First moto officer hurt in the new Wichita Police motor cycle unit.

[Gliderjohn]

After a number of years without the Wichita police brought back the moto unit on H-Ds last December. Back in the 90s I think they discontinued the original unit due to too many injuries. This time a female rider and rider instructor. When traffic suddenly slowed she rear ended the vehicle in front of her. She is in serious condition.
http://www.kwch.com/content/news/Wichita-police-on-motorcycle-involved-in-crash-on-Kellogg-479429223.html
The previous unit had not been very well trained and this time there is more training.
GliderJohn

[SmithSwede]

Sorry to hear that.  Best wishes for a speedy recovery.

May not mean anything, but from my personal observation the Dallas area motorcycle officers are terrible riders, both in terms of handling their bikes and in terms of reading and dealing with traffic. 

[JJ]

Sorry to hear that as well...thoughts and prayers going out to her and her family...

[Cadyfatcat]

That's terrible to hear, hope she recovers and rides again.

On this topic though, they recently bought two $25k HDs in my village, which is literally a square mile. I have a number of friends who are police officers (in the next town over) and even they admit there is little reason for these other than the police wanting to have fun riding them in the summer. As part of a motorcade, and with very specific police applications perhaps motorcycles are good vehicles for police officers - but with everything else an officer is going to be tasked with and preoccupied by while driving around, I don't understand why anyone would think this a good idea.

[Lannis]

Sorry to hear that.  Best wishes for a speedy recovery.

May not mean anything, but from my personal observation the Dallas area motorcycle officers are terrible riders, both in terms of handling their bikes and in terms of reading and dealing with traffic.

Something must have changed over the years .... Back when I was an impressionable lad, the only thing I ever heard, and sometimes actually saw with my own eyes, was that motorcycle cops were the best-trained and most skillful riders out there.  (I still can't imagine trying to chase down someone's muscle car on a drum-braked Guzzi!).

No training budget?   If so, they ought not be buying bikes.

Not seen as important, the training?   Maybe everyone thinks they have a "natural ability"?

Traffic worse?   There was some fierce traffic on the roads of the day in the 1960s.

I don't know.

Lannis

[Sasquatch Jim]

 Way back in the fifties, California had intensive MC training both on road and off road.
 Their abilities were first class.  Maybe more recent police believe that those abilities are automatic when an officer is assigned a bike.

[Rough Edge racing]

   From the news article "Wichita police confirm the officer was riding a motorcycle when the crash occurred. They say as traffic approached a construction zone near Hillside, a chain reaction occurred and drivers started to suddenly break.

In an effort to and avoid hitting the truck in front of her, the officer clipped the vehicle and laid down her motorcycle. Police say she is an experienced rider."

  Sounds like she wasn't paying attention to conditions ,something you think an experienced rider would do...But accidents happen and hopefully she will recover....

[Guzzistajohn]

Hope she's OK, think she might have been tailgating a tad?

[twowings]

Speedy recovery, officer! A distinct possibility for any of us...

[Lannis]

   .... the officer clipped the vehicle and laid down her motorcycle."

Oh oh, I hadn't noticed that.   She "laid her down, yeah buddy, had to lay 'er down".   

More likely that she tried to avoid a collision, wasn't able to miss the car, and got KNOCKED down by the impact ....

Lannis

[Gliderjohn]

An update from a different local station.
http://www.ksn.com/news/local/wpd-motorcycle-officer-involved-in-accident-on-eastbound-kellogg/1115796266
GliderJohn

[Rough Edge racing]

Oh oh, I hadn't noticed that.   She "laid her down, yeah buddy, had to lay 'er down".   

More likely that she tried to avoid a collision, wasn't able to miss the car, and got KNOCKED down by the impact ....

Lannis

 I also wonder about the "laying" the bike down...How exactly do you lay down a 800 pound bike that probably has anti lock brakes? And if it doesn't have anti lock, do you jam on the rear brake and spin it sideways .Or lock the front wheel and fall down on purpose?..All that in the second you have to react in densely packed moving traffic? Sounds like public relations BS....Again, no disrespect intended. for the officer involved..

[timonbik]

Love the police speak,  didn't hit another vehicle but clipped a truck?

