Motorcycle COPS lack of Gear!!

[MAGWA]

So, as taxpayers, we pay out every year hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical, disability, early retirement pay (and it is, and probably should be, very generous) as a consequence of accidents (which DO happen) where injuries of a serious nature are sustained by officers who, if properly attired, would be back to duty in a week....

doug hill

Don't forget, I know what you do for a living (should say "did", you lucky dog!) ....so I won't argue with you. I *will* say your position sounds like the dogma of those those helmet proponents of yesteryear.

I think the "public burden" arguement was roundly and quantifiably quashed for recreational riders. I suspect those results would more than hold up in the ranks of the professional riders.

Maybe we need to mount a call for "coats of armor" to be worn by the boys in blue on horseback.

[MCRyder]

Equipment: One or two local municipalities have BMWs for their small forces. Dallas uses Kawasakis and Fort Worth uses Harleys, but I have seen *one* BMW in the Fort Worth fleet. Not sure why- maybe they're evaluating it.
We also have a local force that is a unit of the Dallas Area Rapid Transit authority and they rode Valkries a few years ago! Dark blue ones, with "DART POLICE" lettered on the hardbags. Haven't seen them in a while.

The Arlington, TX city police use the BMW RT11-P for their motors. Honda's ST1100 have been used for LEO's in Europe for several years. BTW, we've talked about U.S. LEO's and thier general lack of protective gear. What about their European counterparts?

[darrylri]

What about their European counterparts?

I did a Google image search and found this, which though apparently somewhat old, is not in my experience atypical for the German police:



Of course, a full face helmet, in green and/or white, would go with that.

[ITSBOB]

I did a Google image search and found this, which though apparently somewhat old, is not in my experience atypical for the German police:



Of course, a full face helmet, in green and/or white, would go with that.

This is what I was going to mention. The years I've spent in Germany this is what I always saw, maybe in different colors, but always full leathers, and full, or flip face helmets.

[montana]

A motorpatrol LEO in Billings MT was hit again recently and will survive again due to ATGATT. But I like his description after his first incident, when all he recalled was noticing the word "GLOCK" imprinted backwards on the hood of the vehicle that hit him about hip height, obviously hitting his sidearm.

And Friday a motorpatrol LEO in downtown Missoula was hit, pinning his bike but he's okay.

If traffic doesn't notice a LEO, they'll never notice the rest of us.

[The_Veg]

I nearly hit *TWO* motorcycle cops today about two minutes apart. The first clocked me going 72 in a 55 driving a company van. He was in the inside shoulder, parked pointed uproad. he pulled out basically in front of me going toward me before turning then pulling back onto the shoulder until I passed before getting behind me, and it was close enough to make me hit the brake. I guess he wanted me to not miss the fact that he was coming after me. Once pulled over he did not ask me if there was any kind of emergency (despite the star-of-life medical markings on the van and on my uniform- and no I'm not a paramedic just a hospital inspector), nor did he ask me either of the two common self-incriminating questions. Just took my license and insurance, swiped the license's mag-strip through a little portable computer similar to what UPS drivers carry, and produced a thermal-printed ticket in about two blinks. Shortest citation stop I've ever been through. It was part of a revenue-assembly-line operation going on today apparently, as he had two buddies with him writing tickets as well. As I pulled back onto the road it was one of these buddies who shot out from the shoulder right in front of me to get back to the median, and he did so on a trjectory very perpendicular to the direction I was going. I cannot believe that he did not see me, and again I had to clomp the brake. I'm writing the offending municipality a nice letter about this.

Oh, and they were riding Harleys.

[slow_joe_crow]

I guess they do things differently in Oregon. In the Portland area nobody uses Harleys, and usually they wear 3/4 or flip front helmets. The newer bikes are BMWs following the lead of the state police, while the old one are Kawis. A lot of the cops wear Aerostich suits in a mix of black and Hi-Viz. They do tend to do the short sleeve shirt thing in the summer, but at least most departments wear bright yellow shirts. Oddly Hillsboro has started putting bands of bright yellow and blue checkerboard on their BMWs so they look like British bikes.

[rocketman]

I was talking with an Indiana Officer, and he indicated that he was not allowed to decide, this was the uniform. He was not given a choice. When he rides personally he is in a 'Stich and full face, but they don't like the "Power Ranger" image it presents to the public so he is told what to wear.

He is thinking of quitting the motor division cause of it.

I've heard the same thing around the Virginia area. Having a full face was considered then dropped because they felt the officers face should be clearly visable, not hidden behind a full face. Though of course they could wear flip up types and that doesn't address the rest of the gear issue. then again I don't wear full gear in hot weather, I dress for comfort, and yes, after 40 years and god knows how many miles, I know and understand the risks.

What bothers me more is that in a state where lane sharing is not legal I see motor cops riding side by side in a single lane yet would give anyone else a ticket for that. Aren't cops supposed to set an example?

RM

[The_Veg]

I've heard the same thing around the Virginia area. Having a full face was considered then dropped because they felt the officers face should be clearly visable, not hidden behind a full face.

Never threaten the visibilty of a cop's moustache.