Elk Grove Police Harassment 101

I’ve recently received my first lesson in police harassment while in Elk Grove over the weekend. I feel sorry for anyone that lives up there and has to deal with this shit. I’m going to try and make this short, but here’s the story:

Melissa, Alayna, ToxxicGirrl (Lisa) and I all go on a short (but sweet) “girl ride” in Elk Grove. We’re up there to support Melissa with getting back out there on her bike since her accident. Anyhow…we go out to breakfast and then take some back country roads in Elk Grove before heading out of town. We pass an Elk Grove MC Officer on the side of the road, who I notice looking at Alayna’s bike as we ride by him. (Note worth mentioning: Alayna has recently lowered and put a different undertail on her bike and has not had an opportunity to put her plate back on, but is currently carrying the plate in her trunk). I had a feeling the officer noticed no plate and would end up pulling us over…and sho ‘nuff that’s exactly what happened. The officer was quite rude to us in general and then gave Alayna a fix-it ticket for no plate. He came over to my bike and started looking it over and telling me that my plate bracket is angled too high and that it needs to be bent down. After writing Alayna the ticket, he comes back over and asks if I bent the bracket already. I told him the bracket is too thick to bend while on the bike and I would have to take it off first because I don’t want to break anything. He of course is asking what we’re doing so far from home and Melissa tells him we are up there visiting her. Of course he starts asking Melissa if she sold property in the Bay Area and moved up to Elk Grove…’cause that’s what all the people are doing…selling property in the Bay Area and moving up to Elk Grove with all of their “bling-bling” (and that’s a quote). Of course he then asks me for my license to make sure I have an endorsement because “since the gas prices have rocketed, everyone thinks that their motorcycle riders”.

So whatever…we ride through Dry Town and go past a CHP who pulls out right behind us with his lights on. All of us are thinking…shit, not again! But then the cop blows past us and pulls over a Porsche up ahead. A couple hours later, we are getting back into Elk Grove and we pass about six police officers (mostly bikes) before we even get to the main road. Then we turn onto one of the main streets a few miles away from Melissa and Marco’s house and see about 3-4 more cops at that intersection. We ride through the intersection (speed limit the whole time), get a couple blocks up and I look over to a mc officer angrily pointing at me to pull over. So there we are…getting pulled over AGAIN! Of course they confront Alayna about her plate and she shows them the ticket she just received a couple hours prior. Then one cop comes over to me and starts basically yelling at me about not having a reflector on my plate. “Where’s your reflector?!?” I’m like “what?”…very confused…and dude is just laying in on me about how I don’t have a reflector and when I replaced my taillights with the clear lenses I removed the reflector. I had no idea what he was talking about because my “clear lenses” on my taillight are stock (which of course I told him). Then he yelled at me that I was not listening to him, yada, yada, yada…ironically I tuned him out after that. I’m thinking…good god…if you’re going to write me a ticket, then just do so and shut up. I’m a big girl and I really don’t appreciate being yelled at over a frickin’ reflector. So then of course they check all my paperwork and ask me where my ticket was from earlier in the day. I told them I didn’t get a ticket and the previous officer did not mention anything about missing a “reflector”. So then, they tell me that they’ll let me off with a warning also…(thanks for the frackin’ favor – DUDE!)

Oh yeah…did I mention that the second time we were pulled over, there were four officers total (one for each of us, 3 mc and 1 car).

I was pulled over for speeding last Tuesday (which I totally deserved) while on 101 by a MC CHP. That officer was sooo cool (even though I still got the ticket), he did not say a word to me about my bike mods and in fact was complimenting my bike and how nice it looks.

Anyhow…fair warning to anyone up in the Elk Grove area or passing through!

Alayna honey - please post the pics!

if u are riding around with no license plate what do u expect??

Chotu-Mama said:

if u are riding around with no license plate what do u expect??

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That part I totally get...duh! Hey, we all understand that and can't blame them for doing their job. But I'm not riding without a plate...so why jump all over my ass in the process. Why pull each and every one of us over, if only one person does not have a plate?

Chotu-Mama said:

if u are riding around with no license plate what do u expect??

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I think the OP wasn't complaining about that, just about the attitude they got for that and everything else.

Chotu-Mama said:

if u are riding around with no license plate what do u expect??

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+1 Riding without a plate is stupid. I have found the cops in the valley to be more forgiving than these city cops when it comes to bikes. But when they see you without a plate YOU ARE MAKING THEM PULL YOU OVER because only noobs and thieves ride without plates. Which are you? Once they got you they will tell you everything wrong with your bike since you rudely interuppted their doghnut break.

Only 3 bikes and one car? I like those odds. Why didn't you run?

Actually, if you're pulling over cause your friends get pulled over, what do you expect? If an office pulls over one bike in the group, don't look back, don't look over, just keep riding. Assume you're not getting pulled over and meet up with your friends down the road. Why would you pull over when your freinds are getting pulled over?

