CCPD Harassment
Thread started by
newarkhouse at 08.16.11 - 11:17 am
let me hear your stories.
In the +/- 3 years I've lived in LA, no other department that I've come in contact with has so consistently gone out of its way to harass cyclists. Maybe its my close proximity to the station on Centinela, but it seems like the cops there have nothing better to do than shine their spot lights in me and my friends faces before speeding away, sometimes without their headlights on.
I say this because my roommate couldn't even ride to the corner store last night without a cruiser circling the store, approaching him at a dangerous speed and asking him questions in a condescending tone - "going for a bike ride?" In his words they were "looking for trouble," and I feared for any other cyclists out there last night who happened to come across these two officers.
Every time a cruiser shines its spot light on me while I'm riding, its a huge distraction, and puts me and the people around me in danger. In my opinion the Culver City Police Department is singling my friends and I out for harassment specifically because of our status as cyclists - and the few words the officers manage to spew out of their PA system serves no purpose for public safety, other than forcing me over to the side of the road to wait until they pass, creating unsafe road conditions for everyone around.
I'm wondering how the following lines from our beloved 'Bicycle Anti-Harassment Ordinance' could apply to future interactions;
-Intentionally distract or attempt to distract a Bicyclist because of, in whole
or in part, the Bicyclist's status as a Bicyclist.
-Intentionally force or attempt to force a Bicyclist off a street for purposes
unrelated to public safety
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cool story, bro
FBI08.16.11 - 11:23 am
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Hard Knock Life in Culver City
markd08.16.11 - 11:36 am
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Interesting thought. There's nothing written in the law preventing its application or exempting from liability any public official/agency (i.e., law enforcement) IIRC.
However, it's questionable whether an LA municipal code would apply within a different municipality (i.e., Culver City). Likely not. So if you find yourself again being subjected to the treatment you reference above and you're biking near the LA-CC border, cross over to LA and see if they follow.
Frankly, though, to the extent possible, working with CCPD on a city-wide approach would likely be more productive in the longer term raising-awareness and respect-building department. Something like setting up a Bike Task Force like LAPD's Chief Beck did might be in the works. I think the Culver City Bike Coalition might be working on something like that. Hit them up: http://ccbike.org/
dudeonabike08.16.11 - 12:15 pm
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Let the Chief of Police know how you feel - http://www.culvercity.org/Information/emailus.aspx?contact_id=14
Also, the City Council - http://www.culvercity.org/Information/emailus.aspx?dept_id=38
The CCPD seems WOEFULLY ignorant of subsection 3 of CVC 21202
21202. (a) Any person operating a bicycle upon a roadway at a speed less than the normal speed of traffic moving in the same direction at that time shall ride as close as practicable to the right-hand curb or edge of the roadway except under any of the following situations:
(1) When overtaking and passing another bicycle or vehicle proceeding in the same direction.
(2) When preparing for a left turn at an intersection or into a private road or driveway.
(3) When reasonably necessary to avoid conditions (including, but not limited to, fixed or moving objects, vehicles, bicycles, pedestrians, animals, surface hazards, or substandard width lanes) that make it unsafe to continue along the right-hand curb or edge, subject to the provisions of Section 21656. For purposes of this section, a "substandard width lane" is a lane that is too narrow for a bicycle and a vehicle to travel safely side by side within the lane.
(4) When approaching a place where a right turn is authorized.
(b) Any person operating a bicycle upon a roadway of a highway, which highway carries traffic in one direction only and has two or more marked traffic lanes, may ride as near the left-hand curb or edge of that roadway as practicable.
JB08.16.11 - 12:44 pm
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Culver City PD actually goes outside of their jurisdiction quite frequently. I say this from personal experience, these guys are thugs, plain and simple. And so are the judges in their jurisdiction. You'll never get anything changed unless you have a video of them beating someone up.
Do a quick search on them if you don't believe me.
They have an injunction against them because they used to refuse to take complaints for anything that wasn't included in an officer's police report! They beat up minorities, racially profile people, and regularly ticket hispanics who ride on the sidewalks. (Nevermind that it's allowed in Culver City's municipal code.) And the judges back will their every play. My judge wouldn't even look up the municipal code in my case.
If you want to change something, it's going to have to be in front of the City Council. There are some people trying to start a Culver City Bike Coalition. You should look them up and share your experiences.
tortuga_veloce responding to a
comment by dudeonabike
08.16.11 - 10:05 pm
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*You'll never get anything changed
through the CCPD hierarchy unless you have a video of them beating someone up.
tortuga_veloce08.16.11 - 10:06 pm
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You think your special getting harassed by CCPD because you are on a bike. CCPD goes after everybody bikes, pedestrians, and vehicles. I even heard of a guy who got arrested while sitting in front of his house. This is just commonplace and the chance you take when you go to Culver City. I avoided that place for years and even when I go there now I feel uncomfortable. I wouldn't even go near the streets in LA that I know CCPD would cross into. Yes I got arrested in Venice, by the CCPD. Your lucky it was just harassment and a ticket, they usually keep fishing until they can find something to arrest you for. It don't matter if your brown or white, they go after everybody equally.
The good news in my case and lots of people I have talk with who have gone through the same thing is that it just an arrest, two days in the Culver City jail and then your released. They rarely press charges because they rarely have a case. Good luck getting your money and whatever else they steal from you back, it ain't gonna happen. Everybody I talk to about this said the same thing, they would finds something to arrest you for and when they did and took you to jail, the jailers and the police where oh so nice to you.
Brown, black, white or celebrity, they even stopped Robert Downey Jr. and picked him up and arrested him for being high. You say Centinelia is the place now, it was Washington Blvd where they loved to nail people.
hipster08.16.11 - 10:23 pm
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The policy of harassment goes back years to when Culver City was being redeveloped. 30years ago that area was a drug infested ghetto that you would
not want to go to at night. Unfortunately the cops still have a goon squad mentality.
Dedicated81808.16.11 - 10:38 pm
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its true. please, if you're serious about this, get involved. i would if i could.
tortuga_veloce responding to a
comment by hipster
08.17.11 - 2:34 am
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I'm impressed, he's getting away with a lot of amazingly bad stuff.
Wild wild west!
outerspace responding to a
comment by buckchin
08.17.11 - 4:01 pm
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I've been ticketed there for pulling over to wait for another cyclist getting a ticket.
alec08.18.11 - 2:07 pm
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Ridazz Roulette!