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Restaurant owner feels the pain of biker sting

He says he lost business because of the police operation.

By ANNE LINDBERG
Published April 15, 2007

PINELLAS PARK - For the past couple of years, Pinellas Park traffic officers have become increasingly irked with some motorcyclists.

Speeding and wheelies on public streets rankled. But the truly vexing activity came from riders who took advantage of the city's no-pursuit policy by bending their license plates to hide the number and gesturing with their middle fingers while leaving the cops in the dust.

"The bikers know they can get away so that really has been an issue," Pinellas Park spokesman Tim Caddell said Friday. The no-pursuit policy applies only to traffic offenses.

The solution seemed simple. Set up a special traffic detail designed to trap scofflaw motorcyclists. It worked well. Cops issued 118 tickets during a 10-hour period Wednesday.

Trouble was, the traffic sting took place in the driveway to Quaker Steak & Lube on the restaurant's weekly bike night.

Owner Bill Church said the sting cost him more than half his expected customers because it caused some bikers to avoid the restaurant.

His patrons thought they had been set up and felt harassed, he said.

"It looked like a crime scene," Church said. "It was, I think, a greater show and display of force than what was necessary."

Church was even more upset when he heard the police planned to repeat the sting in six weeks.

He called the city and met Friday with City Manager Mike Gustafson, council member Rick Butler, police Chief Dorene Thomas and other officials.

The result was an agreement that Quaker Steak and the city would work together to educate bikers about the laws in an effort to stop violations before they happen.

Church said he's all in favor of a program that works to improve safety, perhaps save lives and teach better behavior to the "knuckleheads" that give bikers a bad name.

The city is also happy with the agreement, Caddell said, but realistically, education "works for the law-abiding people. ... The rest of them, it doesn't."

The popularity of motorcycles has increased in the past few years across the county, and that has translated into more problems for Pinellas Park police, according to an April 13 memo from police Sgt. Tracey Schofield.

Many of those problems, Schofield said, have been along 49th Street N.

That's one reason the police decided to hold the motorcycle detail at Quaker Steak, 10400 49th St. N. Another is the restaurant's weekly biker night and some of the customers it attracts.

"There are a large number of street racers who frequent the event," Schofield wrote.

"Many of them are the same racers who travel at extreme speeds throughout the county and routinely run from law enforcement when we try to stop them."

It also helped that the bikers had to slow down to turn into the restaurant, which allowed police to see any violations.

"The roadway is also fashioned in a way that once a violation was observed and they pulled in, it was very difficult for them to get out without first passing officers," Schofield wrote.

Police told Church they were planning a traffic stop, but Church said they failed to explain the extent of the activity.

"The scale of what they did was much greater than we thought," Church said.

Church said the weekly biker night has been a feature of Quaker Steak for the past 31/2 years. It is meant to have a family atmosphere and to give bikers a safe place to hang out, talk, see other bikes and to listen to the band and the emcee, Radical Randy.

. by the numbersMotorcyclists in their sights4,000 Motorcyclists that Quaker Steak and Lube expected to come to Wednesday's biker night.1,703 Bikers who actually showed.118 Total citations that were issued.9 Moving violations, including speeding and improper passing.89 Nonmoving violations, including expired tags and helmet violations.20 Criminal violations, including DUI and habitual traffic offenders.18 Police officers who took part in the operation.Sources: City of Pinellas Park and Quaker Steak & Lube

[Last modified April 14, 2007, 20:14:39]