I was stopped by Maricopa Cty Sheriff's Department 5 minutes ago

[JonLP24]

Joe Arpaio's team just stopped me riding my bike while they were hanging out in front of my townhome complex. I got on my bike and rode to the nearest convenience store about 5 minutes away to get a beer. On my way back I got shined in the face and told the stop, they asked me if I ever been arrested 3 times and if I had any warrants. I got 7 tickets!! they told me they'd be here everynight Good god let's hear the list of offenses

No light in the front of the bike
No light in the back of the bike
No signal on my left turn
Riding on the sidewalk
Riding on the left side of the road
Riding on grass which is criminal damage
and
Having something in your hand(a plastic bag containing a beer hooked on the handle)

Good god I had no idea so many bicycle violations on just a quick trip. I learned never to do that again but good god how has anything I've done has endangered anyone including myself? I didn't cross any streets, just rode out my apartment complex, thru a parking lot into the corner store just minutes away from me. :shrug:

edited to make clear I wasn't 'hanging out' they were and I was riding my bike from one place back to my home

[harmonicon]

1. da-yam! Someone's mad at you for something!

Next time, walk.

[JonLP24]

2. I will

Honestly I haven't done anything different (as far as riding) or anyone else I seen for the past several years. Riding a bicycle as always been my first means of transportation and never had a problem. As I know Maricopa County Sheriffs department is known for busting underage drinking and illegal immigration, they do regular sweeps for those 2 things. It was probaly a slow night as I could tell they were looking for more as far as pressing me about how many times I've been arrested and the warrants thing. I answered honestly and they didn't run anything.

[jobycom]

3. Take it to court.

Chances are good the cops won't bother showing up. Plus, I don't know the local laws in your area, but some of the I've never heard. The lights are required after dark and you are supposed to signal--that's common everywhere, but if you were really only riding through parking lots and not on the street, I don't think the law applies. Here, riding on a sidewalk is legal if you aren't in front of a business or near pedestrians. I've never heard of criminal damage for riding on the grass--unless that's a specific law in your area, then the cop was just trying to find something else to stick you with. I've never heard of a law against something hanging from your handle, so you could check that out, too.

Mostly, here's what I'd do. I'd google or contact a local cycling association to find out if those are specific laws. Just call a cycling shop, they'll probably know how to find out. Then I'd do whatever the ticket instructs you to do to challenge in court. Then I'd take pictures of exactly where you rode. When you go to the courthouse and your case is called, bring the pictures, bring a copy of the laws that support you, and explain to the judge why you didn't break the law. Chances are the cop won't even show up, and they'll dismiss the ticket. If not, the judge will hear your explanations, and might decide the cop was wrong. He could even dismiss the whole thing if he decides the cop was just harassing you.

Sounds like you got caught in a net. They were trying to find something else--maybe patrolling for burglars, vandals, or drugss--and you looked suspicious, so they stopped you to question you, and trumped up the charges to scare you. Maybe they think you were rude to them, or maybe they just want to scare you into staying home. Maybe they thought you were up to no good, and that's there way of punishing you, since they couldn't prove you had done anything else.

Anyway, good luck with that.

[JonLP24]

4. Thanks for the post

I've been told by others before to challenge every traffic ticket even if you are wrong. Everything you said makes sense, though I let them do all the talking only responded 'yes' to requests and addressed them as 'officer' I'm prior military so I got the customs and courtesy thing drilled into me

[jobycom]

5. Usually what happens, at least here in Austin.

If you challenge a ticket, you show up for a preliminary hearing at the time shown on the ticket. They have an attorney, who will offer you a plea deal--usually about half of what you'd pay for the ticket--or offer you the chance to challenge in court. If you think you'll lose, it's not a bad idea to take the deal, because if you lose in court, you'll pay the full amount. If you decline, they'll schedule a court date, usually a couple months in the future. If the officer doesn't show up for that, they will dismiss the charges, since they have no accuser. If the officer does show, the judge will decide between the two of you. The officer gets the benefit of the doubt, even though they claim otherwise, so it does no good to say "I wasn't there, I didn't do it." You have to explain why the officer was wrong, like "This was not a crime because I didn't go on the road," or "There is no law against this." Don't assume the cop knows the law--they usually do, but they can make mistakes.

