Thread: Police bicycles
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Old 06-19-19, 05:06 AM
  #144  
nomadmax 
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Originally Posted by MEversbergII
Are police motorcycles just less common these days? I swear I saw them very regularly as a kid, but I've seen maybe two in as many years lately.
Originally Posted by Maelochs
I think police motorcycles are less useful because really, what can they do besides traffic stops which don't result in an arrest? I see a few, but for about the same money probably, a municipality can have a patrol cruiser which can transport arrestees, carry tons of gear, and most important, have an always-on computer, which is almost essential to modern police work.

What ar the advantages of a bike, except that maybe they can lane-split on highways to chase speeders?
Originally Posted by livedarklions
The only times I see them regularly is parades and funeral processions.
I was fortunate enough to be selected to work a variety of assignments during my 26 years. Motorcycle patrol does have it's place and in some cases, it's better than a cruiser. Like the bicycle, it's highly visible and provides a more personal connection to the surrounding public (to a greater extent than a cruiser). Many times, the motorcycle, like the bicycle, has been a catalyst for a conversation that at the very least gave a civilian the opportunity to have a positive experience with a cop and sometimes led to information that helped investigations.

Despite what some people think, a police motor is more maneuverable than a cruiser, even Harley Davidsons. Much like the bicycle, a motor can go places a cruiser can't and that's where criminals typically ply their trade if given a choice. We had, (and still have) parts of the city that are in "defensible space" areas, meaning whole neighborhoods are blocked off with brick and iron gates to vehicular traffic with only one or two ways in or out. A motor or bike officer can get to civilians in those areas faster than any other mode of patrol. As far as arrests and transport, motor officers have to call for a transport which isn't a big deal. Bike officers keep a parked cruiser in the area with rack; when an arrest is made, one officer goes to get the cruiser while a couple others wait with the suspect. On one occasion (on bike patrol) I was given a talking to for walking a handcuffed arrestee 5 or 6 blocks to jail who had been harassing women downtown. He never came back on my beat and my career was no worse for wear

Motors can also be used for traffic enforcement but typically not accident investigation as there's no safe place to put a civilian when writing the report (so they aren't hit by a car). Parades were another use and the only funerals we did was for our own who were KILOD. I did work one funeral for a local 1% motorcycle club, it was important to them to have a motorcycle escort in lieu of a car. That established a connection that paid dividends after that. They weren't snitches, but it did provide a level of safety for officers when we had to deal with them. It also helped cooler heads to prevail during a war between rival 1% clubs.

The other thing motors are useful for is dignitary protection details/motorcades. More maneuverable than a cruiser, they are just the ticket for quickly threading in and out of traffic to clear intersections because of size and power to weight ratio. To be sure, they are dangerous but our department has only lost one motor officer; that said, the risk is always there. Now days, I suspect it's even greater given cell phones/texting.

Motors are expensive to buy, upfit and maintain. The overall cost per mile outstrips a cruiser easily. Tires, brakes and other consumables wear at a greater rate and cost more because there's no economy of scale in parts manufacturing. Add in that they are seasonal use in may parts of the country and that can make a motor a hard sell to an administrator. The motor does have a greater geographical range than a bike and during times of low personnel it provides a way to be highly visible and not sacrifice response time or officer safety for back up. Motors have their place and I still ride them as well. Below is a pic from a lifetime ago with my son. He's now a steel worker approaching middle age and that hair I had is nearly all gone


Last edited by nomadmax; 06-19-19 at 05:18 AM.
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