How many cops does it take to check a motorcycle?

Don't know if this has been posted yet - was just given the link today.  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8TMOiMopMCU

 

News article, care of CSB:

http://www.theage.com.au/queensland/video-of-misfits-biker-jamie-evans-goes-viral-20140112-30oj9.html

Cut and pasted:
A video of a Wynnum motorcyclist being questioned by police has gone viral on social media, after the man claimed he was being “harassed” by officers.
From the time it was uploaded on Saturday until 10am Monday, Jamie Evans' video on YouTube had been viewed more than 244,000 times.
The video shows several police questioning Mr Evans for 10 minutes at a service station, believed to be in Beenleigh.

The officers ask Mr Evans basic questions about his identity, if he belongs to an outlaw motorcycle club, and whether his motorcycle is roadworthy.

Mr Evans, 45, claims he was detained for “close on an hour” and released without any infringement notices or charges being laid.
“They asked for my license (sic) and I asked if they could wait until I finished filling up. I went in and paid for the fuel and when I came back out was confronted with five cop cars and 10 cops which detained me for license, breath test and vehicle compliance. A sixth car turned up to issue me with a drug test,” he wrote on Facebook.
Mr Evans, who is a member of the recreational motorcycle club The Misfits and was wearing a leather vest with their logo, said his case was proof that the Newman Government's anti-bikie laws were impacting regular citizens.
A Queensland Police spokeswoman confirmed on Sunday evening no charges were laid against Mr Evans.
"Police were conducting an ongoing operation in the Logan District and due to the location and circumstances of the vehicle police intercepted the man at a nearby location," the spokeswoman said.
"Law abiding motorcyclists and members of the community have nothing to fear from this increased police presence and operational activity."
Fairfax Media has contacted Mr Evans for comment.
The video also shows a female police officer saying that Mr Evans did not produce his licence when he was first pulled over.
Mr Evans then tells the surrounding police that he “has no respect for cops”.
Disparaging remarks about police and the state government appear on Mr Evans' Facebook page.
Mr Evans "likes" several online pages of outlaw motorcycle clubs, and other pages he supports are critical of the Newman Government.

TLDR disclaimer.

I watched the YouTube video and read the article. Firstly, this guy did a good job of maintaining his cool throughout the video. He could have asked the female cop why she wasn't wearing a bikini on such a hot day. But it did appear to be over the top police harassment for the situation which made me wonder how it could have started.

So I think you have to put this particular instance in perspective. The video just shows the play, not the stage being set. Here is the background I deciphered from the video and his Facebook comments:
- police approach him at the bowser and ask to see his licence. Presumably just 1-2 officers, including the female officer.
- he tells the officer that he hates police.
- he then ignored their request, finished refueling and went and paid for the fuel.
- he returns to his bike to find at least another 2 officers.
- then the video starts.

Now, I'm not condoning the police actions. They were wasteful stand over tactics. But here is my "reading between the lines":
- constable Balfy? (the female) and constable Skudder approach Jamie at the bowser while he is refueling. Both can be identified by the fact they are just wearing plain blue shirts. They are looking to gather intel on Jamie and if he has an association with an OMCG. Jamie fits the stereotypical bikie image (like it or not). These particular police don't know who the misfits are and if they are a threat. They have been instructed by their superiors to hassle "bikies" and get intel. The footage of their Gold Coast colleagues dealing with an unruly bunch of OMCG's is fresh on their memory, so is the arrest of the Commo's president who allegedly threatened the life of an arresting officer. Put yourself in their shoes. Perception is reality until you know otherwise. The servo was the best place to approach Jamie, as he is already off his bike and servo has cctv which could prove useful should the shit hit the fan.
- female officer takes the lead. Asks Jamie for his licence. It is a priority to identify who they are dealing with. lurker can comment on what Jamie should have done, but probably just asked why they were "pulling him over" and requesting his details might have been a good start.
- instead, Jamie tells officer that he hates cops and is going to ignore their request, finish refueling his bike and pay for it. The two officers use the opportunity to call for backup as they don't know how this is going to play out. They still haven't ruled out any threat. In fact it's escalated since Jamie told them he hates police. Imagine the call: "calling for backup at Beenleigh servo ASAP. We have an unidentified male, appears to be a bikie, refusing to identify himself and says he hates police". If you want the quickest response for police presence, just threaten one of their own. If you threatened an OMCG member, would you be surprised if 10 of them turned up to confront you.
- the first 2 police officers to respond are Constable Akuhata and Constable Hendry. They can be identified at the start of the video wearing the tactical vests and are equipped with taser guns. Police tactics are being used. They need to keep some consistency, and it gives them the best response advantage. It's unlikely a bikie would attack a female officer, so she is the one questioning and taking notes. Their formation around Jamie is strategic.
- Jamie has had time to think and decides to film it. Fair move. He returns to his bike with his phone in hand and tells them he is going to film them. As he prepares his phone he asks them to identify themselves. Good move. Video starts. Note the first comments of the female officer: "I'll just wait till you start up (video), are we sweet? Ok, I'll start by identifying myself........"
- constable Hendry is holding a breathalyser, so they technically only need that as a reason for intercepting him. A whole another discussion could centre around whether a positive reading could be deemed legitimate under the circumstances.
- at the video 50 second mark the female officer says they are going to explain why they intercepted him. Perfect opportunity to demand they give that reason before proceeding. Instead, 10 minutes later he still hasn't asked why they intercepted him and continues to answer their bogus questions.
- after a few minutes they probably realise the threat level has diminished. But they still want to get intel on the misfits. And they are pissed at Jamie for wasting their time when he could have just complied with their request. He tells them he has no respect for them. Emotions start to get in the way. Meanwhile other police continue to arrive and it turns into a circus.

