Bicyclists United with Motorcyclists and Pedestrians for Safety. A local group advocating safety for all the vulnerable users of the roads and highways through changes in laws, infrastructures, and minds.
First off, what follows is by no means an endorsement of fleeing and/or eluding the police when on a motorcycle or any other vehicle or device; one should always pull over when the police give you an indication that they want you to in order to conduct a traffic stop. You can always dispute the reason for the stop or any ticket at a later date; it's harder to be credible if you make them actively engage in a pursuit.
But what many police officers don't understand is that bikers do not always perceive your lights and sirens very good, and if they do-- and they are riding their motorcycle legally-- they often won't figure out they are the target of any pursuit until the pursuing officer has gotten to the point where they have decided your indifference amounts to the felony of fleeing and eluding. Some roadsides and curbs make it difficult to pull over for a motorcycle, when it would otherwise be safe for cars.
We are silently following another case that reportedly had such factors involved, leading to some serious crimes charged, but we are also going to be following the case of Katlin Hammond, who indisputably appears to have tried to elude police for over 20 minutes. In both cases, the reason for the initial traffic stop appears to be that the police unit used a license plate reader on the motorcycle plate and received information that the rider's motorcycle insurance was not up to date. The official story released to the MCP follows, the two pictures are of Katlin out west:
LUDINGTON — Katlin Marie Hammond, 32, of Custer was arraigned on charges of fleeing and eluding police, reckless driving and operating without insurance following a high-speed chase Saturday, Oct. 4, which ended after she reportedly struck a police car with the motorcycle she was riding.
Hammond was arraigned in Mason County’s 79th District Court Monday, Oct. 6. “She is free on bond pending her next court appearance,” said Mason County Sheriff Kim Cole. A preliminary exam is scheduled for Oct. 22.
The chase began at 1:39 p.m. in the City of Ludington and continued in Pere Marquette and Amber townships, said the sheriff.
“The cyclist fled eastbound on US 10 into Pere Marquette Township and into Amber Township, where Mason County Sheriff’s Office deputies assisted and took over the chase.
“The cyclist fled northbound on Dennis to Hansen; eastbound on Hansen to Stiles; south on Stiles to Conrad; and then Conrad to Pere Marquette Highway. The cycle reached speeds of 100 mph during the chase. The cyclist took Pere Marquette Highway north of US 10; US 10 west to Nelson; north on Nelson to Johnson Road. The motorcyclist took several additional roads, ending up southbound on Dennis Road to US 10.
“At 2 p.m., the cyclist entered the US 10 and Dennis Road intersection. An LPD car, with emergency lights and siren activated, was attempting to clear the intersection, when the motorcyclist attempted to go between the LPD cruiser and another motorist. The cycle struck the front of the LPD car and then a second vehicle. Minor damage occurred to the LPD cruiser and the second vehicle. No injuries to the officer or motorist were reported,” said Sheriff Cole.
Hammond was taken into custody and transported to Corewell Health Ludington Hospital for a minor hand injury.
Katlin covered a lot of real estate in a circuitous route to obviously try and get away from police, who she must have clearly known were after her at some point. Her actions are not the issue here, as stated at the start, we will not be an apologist for her culpability of the crimes listed and admit that her elusive behavior put herself, and probably others, at great risk. The issue is that the LPD and the county sheriff's office are themselves culpable for creating that hazardous situation and they need some extra training on best pursuit practices.
The start of this incident involved the LPD trying to make a traffic stop on Katlin, and since there is no other violation noted that does not involve what happened with her fleeing, we must assume it was for their information network indicating that Katlin's motorcycle lacked insurance after they scanned her plate. At that point, the assumption is that the LPD officer had probable cause to conduct a traffic stop.
At some point, however, it became evident that Katlin wasn't going to cooperate with such a stop. What's an officer to do? If this was a state trooper, the policy is very clear in a policy began on March 14, 2024. The official order indicates that MSP enforcement members may only engage in a pursuit if there is probable cause to believe the driver or occupant of the pursued vehicle has committed a life-threatening or violent felony.
“High-speed pursuits are one of the most dangerous circumstances police officers face. A key consideration in any pursuit must be the seriousness of the underlying crime and whether the risks of a pursuit outweigh the public safety benefits of immediately apprehending the suspect. In all decisions, protecting lives – that of innocent bystanders, police officers and fleeing suspects – is of paramount importance and it is for this reason we have revised our policy.”
