To "crackdown", or not to "crackdown", that is the question.

Update: I was emailed by Sgt. David Walker, who didn't like the tone I took regarding a perceived crackdown by the APD on cyclists. To make it clear there's no OFFICIAL word of crackdown, as David says:

If we had a crackdown, task force, safety corridor or blue moon fever I would tell you. It doesn’t increase or decrease the fines; we don’t go to the beer gardens and swap bicycle ticket stories. Like the first day of school, we are going to be out in force and will write you up. I just don’t see why that would be a secret.

I also said in the meeting that “IF” there was a crackdown it would be an individual command dealing with a targeted problem like the Shoal Creek – stop sign guy. He calls and complains, for example, and we have to send someone out. The officer reports back that he was out there from 11 AM to 1 PM and wrote 5 stop signs and 10 warnings or he could report back it was a ghost town. This cop in your posting could have watched the news story about bike riders running stop signs, decided on his own, we still do that sometimes, to write bicyclist when he goes back on duty. There again, not a department conspiracy or a city coffer stoker against bicyclist. Judge Solomon, as you remember, used the scenario of running vs. rolling red lights / stop signs to adjust the fines, so I hope all 4 plead NOT Guilt and talk with the courts.

Lumping all COPS, or APD for that matter, together is like coming up with a single profile of a “bicyclist”.. never going to happen.

I'm really glad he wrote me. I can definitely be charged with going full tilt when I read something that upsets me, and whenever I hear about police officers singling out cyclists it raises my blood pressure. Like cyclists, there are many different breeds of police officer, and not all of them are created (or treat cyclists) equally. I try to give praise where praise is due, but like most other things in life, we don't hear about the good reports as often as we do the bad. If any of you have a GOOD interaction with the police, let me know! I want them to know that we appreciate being dealt with fairly and when I hear about it, I'll definitely pass on the good word. They read the site, so I figure any amount of positive reinforcement for good behavior can only improve their perception of and relations with the cycling community. Thanks again for writing Sgt. Walker, and for the advice on dealing with the 4 recently given tickets. If I keep hearing stories of a perceived "crackdown" I'll still post them, but I wanted to make it clear that the official word from the big people at the APD is "NO CRACKDOWN".

Every time I speak with the police or a representative of the APD, I'm assured that there's no crackdown, that the cops aren't specifically targeting bicycles, and that any increase in ticketing is just the result of an across-the-board increase in traffic enforcement. Then I hear stories like this incidence, documented by a fellow local blogger. Thanks for pointing this out James! The short story is that four recreational riders received red light tickets due to not coming to a full and complete stop when making a right turn at a red light. Otherwise they were riding legally, two-abreast, wearing their helmets, and behaving in well-mannered rec rider fashion. They didn't RUN the red, but they did roll it, which in the eyes of the officer was enough of a danger to warrant writing 4 tickets. What makes the story interesting besides the fact that this isn't the usual crowd I see getting masses of tickets is the following tidbit of conversation:

The officer issued tickets to four riders for failing to come to a complete stop. Each ticket carries a fine of $217. Meanwhile, one of the riders saw three cars roll through the same red light while making a right turn onto the same street, and wondered why the officer wasn’t ticketing them, since a two-ton automobile is a greater hazard than a 20-pound bike.

The officer told the group he was issuing citations because of the grief the Austin Police Department has been getting over cyclists breaking traffic laws. Letters to the editor in the newspaper seem to be getting more vociferous lately over cyclists, but I don’t think it’s any different here than in any other city.

The recipients of the tickets agree that they did not follow the letter of the law — they did not come to a complete stop — but they also think that since no safety issue was involved, the officer should have let them off with warnings instead. Now, they’re faced with paying a large fine. Pippa, the ride leader for the week, said, “I shall go to Court just because I’m British and like a good argument.” The others are still debating whether to join her.

Once again, the police on the scene admit to a directed increase in cyclist ticketing, going directly against what other cops (including Chief Acevedo) have told me to my face. So they say one thing to us under pleasant circumstances, and a completely different thing when they're issuing tickets. I've never had them admit a "crackdown" to me directly, but maybe that's because I never break the law so I don't have to deal with the ticketing-bearing variety of police officer. Honestly is anyone surprised?

Moral of this story is cops lie to citizens with regularity and remorselessly (of course citizens lie back, it's definitely a two-way street), and always check your six for the 5-0 before doing anything they don't approve of. It'll save you $217 and a long, boring conversation at the Municipal Courthouse. Or if you're going to run a red with 3 other friends, do it in a car so there'll only be 1 ticket instead of 4. Thanks for the object lesson, APD! Is this what you were hoping we'd learn?

P.S. After last Friday's meeting it became very clear to me that the police actively read this page. So watch your mouths and don't fucking rat. Except on bike thieves. I'll be sure to do the same.