Arizona-Sonora News Service Legislative Reporter Bethany Barnes sends us the following dispatch from yesterday’s Senate Public Safety Committee hearing:
Arizona may have the best weather for motorcyclists, but it doesn’t matter if you can ride year-round when you keep getting hassled by The Man.
Rollin Knights Motorcycle Club member Billy “Rooster” Lockedy, 35, is hoping the passing of SB 1086 out of the Senate Public Safety Committee will make the weather a little easier to enjoy.
Bikers from all over the state swarmed the Capitol for the hearing of a bill that would require police to be trained to not profile motorcyclists.
The hearing room was so packed people trickled out into the hallway.
Testimony was limited because of the number of people wanting to speak. Those who did shouted (the microphones were broken, to the audience’s chagrin) stories about hour-long traffic stops, being held at gunpoint with no idea why, and watching a drug-sniffing dog bite a fellow rider.
On the opposing side was Lyle Mann, executive director of the Arizona Peace Officer Standards and Training Board.
Mann said he acknowledged that there is an issue but countered that additional training can’t solve the issue.
The bill would make it so police would learn not to take action against someone just because they ride a motorcycle or wear motorcycle-related paraphernalia.
Those are requirements that would be impossible to define, said Mann, arguing that by that logic police would only be able to question a few of the people in the room.
The other tricky part?
One of the things police are taught to look for when spotting a motorcycle gang is patches and colors, Mann said, to shouts from the patched and colors-clad crowd.
It was at this point that Rep. Chester Crandell (R-LD 6) had to remind everyone to cool it—a reminder he would need to repeat a few times during the lively hearing.
In an attempt to soothe concerns, Mann offered business cards with a special email just for motorcycle complaints.
The bill passed to hoops, hollers and raised fists of support.
Crandell cautioned against enthusiasm, reminding everyone the bill still needed to pass through the entire House and Senate.
The committee offered to meet and discuss floor amendments that would help bikers and law enforcement find a compromise.
Similar legislation outlawing motorcycle profiling passed in Washington in 2011.
Grady “Tiny” Dillon, 57 of Apache Junction, said he hopes the legislation will not only stop bikers from being harassed, but help police pay more attention to motorcyclists who need their help. Dillon wears a patch for Kimberly “Kimmy” Chapman. Dillon said he believes Chapman’s death wasn’t fully investigated because of her notoriety as a biker.
“They look at us and they go ‘gangs,’” Lockedy said. “We’re not gangs, we’re clubs. All we want to do is get together and have a good time.”
This article appears in Feb 7-13, 2013.
I should think a simple reminder to cops once a year when they are going on duty: ‘Treat bikers no differently than anyone else’ would suffice, without the legislature getting involved and mandating training for which of course they won’t allocate any funding. And doesn’t AZLeg have more important things to do? Or is it best they confine themselves to relatively harmless bills like this?
As a motorcyclist for 26 years I have learned if you don’t dress or act like a motorcycle club thug you won’t get treated as one when you are pulled over. And I have been pulled over on the bike over the 26 years. There is a attitude out there that we’re special and everyone should conform to our opinions or choices related to behavior. We need to wake up. If you don’t want to be profiled don’t act like it.
It’s all about respect. If you treat them with your chosen level of respect when you are pulled over they will respond in kind. Your actions are your choice and effect the choices of others make in responding to you. Legislation is never a successful way to control behavior, only you can do that with yours.
Their is legislation on the books to minimize how many bikes can ride together. Is that caused by being a thug? Don’t think so !! It’s another way of discrimination again our rights. I can go on and on of the laws against motorcyclists…
Legislation won’t change a thing. They will still harass a bike doing speed limit while the cages speed on by even without colors, but a group riding together will pass on through cuz law dog don’t want to make a mess of it colors or not
We stop MOTORCYCLE GANG members all the time. Yes you are a GANG call it a CLUB whatever but if your PATCHES are part of a DOCUMENTED GANG then guess what you get checked out. We do the same thing with Street Gangs. So yes your a PACTCHED MEMBER of a MC GANG. Deal with it or stop wearing your cuts outside your little GANG HUT not on the street.