OFF THE WIRE
http://www.record-bee.com/ci_17670138
Profiling: Unfair to motorcyclists
By Lori Adams 03/23/2011
On March 11 the Record-Bee printed an article from Officer Tanguay on CHP grant money promoting motorcycle safety.
The article starts out that "fewer people in California were killed as a result of DUI or a motorcycle collision than in 2008. While this is encouraging there is more work to be done both statewide and locally."
So would someone explain to those of us who ride how singling out motorcycles during a roadside checkpoint from grant money, which is supposed to be used for safety education, is going to help us?
This is blatant profiling motorcyclists simply because of the bikes we ride or the clothes we wear. We already have DUI checkpoints in this county for all vehicles, so now local law enforcement will have another tool to stop us, go through our bags, take our pictures and any other information they deem fit. If someone is drunk I have no problem with stopping them, but let's call a spade a spade, this is profiling straight up. This practice started in New York four years ago and has progressed to the West Coast now.
Why isn't the money being used to educate the automobile drivers about motorcyclist, put up billboards, safety commercials on the radio and TV? I belong to ABATE of California and president of our Local 28 here in Lake County as well as on the board of directors for ABATE.
We are a safety and education motorcycle organization, at a meeting in Camarillo last year during our board meeting members were subjected to the local police writing down our licenses and photographing them. There is a bill being carried by Assembly Transportation Vice chair Kevin Jefferies (Rep. Murrieta) AB 1047 that will prohibit the Office of Traffic safety from disbursing any grant money/grants to California law enforcement agencies to do roadside check points for motorcyclists only.
For those who ride get ready we are in for a battle, remember it can be you that is subjected to harassment or intimidation.
Lori Adams
Lakeport
