car starts to weave into your lane, you knock/bang to get their attention... they are a cop...

I saw a car stoped askew and a bicyclist down when I got to Desplanes and Washington this morning. I recognized the cyclist as someone whom I had passed a bit further back on Milwaukee and who must have then passed me up again when I stopped to fidget with my chain. I was amazed to see a police office already there until I realized that the cyclist was in handcuffs. I didn't actually witness what happened but from hearing what the cyclist was saying and what the officer was telling dispatch on his cell phone and what a witness who did actually see some of this said something similar to the following must have occurred:

The officer was off duty, likely on his way home from work in his own civilian car.

the cyclist was riding in the bike lane on des planes.

The officer was weaving lanes a bit and driving a bit aggressively (according to the cyclist and the witness the officer said he was stopped and not moving to the on duty officer who arrived later but had indicated he was in motion when initially calling dispatch)

A witness showed up who said she saw the cop weaving as he drove and asked if she should stay to give her information the cop told her that he did not need her information and she could (/should) go. The cyclist said he did need her information and she should stay. This was a red flag that caused me to stick around. I got her number on two of my business cards and tried to give the cyclist one. The officer told me I could not give someone who was under arrest anything, I said its just a business card. He took the business card from me.  I told the cyclist I would post something to thechainlink.org so he can locate me if he doesn't still have her info. in the hopes of making this searchable I'm putting his name in the Tags, but I do not know if I have the spelling correct.

The bicyclist says he saw the officer weave a bit into the bike lane and knocked or banged on the car to alert the officer to his presence, the degree of force used for this knock was of some discussion ('a light tap?' 'no, loud enough that he could hear me' - 'he banged on my car hard, for no reason I was stopped')

Clearly blood was running hot, voices were raised but everyone was civil enough.

The cyclist asked what he was under arrest for the officer cited 'reckless conduct' or something vague and could not cite a statute number. The cyclist said he is a  lawyer, threats of lawsuits for improper arrest/detainment were issued.

What a mess...

For what its worth:

I don't think any cyclist bangs on windows unprovoked. Your hand is worth more than the glass and is more breakable, that's pretty clear even when road rage of getting cut off runs high.

The cop probably was tired coming off a hard shift doing thankless work and did not have any patience left.

No damage was visible to the car or the cyclist.

I'm glad no one got hurt, but what are you supposed to do when a car cuts into the bike lane... and its an off duty cop!

If you are the cyclist, and you need the witnesses phone number, call me at: tree one too, cinco quarto tres, eighty seven, 41.

I wrote this up within an hour of what I saw, but I arrived too late to see the events leading up to the arrest and even now my memory grows fuzzy... I wish my gopro hadn't been out of batteries, or that the cyclist had had one. ugh.

Streetsblog article http://chi.streetsblog.org/2015/11/09/cyclist-arrested-by-allegedly...

Most recent Streetsblog article: http://chi.streetsblog.org/2015/11/13/witness-officer-drove-reckles...

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Permalink Reply by Yasmeen on November 14, 2015 at 4:03am

Here's the latest Streetsblog article:

http://chi.streetsblog.org/2015/11/13/witness-officer-drove-reckles...

In finding Liu guilty of disorderly conduct, Judge Berbas asserted that the cyclist probably knocked on the SUV due to road rage or “overreaction to a traffic situation,” DNA reported. “If a Chicago police officer is in uniform on his way to work, he really just wants to get to work, check in and do his job,” Berbas said. “I don’t think that while in his personal vehicle he’s going to be looking to instigate or start anything.”

Liu told me the judge’s logic is flawed. “His statement seems to imply that an attorney who is just riding his bike to work is looking to start something,” Liu added. “What’s my motivation?”

Active Transportation Alliance director Ron Burke had a similar response to Berbas’ ruling. “How often have you seen a person on a bike or a pedestrian randomly pounding on a car?” he said. “It sounds like this was a case where Liu was at risk and needed to get the driver’s attention. The officer should have realized he made a mistake by driving in the bike lane and moved on, and it seems that the judge should have thrown out the case.”

Permalink Reply by Joe Guzzardo on November 20, 2015 at 4:16pm

"a Chicago police officer is in uniform on his way to work" speaks a mouthful. If instead, the individual were an ordinary driver behaving in the same fashion, how would events have unfolded? Let's say the individual attempted to make a citizen's arrest and was lucky enough to find a policeman at the scene when he stopped Mr. Liu. Then it would have been one person's testimony against another and without any other convincing evidence, the case would have been dismissed. But in this instance, it was a Chicago police officer making the complaint. In the judge's eye, an unassailable icon of virtue and integrity. 

Permalink Reply by V W on November 18, 2015 at 4:56am
There's still time to appeal and I hope you do James.
Permalink Reply by Mike Schwab on November 25, 2015 at 11:33am

He had a $350K injury award in 2007 for his excessive force arresting a cable TV installer.

He was on the scene for 30 seconds.  6 seconds out of the car.

They had testimony from several other cops that there was no justification to shoot.

They had video showing no threat.

They had him on desk duty for 400 days.

 http://edition.cnn.com/2015/11/24/opinions/robbins-chicago-police-s...

Permalink Reply by Joe Guzzardo on November 26, 2015 at 4:02am

Apparently, the initial police report  contained huge discrepancies from what the video showed. 5 million dollars will buy a lot of body cameras. All on duty officers should be required to wear one. 

Permalink Reply by Joe Guzzardo on November 26, 2015 at 4:14am

Clearly, one of Chicago's finest:

"He had a $350K injury award in 2007 for his excessive force arresti...."

with an exemplary record. Seems that someone ought to be looking into these records more critically, wouldn't you agree, Superintendent McCarthy?

Permalink Reply by Brian aka "Lord Helmut" on November 26, 2015 at 11:06am
Is it being said that the officer involved in this bicycle incident is the same one who may in fact have murdered someone?
Permalink Reply by Steve G on November 26, 2015 at 12:47pm
If course not. There is nothing in this thread to indicate any such thing.
Permalink Reply by Brian aka "Lord Helmut" on November 26, 2015 at 12:49pm
Of course it is not relevant then. Simple!
Permalink Reply by Mike Schwab on November 26, 2015 at 1:19pm

Just another example of police refusing to take excessive force by police claims seriously.

Permalink Reply by Yasmeen on November 26, 2015 at 2:39pm

I read the post a number of times, confused because context wasn't initially provided. At first, I thought Mike was saying the officer that arrested James had a record of abuse. While I agree with the assessment there is a systemic issue of abuse in the CPD, what happened to Laquan McDonald is on a whole other level. The officer who shot the 17 year old 16 times is finally being charged with first degree murder.

I don't know that it is helpful to draw a comparison to James being arrested for knocking on an off duty cop car. Mike, I think you are well intended. I'm just uncomfortable with the comparison.

Permalink Reply by Joe Guzzardo on November 28, 2015 at 3:47am

Mike is right. Clearly, the CPD harbors a number of bad apples and it's no secret any more that they foster their own don't snitch culture, making the job much harder for the good officers and the department itself. If this behavior is not brought to the attention of the public, it will only get worse. "To serve and protect" or to intimidate and protect ourselves?

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