Poor judgement call by the cops

coolrunner989 · #1 09-12-2008, 02:47 PM

I got arrested last night for the first time in my life. Great student, never had any trouble, just going about my life. Here's the story:

Coming home from night class, about 8:10-:8:15, I had to cross the Washington Avenue bridge, which has an upper deck for pedestrians and cyclists. The cycling lanes on the outside have been closed off for structural reasons, and cyclists are being funneled into the enclosed pedestrian area, which is big enough for 3 people to walk abreast each way. They have posted signs asking bikers to walk their bike on the bridge, which makes perfect sense to me in the day when there are thousands of people trying to cross the bridge. There has been little to no enforcement of this new law during the day - some student security and I saw one bike cop once this week there. And yet at 8:00 on a thursday, with less than a dozen students on the whole bridge, there are three cops on the westbank side of the bridge, standing around to make sure people walk their bikes coming into the bridge- I think this is ridiculous. I dismount from my bike as they ask, and when I'm 1/3 of the way down the bridge and see virtually no one on there, I get back on my bike and ride out. I make a right off the end of the bridge and there is a cop car DRIVING ON THE SIDEWALK blocking me from passing. He gets out, demand I hand over my bike, and proceeds to handcuff me. Within a minute there are 3 other cop cars there, all standing around and looking through my backpack.

Now, does this seem unreasonable to anyone else?

We trust these men and women with our lives and the protection of our city, to stand up for what is fair and right, we send them to school to master their weapons and to be able to critically asses the harmful nature of a dangerous situation, yet they cant seem to see that I posed no threat to anyone, including myself, and yet was sent to jail. To me this just shows a serious lack of judgement on the police's part. Yes I was breaking the law, but caused no detrimental affect to anyone, and there wasnt even a chance of anyone getting hurt.

I just dont see it.

So I was in jail for about 3 hours, got out fairly quickly from what I could tell. Luckily I have a brother in town who bailed me out. I've gotta miss class in two weeks for court, so that'll be lovely too.

Visirale · #2 09-12-2008, 02:51 PM

You got illegally searched. You had ever right to refuse the search...

DudeistMonk · #3 09-12-2008, 02:52 PM

Quote:

Yes I was breaking the law, but caused no detrimental affect to anyone, and there wasnt even a chance of anyone getting hurt.

Now how do you feel about the drug war?

Trevorus · #4 09-12-2008, 02:52 PM

That does suck. I would figure that should have just been a citation. I mean, if someone drives 50 in 35, they get a ticket. But riding a bike on a bridge gets you booked? Ridiculous.

bassteban · #5 09-12-2008, 02:55 PM

Maybe they thought you were a terrorist. I wish there was some humor to that thought...
OTOH, maybe they thought you were in a hurry to deliver dope or dope money, or part of some other extracurricular activity. Not saying they're at all in the right, mind you.

MakiSupaStar · #6 09-12-2008, 02:57 PM

It's a little excessive, but you definitely deserved to be cited. The noncompliance thing is what got you in trouble. If you dismounted and walked your bike until you got off the bridge, you would have been fine. This is funny, I have to enforce people riding on the pier everyday. Same kind of thing. Sometimes people get cited, because they do exactly what you did. They get off, and then when they think we're not watching, they get back on. It's a 100+ dollar fine. Out of those cited, some have gotten verbal and refused to comply. Those guys get taken to jail.

fenderhutz · #7 09-12-2008, 03:05 PM

I mean a 15-20 dollar fine for riding our bike I could see, it's not like you were dealing drugs or taking sniper shots from the bridge. This sounds strangely Gestapo to me.

Scottgun · #8 09-12-2008, 03:09 PM

What where you saying and doing when the cop in the car pulled up and got out and when they were searching you?

Thunderscreech · #9 09-12-2008, 03:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fenderhutz

I mean a 15-20 dollar fine for riding our bike I could see, it's not like you were dealing drugs or taking sniper shots from the bridge. This sounds strangely Gestapo to me.

