12-15-2018, 08:53 AM
As an honorably retired Texas street cop with 29 years service, I had to add my two cents here. I have ridden motorcycles for 49 years, and many of my LE friends ride as well. The thing is that most of the time when we are off duty, we dont advertise what we do for a living, just as doctors and lawyers, among others dont. Fun time is fun time, and no one wants to hear profession related gripe stories from the people we meet off duty. Actually there are many individual, formal, and informal LE groups that ride.
Generally, many professions cut "civilians" a lot of slack, because those not in the profession are not expected to know what any given profession actually does or why. There is a lot of misconception about "profiling". In law enforcement, a profile is not just one or two factors, like riding a motorcycle and wearing leather, it is a combination of many factors when done properly. Actually, everyone profiles. You go to a social gathering and start talking to someone you have never met. Without realizing it, you take in how the person is dressed, what the person says, how the person says it, choice of words, the persons attitude, the persons grooming, and on and on. From everything you see and hear, you decide if you want to stick around and continue a conversation with this person, or politely excuse yourself and walk away. You have just profiled this person, and made a decision based on that profile. Correct use of a profile is always many factors, never just one or two. I think it would be fair to say that most of the decisions we all make, are based on multiple factors. On the other hand we all know that any tool can be mis used or abused.
One night on duty, I stopped an outlaw biker flying his colors, for stopping at a red light, and proceeding on before the light turned green. He said the light was stuck on red. I wrote him a ticket, and saw him go to a nearby gas station for gas. While he was gassing his bike, I went back to the nearby light to check it. It WAS stuck on red. I saw him leave the gas station, and chased him down a second time. He asked me why I was stopping him again, and I said I needed his copy of the ticket back that I had written him so I could void it because he was right that the light was stuck on red. Shoulda seen the look of disbelief on his face, it was priceless. It did not matter that he was an outlaw flying colors, or that his Harley was loud, or that he was wearing leather. It was the right thing to do for anyone.
Among other things, Texas requires a motorcycle endorsement on the drivers license to operate a motorcycle on any public street or highway. Several other states have something similar. Checking for that endorsement on the license, helps keep unqualified, and sometimes dangerous motorcyclists off the roads that we all have to share. I could go on and on, but at least maybe I have been able to give my fellow Forum members a little bit different perspective on the subject.
Generally, many professions cut "civilians" a lot of slack, because those not in the profession are not expected to know what any given profession actually does or why. There is a lot of misconception about "profiling". In law enforcement, a profile is not just one or two factors, like riding a motorcycle and wearing leather, it is a combination of many factors when done properly. Actually, everyone profiles. You go to a social gathering and start talking to someone you have never met. Without realizing it, you take in how the person is dressed, what the person says, how the person says it, choice of words, the persons attitude, the persons grooming, and on and on. From everything you see and hear, you decide if you want to stick around and continue a conversation with this person, or politely excuse yourself and walk away. You have just profiled this person, and made a decision based on that profile. Correct use of a profile is always many factors, never just one or two. I think it would be fair to say that most of the decisions we all make, are based on multiple factors. On the other hand we all know that any tool can be mis used or abused.
One night on duty, I stopped an outlaw biker flying his colors, for stopping at a red light, and proceeding on before the light turned green. He said the light was stuck on red. I wrote him a ticket, and saw him go to a nearby gas station for gas. While he was gassing his bike, I went back to the nearby light to check it. It WAS stuck on red. I saw him leave the gas station, and chased him down a second time. He asked me why I was stopping him again, and I said I needed his copy of the ticket back that I had written him so I could void it because he was right that the light was stuck on red. Shoulda seen the look of disbelief on his face, it was priceless. It did not matter that he was an outlaw flying colors, or that his Harley was loud, or that he was wearing leather. It was the right thing to do for anyone.
Among other things, Texas requires a motorcycle endorsement on the drivers license to operate a motorcycle on any public street or highway. Several other states have something similar. Checking for that endorsement on the license, helps keep unqualified, and sometimes dangerous motorcyclists off the roads that we all have to share. I could go on and on, but at least maybe I have been able to give my fellow Forum members a little bit different perspective on the subject.