respect and so far, have been treated with respect. If I don't like a ticket or something else, I let the courts decide what's right.

That kind of 'radical responsibility manifesto' has no place on this 'Bitch, Moan & Whine' Forum! :dance
 
I truly appreciate the effort and sacrifice police make. I've had my hassles, some fair and some not so fair. I've got friends that are cops and I see some of the stuff they have to do. I even think the rent-a-cops do their best with what they have and the orders they are given.

I chose a career where I didn't have to carry a gun or wear clothing to protect me from being shot at or stabbed. Regardless of the color of stripe on their pants, I always answer with respect and so far, have been treated with respect. If I don't like a ticket or something else, I let the courts decide what's right.

+1

I was given good advice by an LEO. Don't try to win an argument on the side of the road AND don't ask for a break, after all, they most likely gave you the first 10 MPH or they wouldn't have bothered to stop you.

I deserved every moving violation I have ever received. :banghead
 
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