Bored and restless police tend to behave like the Gestapo, I've noticed...

**cheezewiz** · #10 09-12-2008, 03:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Visirale

You got illegally searched. You had ever right to refuse the search...

Wrong and Wrong.

Although I certainly think it is excessive to be custodially arrested for a minor infraction, once someone is arrested they can be searched COMPLETELY, including the property, accessible, or near them. They have absolutey NO right to "refuse".

It does seem to me that "cite and release" would have been the preferred course here, UNLESS we aren't getting the whole story.

**cheezewiz** · #11 09-12-2008, 03:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thunderscreech

Bored and restless police tend to behave like the Gestapo, I've noticed...

Lemme guess, your first name is "Einstein", right?

I was beginning to think I was posting on the wrong forum lately....there haven't been any "facist" "gestapo" comments about cops this week, but ole Einstein above solved that for us.

Andrew.Glose · #12 09-12-2008, 03:40 PM

Sounds like a freak occurrence to me.

That, or they wanted to make an example out of you.

hartke20g · #13 09-12-2008, 03:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cheezewiz

Wrong and Wrong.

Although I certainly think it is excessive to be custodially arrested for a minor infraction, once someone is arrested they can be searched COMPLETELY, including the property, accessible, or near them. They have absolutey NO right to "refuse".

It does seem to me that "cite and release" would have been the preferred course here, UNLESS we aren't getting the whole story.

^this. you can, however, refuse a search if asked and you're not yet under arrest. the only downside to refusing is that you get sent to the station while they get the necessary papers to do a search.

coolrunner989 · #14 09-12-2008, 03:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scottgun

What where you saying and doing when the cop in the car pulled up and got out and when they were searching you?

when the cop car pulled up on the sidewalk I tried to go around him - I had no idea he was out to get me. He stops quickly, gets out and runs in front of me, telling me to stop. I stop, he puts his hand on the bike handle bars and asks me what I think I'm doing, where I'm trying to go, etc. I ask him why and tell him I'm just going home after class. He tells me to hand over the bike, which I was hesitant (not resistant) to do because I just paid a lot of money for it last week. I guess he misconstrued my reluctance as defiance, and at that point pushed me on to the ground and handcuffed me. I said this was unreasonable and was quiet after that. I answered all their questions kindly, wasnt any fuss.

I was never read my rights either, I dont know when that was supposed to happen..

coolrunner989 · #15 09-12-2008, 03:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andrew.Glose

Sounds like a freak occurrence to me.

That, or they wanted to make an example out of you.

I think this is part of it - this was in a highly visible part of campus, with to many cops and lights to not get attention

edit: I just got an email saying that this bridge restriction will be in effect all year probably. They are going to start writing kids $80 tickets. I think I'll be lucky if I get off with paying 80 bucks.

Vince S. · #16 09-12-2008, 03:50 PM

Get. A. Lawyer.

TallLankyBastyd · #17 09-12-2008, 04:09 PM

Quote:

Yes I was breaking the law

There you have it...

...couldn't have said it any better myself.

Sorry it happened... get over it as soon as you can... move on...

**Vorago** · #18 09-12-2008, 04:11 PM

I find it kinda shocking that you were cuffed for riding your bike where should be walking.

Unrepresented · #19 09-12-2008, 04:38 PM

Obviously we have too many cops on the payroll if they're using our tax dollars for chicken**** stuff like this.

I just got pulled over last week because I didn't have a front license plate by our local sheriff. Managed to drive around without one for the eight years I've owned the car without a problem (it came that way, I'm assuming the original owner didn't either). We really should be making cutbacks on the law enforcement payroll if they've got this kind of manpower.

mike_v_s · #20 09-12-2008, 04:57 PM

I'm wondering why you just didn't walk your bike. All the other stuff wouldn't even be an issue if you had done that. Everyone here is quick to question the judgment of the officers. Why?

The policy was known and broken. The consequences are ultimately the responsibility of the individual who broke the law, not the people who enforce it.

Mike