From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette...

“The Pittsburgh police motorcycle squad wrote 11,750 traffic tickets this year, each officer citing about 10 times as many drivers as a counterpart in a cruiser.”

The city has a 26 member motorcycle unit. I had no idea that LEO’s on bikes wrote ten times as many tickets as officers in cruisers. That’s a pretty amazing.

What’s more amazing, at least to me, is that the city of Pittsburgh police department thinks that the Road King’s they ride have a life expectancy of 15,000 miles. The city just bought new bikes because their existing bikes have exceeded their mileage expectancy. The old bikes will be auctioned off. Are LEO’s really that hard on bikes? A 15K mileage expectancy seems extremely low to me.

 

Some departments assign motor officers traffic only duty whereas officers assigned a cruiser generally take all other calls.

 

Ahhhh, okay that makes sense.

 

I don't know about Pittsburgh but as an NYPD retiree I can see how the NYPD's bikes can have a low life expectancy. A lot of their miles are at very slow speeds such as parades, funerals, escorts, etc. Slow speeds on an air cooled bike cannot be good for the bike.

 

Think about it! You are on a motorcycle & have the power to totally screw all those cages that have been screwing motorcycles for the past 100 years. It's heaven on two wheels.

 

I would also also imagine that the police bikes are a little less visible, or that people just don't look for them or realize they are police. I've seen police on the freeway and didn't realize it until after I got up good and close.

I'm looking for them now, but I didn't used to...

 

heh - that too.

 

This is very typical of the motor officer.

The bikes are traded every year and they are leased for 1 dollar to many departments. It's not that they are hard on them but more in line with the lease deal.

 

Motor cops are very hard on their equipment....especially larger, metro area with large urban areas...traffic, slow speeds, friction zone riding, quick accelerations with heavy braking, all day long, then throw in potholes, ruts, cab drivers, funerals, VIP escorts, traffic duty....the cops I know that ride are extremely hard on the equipment....but of course, they are taken care of right too.....

I would venture to say that riding at work could and would be a real hoot. On my job, it's a priveledge to get into the bike platoon. You almost have to be asked. They usually only look at the top performers to fill their ranks. It's an elite unit. Many guys assigned to HWY as radio car operators wouldn't get on a bike if you begged them. It takes a special breed....

But on the flip side, you know what they say about Hwy Ptl cops...most would write their own mothers a summons....lol had to get that off my chest.

 

I have been a motor officer for 11 years. I can ride anytime that I want. Personally, I don't care for it for a number of reasons............I also agree that a police motor has a hard life. I wouldn't want a retired one, not even the one I ride....especially the one I ride.LOL.