Closing comments:
- don't hate the player, hate the game. The attention should be focused on the laws and system that allowed this to take place. The police are just seasoned players. They don't appear to be breaking any laws in the video.
- read the last few paragraphs of the Age news article. This doesn't help Jamie's credibility amongst a public majority that want to see OMCG's banished. Jamie is probably just a regular nice guy, but to the public he rides a shiny loud Harley, wears an open face helmet and skull mask, has tattoos, wears a patched vest and "likes" OMCG's. How are the ill-informed public supposed to differentiate between Jamie and the OMCG file footage featured on the 6 o'clock news regarding a story of a stabbed guy left for dead in a hospital car park, who happens to be the brother of an OMCG member on charges for shooting the 11 year old son of a rival OMCG club member in his own house?
- the YouTube video is getting over 10,000 hits an hour. The police (at least in Qld) will be expecting every motorcyclist to film them from now on. If they legitimately pull you over for speeding and you start filming them, guaranteed they aren't going to be lenient with a caution/warning. Jamie was lucky not to get done for V&H big radius, number plate surround and smoked indicators. He even claimed the bike had been modified/complied by Harley Davidson Australia.
- if you live in Qld take Deadwoods advice (without possible sarcasm) and write a letter to your local MP with 3 key points. 1, Provide the link to the video. 2, Tell them you don't agree with the use of police resources in this manner. 3, Demand (respectfully) they provide you with some response relating to their position on the matter. The last point is most critical, you have to give them an action item or your letter is just a bin liner.
- I'm not sure what to make of the thumbs up and thumbs down reviews of the YouTube video. Thumbs up could mean you approve of the police response. Or thumbs down could mean you think Jamie is out of line. Or it could be a vote for the quality of footage or enjoyment from watching it. A pity because it could have been a good gauge of the public perception.

Sherlock, wouldn't it stand to reason that they might be hiding behind a recent government agenda, more than their badges?

Sherlock, you don't deserve your name if you think it is that simple. You are only seeing what you want to see.

PM sent sherlock

Personal message.

What I see is a addition seeker look at me
PM sent

Mate and I went for a ride to robe sa from kingston  as we rode towards the pub we passed 4 bike cops when we pulled up one was heading our way and thought we would have the bikes given the once over but to our surprise all he wanted was advise on which harley to purchase perhaps the Queensland cops need to take a leaf out of this cops book

so what you ride a motorbike & you get pulled over , no big deal

http://www.ozbiker.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=7932&Itemid=1

The police know the OMCs and their patches,so even if this guys fits the description, why was he targeted in the first place?
Especially if he was stationary and refuelling.

Are members of OMC now wearing the patches of other clubs.......doubt it.
Makes more sense to target those not wearing colours in order to identify them.

For the police reading this...STOP HARASSING MEMBERS OF SOCIAL MOTORCYCLE CLUBS.

I doubt many of the traffic police in QLD would be able to name or even identify the 26 different OMCG's. And I'm sure they would be instructed to look for new clubs that form (patch over) to beat the legislation. Especially since Finks conveniently became Mongols when the government threatened to declare them illegal.

because there are a lot of support clubs on the side of the outlaw clubs  thats were they can peg noms from etc & for those that don't realy want a full back patch 1 %  harasment , they want all there support clubs as well & acc,   so you ride around looking like 1 with a skull face mask on vest with patches   apehangers  etc  ,  be tuff & cop it don't be winging like a girl . eat some concrete  & harden da fuck up  or clean ya act up , but don't complain , i could say more about this but i best not & whose fucking fault brought this heat on these non bike people that have a lot of greed , its not from the love of motorcycles thats foresure ,  its too late da damage has already been done its only da start so get use to it ,  someone has to mop up its not 1980 anymore 

I must admit Daddy that the Skull mask was a bit lame.
Tend to see a few of them riding around on the Weekend.
Hurricane or Tornado, what ever his Nick was, was obviously stirring, but you have to admit, the cops acted like fools at the beginning.This whole thing in Queensland is a load of shit and once again, media driven.
Kind of reminds me of the dude that hit that bloke in Sydney on New Years Eve and the aftermath was a fractured skull from the pavement.
They want to get him for murder and life. Meanwhile, there was a fukwit that was on ice running around trying to King hit people 2 years earlier in the same place and killed one.
He got 4 years. Oh, lets make an example. Fucking Justice system and Fucking Politicians. Waste of Tax payers money.
Seeing I'm ranting, I'll just say that I pass a HP car everyday going on to the F3 at Wahroonga and they haven't hassled me yet, so not all Cops are pain's.

Man that guys has balls, all I can say. I'd have been "yes sir, no sir, can I shine your shoes and blow you sir"

I would have handed over my license and asked if I can pay for the fuel and move my bike away from the pumps,

as I a a courteous person and would not hold up someone else from filling up.

It's not rocket science, if they're not wearing a patch with top and bottom rockers, they're not outlaw club members. Simple. If you got pulled up once a month for a "licence check" or even greater scrutiny, over the course of several years, while your partner driving a clapped out Nissan was *never* stopped, you might stand up for your rights too. Every time you let a cop harass you unjustifiably, you strengthen their belief that they can do it to others with impunity. Yes, be courteous and polite at all times but never let them get away with bullshit.

Outlaw club members *must* wear their colours when riding their motorcycles.

Just got another video of the same bloke getting hassled again. Another drug test involving three officers just after the others had left. Don't know how to link it, it'd be on YouTube somewhere.

 

We need a delete post button for double posts.