Tim

[oldbike54]

 More than one LEO is a friend of mine , (yeah , cops can be friends with counter culture types  )
They tend to be horrible drivers and riders , sorry , that's just a fact . They might be skilled , but are willing to take chances most of us would deem as unacceptable .

 Dusty

[Lannis]

Love the police speak,  didn't hit another vehicle but clipped a truck?

Tim

As much as we don't want to sound like we know more than other people sometimes ... as long-time motorcyclists here, we ARE experts on that subject compared to the police PR person, and the newpaper reporter, who are probably in the "lay 'er down" and "front brake throw you over the handlebars" level of familiarity with bikes.

Even if the motor cop had 20 years experience, sounds like she stuffed this one, following too closely, properly trying to recover by missing the car ahead, not having enough room, and went down when a crash bar hooked a bumper.   As RoughEdge says, HOW and WHY would you "lay down" a modern ABS-equipped police bike with three disk brakes?    That's 1950's Harley FL mechanical rear drum talk.

Lannis

[kirb]

Michigan State Police invest a lot of money in testing vehicles that many other agencies use for evaluation. This includes motorcycles that get used a handful of months per year. The BMWs are their favorites from talking with them...

http://www.michigan.gov/msp/0,4643,7-123--16274--,00.html

This year they tested BMW R1200RT, HD FLH of various stages, Yamaha FJR, Zero
No Guzzi this year as in a few recent years.

[kirb]

I remember several years ago that a couple of Moto mag journos' from a mainstream (cycle world I think) tried the riding qualification school run by the CA CHP moto officer division and had a hell of a time passing!

The Michigan State Police training course is right off the main freeway near Lansing... the courses that are set up are usually low speed handling and technical based. They would challenge anyone trying to dance with those big girls.

[Cross-tie Walker]

Around here, they ride very macho like side by side. I'm surprised there haven't been more mishaps. That is a terribly unsafe practice - as we can all attest too here I'm sure.

[Gliderjohn]

The last time the Wichita cops had a moto unit they used the Kaws. They had minimal training and gear at the time and several were hurt bad in accidents. I observed some pretty stupid moves by some of the officers IMHO. Supposably this time around they claimed that they were going to do it right but I don't know how much and what kind of training. Except for the dead of winter I road in Wichita for 22 years without an incident although I will admit to a couple of close ones.
Just my opinion I think most larger city forces would be better served by mid sized bikes as high speed is rarely needed and most mid size bikes can accelerate faster than most police cars.
GliderJohn

[Lannis]

Around here, they ride very macho like side by side. I'm surprised there haven't been more mishaps. That is a terribly unsafe practice - as we can all attest too here I'm sure.

Some of the things that police riders do are done for "public perception", and that CAN be a good reason.

For example, they typically wear little half- or quarter-coverage helmets, not the full face ones that you would think that someone who is on the road 6 or 8 hours a day would wear.   The little helmets are to prevent the "Storm Trooper" or "Darth Vader" look - to sort of put a human face on the guy on the bike.

The "flying in formation" thing is to project an image of competence and precision and professionalism - not the way I'd ride, but on the other hand, combat pilots don't fly like the "Blue Angels", either, when they're on the job.    It's different when you're "profiling" for the citizens.

They have to be expert riders to make this all work AND 'serve and protect' at the same time.   Hope the standards haven't slipped.   I know that we can ALL pull up YouTube videos of police precision competition riding that will just make your jaw drop ....

Lannis

[Gliderjohn]

From Lannis:

The "flying in formation" thing is to project an image of competence and precision and professionalism

But that imagine goes right down the tubes when they bump into each other as I have observed them do. I would be much more impressed it they stayed staggerd. More than once I have observed officers on the side of the road using radar and then pull out to run down a speeder but pull out directly in front of oncoming traffic to the point some of the cars had to panic stop or evade. Not a way to stay healthy or make friends of the public.
GliderJohn

[Lannis]

From Lannis:But that imagine goes right down the tubes when they bump into each other as I have observed them do. I would be much more impressed it they stayed staggerd. More than once I have observed officers on the side of the road using radar and then pull out to run down a speeder but pull out directly in front of oncoming traffic to the point some of the cars had to panic stop or evade. Not a way to stay healthy or make friends of the public.
GliderJohn

Yep, like I said, you have to be an expert to make it work.   If you're trying to collar criminals, catch speeders, and protect the public, AND ride a motorcycle, then you'd better be a nell of a rider, thoroughly trained, so that you are NOT doing things like bumping into your partner, fail to hold your place in your lane, or pull out in front of traffic ....

