Motorcycle check points

[Howie]

i think people posted on here that nyc was doing motorcycle only checkpoints as a way to crack down on aftermarket and loud pipes, they wouldn't stop any other vehicles such as sanitation vehicles that made excessive noise only motorcycles thus the descrimination part when they said "its for noise compliance" when other vehicles were not checked for that.

it was basically a harrassment thing as many nyc riders know that the city really does not want motorcycles in manhattan and the motorcycle only checkpoints were a way to discourage that without making it look too descriminatory since most people don't care if motorcyclists are harrasssed.

The suit is about the State Police check points on the way to hooligan events like Americade.  If the suit is won it would cover NYC.NYC has had its own check points.  If you don't have any of your paperwork with you, your bike is impounded.  Keep in mind, a computer check will show if you are legally licensed and registered

[GLantern]

+1 to that....

1)  In NY it is not uncommon for checkpoints to spring up that pull over ONLY motorcycles regardless of how they look or how loud they are and try to find a ticket to give us.
2)  This bill helps to address these checkpoints that profile motorcycles.
3)  If it is allowed to continue other states could see the revenue in it and also do it.

How would you feel getting pulled over for no reason and given a ticket for not having a visor down or something ridiculous? Or as Howie said getting your bike impounded for forgetting your paperwork at home?! 

It is profiling plain and simple! How could you not be against this!

[rideserotta]

+1 to that....

+2

[GLantern]

+2

How about you all elaborate what you don't see the point about instead of just writing +1s and +2s?  Because if you go by the original quote and you read the next posts you would see it has nothing to do with helmets.  There are motorcycle only checkpoints in NY, what if they had car checkpoints just for driving your car? 

Help us educate you on this so maybe you can all understand the seriousness of this issue in NY.

[Statler]

this is pretty important stuff to how we go about our daily lives.

For federal money to go to states for these things that cause these stops to be primary offenses is an issue; that means it's valid stops for secondaries that otherwise would require you doing something stupid to get pulled....

example:   you may not be able to be cited for your aftermarket pipes as a reason to pull you over, but you might be able to be cited for them if you got stopped for speeding.

one of these bike checkpoints, if considered a primary, could mean going over you and your bike for secondaries automatically, no probable cause required.


Anyone who thinks "ah...what's the point" needs to know all the details of this.

THAT's what the AMA letters ask/ point out.

I'd also like to know what the "+1" guys mean.

happy to stop and be inspected while all the cars go by simply because you ride?  That's what you're saying is ok for fed $ to go to with your "+1 no big deal".   (and if the feds aren't paying, it's not going to happen... just like my area of law).

[hbliam]

happy to stop and be inspected while all the cars go by simply because you ride?  That's what you're saying is ok for fed $ to go to with your "+1 no big deal".   (and if the feds aren't paying, it's not going to happen... just like my area of law).

Our agency, and most around us, have portions of our regular budget earmarked for certain types of enforcement. We don't do moto checkpoints but we do other types of checkpoints/saturation patrol (DUI, seat belts, cell phones). Sometimes with grant money, sometimes with City money. That's my point. If the agency wants to do a certain type of checkpoint they will. They will just shift grant money to an approved assignment and use the savings from that assignment to pay for the checkpoint they want to do. What's "going to happen" is whatever the command staff, mayor, and Council believe is an effective use of their agencies time on whatever they construe to be a "problem."

Lastly, in CA, probably 100% of the grant money we get for these type of checkpoints comes from the State, not the feds. The feds give us money to hire more cops and buy equipment.

[Statler]

Right.  But as you've said most local places aren't prioritizing bike checks.   Grant money can and does change that.   

Sure this doesn't stop a local dept from doing this, just stops Feds from funding it. 

Locals doing it with local $ can be lobbied/approached at that level. 

[Punx Clever]

I know this gets into the politics/police side of things, and I'm trying to keep it as neutral as possible...

For me it falls into the same realm as when I'm riding along, doing say 5 over, and other cars are passing me doing 10-15 over... yet because of the motorcycle I'm the one pulled over and ticketed.  Yup, I was caught, so I don't complain about it and pay the fine, but it bothers me that being on a motorcycle makes you more guilty by default.  Hell, I was pulled over one time on a busy street because I was riding in the inside lane on a 4-lane street. 

On the other hand, pulling over every motorcyclist because they are on a motorcycle is blatant discrimination against a certain segment of the population.  No different than if every mustang / camaro driver was pulled over at a musclecar checkpoint to check for cracked windshields and aftermarket exhaust.  It's flat out wrong.

[hbliam]

I made an announcement on my PA the other night, "Motorcycle. When it's clear you can go." He was sitting at a red light he couldn't activate. I made the cars wait. I guess discrimination goes both ways. 

[Punx Clever]

I made an announcement on my PA the other night, "Motorcycle. When it's clear you can go." He was sitting at a red light he couldn't activate. I made the cars wait. I guess discrimination goes both ways. 

See not all cops motorcyclists are jackasses... it just so happens that a certain segment of the law enforcement motorcycling community gives the rest a bad name.... 

[KRJ]

  Well said, Punx.. It's all about the money, so much for Freedom in America, no matter what the cost, Nuff Said...

[r_ciao]

Done.

[DoubleEagle]

Whatever happened to the " Land of the FREE and the brave ?

FREE was suppose to have meant something when the Fore Fathers said it !

Dolph   

[Statler]

let's try to keep this focussed on motorcycles, ok?

[Monster Dave]

How about you all elaborate what you don't see the point about instead of just writing +1s and +2s?

That's true and in turn, I'd say that after perusing the link, I just found myself a little confused about the relevance of a policy that targets motorcyclists. I didn't have the time to dig into the finer points and since we have nothing like that here in AZ, it just confused me and left me wondering what the point was of it.

I agree that I have no problem being pulled over for a legitimate reason, but to purposely and specifically target a motorcyclist and not other vehicles at the same time is vehicular discrimination. ...something that I think many people around here would be (literally) up in arms about.