Technology allows for pursuing justice without a pursuit vehicle, as in this case, the LPD car would have dash cam footage of the motorcycle fleeing, images from the plate reader, etc. to make a good case against Katlin, then drop by her house later. If footage showed she clearly increased speed and started evading procedures once she was alerted to the police presence, they would have a good case without having a police chase lasting over twenty minutes through the most travelled and populated areas in our county.
The hazards presented themselves at the chase conclusion with property damage to her bike and an LPD vehicle, injuries that are fortunately not serious. Why? At worst, Katlin failed to maintain her liability insurance. Court records indicate this happened with her about eight years ago and apparently, she didn't flee that time.
You may wonder if the LPD or the MCSO have some different policy than the state police. I looked in the 400-page policy manual of the LPD and found nothing; the sheriff has nothing publicly available on pursuit policy. Using A.I. to assist my search, they determined that the LPD and MCSO should be following the MSP standards for car chases:
Regardless of Katlin's guilt or innocence of crimes in this case, the policies of the pursuing agencies appear to either mirror the current MSP policy or not exist at all, and the ensuing police chase should have been called off when it was clear there was only probable cause for what amounted to a 'paper crime'. If city hall or the county courthouse desire to differ from the MSP policy on police chases, their councilors and commissioners should set the policy they desire in the future instead of having the liability of having no policy with the understanding that they follow the MSP rules-- and then violating them as they did in this case leading to an injury and property damage.
Do not be surprised if Katlin lawyers up and goes after the LPD on a federal case for excessive force being used, as they had an officer strike her with the front of his vehicle at the end of this chase. Such actions can sometimes lead to criminal charges against police officers depending on the situation. It wouldn't be surprising with the poorly trained LPD units that they may have did a pit maneuver on the motorcycle, or something similar, but you won't see them admit that in a public release. They, and the MCSO, have already shown through their violation of state policy that they have little regard for the safety of this rider and the rest of the public in pursuing her for possibly having no proof of insurance.
BUMPS
23 members
Description
Recent Motorcycle Police Chase Endangered Rider, Police, Public -- Violated Policy
by XLFD
Oct 9
First off, what follows is by no means an endorsement of fleeing and/or eluding the police when on a motorcycle or any other vehicle or device; one should always pull over when the police give you an indication that they want you to in order to conduct a traffic stop. You can always dispute the reason for the stop or any ticket at a later date; it's harder to be credible if you make them actively engage in a pursuit.
But what many police officers don't understand is that bikers do not always perceive your lights and sirens very good, and if they do-- and they are riding their motorcycle legally-- they often won't figure out they are the target of any pursuit until the pursuing officer has gotten to the point where they have decided your indifference amounts to the felony of fleeing and eluding. Some roadsides and curbs make it difficult to pull over for a motorcycle, when it would otherwise be safe for cars.
We are silently following another case that reportedly had such factors involved, leading to some serious crimes charged, but we are also going to be following the case of Katlin Hammond, who indisputably appears to have tried to elude police for over 20 minutes. In both cases, the reason for the initial traffic stop appears to be that the police unit used a license plate reader on the motorcycle plate and received information that the rider's motorcycle insurance was not up to date. The official story released to the MCP follows, the two pictures are of Katlin out west:
LUDINGTON — Katlin Marie Hammond, 32, of Custer was arraigned on charges of fleeing and eluding police, reckless driving and operating without insurance following a high-speed chase Saturday, Oct. 4, which ended after she reportedly struck a police car with the motorcycle she was riding.
Hammond was arraigned in Mason County’s 79th District Court Monday, Oct. 6. “She is free on bond pending her next court appearance,” said Mason County Sheriff Kim Cole. A preliminary exam is scheduled for Oct. 22.
The chase began at 1:39 p.m. in the City of Ludington and continued in Pere Marquette and Amber townships, said the sheriff.
“The cyclist fled eastbound on US 10 into Pere Marquette Township and into Amber Township, where Mason County Sheriff’s Office deputies assisted and took over the chase.
