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DC beltway crash

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So about a day or two ago:

A cop was chasing a motorcycle on DC's beltway. The motorcycle swerved infront of another vehicle and the cop tried to follow. The cop hit the vehicle, causing it to go through the median and flip over onto the oncoming traffic, hitting and SUV and causing a multi car collision. Two people died and 13 were injured. The bike got away.

What makes the DC area bike community angry is this. The DC police are looking for a black bike and supposedly just pulling over people on black bikes. I have a black bike. 50% of the other riders out there have a black bike. It sucks that we're being targeted because of the public's perception of sportbike riders in general. The usual attitude of the police is usually one of disdain and loathing. Sometimes we get nice cops or ones that don't discriminate, but generally you'll get pulled over out of a pack of cars or you'll get shafted with tickets and everything else.

Now it's going to be impossible to go anywhere in the DC area in the next few weeks on a bike without having to worry about getting pulled over and interogated by the police.
 
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But the cops have to justify the two-fatality, multi-injury high-speed chase somehow.
 
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This goes against everything I would normally say, but if you have nothing to worry about just carry on driving your Bike.

I mean what's the worse they can do?
 
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This goes against everything I would normally say, but if you have nothing to worry about just carry on driving your Bike.

I mean what's the worse they can do?

Actually give me a ticket for doing 115 in a 65.... O:)
 
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I think you missed the point.

Apparently the county was sued several years back for a similar incident where a police that was pursuing caused an accident and injury/death. They just don't want to be sued again.
 
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I can empathize.

You're local? If you remember the snipers in '02, everyone saw a "white van" leaving the scenes of the crimes. Those vehicles were pulled over regularly in this area if you recall. The snipers actually drove a blue or purple Chevy Caprice, and were actually pulled over for speeding after one of the shootings.
 
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I can empathize.

You're local? If you remember the snipers in '02, everyone saw a "white van" leaving the scenes of the crimes. Those vehicles were pulled over regularly in this area if you recall. The snipers actually drove a blue or purple Chevy Caprice, and were actually pulled over for speeding after one of the shootings.

This happened on the PG section of the belt way.

Guilty by association. It's just the huge amount of ignorance that gets me. They're looking for a black sport bike. That's like saying they're looking for a black male....They have no description yet, so it's like, "Let's just go after every one until we get lucky. If nothing else, we'll give those sport biking bastages what they deserve with tickets and harassment."
 
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And a bike isn't like a car. It would take five minutes to spray the gas tank a different colour, 10 more for anything else.
 
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They're looking for a black sport bike.

So what's you answer? Don’t bother that people got killed and just forget it?

If a black sport bike was the problem in this instance, you don't have to be a rouge scholar to work out they ‘will’ pull every black sport bike.

I don't see your logic apart from ‘You’ being inconvenienced at being stopped?
 
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There's lots of logic behind it. It gives the cops a purported reason to stop anyone on a black bike, suspicious or not, and kills any racial-profiling allegations.
 
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So what's you answer? Don’t bother that people got killed and just forget it?

If a black sport bike was the problem in this instance, you don't have to be a rouge scholar to work out they ‘will’ pull every black sport bike.

I don't see your logic apart from ‘You’ being inconvenienced at being stopped?

There's lots of logic behind it. It gives the cops a purported reason to stop anyone on a black bike, suspicious or not, and kills any racial-profiling allegations.

Which in turn makes it plain old profiling.

Say 45% of the bikes are black and the population of black bikes it 100,000. That's 1 person out of 100,000 that they're looking for based on the "black bike theory". So 99,999 people have to possibly suffer through harassment and such because of one person? You know there are some cops out there that are going to be looking for revenge and are going to ticket any sport bike they pull over for what ever they can find. It's not all of them, but some people choose to abuse their powers.
 
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Please tell me somebody is suing the cop for being a total moron. If I were one of the injured, I wouldn't stop until I got that idiot suspended or fired. Two people dead and 13 injured, not to mention how much traffic must have backed up? If that's not negligent and just plain stupid, I don't know what is.

Now, I'm not a cop hater, not by a long shot. But I AM against cops who are complete idiots and cause more harm than good. Police officers are supposed to instill a sense of safety in the public, not terror. If your first instinct at seeing a police officer is fear, then something is wrong.

Anyway, back on topic. Profiling sucks. It happened to me once while driving home from the beach with my friends. It was a relatively packed highway, and a cop pulled me over. The only description he had was that a black car was speeding. I looked at him like he was stupid and pointed out that there were at least a dozen black cars around me. He tried pulling some other stunt involving drugs (he thought the sand in my car was marijuana). He knew he had nothing, but it's so annoying to see cops try and safe face.

