Issue link: https://let.epubxp.com/i/206367
VEHICLES Clockwise from top: A row of police motors from 1935; A 1947 Indian Chief police motor; A 1936 Harley Knucklehead police motor. "There are a lot of departments that don't understand what a motorcycle unit can do. Many departments think that you can only ride a few months out of the year and that's just not true. You can ride year-round as long as there isn't ice on the ground. "If you can give me five or six guys and put them on motors, the impact you can have on traffic is unbelievable," he continues. "Traffic is one of the biggest benefits. Safety is the biggest thing: inattentive driving, lane changing without signaling. If you are sitting in a traffic jam in a patrol car and see something, it's hard to get to the offender. On a motorcycle, you can lane split to them and pull them over. You can have an immediate effect. You can even pull over on the shoulder or on the sidewalk and observe traffic." Some departments, like the Oklahoma State Police, put their troopers on Suzuki Hayabusas, one of the fast- est production motorcycles in the world, in order to do high speed traffic stops. "We currently have two 2006 Hayabusas outfitted with Corbin bags and smuggler, Stalker moving radar, red and blue emergency lights and sirens, all paid for by drug asset forfeiture money," says Clint Riddle, Hayabusa Motorcycle Enforcement Trooper, Oklahoma State Police. "The Captain and I also attended Keith Code California Superbike School for additional training. The Hayabusas have been and still are a great PR tool for us in every aspect imaginable and has also helped other agencies. I have had motor officers tell me that sport bike riders that would run from them now don't dare. The greatest thing is that they allow us to make contact and have conversations with the sport bike community, which gives us the foot in the door to visit about safety." The Baton Rouge, LA motor unit, which has been in place since 1923, has seen an increase in aggressive behavior towards its officers in recent years. "10 years ago, violators fled the scene to avoid contact with or apprehension by law enforcement," says Sgt. David Wallace from Baton Rouge PD. "Today, we are seeing a growing trend of active aggression towards police. Motorcycle officers are 100 percent exposed and are the most vulnerable of any division in a police department. Motor officers do not only need to be concerned with our riding ability (accident avoidance, hazard recognition, etc.) but we must be concerned with defending gunfire and using our equipment to the best advantage. Each motor officer must attend and successfully complete our Motor Survival Class. This class teaches officers to use their motorcycle as cover and concealment, and to accurately return gunfire to eliminate any threats." An Early motor unit. www.officer.com November 2013 Law Enforcement Technology 15