“The cyclist fled northbound on Dennis to Hansen; eastbound on Hansen to Stiles; south on Stiles to Conrad; and then Conrad to Pere Marquette Highway. The cycle reached speeds of 100 mph during the chase. The cyclist took Pere Marquette Highway north of US 10; US 10 west to Nelson; north on Nelson to Johnson Road. The motorcyclist took several additional roads, ending up southbound on Dennis Road to US 10.
“At 2 p.m., the cyclist entered the US 10 and Dennis Road intersection. An LPD car, with emergency lights and siren activated, was attempting to clear the intersection, when the motorcyclist attempted to go between the LPD cruiser and another motorist. The cycle struck the front of the LPD car and then a second vehicle. Minor damage occurred to the LPD cruiser and the second vehicle. No injuries to the officer or motorist were reported,” said Sheriff Cole.
Hammond was taken into custody and transported to Corewell Health Ludington Hospital for a minor hand injury.
Katlin covered a lot of real estate in a circuitous route to obviously try and get away from police, who she must have clearly known were after her at some point. Her actions are not the issue here, as stated at the start, we will not be an apologist for her culpability of the crimes listed and admit that her elusive behavior put herself, and probably others, at great risk. The issue is that the LPD and the county sheriff's office are themselves culpable for creating that hazardous situation and they need some extra training on best pursuit practices.
The start of this incident involved the LPD trying to make a traffic stop on Katlin, and since there is no other violation noted that does not involve what happened with her fleeing, we must assume it was for their information network indicating that Katlin's motorcycle lacked insurance after they scanned her plate. At that point, the assumption is that the LPD officer had probable cause to conduct a traffic stop.
At some point, however, it became evident that Katlin wasn't going to cooperate with such a stop. What's an officer to do? If this was a state trooper, the policy is very clear in a policy began on March 14, 2024. The official order indicates that MSP enforcement members may only engage in a pursuit if there is probable cause to believe the driver or occupant of the pursued vehicle has committed a life-threatening or violent felony.
“High-speed pursuits are one of the most dangerous circumstances police officers face. A key consideration in any pursuit must be the seriousness of the underlying crime and whether the risks of a pursuit outweigh the public safety benefits of immediately apprehending the suspect. In all decisions, protecting lives – that of innocent bystanders, police officers and fleeing suspects – is of paramount importance and it is for this reason we have revised our policy.”
Technology allows for pursuing justice without a pursuit vehicle, as in this case, the LPD car would have dash cam footage of the motorcycle fleeing, images from the plate reader, etc. to make a good case against Katlin, then drop by her house later. If footage showed she clearly increased speed and started evading procedures once she was alerted to the police presence, they would have a good case without having a police chase lasting over twenty minutes through the most travelled and populated areas in our county.
The hazards presented themselves at the chase conclusion with property damage to her bike and an LPD vehicle, injuries that are fortunately not serious. Why? At worst, Katlin failed to maintain her liability insurance. Court records indicate this happened with her about eight years ago and apparently, she didn't flee that time.
You may wonder if the LPD or the MCSO have some different policy than the state police. I looked in the 400-page policy manual of the LPD and found nothing; the sheriff has nothing publicly available on pursuit policy. Using A.I. to assist my search, they determined that the LPD and MCSO should be following the MSP standards for car chases:
Regardless of Katlin's guilt or innocence of crimes in this case, the policies of the pursuing agencies appear to either mirror the current MSP policy or not exist at all, and the ensuing police chase should have been called off when it was clear there was only probable cause for what amounted to a 'paper crime'. If city hall or the county courthouse desire to differ from the MSP policy on police chases, their councilors and commissioners should set the policy they desire in the future instead of having the liability of having no policy with the understanding that they follow the MSP rules-- and then violating them as they did in this case leading to an injury and property damage.
Do not be surprised if Katlin lawyers up and goes after the LPD on a federal case for excessive force being used, as they had an officer strike her with the front of his vehicle at the end of this chase. Such actions can sometimes lead to criminal charges against police officers depending on the situation. It wouldn't be surprising with the poorly trained LPD units that they may have did a pit maneuver on the motorcycle, or something similar, but you won't see them admit that in a public release. They, and the MCSO, have already shown through their violation of state policy that they have little regard for the safety of this rider and the rest of the public in pursuing her for possibly having no proof of insurance.