If you're wrong, just admit it and leave the person alone. Trust me officer, nobody cares that you were wrong.
 
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Which in turn makes it plain old profiling.

Say 45% of the bikes are black and the population of black bikes it 100,000. That's 1 person out of 100,000 that they're looking for based on the "black bike theory". So 99,999 people have to possibly suffer through harassment and such because of one person? You know there are some cops out there that are going to be looking for revenge and are going to ticket any sport bike they pull over for what ever they can find. It's not all of them, but some people choose to abuse their powers.

OK............ You tell us what is to be done:|
 
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OK............ You tell us what is to be done:|

Don't be so drastic. If you're looking for something, have a decent description besides one that fits half the population. Black sportbike means any sportbike that's black with any different type of graphic on it. Atleast have a manufacture and possibly a make before you randomly start pulling people and being a problem.

Look at your chase guide lines.

Some places have guidelines directing them not to chase motorcycles that run. I believe most have guidelines telling the officers to not chase a vehicle if it's not an emminent threat to the public and if it would be more harm than good to continue the chase.

Know when to admit wrong doing. I garantee that if the police that caused the wreck was at fault, nothing will come from it. There's been incidents where a biker that was fleeing has been charged with manslaughter of an officer thant died chasing him. If the officer wouldn't have got in over their heads, or driven over their ability, then they wouldn't have killed themselves. I'm sure there's been incidents of motorcyclist that have died when being chased un-necessarily by a cop. The cop has no action taken against them. It's a double standard that shouldn't be there.

Don't get me wrong, I've never fled and I never intend on fleeing. In fact, I was just in court yesterday for a speeding ticket I got on my bike. It was the first I've received in 9 years of owning and operating motorcycles, about 7 of which were on sport bikes. I pull over when I see flashing lights and I've never had a second though about fleeing.

edit: Forgot to include that a second officer was injured as well. An off duty officer traveling on the other side of the belt way where the vehicle flipped onto was one of the 15 people injured. That could be another reason there's such a man hunt over this one guy.
 
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I understand the inconvenience to any one riding a Black Sports Bike but then again, what are they to do. there is really no way out of it especially with that idiot cop causing a Major accident resulting in the death of 2 innocent people along side 13 injured, and I do hope that cop is not only suspended but to get the punishment he deserves.

Other than that, They don't have much to do but start by pulling everyone with a Black Bike.

Sorry for your troubles and hope its over soon
 
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so it's like, "Let's just go after every one until we get lucky. If nothing else, we'll give those sport biking bastages what they deserve with tickets and harassment."

That's injecting motivation into the situation that you don't even know exists. Don't say things like that to impassion the situation and victimize yourself. It's doesn't contribute anything to your argument and makes you look bad.

If you're looking for something, have a decent description besides one that fits half the population. Black sportbike means any sportbike that's black with any different type of graphic on it. Atleast have a manufacture and possibly a make before you randomly start pulling people and being a problem.

If that's all they have, that's all they have. They can't go back and get more details.

Personally, if it were me, I'd be happy to oblige the police if it helped find some idiot out there who contributed to the deaths of others and is making me, as a motorcycle rider, look bad. I'd want that guy off the streets ASAP.

The truth is not nearly enough is known to pass judgement on anyone. Did the guy run a light or a suspect in a series of murders? Did the cop run into the car, or did the car make a sudden move that caused the accident? Had the cop been chasing him some time or did he just start to try to pull him over? These are just a couple of many questions that need to be asked before judgement can be passed on anyone.

Also, I think you're confusing profiling issues. In this case, they know certain details about someone who HAS COMMITTED A CRIME. Nothing wrong with using that to find the person. What else should they do? "A guy committed a crime, but we can't say anything to describe him because that would be profiling. OK, go find him!" (oops, said it was a guy. That's profiling)

Now, if they pull over certain people because they think those type of people MIGHT COMMIT A CRIME, that's a different story and wrong.
 
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I say ditch the cop.

Don't get sue happy, we have enough of that already.

Try to find the guy, even if you do have to search ever black street-bike in town. If that's what it takes, then that's what it takes.

Punish the guy.

Move on.
 

eric


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i'm sure if i drove a bright red or blue impreza vs driving my white forester, i'd have to deal with more police "activity" even if i drove exactly the same way.

you know driving certain vehicles will get you more attention. if you don't want that attention, don't drive those vehicles. simple as that.

and if you ever passed me doing 115 in a 65... :Not-Amused:


i do believe the guy is a menace. have you ever seen what a bike can do to a car when it hits it? and you know what, nevermind that it was a bike, it could have been anything capable of that kind of speed.
feel free to take your life into your own hands, but if someone was running from the cops and hit my car and injured my wife or kid (or worse), he's going to need all those cops to pull me off of him.
 

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