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Mar 03
Love0

Harley-Davidson and TEEX team up to offer specialized motorcycle officer training nationwide

By General Posts

by Erin Wencl (KAGS) from https://www.kagstv.com

COLLEGE STATION, Texas — TEEX and Harley-Davidson have teamed up to offer specialized and advanced training to law enforcement officers who patrol on motorcycles, according to information released by the school Tuesday. The training will be available for law enforcement officers in Texas, as well as motorcycle cops across the country.

The program will offer basic, advanced and instructor-level training courses. Basic level includes 80 hours of training for those officers going directly into the police motorcycle unit. Advanced training will be for experienced officer riders who are hoping to increase their skills and the instructor-level course will certify an officer hoping to build their own training program.

“As a former law enforcement administrator, I know training is key to managing risk,” said Dr. John M. Ray, who is director of the TEEX Institute for Law Enforcement and Protective Services Excellence. “You want to attend a manufacturer specific school because there are subtleties about riding these bikes in high-risk situations. This curriculum is tailored specifically for that.”

Dr. Ray said there will be classroom and “on-track” training. The motorcycles will be provided by Harley-Davidson and they will offer servicing on-site. This is something unique to the program, according to Dr. Ray, because many training programs require students to bring their own bike. By teaming up with Harley-Davidson and their mechanical crews, students will be able to finish the course without worrying about if their own bike will make it through.

“We are proud to partner with TEEX to create a comprehensive training program that allows peace officers to focus completely on improving their skills,” said John Dedeo, GM Field Sales for Harley-Davidson.

Kyle McNew, who is the TEEX Training Manager for the Institute for Law Enforcement and Protective Services Excellence, said the training will be offered in Texas, but also other locations across the country. “That gives us an opportunity to save agencies money by sending their officers to train closer to home.” It also offers an option for those law enforcement agencies that are considering starting up motorcycle traffic enforcement.

If you would like to register, click here or call Kyle McNew at 979-458-2762. You can also email him at kyle.mcnew@teex.tamu.edu.

Aug 10
Love0

Former motorcycle cop teaching safety, passion on two wheels

By General Posts

by Peter Mallett from http://www.lookoutnewspaper.com

A former motorcycle cop is encouraging aspiring motorcyclists from the base to get the skills they need before embarking on their journey down the highway.

Bill Laughlin has been an instructor with the Vancouver Island Safety Council (VISC) since his retirement from the Victoria Police Department in 2003, concluding 27 years of service as a police sergeant.

“I have always been a motorcyclist and have been riding since I was 16, so when I was asked by a friend if I would be interested in teaching I knew I would really enjoy it,” says Laughlin.

Each year, he and approximately 20 other ICBC-licensed instructors teach over 400 students how to be safer motorcyclists. Their efforts are focused solely on rider training and education.

“All of our instructors have a passion for motorcycling. We are teaching because we want people to learn, be safe, but also have fun.”

Shortly after joining VISC, Laughlin became its executive director. Today the 66 year old spends most of his days working as an administrator with the end goal to equip novice riders with the necessary skills and knowledge to operate a motorcycle safely.

VISC offers weekday classes at its Western Speedway training centre in Langford; on the weekend training moves to the grounds of Interurban’s Camosun College.

Students train on one of VISC’s 11 well-maintained training bikes, and later in their instruction, 16 street-ready motorcycles as they move towards certification. Helmets are also provided, but other gear such as proper protective clothing is not.

Laughlin says VISC has trained several members of Victoria’s military community in past years and is convinced many of them buy into the philosophy of doing things right, getting the proper training, and learning the fundamentals before taking on any potentially dangerous activity.

You need to get your skills right before the fun part of riding a motorcycle can begin, says Laughlin. “Having fun while on a motorcycle is all about learning how to drive safely and not put yourself in dangerous positions. If you are professionally trained you will have the knowledge and confidence to truly get the most out of riding a motorcycle.”

Their courses are not just for beginners. There are many people who have drifted away from motorcycling over the years but suddenly decide they want two-wheeled transit back in their lives.

