You keep harping on the cop's "illegal" actions regarding pulling you over and parking and whatever -- he can park wherever and however he needs to park. Or wants to park. He can cross 3 lanes to come and pull you over. He has the right, given him by the state, to get his job done. You have the privilege of riding your bike, and have some rules to follow while riding.
Like I mentioned earlier, the officer approached in his vehicle in a bit of a hostile rage. Absent any reasonable suspicion of crime other than me having no bike light and riding on the sidewalk, he was pissed from the get-go. He rambled about how others had spit on him, kicked him , threatened to kill him, you name it. He clearly was pissed off at civilians in general. And after being hostile and handcuffing me and throwing me into the cop car because of a "fake name", I did become agitated and borderline argumentative. I knew what not to say and when to stop, but I wasn't afraid to call the prick out for the idiocracy of the fake name ordeal and ensuing handcuffing. That is likely what led him to start the alcohol questions as further reason to detain. The mere fact that he had to call in backup-after I was cuffed and in the car- indicates to me he was some sort of rookie or trainee that lacked full authority to go any further with the matter. Thank goodness the backup arrived, as I was gone within 2 minutes...
Why, in God's name, would the only way to catch a "violator", whose crime is riding on a sidewalk without a light at night, would be to roar up the wrong side of a major highway in Los Angeles? Give me a break! It's not like he communicated in any way to me to stop or anything and I ran/biked away from him! It's not like he felt I was a suspect in some other crime (what I thought initially given the nature of the way he approached). He never said anything about searching for any suspects of other crimes when asked by me why I was detained. Look, I get it. You side with law enforcement on all of these matters. But, let's try to be reasonable here...
I did not attempt to renew the discussion on the legality of his illegal actions. Just pointing out the fact of where we were...
The officer's intent is irrelevant to the 4th amendment question. He did not have a reasonable suspicion, but probable cause of you committing a public offense. He could have arrested you and taken you to jail. If you had ID (which you did), or provided a fingerprint (because this was an infraction I believe), STATE statutes would prevent him from taking you to jail.
That this happened as it did is a sad commentary on the state of law enforcement officers and their relationships with civilians. Maybe it was all technically within what is allowed by the law. But it's still rather sad regardless. No, not sad just for me. I'm not asking for sympathy as some who are associated with LE here have suggested. It's just sad for society in general. Police should protect civilians from crime. In the case of petty crime where there is no victim, perhaps issuing a citation is appropriate. But, doing to me what the officer did-and police doing much worse than that to so many other people who "look like criminals"- is just plain sad. You've got a guy on a bike without a light riding on the sidewalk who gets pulled over in a hostile matter, is asked his name and DOB, correctly provides it, and suddenly, without a word, is approached by an angry officer who orders hands behind his back, physically forces him into a police car and chews him out for giving a fake name. Is that what it's come to? Sad...
Riding a bike is more than privilege. As the right to free movement exists, and there is no licensing requirement to operate a bicycle, calling it a privilege is just wrong.
Why do I get the impression that, if I raised issue with having to urinate the entire time I was in custody, the above poster would say urinating is a privilege? LMAO
I think you misunderstand.
Bad form, but not unlawful.
Sounds like an attitude issue that should be reported to his supervisors.
And that will likely cast doubt on any complaint you might file. But, if his attitude was as bad as you say, a complaint might be in order. If he has had prior complaints, the agency can act on it. If no one says anything, then it never happened.
Because, by the time he proceeded to the next intersection, signaled, made a lawful U-Turn and approached you from the correct side of the road you would be gone. Unless, of course, you knew you were in the wrong and fully intended to wait for him and were willing to communicate your acquiescence to him. But, since many people riding bikes late at night are up to something less than recreation, that is not a common occurrence and we move to intercept as soon as practical and safe to do so.
Gotcha....
Yes, he did, didn't he.