Question for Motor Cops

[pharmer]

Coming home today I passed the local PD. Raging microburst happening (wind, lightning, thunder,rain like a firehose) as these 2 young cops on their Harleys were coming out of the lot. As I let them in I noticed grins and a "Looks like rain, who cares" attitude. I rode along nice and dry, trying to imagine it. Wet kevlar front and back. Vision=0. Leather duty belt= soaked thoroughly. Leather knee-high boots full of water. Reason for no ponchos= 20 mins later sun is out and back to 90 degrees. Sure takes a certain kind to do it around here. I imagine right now about halfway through the shift they are either miserable or changed everything. The next 4 months will be brutal outside, I don't reckon they could pay large enough for me to do it, even if I was 35 years younger. What motivates someone to do it day after day, it sure ain't the money? Joe

[Iggy]

Mostly it's the bugs in your teeth.

[DeathGrip]

Maybe they are the ultimate CHiPs fans.

D.G.

[cp1969]

Beats sitting at a desk.

You won't get a speeding ticket.

You get to carry a gun.

You get to ride a motorcycle.

And get paid while doing all of the above.

[GregG]

I've known probably a dozen motorcycle officers through the years here in Houston.

Here's my take on it:

1. Most of them are outdoorsmen, and inclimate weather does not bother them.

2. Riding a motorcycle is fun. Getting paid to do it makes it even better.

3. They make a tidy sum performing off-duty escort jobs, like wide loads, etc.

4. They like adventure and danger.

[mkk41]

For about 10 years , I only rode my motorcycles , not even owning a daily automobile. If it was snowy or icy , my G/F drove , but otherwise , I only rode one of my motorcycles to and from work. Rode over 300 days a year for several years. People would ask "what do you do when it rains?". I simply replied "I get wet!" And I gotta admit , the odd looks from those in nice warm cars made it worthwhile!

[charlie sherrill]

I rode one for awhile in my younger years. All of the above are true but you left one out. They are "chick magnets." A friend of mine has been driving one for over 30 years. After getting my car bombed with bird droppings yesterday the first thing I thought was "I'm glad I wasn't on a bike."

[feralmerril]

I loved rideing my harleys many years, but I would not want to be a traffic cop rideing one. I just cant be a tax collector.

[The Big D]

Duh! You're riding a motorcycle whilst getting paid. I WAS happy, too.

Be safe.

PS:

Feralmerril, I locked up more people than you would ever know whilst riding. Lotsa tix, too; but more peops are still "paying."

[jimmyj]

Hi:
In my part of the world, Agencies quit using motorcycles in the 1960s.
Riots were a part of this decision plus more and more injuries to motor officers from vehicle accidents. Several years ago motors started a "Comeback" with Agencies for working traffic. I never had a "Urge" to be a "Motor Officer" but I admire the Officers that ride them. I personally wanted as much metal surrounding me as possible.
Jimmy

[feralmerril]

Back in the mid 1960s I was a guard for lockheed at burbank california. My best friend and I rode. We wore similar uniforms to the areas LEOs. One hot night we got off at midnight and decided to "take the long way home". We were on either san fernando road or glen oaks boulvard. It was probley 2 or 3 am. We were side by side just putting along talking at a slow speed, hardly any traffic at all. I heard a car hit passing gear behind us, the road got bright from the guys headlights behind us. This guy was out to kill us! Bill was to my left, we were splitting the lane. Bill was a ex motor officer himself and we had rode so much together that we knew exactly what the other would do in any situation. Bill went into the oncomeing lane, (no traffic at all), and I went up on the curb. We were doing about 35 or 40 tops. This guy went through us with it pegged, probley 85-90 and still excillerateing! He had a woman with him and I could see she had her hand up to her mouth screaming. There was a red light about two blocks ahead of us and he went through it full bore! It would have been hopeless to try to chase him, really, full dress harleys back in the early 60s just werent as fast as most people think.
As I recall this was about 1966 and the guy had a brand new el camino.
The upshot is, another night he tried again for bill rideing home by himself a week or two later. That time bill ran up on someones lawn and laid it down, hurt but not bad.
Some time after that he or someone like him was caught trying to run down someone else. It was in the paper. Not sure it was the same guy, but hope it was.
Me and my 63 harley in those days.

[Muley Gil]

The motor cops at my department parked their motors and got patrol cars whenever it rained.

One of the sgts said once that "The motorscouts park their bikes whenever a cloud comes out in Shelby County (the next county south of ours)"