“It’s simply not a case of the old cliché: it’s just like riding a bike,” says Laughlin. “Over time the skills of people who haven’t been riding begin to deteriorate, so we highly recommend refresher courses for those looking to get back into riding a motorcycle.”

VISC is a non-profit organization that began its motorcycle training program in 1971. It then saw official sanctioning from the Canada Safety Council in 1974. Today, its novice level training program exceeds Insurance Corporation of British Columbia training course minimums, with its traffic course the most thorough and lengthy of all riding schools in B.C., says Laughlin.

Following a six-week shutdown due to COVID-19 social distancing measures, the VISC motorcycle training program resumed operations on June 1. Due to a backlog of students waiting for instruction during the shutdown, available spaces for August training sessions are almost completely full and its September dates are filling up fast.

Laughlin says VISC is always looking to recruit new instructors, and currently have a recruitment drive underway for paid positions and would greatly value the input of experienced motorcyclists from CFB Esquimalt to assist.

For more information about the VISC, visit their website: http://visafetycouncil.com

Jul 23
Love0

State police offer free motorcycle safety course

By General Posts

by Arabella Thornhill from https://potomaclocal.com

Virginia State Police have invited local residents to take part in a free motorcycle self-assessment, “Ride 2 Save Lives,” course this Saturday.

It is a free course that will be held Saturday, July 25 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Morton’s BMW Motorcycles located at 5099 Jefferson Davis Highway in Fredericksburg. Space is limited to 30 people.

According to a press release from Public Relations Director for Virginia State Police Corinne Geller, Richmond Division Motors Unit will be instructing participants on all aspects of rider safety through the use of SIPDE (Scan, Identify, Predict, Decide, Execute). SIPDE is the same training required of all VSP motorcycle operators.

The course provides riders with proper techniques on how to handle hazards, special situations, interstate highways, curve negotiations, and much more, according to Geller.

Social distancing measures will be in place for the safety of those in attendance, according to Geller. Riders must have a valid operator’s license with a class “M” endorsement, appropriate riding attire, a helmet, and eye protection.

The motorcycles must be street legal and helmets must be Department of Transportation approved to participate in this program, according to the press release.

Registration closes Wednesday, July 22. For those interested, registration is available online through the Virginia State Police Facebook page under “events” or at eventbrite.com.

Jul 06
Love0

A Citizen’s Guide to Recording the Police

By General Posts

First Amendment Protections for Journalists and Bystanders
By the team at First Amendment Watch

Sixty-one percent of the U.S. population lives in states where federal appeals courts have recognized a First Amendment right to record police officers performing their official duties in public. The U.S. Supreme Court has not ruled on the issue. As a result, legal protections are fully secure only in those jurisdictions where federal circuits have issued a ruling.

However, given the resounding support so far for this First Amendment protection, it seems highly likely that the remaining federal appeal courts would reach the same conclusion if the issue appears on their docket.

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Jul 01
Love0

MMA & Princeton PD Team Up for Voluntary Sound Check

By General Posts

Your Massachusetts Motorcycle Association is teaming up with the Princeton Police Department to conduct a Voluntary Motorcycle Sound Emissions Check at the Thomas Prince School on Route 62 in Princeton, Massachusetts on July 11, 2020 beginning at 11 AM.

This is a “no enforcement” and no cost awareness event aimed at educating riders and the public regarding the realities and implications of Motorcycle Exhaust emissions, specifically regarding sound levels.

On Tuesday, June 9, your Massachusetts Motorcycle Association was invited to participate in the Princeton Select Board meeting to address growing and continuing concerns among Residents concerning the problems of Motorcycle Sound Emissions and reckless riding in and around the town of Princeton.

Alerted by a MassMotorcycle member to the concerns, numerous potential approaches to tackling what is perceived as an invasion of residents rights to a safe and peaceful weekend were being discussed including Motorcycle Original Equipment Exhaust Enforcement, Traffic Restrictions for Motorcyclists, and other options. Your MassMotorcycle Association immediately contacted the Chief of Police, Michele Powers, to discuss the concerns and approaches. Chief Powers in turn discussed the MassMotorcycle feedback with the Select Board resulting in the invitation to speak with the Select Board at the June 9th Meeting.

