By Steve Panten

Profiling

Profiling of a motorcyclists shows up in many different ways. Whether it’s a mandatory motorcycle only checkpoints like we have seen in some states, or a random stop of a motorcyclist for questions about what they are up to. Do you know what to do if this happens to you? First and foremost, you will need to present your driver’s license and proof of insurance when asked. But after that, you are not required to do anything. You do not need to answer questions or consent to a search of yourself, or your motorcycle. If you feel that this has happened to you, please let us know about it.

This has been an issue across the United States and we are trying to get a better understanding about how prevalent it is in Wisconsin. We are prepared to meet with law enforcement in areas where we can show profiling is happening, but we can’t unless we know about it. If you get pulled over for a legitimate reason and someone wants to start take pictures of you or your tattoos….we need to talk. I am not sure if this is a problem yet, but let’s be ready if it is.

With the State Assembly adjourned for the year and the Senate finishing up with business, we will continue to collect information to help us with our agenda for next session. One such item that a member sent to me was an article about an app called “MoviePass”. This app is supposed to give you the latest information on movies coming to your area and give you the opportunity to reserve a seat for a new movie. The problem is that according to the CEO of MoviePass, they are also tracking how to travel to and from the movie. The information they collect includes what roads you travel on and where you stop before and after the movie. We understand that this is an app that you sign up for, but apparently when you subscribe to it they don’t tell you that they are going to follow your every move! Get ready… I think we are going to learn more about things like this in the future which is why our Vehicle Privacy Bill was so important. It can’t stop all of this, but it would be an important start.

Late in March we sent 10 ABATE members to the STEAM Conference in Minnesota. This is a great opportunity for us to mingle with “motorcycle issue experts” throughout the Midwest. The other exciting point is that it being held in the state where Polaris has its headquarters… stay tuned… I am sure I will have more to report next month.

We are finalizing the patch for our “Write to Ride” program. This is a patch that will be available to members who write (or email) their legislator about one of our agenda items and get a response. You will be required to forward that response on to me and once you collect 3 of them, you will receive the patch. Letters and emails to Legislators is a very important way for us to be successful. The goal is to show members how easy it is to do, and hopefully make them more comfortable doing it in the future. Details will be sent out once we have the patches made and finalize the details for the program.

That’s it!