The Chainlink

Run-in with plainclothes cop

I had an unsettling encounter with a plainclothes officer recently and wanted a place to share my experience and invite opinions on the circumstances involved. First, the details:

I was biking home late Wednesday night, heading north on the Dearborn bike lane out of downtown, not loving the freezing rain but dealing with it. I was approaching Wacker Drive just as the lights started to change and pressed ahead, knowing that I wouldn't be able to stop before reaching the street (I was traveling too fast and the rainwater would have prolonged my brake time). I entered the intersection as the light for bike traffic turned red and the light for left-turning car traffic turned green. The driver in the first vehicle waiting for this light turns sharply into me, stops, and slams on his horn. I ignore him and proceed across the intersection. As I continue pedaling, I hear shouting behind me: "Stop your bike! Stop your bike!!!" Then I see the blue lights. I brake, but apparently not fast enough for the driver, who keeps screaming at me to stop and dismount. I look over to see a fat, red-faced cop leaning out of the window of an unmarked SUV, still bellowing angrily despite the fact that I was barely 4 feet away. "You shouldn't have crossed there!! Didn't you see the light?! Get yourself killed that way!! Better not see you do that again!!!" The abuse went on for about a minute. I responded with an instinctive, "Yes sir...No sir...Yes sir," and then he drove off and I continued on my way, part shocked, part angry, and part amused (the latter no doubt a means of coping with the shock and anger).

Now, my rant: I think it's outrageous that an officer of the law would single out a cyclist in this way (and pretend to be concerned about my welfare no less) when untold numbers of drivers get away with a wide range of infractions that impact my safety and that of other cyclists literally every second: talking and texting on their phones, throwing open their doors without looking, turning into us at intersections, drifting into bike lanes, double-parking in bike lanes, running reds, and on and on. Surely there are better ways to spend his time, if not more worthwhile targets over which to exert his authority? I suspect that this particular individual has some kind of grudge against cyclists, or was indulging an impromptu power trip, or needed someone on whom to unleash his fury after a bad day on the job, but whatever the case, he was seething with rage and if it weren't for those blue lights, I might have forgotten that I was being verbally assaulted by a policeman instead of some disgruntled asshat in an SUV. Not only was this behavior completely inappropriate for a law enforcement officer, but in my mind, it perfectly encapsulated the total disrespect with which cyclists are treated in this city, whether directly through infractions like those listed above (not to mention outright harassment) or indirectly through a traffic infrastructure that effectively marginalizes us.

Chainlink chums, I ask you: has anyone else had a similar (or otherwise) encounter with law enforcement while biking? How did you deal with it? Should I consider myself lucky that I didn't get ticketed? Is anyone as exasperated as I am by the marginalization of cyclists by our laws and infrastructure and the casual, everyday offenses of motorists that invariably go unpunished?

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Permalink Reply by Jim Reho on March 26, 2016 at 9:30pm

I didn't mean to be harsh.  I was just imagining the situation.  I've lived in Chicago proper for 36 years now.  I know what you mean about belligerent police, believe me.  But I will say that as a driver, I've encountered that same belligerence.  I've seen plenty of police rage out there.  Police, everywhere, are about forcing submission.  Period.  But -- the police in Chicago generally let Idaho stops go.  I don't think they're looking to pick fights with cyclists, in general.  I have no doubt that this officer was rude to you.  He was undoubtedly having a bad day.  You might have been the cherry on a rotten sundae.  I'm sorry you were dealt with in that way.    

Permalink Reply by Lisa Curcio on March 26, 2016 at 7:11am

I am sorry, but going too fast to stop is no more a defense for a cyclist than it is for a driver.  Especially at an intersection like that one that has a pedestrian countdown light that can be seen from more than a half block away.

Was it the cop that was making the turn with the green signal that almost turned into you?  Maybe it was a normal human reaction to almost hitting someone because that someone disobeyed a traffic signal. How many times do we react with similar anger when a driver disobeys a traffic law and thus endangers us?

