How Poor Police Skills Are Costing Albany Money

The other day, while riding my 2007 Iron Horse Maverick 5.5 home from a fishing trip, I saw a mother and daughter, up on the sidewalk, riding their bicycles the "wrong way."

What does this mean, the wrong way?

Well, if you were to ask the Albany Police, they would have an answer for you. I, on the other hand, only have answers for APD's overly aggressive pursuit of bicycle "law." Sure, the so called statute, is in place for a reason. Nobody should be able to disrupt the flow of traffic, foot or car, in any arbitrary way.

The mom and daughter, on their matching bright yellow cruisers, were indeed in violation of the law. However, it is unlikely they would be stopped by APD.

But, if that were most others, that is not the case. APD is very aggressive in regard to bike stops, especially at night. In Corvallis, Oregon, just ten miles from Albany, bicycles within road traffic, are of significant proportion. Corvallis is simply more aware of the bicycle as a mode of reliable transportation. Albany, meanwhile, stereotypes the bicycle as an identifier of crime.

And therein, lies the problem. Do not fret, I have a two-pronged solution, and both will benefit Albany's citizens.

The first step in bringing APD up to speed about bikes, is to reassign priorities. And we should ask ourselves, do we want to pay for patrol fuel? I do not believe that driving around, patrolling Albany streets as is currently done, serves our citizens efficiently. I have seen patrol cars on the Dave Clark Bikepath, sloppy investigating, and unsafe driving, all from our current local police. Patrols are a good thing, if done correctly. Remedy this, and you get a more efficient force, and a more robust community.

The discretion of law, is obvious, and that is why the mom and daughter riding matching cruisers won't be harassed. The same cannot be said for anyone else. If we ask ourselves about the expense of these stops, and their payoff, I think we will see an enormous waste of time and money.

Let's assume I am right, and the two riders are not mom and child, but rather two twenty-something males. These two, regardless of background, will be stopped by law enforcement. The bikes are on the sidewalk, and are traveling in the wrong direction, according to law. The time for the stop is roughly ten minutes. The gasoline, may only amount to a few dollars a day, but that will add up fast. And at what cost? Very few of these stops, have yielded arrests, and almost none have brought a seriously wanted criminal to justice.

Let's now assume, that you disagree with much of what I have just stated. And now, let's assume that the two males on the bikes, are wanted. Yes, you are correct, in saying that now, we have two less criminals out on our streets. But if we analyze how that was accomplished, we also see that APD had to rely on an arbitrary traffic stop, to reach that result. I would rather see APD actively pursue the criminal, rather than play bingo in a forty-thousand dollar patrol car that gets eight miles to the gallon.
 

Portland encourages bike riding. Albany, however, does not. Which explains the filthy bike lanes.

Some criminals need to be brought in, and some are just the state's moneymaker, in the way of fines and jail, for very minor and non-criminal violations.

Some police are indeed a community servant, and those are not recognized enough. That is because of the credibility lost,when acting as society cops, rather than community police.

Corvallis Police Cadets at a local event. It is important, and entirely satisfying, when we approach youth with ethics and zest. The combination builds exceptional officers.


In a rash of recent bike thefts in west Albany, police were helpless to do anything. When confronted, APD said, "We just don't have time to search for unidentifiable bicycles." Sometimes, reports are taken, and never pursued. That is at the core of this article. The idea that every bike on the road at night is stolen, or that every night rider is a criminal, is costing taxpayers money. Money that would be better spent on actually looking for real crime.

In a recent theft at the local college, APD took a report, but did nothing else to recover the stolen property. "I wanted him bad," said one APD officer, but that officer never pursued that crime, instead saying, "Nobody ever called me saying they saw him."

In downtown Albany, on any Friday or Saturday night, you can find APD swarming around and stopping many vehicles. Much of this aggressive driving takes place in an area where there are many pedestrians. Many of these stops are illegal, and implementing mandatory video will help APD maintain integrity while eliminating drunk driving from our roads.

It is typical of law enforcement, to be strong-armed ideologically, they have to deal with harsh criminals. But to ignore common sense in a blind pursuit of pseudo justice, only costs honest citizens money. In the photo above, the Benton County Sheriff drove around downtown Albany(Linn County), so recklessly, that I wish I had shot video. Notice the arrows in the photo. And imagine this at thirty miles an hour.

In the end, there must be a balance, between catching real criminals, and respecting the people who live in this community.