A Rude, Reckless Cop
If you were worried that Fullerton police officers were beginning to shed their reputation as some of the most boorish and careless cops in Orange County, don’t be.
Here’s a story about a well-regarded Fullerton businessman who was recently provoked into becoming a national bicycle advocate. He even decided to travel to Washington DC to lobby for bicycle safety on behalf of Fullerton’s cyclists. What drove Mr. Joel Maus to take on this cause?
Three months ago he was riding downtown on a street without a bike lane. As he rode the slight downhill of a railroad undercrossing he noticed a metal drainage grate directly in his path. To avoid it, he looked over his shoulder and took the lane to make sure no one tried to pass him dangerously. Then he heard a loud “honk” and the crescendo of an engine behind him as someone swerved into the other lane and went around him.
Someone wasn’t happy to see Joel riding in the lane. And that someone was a Fullerton police officer.
Joel was riding legally and safely. The officer was rude and reckless. Frustrated and determined to do something about it; that night he went home, created a simple logo, and made his first post on the Bike Fullerton Instagram account.
All of city hall’s feeble and self-serving efforts to project itself as some sort of promoter of bicycling were nearly undone by one imprudent cop who doesn’t seem to care much at all about the risk of smearing Mr. Maus all over the road. Of course this behavior continues to be tolerated by our neglectful city management and a spineless, self-interested city council.
Fullerton police run stop signs with reckless abandon all the time. They don’t care. Complaints go nowhere. They are dangerous.
https://i.imgsafe.org/f0c62ef67d.jpg
…. don’t forget about David Tovar, the bike rider who got rammed from behind by an unmarked Fullerton police vehicle https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQ9jeJW_l4I
the city payed $20,000 to David Tovar for one of our cops chasing, and crashing into him.
I’m not sure what this post is about.
Is it about magic? Like when you are riding your bicycle and you safely look over your shoulder, determine that there is no one there and then police vehicles appear out of no where, as if by magic?
Is it about luck, and good fortune when that magic vehicle you pulled in front of is a police car that changes lanes and avoids you and not a 16 year old driver texting his friends and not watching the road?
Is it about denial? Believing that your safety on a bicycle can be legislated to you by the folks in Sacramento without you having to take any personal responsibility.
Or is it about reality? That there are many factors that come into play these days that make riding a bicycle in traffic with automobiles a high risk activity that kills many of the persons who choose to participate.
I personally have not seen a bicyclist stop for a stop sign in years. No matter where I go or who is riding. When they ride in groups no one stops.
Joel, you also need to signal. You have to follow all the rules of the road when you ride a bicycle. Left arm down is stop, pointing to left is left and pointing up is right. These are BICYLIST safety issues. It’s your life.
22107. California Vehicle Code
No person shall turn a vehicle from a direct course or move right or left upon a roadway until such movement can be made with reasonable safety and then only after the giving of an appropriate signal in the manner provided in this chapter in the event any other vehicle may be affected by the movement.
This is from the California Vehicle Code. The other vehicle affected by the movement only becomes a rude reckless cop when your
paradigm is applied.
Be safe.
First of all, this story was written without my knowing about it nor without me confirming all the facts. I was involved in a situation similar to this and I believe this story was written about my experience. A few pieces of information that need to be addressed:
First, when it happened I assumed it was a Fullerton Officer because we were in Fullerton but afterward I realized the car could have been from any other city as there are many cops in OC that must conduct business at the North Court just up Harbor. Stating that it was a Fullerton Police car without confirming it is just poor journalism.
Second, there was no magic involved, smart ass, I did confirm the lane was open but riding in the lane under the entire underpass may take up to 15 seconds- plenty of time for a fast moving car to catch me. Furthermore, there are two lanes and no one else was in the left lane- he had plenty of space to go around. Making assumptions on your part is rediculous and egotistical- believing you know it all yet you can’t think deep enough to consider all the other factors involved is laughable. Thank you for your entertainment but this is not constructive by any means.
If anyone would like to discuss this further please visit the Bike Fullerton Facebook page.
Peace,
Joel Maus
Joel Maus, I’ve been texting, emailing, and calling you for weeks. I need our wedding album done. We already approved it for print a month ago and you said we would have it by now. We have already paid you, yet you continue to ignore my attempts to contact you.
I understand you have moved on to a different business and have closed Studio EMP, so your reputation with respects to photography don’t matter anymore to you, but as a customer you still owe us for what we have paid for.
You know who this is and you know how to reach me…
Vehicle Driver Advocate,
You write as if you were there. I was not questioned about this incident and the story is incomplete. Before you give rediculous advice that makes no sense for what actually happened.
https://i.imgsafe.org/fe7199b4da.jpg
the next Chief of Police in Fullerton will be…..? http://behindthebadgeoc.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/151210-FPD-Shop-With-A-Cop-07-SJG.jpg answer ( the fourth one )
Zero police murders under his short watch. It ain’t much, but it’s something.