Racial Profiling AND Quotas?

I'm sitting in my living room in shock right now. I got stopped by the police and got a ticket. ON MY BICYCLE!

Yes, I know. My mouth is still open. I honestly can't believe it.

Was I weaving in and out of traffic? No. Was I drunk? Getting ready to be, but not yet. Was I on the wrong side of the street? No.

I was riding at night.

That's it.

Yes, that is it.

When I saw the police officer slow down, I thought that was weird, but I'm on a bike. I can't be doing something illegal. He swung into a housing complex, so I thought that's why he slowed down. But then he pulled a U-wie (has anyone ever spelled that before?) and came back out right behind me. Since I'm not a nerd, I don't have mirrors on my bike, so I couldn't tell that his lights were on. I finally realized that he hadn't passed me, so I look back and am blinded by the flashing lights. So I stop, wait for him to get out the car and ask what's up.

He cited me for not having flashing lights on my bike at night. Okay, it's a safety issue, I understand that completely, so I'm not mad. I've been wanting to get some lights because in the 'burbs, they don't have street lights like I'm used to in the city. But then he says I have to give you a ticket. WHAT!? A ticket for riding my bike at night without flashing lights. I didn't get a ticket when I was driving my roommate's car and she had no registration in the car and her license plate was illegal! I could have been arrested because it looked like I could have stolen the car… and I didn't get a ticket for that but I got a ticket for my bike? I got a warning for speeding and the officer told me there was a serious accident 5 miles down the road so they are stepping up enforcement. And I can't get a warning on a bike at night?

The officer then proceeds to tell me there is a zero-tolerance policy for this because a 15 year old was killed on a bike recently just up the road. Told me this 3 times. Okay, so my policy is to never challenge a police officer because they have the power, and I don't want to give them a reason to abuse it. But am I wrong to look up the story to see if he was telling the truth? Because I did. Looked up the road he said the kid was on. Looked up "cyclist killed." Looked up "pedestrian killed" in Miamisburg, Miami Township and West Carrollton. I didn't find this story, which to me would seem like a big deal and there would be some story about it on a local news website.

So I believe this is an officer trying to get his August quota. Yeah, yeah, I know… "there are no ticket quotas." Riiiight. Why is it that almost every time I've been stopped it has been in the last 5 days of the month? Plus my roommate is moving out because she doesn't feel safe. She feels the police in this area are racially profiling and she wants to get back to the west side of Dayton. This doesn't make my skepticism of her thoughts look good at all.