Also, don't ride so close so as to make it easy for an officer to pull the "whole group" over. Make the office chose whom he wants to pull over.

You guys really make this easy on officers. Don't. If you're riding in a big group (like when we did Mine's road a week back) and on the freeway, don't make a huge 30 person line: seperate out a little. We had a Livermore PD pull up behind the group and start calling in plate numbers and riding the ass end of the group pretty hard, but I had no issues. Why? Cause I rode in the lane to the right of the group, a short distance from the group.

So, word of advice: don't pull over for someone else's ticket. Don't look back and ask if you're getting pulled over, just keep riding the speed limit and being legal. If it's you, the officer will pull behind you and tell you.

sinncere said:

I think the OP wasn't complaining about that, just about the attitude they got for that and everything else.

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+10000 (Thank you for getting my point)

Although I can't expect to not get flamed about the plate part (even though it wasn't MY bike).

Let me get this right. "I was with a group, one member of which was doing something blatantly illegal in view and presence of cops and then we were surprised to catch some police shit for it." Hmmm, OK.

I am tempted to post another "Keep your bike visibly legal and the cops won't fuck with you" thread as that whole concept seems to be hard to grasp, but I am afraid of beetlejuice's wrath so I will refrain.

Any cop who has half a brain and who gives a shit about his job is going to be attracted with magnetic force to things like bikes with no plates for a couple reasons:
1. It might be stolen
2. It might be unregistered
3. People who are the types to ride with no plates often have other issues going on as well like no insurance, no registration, no license, perhaps alkies or drug addicts under the influence etc etc.

The reflector is the thing that reflects when a car light flashes onto it
below the plate



Usually you have reflectors near the brake calibers in the front

Expect people to not fully read your post honey. And don't expect people to get your point.

Yeah some cops are assholes cus they love the fact they have gun power yet not enough dick. You did good by stayin quiet. Me...I would have been shot or contained for tellin the asshole of a cop to suck on some salty balls. Some people love to make it seem like they're really doin their job when it wasn't a big deal in the first place. It takes a total of 5 cops to stand around watching another officer telling a homeless person to move from an area...just so you know lol

Some people don't know any other way to operate than to be really rude, it's in their blood.

Sounds like you illegally modified your bike and didn't get a ticket. Why are you complaining again?

Wow, sounds like they were going overboard!! I can see the not having a plate thing, that's just askin' for it, but the rest sounded like bullShyte!! Especially the reflector comments and asking why you were so far from home. Sounds like he was a hater because Bay Area people are selling their homes in the Bay and making money and buying bigger house in Elk Grove boosting up home prices...

My sis lives in Elk Grove and rides, I'll tell her to check this out!! Thanks for the heads up!!

LoBusa

I lived in Elk Grove for a year and never had any encouters with the EGPD. Sorry you got harrassed, but yea the no tag thing is a red flag for LEOs.

Elk Grove

Just in case you didn't see the news reports a few weeks back...

PD in Elk Grove has added extra officers to patrol the streets in an effort to crack down on street racing. Too many accidents recently has got them hitting the streets. Who knows why they picked on you and your friends, but there are more of them out there looking for something to do.

budbandit said:

Any cop who has half a brain and who gives a shit about his job is going to be attracted with magnetic force to things like bikes with no plates for a couple reasons:
1. It might be stolen
2. It might be unregistered
3. People who are the types to ride with no plates often have other issues going on as well like no insurance, no registration, no license, perhaps alkies or drug addicts under the influence etc etc.

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So, if I just bought a brand new bike, I shouldn't ride it until the plate comes in the mail because I might get pulled over for it being stolen/unregistered/uninsured/I'm a drunk (that may be true actually)?

Seems ridiculous.

Like I said, I think the OP's complaint is geared towards all the "unnecessary" remarks made by the officers during the event ("bling, bling," "...everyone thinks they're motorcycle riders," etc.). Personally, that just seemed like they weren't being treated as adults.

If a cop pulls me over because I did something wrong, fine, I'll fess up. If they want to point out what else is wrong with my ride, ok, let me know too. Just be a professional about it. But if they talk to me like a child, practically assuming that I make one bad decision after another, that's something else. And yes, I could be pissed about it too.

But hey, that's just me.

Good Lord... You attract them!!! Glad I m not the one riding with you to Vegas... Oh wait... yes I am!! hahaha

and I m NOT putting the baffles back in the pipes... Ticket or not..

So you're saying, Alayna really does have junk in her trunk.

Re: Elk Grove

fins97 said:

Just in case you didn't see the news reports a few weeks back...PD in Elk Grove has added extra officers to patrol the streets in an effort to crack down on street racing. Too many accidents recently has got them hitting the streets. Who knows why they picked on you and your friends, but there are more of them out there looking for something to do.

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A waitress at a local restaurant told us the EGPD recently hired 25 additional officers. (I think we may have encountered four or five of 'em that day).