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 Joe Guzzardo on March 26, 2016 at 3:47pm

You probably scared the hell out of the cop. I know when I'm driving a vehicle, people on bikes scare me. You never know what they'll do and there is very little margin for error. I think the officer felt a severe tongue lashing would do more to vent his feelings and teach the offender a lesson than issuing a citation. The drudgery of writing out a ticket is probably more than the officer cared to deal with anyway, especially in bad weather. And in the end, which would you remember more, paying a fine or dealing with the hostility of an angry officer? Clearly, he was very angry and wanted to teach you a lesson you wouldn't forget.

Had the officer calmly stopped you, issued a citation and then let you go with a "please ride safely", I'm sure this thread would not have been started in the first place. 

Permalink Reply by haruspex on March 26, 2016 at 3:58pm

The fine. Definitely the fine. Intimidation doesn't work, coming from either a cop or a driver.

Permalink Reply by haruspex on March 28, 2016 at 1:47pm

Not what this is about. I didn't come here for sympathy. I wanted to start a conversation about how law enforcement treats cyclists in this city. Read the follow up posts for clarification. Unless you have a story to tell - I welcome positive experiences, too - please refrain from the righteous opprobrium.

Permalink Reply by Joe Guzzardo on March 28, 2016 at 2:10pm

Granted, the CPD has a lot of work ahead of itself to overcome their badly tarnished reputation, but they're still human beings. If I were in the position of the officer that you had the run in with, I think I might have reacted much the same way. To both his and your credit, at least the situation didn't escalate any further than it did.

Permalink Reply by haruspex on March 28, 2016 at 2:46pm

Agreed. Cops are people, too. Whether they feel the same way about us is open for debate. This is only the last of several negative experiences I've had with the CPD. Prior episodes did not involve any rule-breaking on my part, but still, the officers in question were hostile and dismissive (one involved reporting a stolen bike, the others involved reporting accidents caused by negligent drivers). I probably should have skipped the story and gone straight to asking about other riders' experiences with law enforcement. Positive ones are especially welcome. As it stands, I am not confident that Chicago police completely understand our rights, let alone care about upholding them.

Permalink Reply by Joe Guzzardo on March 28, 2016 at 3:23pm

Yeah, I used to think that if I respected the law and those whose job it is to enforce it, that I in turn would be treated with respect. But after the Laquan McDonald incident and the post right here, I've become much more wary.

I'm hopeful our new Police Chief and the more widespread use of body cameras will make a difference, but it will take some time.

The CPD is understaffed, overworked and their morale is probably pretty low, too. They have a really tough job. 

Permalink Reply by curt(is) locke on March 29, 2016 at 3:20am

Another reason for the implementation of the RoboCop program...

Permalink Reply by Maurice on March 28, 2016 at 3:09pm
Source for "intimidation doesn't work"?
Permalink Reply by haruspex on March 28, 2016 at 3:55pm

I was just speaking for myself there. So...yours truly?

Permalink Reply by curt(is) locke on March 29, 2016 at 3:17am

Enough with the officer (within the comfort of their SUV) having to "deal" with the "bad weather" rationalization already. The cyclist was "dealing" too.

Permalink Reply by Gene Tenner on March 28, 2016 at 2:22pm

The officer was in an unmarked SUV. Most of those officers are usually on a specific mission, and writing tickets for bicycles is not one of them. I suspect that if the officer had turned in a bicycle ticket, his supervisor would have responded, "WTF are you doing? Do your assigned job." So, I suppose a good tongue-lashing was the next best thing he could come up with to make you think twice about your traffic behavior which jeopardized your life and those around you. Considering ticket vs. tongue-lashing, I think you will remember the lashing more than the ticket and hence, a more likely change in riding behavior.

Permalink Reply by Maurice on March 28, 2016 at 3:07pm
Good point. He probably didn't even have a ticket book with him.

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