base2 

But Australia to the rescue! 16 demerit points! A sizable fine, and perhaps best of all, remorse!

Don't heckle cyclists that are also off-duty policemen

JW Fas

Now if only we can see these penalties when the victims are ordinary citizens.

Maelochs

So the headline should read, "Be careful to abuse only cyclists who aren't LEOs"

BobbyG

The driver was 27 years old, which is still relatively young Getting caught and standing trial and being penalized has hopefully taught him a lesson and will change certain behavioral traits that would have most likely led to disaster, or even death for himself and/or others.

seeker333

Yes, evidently only LEO cyclists are entitled to this sort of law enforcement. I would have liked to have been a bike cop a week ago when someone in a Dodge Ram "rolled coal" on me when I was out on for a ride.

Maelochs

I finally had some loser do that to me a few weeks ago. I found it funny.

Had I a light, badge, gun, and siren, I would have found pulling him over, impounding his vehicle, and sending him to jail overnight a Lot funnier.

livedarklions

I had someone try to roll coal on me, but his timing was so bad, he just annoyed the driver behind him about an eighth mile ahead of me. Wind cleared it before I got there.

CB HI

For those who would like to see the video:
https://cyclingtips.com/2019/06/driv...aking-on-path/

berner

In a small nearby city, the chief of police is a cyclist who rides with our club. He is also a big guy so you would not want to mess with him whether or not he is a cop. In the town of 'Bristol, the police department has a squad of bike mounted LEOs. They patrol the bike path as well as bikes being the best way to get around town during very busy summer months. I'm surprised at the stories that turn up on Bike Forums of cops who seem to have little idea of how to do their jobs. I'm even more surprised to read about unarmed people being shot to death. This raises the question of what kind of people are being hired to become police. Maybe they need to pass a psychological test.

mr_bill

If only the off-duty officers had cameras on their bikes they could have caught him?

-mr. bill

genec

I know in San Diego, quite a few LEOs were former military... who essentially were trained to shoot first.

As far as the psychological test... is that "not required" now? I would think some basic screening test would be standard.

Maelochs

Cops have always had to take psych tests .... at least for as long as I have been alive .... not sure about the 1860s or whatever .... but passing said test might depend on any number of factors. I have interacted with a Lot of LEOs. Wide varieties in what is considered "acceptable" attitudes and behaviors .... and come on .... how many of us have ever filled out a job application which asked, "Are you honest?"

Even nut cases, racists, bullies, can figure out how to game a psych test ... and unless there is a stress test included, what good is it? Someone might know all the answers sitting at a desk but how would that person think after a chase, a fight, getting shot at, being surrounded by a hostile mob, or being insulted by a punk kid?

And I daresay some departments might have preferred racists and people who are a little crazy .... if the guys doing the hiring recognize kindred souls .....

On top of that it is an inherently stressful job. And on which puts people in situations where sometimes, if they don't establish dominance, they might be in lethal danger. And done well, it does convey a sense of power ... which does indeed corrupt in some cases.

The vast majority of LEOs I have met have been at least good and many, better. A very few .... very much Not. I take some solace in the thought that while there are a few egregiously awful cops, most of them are just like the rest of us .... which frankly is cold comfort indeed.

livedarklions

There's a lack of historical perspective and a need to state things as absolutes that clouds a lot of discussions of the qualities of police departments.

Liberals don't like to admit that police departments improved in the last several decades because it sounds like they're admitting that there isn't still room for great improvement (there is), and conservatives don't like to admit that the imposition of rules by the Warren-era Supreme Court actually improved police performance.

One of the big reforms has been to require that the officers have some college education. Police officers generally are smarter and more professional than they were in the, say, 1960s. The rule then was the corrupt big city police department taking bribes and busting heads. You see a lot less of both of those things now.

base2 

As the Original Poster here...Can this thread NOT be about the police. Please?

The thread was started because a driver did a wrong thing, got caught, paid the price, & all indications are he seems to have learned his lesson. This thread is about a drivers actions and justice.

We can all hope for a just, verdant, and equitable society. Sometimes it's nice to see little victories that have a positive impact to that end. That's all I wanted to share.

Can this thread carry on in that spirit?

Thanks,
Aaron (OP)

Maelochs

By what indications does he seemed to have learned his lesson? He didn't flip off the judge? His prepared (probably written by his lawyer's secretary) statement expressed contrition? Do you think a lot of criminals stand up in court and say, Dang, i can't wait to get ou of here so I can re-offend!"?

For all we know this guy has deeper resentment of cyclists than ever before.

There really isn't a huge upside for riders here. if this guy was this much of an idiot at age 27 .... probably he isn't ever going to grow up.

base2 

Well, @Maelochs he lost his license for one, he donated the money from the GoFundMe to charity with an added bit from himself to make it an even round number, & 3 he said he was sorry. Then he got into the passenger seat of his parents car, not the drivers seat of his own...So it looks like he has no intention of driving anytime soon.

Perhaps you missed:

Maelochs

Yeah .... none of that has anything to do with what I said ... . except the part about expressing contrition. I guess if he Says he's sorry he must really be sorry .... like every other repeat offender in the history of the human race. How many people do you think get busted and say, "I can hardly wait to re-offend"? But how many of them do? Google "recidivism rates."