i gave a young woman a story to tell this afternoon...

[Lourd Baltimore]

Forgot the NKLR tag....   Many people like to film their rides.  If you're riding in Maryland, however, you might want to read up on Anthony Graber. He was filming his ride when he got pulled over by the MD State Police.  He continued filming for a bit after being stopped to record what he considered an overreaction by a state trooper (exiting his car with his weapon drawn). He decided to post this footage on Youtube and subsequently received a visit and arrest by police for violating MD wiretapping laws. More details in the following links: http://www.mclu. org/node/ 653http://www.informat ionliberation. com/?id=30471 The video:http://www.youtube. com/watch? v=RK5bMSyJCsg Disregarding any opinions on what happened during the traffic stop, I find it disheartening the use of wiretapping law for basically intimidating people to prevent people from protecting themselves by using a camera.   I don't mean to sound like a shill for the ACLU or anything, but just warning others out there as to what you might expect. Josh.

[Jeff Khoury]

#ygrps-yiv-1804021839 p {margin:0;}There are a couple of things that are disturbing to me (as a guy with a strong libertarian bent) about this incident.  I've also been in law enforcement in the past (USCG Boarding Team), so I'm not blowing smoke. Given: He was riding like a squid and deserved to be pulled over. BUT: 1. The plainclothes officer in the unmarked car had absolutely no reason to pull his sidearm.  He came out of the car grabbing for his weapon.  In our training, the sidearm was a weapon of last resort after exhausting all other methods in the force escalation continuum, and then ONLY if the officer was reasonably sure that he was about to suffer grievous bodily harm.  The motorcyclist's hands were still on his handlebars, and he posed no physical threat to the officer.  I seriously doubt that the officer had pre-knowledge of any violent tendencies or felony wants or warrants.  A traffic stop for speeding is an INFRACTION, not a felony stop. 2. The officer did not identify himself properly.  He was in a completely unmarked non-typical police vehicle with no lights or other markings that I could see.  He didn't show any badge or other identification that he was a peace officer, and didn't even say he was State Police until the fourth set of words out of his mouth.  For all the biker knew, this could be a case of road rage or a strongarm theft attempt. 3. Courts have frequently found that persons in public have no reasonable expectation of privacy.  This should go doubly for government officials acting in an official capacity in public.  If this man is guilty of wiretapping, so is every officer with a dash cam and every institution that points a camera at a public space. 4. This prosecution is being pushed simply out of embarrassment at the officer's behaviour.  He clearly overreacted, made several procedural mistakes and came off like a douche.  Most sane and logical people will agree with that assessment.  We were told to always act as if we are being filmed, to be professional and courteous even if the subject is not. Maybe it's an institutional difference, but if I had acted this way on a boarding, I would most certainly have been kicked off the team.  No one wants an overzealous overreactor on their team.  Those kinds of people put others in danger by escalating situations that don't need to be escalated. -Jeff Khoury

----- Original Message ----- From: "Lourd Baltimore" To: "dsn klr650" dsn_klr650@yahoogroups.com> Sent: Tuesday, July 27, 2010 7:30:36 AM GMT -08:00 US/Canada Pacific Subject: [DSN_KLR650] NKLR Filming on your Bike   Forgot the NKLR tag....   Many people like to film their rides.  If you're riding in Maryland, however, you might want to read up on Anthony Graber. He was filming his ride when he got pulled over by the MD State Police.  He continued filming for a bit after being stopped to record what he considered an overreaction by a state trooper (exiting his car with his weapon drawn). He decided to post this footage on Youtube and subsequently received a visit and arrest by police for violating MD wiretapping laws. More details in the following links: http://www.mclu. org/node/ 653http://www.informat ionliberation. com/?id=30471 The video:http://www.youtube. com/watch? v=RK5bMSyJCsg Disregarding any opinions on what happened during the traffic stop, I find it disheartening the use of wiretapping law for basically intimidating people to prevent people from protecting themselves by using a camera.   I don't mean to sound like a shill for the ACLU or anything, but just warning others out there as to what you might expect. Josh.

