Ducati Monster Forum

Within 15 minutes I observed 2 things about our local LEO's.

1 - I had my bike out on the street today, under a cover while I was at work.  When I went to work on it this evening, someone had slipped the ubiquitous orange envelope - you know what THAT means :P - in the cover venting.

No ticket, just the envelope.  I'm thinking it was a warning?

2 - Two plain-clothed officers were searching a stopped car on 13th street.  Here's the rub - the officers were using a "taxi" :o

I mean it was a Crown Vic all done up like a taxi - medallion and all - but the interior was pure "cop car" and the lights were all strobes - especially up front.

Not sure how I'd feel if a yellow taxi with flashing lights came up behind me... ???

Anyway - food for thought.

Vigilante!!!!!!!

DO you have a plate on the bike?  tommy, I would check online to make sure they didn't give you a ticket, and it' didn't just float away.  Or, someone else got a ticket and they stuck it in there.

I've seen those "taxi" cop cars before, and I've thought the same thing.  Even worse, I've seen a black what looked like escalade which was a cop car, pulling cars over.  I don't think I would stop for that if they tried pulling me over.

I have aways wondered if cops would do that, my biggest fear has come true...... [bang]

I was caught by cops in a undercover minivan in the Bronx. I was on my blades and started to hold onto a bus.

just curious, why would you hesitate to pull over from a UC over a plain clothes?

This is where you can find if you got a ticket or not:
http://nycserv.nyc.gov/NYCServWeb/NYCSERVMain

IMO, under cover in a cab for police work is fine, traffic enforcement is a different story though.  In some parts of the country unmarked cars can not be used for traffic enforcement due to predators posing as police.

Thanks for the link - saved me a search!  No tix for me - so far 8)

Cabs are everywhere... They blend in well.. And yes I have been pulled over by them before..

Easiest way to tell.. The # on top of the cab starts with 6Y and the license plates aren't the standard 4 digit taxi plates but Livery.

Also if a cab has 2 people in it and they are both in front, odds are...

Sneaky cops!

That is almost not fair.

Okay not bike related BUT. I was walking down 23rd Street. Going cross town toward NJ. My friend and I were smoking a bowl (I was 19 at the time). My friend stops, while I pee in a parking lot (19 at the time), hits the bowl but puts it up really high for some reason like holding it upward. We are walking toward a light when a taxi with two guys in the front hop out. They say "Oh it's just weed" because by the looks of it it looked like the way a crack pipe would be hit they said. Now my brother is a State Trooper in NY, I just stand there. They run my friend's license make sure no warrants. Hand him the bowl and the bag of weed back. NYPD are cool. You gotta know that they have bigger shit to do then make the beast with two backs with guys on bikes. Like rapes and murders. Riding in NYC for me is a joy because cops don't mess with me ever, and if they do I have my brother being a trooper to bail me out.

cg

I dont know what your talking abuot man but during the day time, all i see cops doing is busting balls. Hell i saw a cop running to give a parked UPS truck a ticket. he wasnt even traffic patrol, just a regular cop in a regular CVPP. On top of that, i parked my bike in front of a bar for an interview, its a residential place, no parking meters, just alt side parking. He parks in front of my bike, and stares at it. I give him a wave as i get back on it. he just sits there and starts asking me a bunch of stupid questions, i guess he must of thought i was drunk or something. Another cop sat at a light for a good 30 seconds while i was behind him on a single lane street. I dare not blow my horn, so i jsut wait. and all hes doing is staring at the sky with his hands on the wheels. then he starts to move at 10mph. for a whole 1/2 mile (its a 30mph speed limit zone) this was ALL today.

Far from the truth man. A new friend of mine, NYPD, confirmed it on Memorial day when I showed him my bike. His exact words "you know, you painted a target on your back by buying that type of bike". He then went on to tell me the monster wouldn't get much attention or a cruiser for that matter, but sportbikes are targets for patrolman.  Should make for an interesting summer  ;D...

Sorry for the TJ

Have you not seen all the threads and posts about targeted moto harassment?

You may be lucky with family on the force, but I don't think it's gonna help if you run into this:

http://ducatimonsterworldwide.org/index.php?topic=2732.0

Let's not turn this into a generic cop bashing thread.  Some folks on the board are LEOs and I am sure most of them are good guys.  Us against city policy is one thing.  Us against them is another.  I have had both good and bad experiences with the police.  The good by far out way the bad.

my goog friend is in nyc streat crime division and drives around in the police taxi a lot. they are not out fr traffic violations. they have bigger fish to fry. mostly looking for drugs, not weed but significant quantities(like an 8ball) and guns. They also get to go to the impound lot and have there pic of a car for the night. so they are not just limited to taxi cabs.

they have their pick of a car from the impound lot for the night?  uh, that seems highly doubtful

as always Howie....... well said.

