As I scan the motorcycling-related news lately, I have the feeling that American cops and sportbikers are engaged in a game of poker where neither party can resist raising the stakes. Hot on the heels of the sportbiker who was run onto the shoulder and threatened with a pistol by somebody who later on identified himself as a cop we have a story about a Washington State trooper who crashed while chasing stunt riders and was then taunted by those same riders as he lay bleeding by the side of the road.
“Seeing a cop down was hysterical to them. They thought it was the funniest thing they ever saw,” said Trooper Cliff Pratt, State Patrol spokesman. “They didn’t know whether he was going to live or die and they didn’t care. That’s what makes it so hard to swallow.” Why, exactly, is that hard to swallow — or hard to understand?
Ten years ago, I spent almost every night of the week on my Yamaha YZF600R, riding around with packs of other young, stupid riders, looking for trouble and often finding it. In the decade since, the bikes have gotten faster, the art of “stunting” has been massively advanced — we thought we were bad-ass for wheelying on the freeway, but the current fashion is for much faster, more dangerous stuff — and the testosterone level has increased exponentially.
Talk to almost any large group of riders now and you will find many young men who are home from Iraq and Afghanistan. These veterans have a sky-high tolerance for risk and outsized appetites for adrenaline, and they are brimming with contempt for the cops who use guns to collect ticket money and eat doughnuts in comfy median-parked Crown Vics. To men who spent years of their life literally under the gun from deadly threats all around, the idea of doing a 150-mph run on a Suz
If there’s any group of people in this country that resents being laughed at or treated with contempt, it’s the highway police. Many of them joined the force to escape feelings of inadequacy; others are simply born bullies. Sprinkled lightly among those types are people who genuinely want to help prevent injuries on the road and help motorists. All of them will be outraged at the recent “point-and-laugh” situation, and when cops get angry, innocent motorists tend to get hurt.
Put aside the fact that the Washington State Trooper who crashed his cruiser was operating his vehicle way outside of his personal talent zone, and that he could have murdered a family with his irresponsible actions. If you think being buzzed by a motorcycle is scary, trying being hit by a Crown Vic doing a buck-twenty. This fellow will be the rallying point for troopers who are tired of being laughed at by these young men with their bad-ass literbikes and thong-wearing, tatted-up girlfriends.
Do you think the next sportbiker who gets stopped in a “questionable” situation by a Washington State Trooper will be treated with courtesy? Don’t you think it’s possible that a cop cruiser might “accidentally” clock one of these guys off the freeway in the near future? If I were still riding, I’d be careful about being out there alone right now. I might get mistaken for one of the “squids” and find myself in a mysterious single-motorcycle accident courtesy of a rage-filled highway patrolman.
What will happen if tensions continue to rise and incidents continue to occur? Don’t forget that a lot of these bikers will react with trained violence to being threatened by police — or anyone else. In a confrontation between an out-of-control policeman and a young sportbiker who has experienced real combat, there can’t be any winners.
What’s the solution? There’s no real way to remove the animosity between people who want to break the law and the cops who want to catch them doing it, but something has to be done before there are more bodies lying by the side of the road. I would suggest starting with:
1. Clearly defined pursuit policies that respect the lives of highway users.
2. A public declaration by all involved agencies that they will do whatever it takes to “Turn down the volume” on these confrontations.
3. Education to the trooper and police agencies on the best way to reduce the temperature of traffic stops and chases.
4. Outreach to the rider community. Have cops come out to “bike nights” and gatherings, talk to the riders, so everybody can understand that there are real human beings, with families and real concerns, on both sides of the issue.
Regardless of what eventually is done, something needs to be done. When motorcycles and out-of-control two-ton police cars are careening down the road at maximum speeds, it won’t be long before this conflict claims lives besides theirs.