Permalink Reply by Yasmeen on March 26, 2016 at 7:59am

Thanks for coming to Chainlink to talk about it and open yourself up to feedback. This is how we learn. 

I am glad you are safe and hope this will help guide you so that you aren't going too fast to stop. The description you provided of bad drivers is exactly why you DON'T want to run that light - you put yourself in danger by running a red. What if the drivers in that intersection weren't paying attention? So many are so distracted or playing fast and loose with the laws so we, as cyclists, really need to be careful and ride defensively. It only adds a few minutes to our ride and as Ken points out, "no ghost bike". 

We want you around, coming to The Chainlink and hashing stuff out with us so please, keep yourself safe and always feel welcome to come here and talk about it. 

Permalink Reply by haruspex on March 26, 2016 at 6:45pm

Yasmeen,

Thank you for reading the full post and offering your feedback. I sincerely appreciate the words of concern/advice. I'm all about riding defensively and obeying the traffic signals. There is no excuse for breaking the rules and zero argument against being held accountable for these infractions. I made a mistake in this instance, and put my personal safety at risk. As other commenters have said, that's on me, and I agree with them.

I believe I should have framed my post differently. I wanted to share the incident from start to end to provide an account of what, in my opinion was a profoundly mishandled response by an agent of the law. The yelling and hostility were completely out of line. I felt like I was more in danger from the cop than from the turning vehicle. This treatment, to me, is symptomatic of a widespread culture of intolerance and aggression towards cyclists that cops and ordinary people alike perpetuate.

I was hoping to open up a dialogue about the treatment of cyclists by laws and law enforcement more generally. I want to hear more stories from people about their encounters with police. Were these encounters positive or negative? What were the exact circumstances? Do we feel like cops understand our rights as cyclists? Do we feel like our rights as cyclists are sufficiently protected? Do we feel like those rights could go further?

I can see that your response comes out of a genuine concern for the safety of another cyclist. Thank you for your kindness and thank you for your understanding. 

Permalink Reply by Maurice on March 26, 2016 at 1:11pm
With all the crazy stuff going on with CPD, this thread did not deliver.
Permalink Reply by curt(is) locke on March 29, 2016 at 9:12am

Uh, Maurice, exactly what were you expecting this thread to "deliver" -- sandwiches??

Permalink Reply by Maurice on March 29, 2016 at 1:25pm
Something more serious than this whiny privileged nonsense, which boils down to, "I committed a dangerous traffic infraction and was let off with a warning."
Permalink Reply by Tom A.K. on March 29, 2016 at 1:28pm
Maurice, do you have any thing to share in your interactions with law enforcement while cycling?
Permalink Reply by Yasmeen on March 29, 2016 at 1:33pm

Maurice, I agree with a lot you have to say but the one thing I will disagree with is calling this, "whiny privileged nonsense". I stated my reasons later in this thread - mostly to do with the unprofessional response of the cop. I have been on the receiving end of a very angry cop who kept trying to get me to argue with him and as a woman, I found it quite scary. We've all talked about running the red light and now we're talking about what all of our experiences have been when we've interacted with police on our bikes. If you have some examples, we'd love to hear them.

Permalink Reply by curt(is) locke on March 30, 2016 at 9:18am

The sound of crickets.

Permalink Reply by Gene Tenner on March 26, 2016 at 1:51pm

You are fortunate that you did not get a ticket and got off with a werbal warning. 

Permalink Reply by Paul Lazzaro on March 26, 2016 at 5:04pm

It's not smart to try to beat the light, especially in bad weather, given that drivers can't see as well, and are usually distracted by phones, etc. anyway.  Nevertheless, as a driver, I know enough to check for latecomers before I enter an intersection.  The cop should have done this, too, and should have remained calm.  You are not blameless, but the cop was a little too pissy, IMO.

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