I was out ridding this evening, a little past 3:30am when I was stopped by a police officer and questioned about what I was out doing riding at night. I was initially told I was stopped because I did not have lights on my bike, which I admit I am at fault for. Mine were recently stolen which happens around this town, frequently I might add.
The thing that bothered me the most, and you should be aware of, is that I was questioned about a recent string of robberies in the area, apparently the robbers are using bicycles as transportation. When my information passed, he realized I wasn't a threat, and there were no warrants out for me the officer said he would let me off with a warning, but first I needed to be photographed along with my bicycle in case I came up as a suspect (or more so that's what he alluded to). This made me super uncomfortable as I'm not even sure whether that is legal. I told him I thought it seemed like a violation of my rights and I wouldn't be ok with him photographing me.
His response was, "then we can do it the hard way," which involved a ticket, over an hour of my time, and him inviting two other officers out to I.D. me, in case I turn out to be some type of serial burglar. I feel in some way like there is a violation of rights for being stopped for a robbery based upon my method of commuting. I am generally pretty cordial when dealing with officers of the law and was told I was being difficult, and my guess is because I wasn't ok with being documented in photograph. The gentlemen I encountered was not very pleasant and seemed like he was waiting for me to make a mistake or say the wrong thing
The messed up thing is this happened to one of the nicest and non confrontational people I know in this town, Antimo. If you live / ride in Winter Park be careful and most importantly, know your rights!
IBOT Thread here.
ACLU Know Your Rights: What to Do If You're Stopped by the Police