Lannis

[Tom]

 :1:  Being highly trained also doesn't mean anything if your head is not in the right place while riding.  One of CHP Moto cops that came out here to participate as a "professional" working with us "semi-professional" moto riders was "large and in charge".  His other co-workers stood back and let him take the lead.  My guess is that he was a rookie in training.  Loads of yelling on the course and was showing us that we needed to work our skills to be up to his standards. 

Funny thing though.....the following year, he didn't show.  I asked around and one of the regular CHP guys said that he got killed in a accident.  Ran into a bus at a 4 way intersection.  Lights and siren on.  I guess he took it for granted that everyone would stop because he was CHiP. 

In the case of the Wichita PD officer.  Sounds like following too close and didn't bail before impact.  Lack of training.

[DAMMAG]

We have the Commonwealth Games going on here at the moment.

In the "Royal motorcade" going to the opening ceremony two motorcycle police managed to collide with each other "at high speed" while escorting the motorcade, writing off one of their bikes and breaking one riders leg.

There are truckoads of police on bikes around here at the moment. Mostly riding like d*&^ h&^%^. Riding in close formation in groups of 4.

You tend to notice their riding behaviour when you are a motorcyclist, and I haven't been impressed.

[SmithSwede]

I remember a Dallas motorcycle officer who crashed while escorting Hillary Clinton's motorcade.  He later died. 

His family then sued Hillary and the City of Dallas, alleging he was not adequately trained as a motorcycle officer.

I admit I am probably a bit biased when it comes to motorcycle officers.  I have observed far too much bad riding.   And I will never forget waiting at red light on my 250 cc Kawasaki when a Dallas motorcycle officer pulled up to me in the next lane.  It was a nice day, we are both on bikes, so I am Mr. Friendly and wave to him.  He just gruffly yells at me that "You need to be careful out here."

Huh?  I'm wearing a full face helmet, boots, in Aerostich head to toe, blaze orange reflector vest, etc.  I have done literally nothing to alarm him or call for his advice or paternalism.   Light turns green and I watch him wobble away with his feet down.   OK, thanks for the tip, Mr. Riding Wizard. 

[Lannis]

Huh?  I'm wearing a full face helmet, boots, in Aerostich head to toe, blaze orange reflector vest, etc.  I have done literally nothing to alarm him or call for his advice or paternalism.   Light turns green and I watch him wobble away with his feet down.   OK, thanks for the tip, Mr. Riding Wizard.

And (if he dresses like the officers in town here) probably had on a short-sleeved uniform shirt, a quarter-helmet, and no gloves.   That's to "humanize" them, but he probably sounded silly telling you to "be careful" when you were ATGATT ...

Lannis

[SmithSwede]

Yep.   That was exactly what he was wearing.  Plus a mustache.

[Tusayan]

The previous unit had not been very well trained and this time there is more training

Lack of training.

"Training" is the PC solution to lack of skill or judgment, or any other human problem. It usually doesn't work, except in the sense that it removes the pressure to fire inappropriate employees.  With police I think a good approach to increase long term performance is to weed out poor candidates before they start via psychological screening.  A motorcycling friend of mine makes good money doing it and (believe it or not) issues a negative recommendation for something like 9 of 10 candidates.  People who apply self select and are mostly psychologically unsuitable. 

[Tom]

My comment on the training is strictly on the motorcycle knowledge.   :1:  on the psych. eval.  That however doesn't take into account the motivation for a lot of people wanting to be a policeman aka "bully with a badge".  If the requirements for a policeman started with a Bachelor's degree with more pay than IMHO a lot of problems would not even start.

[Ncdan]

Lots of opinions here and everyone is entitled to them. As with most opinions they can be based on experience, training and learned knowledge or simply thrown out there.
I was a motor officer for five years and managed to ride a hundred thousand + with no major accident and no injuries. I�ll freely admit many of the saves that it appeared I made, avoiding serious accidents, was nothing short of divine intervention. I can attest that all the training in the world won�t protect someone who is operating a motorcycle with their head up their @$$, police or otherwise.