Summons for riding bike on sidewalk, thoughts?

Yes, this was covered I believe on page 1

I don't think every person riding a bike on the sidewalk deserves a summons, but selective enforcement often leads to other problems.

Mamacita, I saw no menition of that on the thread, but even if it is there, what does a police officer do when he sees a child who (for the sake of argument) is under fourteen zig zagging through people on a sidewalk? I assume that the officer has to use reasonableness to alert the kid of the nature of how he rides his bicycle. In that case, does he give the kid a ticket, or does he give the kid a warning?

And how about jay walking? Is it reasonableness that determines what laws we enforce, or should they all be enforced regardless of the reasonableness that went into the laws being breached in the first place?

What of the kid under 12 who rides his bicycle at breakneck speed? Or the person over 12 who does not ride at breakneck speed? Why should the adult who rides carefully on the sidewalk be issued a summons but the child who rides his hazardously on the sidewalk not receive a similar ticket? What prevents a police officer from issuing a summons for jaywalking? Isn't it reasonableness? Isn't death caused by crossing the street unlawfully as well?

CL6? - The other stuff I get.

Oh.

Law enforcement or reaching quotas? Stats show NYPD focusing on pot possession, boozing in public
BY Rocco Parascandola
DAILY NEWS POLICE BUREAU CHIEF

Friday, July 23rd 2010, 4:00 AM


GettyThere were 46,491 cases in NYC last year in which fifth-degree marijuana possession was the top arrest charge. Take our PollCity busts gone to pot
Do you believe the NYPD focuses too much attention on stopping minor crimes?

Yes. The force is just trying to reach quotas.
No. This prevents more serious crimes from being committed.

Related NewsArticles
NYPD brass says stop-and-frisk records aren't dead: just use paper, not computersEditorial: NYPD stop-frisk database law not worth paper it's printed onNo more stop-and-frisk database, but NYPD cops say good police work will overcome the lossPot possession and boozing in public are the top reasons New Yorkers get arrested or ticketed by the cops, new statistics show.

And although marijuana arrests has been the top category for three years running, the number of busts spiked 15% between 2008 and 2009, the Daily News has learned.

The NYPD says the data - including more than 21,000 summonses for riding bicycles on the sidewalk - reflects its emphasis on quality-of-life violations to prevent more serious crime.

"It's often about complaints being generated by the public and us responding to them," said Deputy Commissioner Paul Browne. "Other times, it's just us enforcing violations when we see them."

Critics say the high numbers for weed, beer and other offenses like riding bikes on sidewalks smacks of quotas - or harassment in black and Hispanic neighborhoods.

"We've interviewed many young people arrested for marijuana possession and found that these arrests are overwhelmingly a by-product of people being stopped and frisked," said Harry Levine, a Queens College sociologist.

"Plainclothes officers will pull up, say 'Get your hands against the wall,' then go through the person's pockets and, if they find some pot, make an arrest."

Last year, there were 46,491 cases in which fifth-degree marijuana possession was the top arrest charge, according to the Division of Criminal Justice Services. That's up from 40,387 in 2008.

The top spot for those arrests was the 73rd Precinct, which had 3,036 last year. It covers Brownsville, the epicenter of the NYPD's stop-and-frisk strategy.

"The police are taking this too far," said Brownsville resident Natalie Robinson, 29. "Everyone knows that poor blacks and Latinos are going to be affected by the police in the worst way."

While marijuana topped the arrest list, violating the open-container law was the No. 1 summons last year - 132,225 were issued, almost a fourth of all NYPD tickets.

That was followed by disorderly conduct, motor vehicle violations and riding bikes on the sidewalk, according to figures from the Office of Court Administration.

There were 21,136 tickets in the bike-riding category, comparable to the number of arrests for theft of service, which includes fare-beating.

[email protected]



Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_crime/2010/07/23/2010-07-23_city_busts_have_gone_to_pot____and_booze_but_critics_say_its_all_quotas_frisks.html#ixzz0uVwwHzJt

Bentley wrote: Last night i saw an early 20s male with a bike surrounded by five cops on Union and Nostrand. All I overheard was "I know I shouldn't ride on the sidewalk and I won't ride on it anymore, can't you just give me a break?"

Curious as to the conclusion of that transaction.

I'm gonna guess it concluded with..."You must appear in court on or before the 21st day of September to answer this summons."

Also, residents complaining about bikers riding on the sidewalk occurs more often in community meetings than complaints about jaywalkers.