State Police: We’re Not Targeting Motorcyclists

YouTube video of traffic stop on Palisades Parkway in Rockland prompts official statement

HAVERSTRAW – A YouTube video taken in Rockland County has prompted State Police to say they are not specifically targeting motorcyclists for enforcement efforts as a result of an incident in New York City involving a large group of motorcyclists and an SUV driver turned violent.

“The New York State Police are aware of a YouTube video showing one of our troopers stopping two motorcycle operators on the Palisades Parkway in Rockland County for speeding,” an official statement said. “In the video the trooper mentions a relationship between a state police member and the driver of a SUV involved in a recent motorcycle incident in Manhattan. The statement is simply untrue.”

Helmet-cam video posted on YouTube shows state trooper stopping traffic on the Palisades Interstate Parkway in Rockland County to cite two motorcyclists for speeding.

The video shows a state trooper stopping a pair of motorcyclists who were cited for driving 80 mph on the parkway. The video also shows the motorcyclists passing the trooper’s SUV on the parkway. In the video – taken with a helmet camera – the trooper tells the riders that orders have come down from above to stop motorcyclists because a relative of the SUV driver in the Manhattan incident is a State Police official.

State Police, in response, said there is no connection between the driver in the New York City incident and the State Police.

“The New York State Police have programs designed to target speeders, aggressive drivers, motorcycles, and other traffic safety hazards,” the official statement said. “These programs were in place long before the Manhattan incident, and there have been no additional programs or mandates put in place as a result of that incident.”

Television reports say the YouTube video is being cited by motorcyclists throughout the region as proof that they are being targeted by police said the Manhattan incident, which was captured on a helmet camera video.

State Police said the statements by the trooper seen in the video will be addressed internally by the agency.