I hadn't taken any of my bad driver complaints to the authorities in a long time because I grew to dislike the feeling of beating my head against that wall. But time has a way of making some memories fade so I decided I would email the details of my latest incident to the New Berlin Police Department.
Well they didn't have an email address listed on their website so I called to get one. I was told an officer would call me back.
Officer Fus called me back rather quickly and rather than get an email address I gave Officer Fus the information about the incident. He called me back after he contacted the driver. He said the driver claimed to be a cyclist himself and also claimed to have given 4-5 feet of space as he passed.
Officer Fus asked me how I'd like to proceed. As I always do, I told him I'd like him to view the video. I also said I thought a citation should be issued to the driver. I explained that based on his actions on the road, combined with his untruthful explanation of the incident, I thought a citation was warranted.
Officer Fus called me back the next day about an hour after his shift began and told me he had viewed the video and if I still wanted a citation issued he would do so.
I said I did and he said he would mail the citation and that would close the case unless I was subpoenaed to testify in court.
I said I did and he said he would mail the citation and that would close the case unless I was subpoenaed to testify in court.
Big thanks to Officer Fus for investigating this incident with an open mind. I sensed no anti-cyclist bias and I think that was evident in the final disposition of the case.
As I have said countless times, I don't go out riding looking to get people in trouble and I don't, even when I contact the authorities, always ask that a ticket be issued. My goal is to insure that the offending driver change their illegal and unsafe behavior. Hopefully Mr. 923AVX will get that message from his $157 ticket. Just maybe, other drivers inclined to buzz cyclists will learn from this incident as well.
Hopefully other officers can learn from the example set by Officer Fus on how to deal fairly with the cycling public.
2 comments:
Bittersweet justice. I've got you on my list of blogs to read. Thanks for the update. Keep on keepin on.
Thanks for sharing this good news. It gives me hope that the same thing can happen where I live.
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