Pulled Over on the Empulse

[implovator]

I was riding through campus today and rode right past a speed trap manned by a bicycle cop and a motorcycle cop. I snooped it out early and so I was able to check my speed real quick to make sure I was under 25mph. I was. I then stopped at the stop sign, put a foot down, and took off. Well little did I know the motorcycle cop was pulling my over with his lights on. Damned Empulse mirrors and my eyes-forward scanning for jaywalkers meant that I never saw them. So he blipped the siren. Great, this is embarrasing.

He pulled me just to talk about the Empulse. He was very apologetic and nice about it. I didn't mind. He just couldn't help himself. I totally understand. Then I got to thinking; this was definitely an abuse of power. What's the difference between this and a cop pulling over an attractive woman to harrass her?

[frodus]

Haha, awesome!

Maybe the lights/blip were excessive, but maybe he did wave and you didn't see him. He didn't detain you or serve a citation. Probably should have just followed you a bit until you were at the next stop and pulled next to you and signaled to pull over, like any other motorcycle rider would.

I think it's awesome he did chat to you about it!

[protomech]

There's no difference really. I'm happy to talk to anyone about the bike, and I doubt I would have minded in the same situation, but it's certainly an abuse of power even if you do not mind.

[flar]

I would have been amused by it in hindsight, but rather rattled as it was happening.

It is a (minor as I see it) abuse of power, but I think it rated higher on the rudeness scale.  There should have been ways to catch your attention and ask you to pull over without raising your hackles that you were "in trouble for something" and wasting at least a minute or two of your time before you found out if it was OK for you to just get where you may have needed to be.

I haven't had a cop ask to see my bike, but I am constantly having stop light conversations with neighboring cars about the bike and, for some reason, I usually end up doing something bone-headed right after it, which I'm pretty sure is a selling point for "Oh, look, even if you are a total spaz, you can ride that bike".  I got stopped by some pedestrians waiting for a right turn arrow in SF one evening and when they noticed my light had changed and withdrew their conversation I then proceeded to completely botch the launch into the turn and ended up hitting the horn.

"No problem, you're welcome! <cartoon fumbling sounds> <HONK> (blush, ride away quickly - how the heck did I hit the horn button??)"...

[Richard230]

Cops will pull over anyone for anything.  My daughter told me today that her husband got stopped on the way to work yesterday morning while he was walking from his house to the bus stop.  The cop wanted to see his identification and asked where he lived and where he was going.  He gave no reason for the investigation and after determining that my son-in-law was not a threat to his neighborhood, he was let go.  Unfortunately, he just missed his bus and had to wait 20 minutes for the next one to arrive and he was late for work.   

I wouldn't mind talking to a moto cop about my electric motorcycle, but I sure would want to do so at my convenience and not his.