Why doesn't Chicago's finest follow the "rules"?

While traveling on Lincoln around 630 pm tonight I noticed a cop on bike near the Children's Hospital.  She was on the opposite side of the road, in the bike lane, going the same direction as I.  (I was riding with traffic)  I "playfully" said "Hey, you're going the wrong way."  She said thanks.  oops, lol  As I neared the next intersection I saw her crossing the road, against the light, and finally heading down in to the park, all against the light.  She did not have a front light or back light.  She did not have any reflectors visible on the back of her bike. 

Really?  How are we going to get the basics down pat if the police force on bikes doesn't play along?

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Permalink Reply by Doug Haynes on December 2, 2011 at 4:12pm

Was it a legit cop or a LAZ parking enforcement lackey? 

The fuzz usually has lights when they are riding at night.

Permalink Reply by Michelle Gregorek on December 2, 2011 at 4:40pm

Looked legit to me.  Chicago across the back, carrying a weapon, and handcuffs hooked to her belt in back.  Remember, hard to see her....it was night and she had no lights ;-)

Permalink Reply by Doug Haynes on December 2, 2011 at 5:08pm

That is not the norm but I have seen it before; I once got my info run for yelling at a pair of cyclists to get off the sidewalk and they ended up being cops.

They did, however, have lights.

It can be hard to tell the LAZ folks apart because they wear the ticket machine in a holster and dress a little like a cop.  They also tend to ride against traffic because it makes it easy for them to see the parking tags. I enjoy playing chicken with them even more than with other salmon...

Permalink Reply by Michelle Gregorek on December 2, 2011 at 5:16pm

Well, not sure, but no lights FOR sure.  and thanks for teaching me something today!  Didn't realize why LAZ folks ride against traffic. Makes sense to me.

Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on December 3, 2011 at 3:54am

Anytime I've seen CPD on bikes at night, they've had lights.

Permalink Reply by David P. on December 3, 2011 at 9:41am

Things like cuffs and a sidearm make CPD pretty easy to spot, I suppose. But as far as bikes go, most CPD bikes are Trek Police bikes (with some Cannondales, etc. and on the older stuff there is a curious penchant for Aerospoke wheels), most City (Revenue) ticketing agents ride Trek police bikes with the 'police' decals removed (there is some older misc. stuff still in service, mostly Trek 3900s) and I don't know what the LAZ people ride.

David

Permalink Reply by Jeff Markus on December 3, 2011 at 4:58pm

Many moons ago I had a spirited discussion with my brother in law (a CPD) about the need for police to set a good example by following the laws they are charged with enforcing. My arguement was in situations where the officer needs to operate outside the law they are equiped with lights and sirens to warn the civilians that laws are being broken and to react in the safest manner.

His response was to go to his bookcase and pulled out a book written by a Philadelphia cop as a training manual for self improving officers. This book supported, in the strongest terms such activities as driving wrong way down streets, ignoring traffic controls etc all in the interest of being proactive in finding the bad guy while he was looking the other way.

I hold to my beliefs but the police don't feel obligated to be socially responsible in fact anti-social is more the common state of mind. They do feel justified and I'm not sure that were I in their position I would feel any differently (I'd like to think I'm a better human bean but that job ... well I don't know).

The problem as I see it is the police don't realize they are making their own jobs more difficult and dangerous by these scofflaw actions and nothing our words here will do will change that.

Jeff

The Chicagoan

Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on December 4, 2011 at 9:20am

I've often had this same conversation with officers I know.  It's bad enough when they do thing on duty (like riding the wrong way) that may endanger law abiding citizens.  I get very frustrated when they drive in aggressive and illegal ways when they're off duty, like the road raging off-duty officer who nearly ran me down on the Randolph St. bridge recently when I was riding legally in the traffic lane.

I think that the way traffic responds to them when they're on duty (in a squad car or on a bike) changes their behavior on the road over time.  After years, the line between on-duty and off-duty driving (or riding) appears to blur for many officers.

Jeff Markus said:

Many moons ago I had a spirited discussion with my brother in law (a CPD) about the need for police to set a good example by following the laws they are charged with enforcing. My arguement was in situations where the officer needs to operate outside the law they are equiped with lights and sirens to warn the civilians that laws are being broken and to react in the safest manner.

His response was to go to his bookcase and pulled out a book written by a Philadelphia cop as a training manual for self improving officers. This book supported, in the strongest terms such activities as driving wrong way down streets, ignoring traffic controls etc all in the interest of being proactive in finding the bad guy while he was looking the other way.

I hold to my beliefs but the police don't feel obligated to be socially responsible in fact anti-social is more the common state of mind. They do feel justified and I'm not sure that were I in their position I would feel any differently (I'd like to think I'm a better human bean but that job ... well I don't know).

The problem as I see it is the police don't realize they are making their own jobs more difficult and dangerous by these scofflaw actions and nothing our words here will do will change that.

Jeff

The Chicagoan

Permalink Reply by sara dykman on December 4, 2011 at 1:47pm

One of my top ten biking moments here in Chicago:

About a month ago, I was biking west on Augusta when I passed a few cops riding REALLY slow in the bike lane (I passed with a ring of my bell and 'on your left' thank you very much).

A few blocks later I was stopped at a light when I heard someone yell "just go, it doesn't matter".  Then, much to my suprise a flock of bike cops passed me, running the red light.  I just stood there speechless.

AH...but my friends can tell you I am rarely speechless for long.  The light turned green and I found myself chasing cops on bikes (shouldn't it be the other way?) yelling for them to "STOP, COME BACK HERE, YOU JUST RAN A RED LIGHT. THAT IS AGAINST THE LAWWWWW."  I wish I could say I was some bad ass vigilante, but honestly I was just having fun.  When I caught up they were all laughing at me and I was still citing bike laws like a religious zealot    

We rode about a mile together, me and my police posse.  I did get dropped at one more red light and at one four way stop (a car crossing Augusta was already stopped when we approached the intersection).  As for the other stop signs, I ran them all with the bike cops.   

I did my best to spread the whole let's-all-be-safe-and-give-bikes-a-good-name philosophy, but it didn't seem to take very well.  I hope you can appreciate how high and mighty I was feeling lecturing five cops in traffic laws.  When I told them that wearing all black at night without lights was dangerous they told me the police couldn't afford lights.  I finished my speech with "Neither your gun nor your badge will save you from a car crash."  I thought it was moving, they just all laughed. 

As someone that spends every commute cursing at all the idiot bikers out there, I was wide-eyed at these officers blantant disrespect for the law and their own safety. I very much believe in leading by example and wish cops would do the same.  BUT, I got to say, it was a blast to ride down Augusta surrounded by cops and not have to worry about breaking any laws.

Now, don't get me started on cops with cars...

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