I know a fair share of cool coppers

i understand and agree, just today was a big annoyance of it all. I have 2 cop friends myself and they are great guys, but its all about the person. People join to do good things but this city can make any guy looking to help others into an asshole no matter what the job. Just so happens i saw 3 of them today.

It is true. It is not from th regular impound lot where your car would go if it was towed for being in a no parking zone, but for cars that are not going back to the owners. They can not take out corvettes and cars like that because they will probably get in some kind of trouble w/ them(knowing my crazy friend ie. once while driving a Maybach to the yard ,decided to do donuts w/it in a parking lot)

goes to show the type of people being recruited as cops....i find it frightening.

I second that with how low starting pay is for NYPD its no wonder you don't always get some of the best and brightest.  A flawed system if you ask me.

In respect though most of my experiences with cops have been good, except once........

Theres a difference between cops and police officers right? its like enlisted and officers i figure, but people throw those terms so loosely, they call cops officers, since they are officers of hte law etc.

I saw something that really freaked me out. I was talking with a friend who works at pastis in the meatpacking. It was wednesday, so the traffic of motorist and pedestrian was slow, but I find that area during the day to always be slow, unlike the weekend nights. I plain closed man with some kind of NY id hanging around his neck came in and asked if we knew who owned the motorcycle that was parked on the sidewalk on the corner in front of a trash can ( the bike was not blocking the sidewalk in any way ) The guy was actually in the restaurant.
So, I watched all this go down there were 3 NY workers in a mini-van and a tow truck outside ready to tow the bike, but I saw the man give the NY guys in the mini-van what looked like over a hundreds and the bike was not towed. The tow truck was from American . . . . . something company, the tow-truck was not a flat bed to tow motorcycles, so I just wonder how he was going to tow the bike, and what damage could have been done if they would have towed it.
So, from my understanding these guys in the mini-van cruise the city looking for bikes parked illegally and then tow them. I never knew the city had people doing things like that. I guess its summer and a good way to make more money. It upsetting to me because they now have beautiful little places to park a bicycle, but still no special spots for motorcycles.
I figure if you are going to park on the sidewalk lock the bike to a post and hopefully this will discourage them from going through all the effort to tow  a bike.
F-

Ferrell75002, could the person with the badge been a City Marshal or Sheriff?  They are the ones who usually go after scofflaws.

Way to kick off the beginning of June with rain. You guys are right, cops have the share of ball-busters and guys who could give two shits. My brother being a cop helps true. But I find if you don't ride around like an idiot while PoPo is around then you have nothing to worry about. The Monster is a really popular bike in NYC, as many of us know, and they kinda blend in with things. Having a bike with loud fairings, and loud pipes is a sure fire way to get pulled over. 

Howie,

Nope, it wasn't like a cop badge of anything, it looked like one of those metrocard holders that people wear around there neck, but I saw NY... his picture and some other info. Not sure what agency he was from. He was dirty and fat, but had the tow truck there ready to tow this guys bike. There were 2 other people in the mini-van looked like an old astro mini. No, one was in any offiical uniform.
It was freaky bc I alway park on the sidewalk and things like that, when I see a chance to do it and when I am not blocking anything. I guess I will have  be careful when I do it and make sure my bike is not parked there more than a hour or so.

Are you sure he wasnt trying to make sure the owner wasnt around and trying to steal the bike? Tow companies dont like ot let people know they are towing hteir bikes. Thye come in, take it and leave because thats how they make their money.

No, it was 2 parties the tow truck guy and the 3 people in the mini-van had seats, so there was no way of the bike being stolen. It was some long, white heavy victory. I do not know anyone who would actually  steal or want the thing it was f*&king ugly.

No No, tow truck drivers are shady fellows as well. I had a friend get pulled over and the cops were having is bike towed. Tow truck guy was slowly loading it on the truck the cops left and my friend went with him to the atm and paid him off and didn't get the bike towed.

This looked as far as I could tell as a legit thing, but it could have not been. I honestly hope it wasn't legit so I could continue to park on the sidewalk and not worry about my bike being towed.

I'd have to say the exact opposite... 

Sorry have to call you out on this, but that all sounds like bullshit. Either he's bragging and a liar, or you are lying for some unknown reason. But your "friend" who is a cop, did not drive a Maybach into ANY lot and do "donuts". I highly doubt he drove a Maybach. I'd put my title on the line to prove me wrong.