To the "off duty cop" heading west on Clinton this morning.

[tonyt]

So you roll up next to me in your shiny blue BMW with your passenger window rolled down and say, "Hey you rolled through that stop sign at 34th."

Yes you are right. I did. I did not come to a complete stop as required by law. I did slow down, and given that there was NO ONE at the intersection, I moved through. Had there been anyone, I would have taken my turn. I ALWAYS do.

But anyway, so I asked you, rhetorically since I already knew the answer, "Did I interfere with you in any way?"

Your response? "Hey, don't mess with me." To which I said, "I'm asking you a question." Which you responded to with a, "Don't F*#k with me, I'm an off-duty cop," and wagged your finger at me. So I wagged my finger back at you and smiled.

To your credit, you dropped it and then proceeded ahead of me, and made a big show of coming to a complete stop (straddling the crosswalk) at the stop sign at 20th (I was wrong, it was at 26th). But wait, a woman and her daughter entered the MARKED crosswalk from our right, they had begun to cross, and you then turned left. Buddy THAT is against the law! You must remain stopped until they cross completely. And oh, you didn't use your turn signal either.

Oh, I'm sorry, am I messing with you by pointing out your hypocrisy? No worries though, your transgressions resulted in no conflict and you went on your merry way, sort of like me back there at 34th.

Really, what is the obsession that you little men have with bikers? You're like conservatives and gays, you just can't get over it.

Anyway, have a great day. I'm sure you always come to a complete stop, and always yield to peds, even in unmarked crosswalks, as required by law.

Little man.

[bike_militia]

Clinton should be closed to through traffic. And cops.

[canuck]

Actually by law in Oregon you do not have to wait for the crosswalk to clear.

You may proceed if your lane of the crosswalk is clear.

Learned this in the study guide for the written exam since I had to write it in September.

[Bent Bloke]

Originally Posted by canuck

Actually by law in Oregon you do not have to wait for the crosswalk to clear.

You may proceed if your lane of the crosswalk is clear.

Learned this in the study guide for the written exam since I had to write it in September.

I believe the law is that you must wait until the pedestrian is at least six feet past your lane before you can proceed.

[tonyt]

BUT, when at an intersection without a signal, it's your lane and any adjacent lane. Where he was stopped, the woman and the kid were in the adjacant lane. He had to remain stopped.

http://www.bta4bikes.org/docs/Form_737-3424_final.pdf

[wsbob]

Originally Posted by tonyt

So you roll up next to me in your shiny blue BMW with your passenger window rolled down and say, "Hey you rolled through that stop sign at 34th."

Yes you are right. I did. I did not come to a complete stop as required by law. I did slow down, and given that there was NO ONE at the intersection, I moved through. Had there been anyone, I would have taken my turn. I ALWAYS do.

But anyway, so I asked you, rhetorically since I already knew the answer, "Did I interfere with you in any way?"

Your response? "Hey, don't mess with me." To which I said, "I'm asking you a question." Which you responded to with a, "Don't F*#k with me, I'm an off-duty cop," and wagged your finger at me. So I wagged my finger back at you and smiled.

To your credit, you dropped it and then proceeded ahead of me, and made a big show of coming to a complete stop (straddling the crosswalk) at the stop sign at 20th (I was wrong, it was at 26th). But wait, a woman and her daughter entered the MARKED crosswalk from our right, they had begun to cross, and you then turned left. Buddy THAT is against the law! You must remain stopped until they cross completely. And oh, you didn't use your turn signal either.

Oh, I'm sorry, am I messing with you by pointing out your hypocrisy? No worries though, your transgressions resulted in no conflict and you went on your merry way, sort of like me back there at 34th.

Really, what is the obsession that you little men have with bikers? You're like conservatives and gays, you just can't get over it.

Anyway, have a great day. I'm sure you always come to a complete stop, and always yield to peds, even in unmarked crosswalks, as required by law.

Little man.

Dude, that's a great story! I consider cops to be really important to maintaining a safe, civil society, but some of them can really be stupid jerks on occasion. Are you going to tell us you didn't ask the officer's name, or don't have a plate number, so you can't file a comment in regards to his conduct with the city? But then, I suppose if you did, the word would get around and Mr. Boy in Blue would be knocking on your door to issue you a citation for the stop sign you admitted to him that you rolled.

[brock]

Cop in a shiny BMW? Suspicious. Sounds more like someone posing.

[bobcycle]

I originally saw this quote in reference to the boss, but it applies to police as well. It has been my experience over 50+ years and it goes like this...
Rule number 1: the police are always right
Rule number 2: If you find yourself in a situation where you think the police are in the wrong... see rule #1.

[the Wumpus]

Originally Posted by brock

Cop in a shiny BMW? Suspicious. Sounds more like someone posing.

Yep. Knew a guy who got an at-home visit over a similar situation when the other guy turned in his plate number. Police don't like vigilantes.

[tonyt]

If you dutifully follow 1 & 2, then #3 is "Enjoy your police state and whatever rights the cops decide you have."

Now don't get me wrong. I know when to keep my mouth shut and say, "Yes sir" when it comes to cops. My rule is "pick your battles." But in general, there HAS to be some push-back from us.

Not to mention, some dude claiming to be a cop, is just that, a dude claiming to be a cop.