[Lee Dodge]

This type of incident deserves a spotlight and let's be thankful for organizations like the ACLU.  I don't know if they would enter this case but if they threatened to  MD would be embarrassed. Interestingly though, the rider seems to be between the dog and the hydrant since his own video is the evidence of police misconduct it at the same time paints him with some clearly ticket able actions (neither the wheelie or the bouncing the needle off 120+ endangered anyone but himself).  Otherwise, to me, he seemed to be a reasonable rider. I'd say to MD highway patrol, "Get rid of the 'Rambo wannabe'.  He's a liability" Jeff explained how it's really done right. Lee   

--- On [b]Tue, 7/27/10, Jeff Khoury [i][/i][/b] wrote: From: Jeff Khoury Subject: Re: [DSN_KLR650] NKLR Filming on your Bike To: "Lourd Baltimore" Cc: "dsn klr650" dsn_klr650@yahoogroups.com> Date: Tuesday, July 27, 2010, 9:02 AM   There are a couple of things that are disturbing to me (as a guy with a strong libertarian bent) about this incident.  I've also been in law enforcement in the past (USCG Boarding Team), so I'm not blowing smoke. Given: He was riding like a squid and deserved to be pulled over. BUT: 1. The plainclothes officer in the unmarked car had absolutely no reason to pull his sidearm.  He came out of the car grabbing for his weapon.  In our training, the sidearm was a weapon of last resort after exhausting all other methods in the force escalation continuum, and then ONLY if the officer was reasonably sure that he was about to suffer grievous bodily harm.  The motorcyclist' s hands were still on his handlebars, and he posed no physical threat to the officer.  I seriously doubt that the officer had pre-knowledge of any violent tendencies or felony wants or warrants.  A traffic stop for speeding is an INFRACTION, not a felony stop. 2. The officer did not identify himself properly.  He was in a completely unmarked non-typical police vehicle with no lights or other markings that I could see.  He didn't show any badge or other identification that he was a peace officer, and didn't even say he was State Police until the fourth set of words out of his mouth.  For all the biker knew, this could be a case of road rage or a strongarm theft attempt. 3. Courts have frequently found that persons in public have no reasonable expectation of privacy.  This should go doubly for government officials acting in an official capacity in public.  If this man is guilty of wiretapping, so is every officer with a dash cam and every institution that points a camera at a public space. 4. This prosecution is being pushed simply out of embarrassment at the officer's behaviour.  He clearly overreacted, made several procedural mistakes and came off like a douche.  Most sane and logical people will agree with that assessment.  We were told to always act as if we are being filmed, to be professional and courteous even if the subject is not. Maybe it's an institutional difference, but if I had acted this way on a boarding, I would most certainly have been kicked off the team.  No one wants an overzealous overreactor on their team.  Those kinds of people put others in danger by escalating situations that don't need to be escalated. -Jeff Khoury ----- Original Message ----- From: "Lourd Baltimore" To: "dsn klr650" Sent: Tuesday, July 27, 2010 7:30:36 AM GMT -08:00 US/Canada Pacific Subject: [DSN_KLR650] NKLR Filming on your Bike   Forgot the NKLR tag....   Many people like to film their rides.  If you're riding in Maryland, however, you might want to read up on Anthony Graber. He was filming his ride when he got pulled over by the MD State Police.  He continued filming for a bit after being stopped to record what he considered an overreaction by a state trooper (exiting his car with his weapon drawn). He decided to post this footage on Youtube and subsequently received a visit and arrest by police for violating MD wiretapping laws. More details in the following links: http://www.mclu. org/node/ 653http://www.informat ionliberation. com/?id=30471 The video:http://www.youtube. com/watch? v=RK5bMSyJCsg Disregarding any opinions on what happened during the traffic stop, I find it disheartening the use of wiretapping law for basically intimidating people to prevent people from protecting themselves by using a camera.   I don't mean to sound like a shill for the ACLU or anything, but just warning others out there as to what you might expect. Josh.

[skypilot110]

I snatched a beer one time from someone holding it in their hand near the window. It was NJ in the early 80s and tiems were different then. Still that was one awsome tasting beer. Tank bags with an open pocket have been a standard of mine since 1980 and That cup holder idea has servered me well amny times. That day was one of them

--- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, Jeff Khoury wrote: > > I was on my way home from work on the 405. Traffic was nearly dead stopped and I was lanesharing between the #1 and #2 lanes, which are very tight in this particular area. I approached a newer model Volvo and I see a woman's arm sticking straight out the window of the car, holding a cigarette. I couldn't go around because of how tight the lanes were. I did the standard "Rev, Rev" to let her know I was there, but she was too deeply involved in her conversation to notice. As the cars to my right shifted a bit, I was able to get around. > > As a joke I extended my gloved hand and dragged my fingertips up her arm, starting at her elbow. When I reached her hand, I quickly snatched her cigarette and sped up. As I glanced in my mirror, I saw the most hilarious look on her face: eyes and mouth round and as big as saucers! > > ...It's the little things that make your day... > > -Jeff Khoury >