Anyway, just some idea of what to expect.

It's odd that they busted you up like that, with you being former military and being polite. Something else was going on. I've known a lot of cops (used to work with them), and that's just not something they'd really bother doing. You may have fit some profile they were looking for. Or maybe the cop doesn't like bikes--I've heard of that happening before. :shrug:

[JonLP24]

6. Well I didn't tell them of the prior military experience

I'm just 22 years old so I definately see how I could fit the profile. This wasn't the Mesa Police which the Chief of Police of that department have had headbuts with Joe Arpaio over unnannounced sweeps. Not that Mesa Police is any better, I recall when I was 17 I was called many vulgar names over something I was accused of doing (which was later dismissed) for being at the wrong the place at the wrong time.

[sasquatch]

7. Find out thier home addresses and post'em on the internet

Let them see how they like being harrassed. If any body ask why you did it just say you wanted to let the public know where these people live because they're a threat to the general public.

[Maine-ah]

8. were you riding at night?

up here you have to have a light if you're riding at night. You're also supposed to ride with traffic, not against, (one of my pet peeves) and up here, you're not supposed to ride on the sidewalk. And technically, you should use hand signals for turning.

now, a criminal charge for riding on the grass? That sounds like a load o'shit, along with the bag. I'd fight the tickets, usually cops don't show up in court for stuff like that.

My hubbie got a ticket over 20 days ago for an inspection sticker being past date. He has tried to pay the ticket a couple of times now, but the cop still hasn't even filed the ticket. Hubbie has 30 days, after the first 20 to pay the ticket, or he'll lose his license.

[yellowdogintexas]

11. that may be the first 20 days after the ticket is filed internally. Call the appropriate

courthouse and ask.

[zanne]

9. It sounds like the cops were bored and needed somebody to poke at. nt

[YellowRubberDuckie]

10. I watched this show about them this weekend.

Apparently Sheriff Joe is such an ego-maniac that he has an entire team dedicated to just handling threats. And they aren't scared to entrap people into those threats. There's this guy who was pretty much set up by his neighbor in prison and the sheriff's office paid for everything while encouraging this guy, who was really sweet, but not at all smart. He felt like his life was threatened if he didn't do it. Even one of the sergeants who participated in his televised arrest said he was entrapped. The sheriff's department even called their favorite camera crew to tape the entire thing. It was completely insane. Luckily a jury didn't like the way he was treated either and found him not guilty. Apparently the sheriff's department is out of control there. They think they can do whatever they want.
I guess you can count your lucky stars that they didn't throw you in jail. :shrug:
Duckie

[JonLP24]

17. I'm more then certain they were looking for a reason too

I almost felt like I was going to go when they asked me "Have you ever been arrested?" I said no and they asked me if was sure. I told them not since I was 14. Then for some reason they continued to ask it 2 more times. From watching the TV Show 'Cops' usually when they ask someone if they have been arrested before they end up going to jail.

However, in my mind was they didn't have anything on me with the exception of the riding at night with no lights but I couldn't imagine racking up so many offenses

[Tommy_Carcetti]

12. That guy Arpaio is a real creep.

Seriously, I think there is something mentally wrong with him--he's just a couple notches down from the guys who ran Nazi concentration camps or Stalinist gulags. Sadist is the word that first comes to mind upon mention of is name.

Why does he keep getting elected sherriff?

[sasquatch]

13. "Why does he keep getting elected sherriff?"

Because Boomers and right wingers vote for him in droves.

[Breeze54]

14. That sounds like harassment to me.

I'd take it to court and call the Internal Affairs at the state police and report them!

[DS1]

15. Jesus Christ!

I've ridden down the wrong side of the road with no lights just after dusk and passed a cop car and shared a wave while carrying a 6pack of beer.

Polar opposite towns.

[Wapsie B]

16. Sounds like they're under orders to recoup that lost tax revenue somehow.

These municipalities have really been squeezed by gop economics. Less funding by the feds and state. So the money's gotta come from someplace. Unfortunately the cops are reduced to being meter maids in some places in order to bring back some of that lost income. And the individual citizens such as yourself have to take the hit for it.

[hippywife]

18. I would take it

to court, too, as someone else suggested. Sounds like Joe's goons are trying to raise money to support his homeland concentration camps. :mad: