Public Safety Chair Cornish doesn't get profiled as biker, would rather not give Draz bill hearing

In Wednesday's City Pages Blotter, Cory Zurowski reports in Rep. Steve Drazkowski Believes Motorcyclists Need Protection from Overzealous Cops:

Motorcyclists' lives matter, says Rep. Steve Drazkowski (R-Mazeppa).

To demonstrate he's in the legislative sidecar of those constituents on two wheels, the state representative from Wabasha County has introduced a new anti-motorcycle profiling bill in the Minnesota House.

According to Drazkowski, police officers have gotten out of hand when it comes to stopping motocyclists. They habitually pull them over when no law has been broken simply because law enforcement officials think anyone on a bike has a high probability of malfeasance. . .

Not so, says Public Safety committee Chair Tony Cornish (R- Vernon Center), himself an avid biker who is best known for his passionate advocacy of Second Amendment rights.

Cornish told reporter Matt Hudson of the Owatonna People's Press in Anti-profiling bill could stall in committee:

In Cornish’s experience, it’s not a widespread problem. He said that he hasn’t been profiled while riding and conversations with other bikers didn’t reveal an overwhelming problem.

“I found the bill, for what’s going on, seems to be a local problem with a few departments that are operating a little bit outside of the norm,” Cornish said. “But it doesn’t warrant spending tens of thousands of dollars of training.”

How expensive and complicated would implementation of the bill be? Hudson reports:

. . .Cornish said that he would “rather not give it a hearing.”

“I’m not saying profiles never occur,” Cornish said. “I’m just saying that it hasn’t occurred in the amount to warrant spending tens of thousands of dollars to model a policy.”

He said that the process to create the rules would take a lot of time and money. If passed, the bill would require four law enforcement groups to draft the policies. That would include consulting with as many Minnesota State Patrol, sheriff and police departments as possible.

Once drafted, law enforcement agencies would then have to train every officer and verify that with the state, Cornish said.

We'll be eager to see how The Draz and House Majority Caucus blames the sputtering death of this proposal on inner city DFLers.

Photo: A photo of motorcycles posted on Cornish's Facebook page in 2014.

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