In 2009, in response to similar concerns at the time and numerous town warrants and Legislative Bills aimed at addressing the issue, your MassMotorcycle Association created the “When in Town, Throttle Down!©” program to address a wealth of misinformation concerning Motorcycle Exhaust and Sound Issues, specifically aimed at education and awareness of “What’s the Noise about Noise?” The resulting program included a Voluntary Sound Check program, including investing in Sound Testing Equipment and Training. This program has been used with great affect around the Commonwealth in the following 11 years and the “noise” has significantly quieted down since.

This program has since also been used successfully in numerous towns across the Commonwealth, in other States around the Country, and education sessions have been given at regional and national conferences such as the ABATE of Oklahoma S.M.I.L.E. and Motorcycle Riders Foundation Meeting of the Minds.

To be conducted by the MMA in conjunction with the Princeton Police, the Voluntary Sound Check planned for July 11th will be a “no enforcement” awareness-only event. All riders are invited to stop by for a few minutes for a free bottle of water while they learn about the issues concerning Motorcycle Exhaust Sound Emissions, the legal limits of those emissions, whether their motorcycles are within them, and how to potentially control them. The testing takes only a few short moments – far less time than it will take to finish a bottle of water.

A motorcycle that legally passes these tests may still be perceived by some to be “too loud” depending on how the rider operates the motorcycle. Riders are aware that simple modifications regarding RPM control mitigates the motorcycles’ impact and sound emissions levels upon the public. All testing will be conducted according to Registry of Motor Vehicles stationary noise level standards defined by the Code of Massachusetts Regulations.

Non-riders are also invited to stop by to witness the testing and participate in the program.

Your MMA thanks the Princeton Police Department, Chief Powers, and the Princeton Select Board for inviting riders and the public to participate in this event.

For more information, please contact Chairman@MassMotorcycle.org or visit www.MassMotorcycle.org.

Apr 13
Love2

Black and Red 1947 Harley-Davidson WL Police Bike Is What Bad Guys Feared

By General Posts

by Daniel Patrascu from https://www.autoevolution.com

Police departments were never slow in adopting emerging technologies. Given the nature of their work, these organizations had to adapt and use hardware that, if not more advanced than the one used by bad guys, and least on par with it. And motorcycles are no exception.

In the U.S. one of the preferred suppliers of motorcycles for the police force is Harley-Davidson. The company has been providing bikes for the force since the first years of the 20th century, when the Detroit PD was the first to commission and use the Harleys of that time. As you might imagine, at the time there were no police packages for bikes and not even cars for that matter, so these early police bikes were nothing more than civilian models with PD logos here and there.

That would change starting with the 1920s, when the fight against the villains of the era intensifies. Things like sirens and lights start being fitted on Harleys as they chase down bad guys, but it was not until the end of World War II that police Harleys would become norm.

That is all owed to the Army-specced WLA model, a no-nonsense machine based on the civilian version that was known at the time as the WL. The way in which the WLA handled itself during the war made police departments look to the WL with new interest.

The motorcycle you see in the gallery above is one of post-war police WLs, and is currently on the list of vehicles on sale during the Mecum Eddie Vannoy Collection sale in June. We’re not being told what police department it served back in its glory days, but we do know it comes with the customary siren and lights.

The bike as seen above is of course a restoration, one draped in black and red hues that are not the customary police colors but suit it beautifully, and powered by a restored 45ci engine linked to a 3-speed manual transmission.

Mar 20
Love0

1949 Harley-Davidson Police Servi-Car Let Officers Ride and Shoot

By General Posts

by Daniel Patrascu from https://www.autoevolution.com

Ever since before the start of the second world war, at a time when the world was fighting for its survival during what became known as the Great Depression, and well into the 1970s, the American motorcycle landscape was dominated by a three-wheeled contraption called the Servi-Car.

Produced by Harley-Davidson from 1932 to 1974, the Servi-Car is the forefather of the current Tri Glide Ultra and the Freewheeler trikes, but despite being made in great numbers, they’re not so easy to come by in current times.

From time to time, such machines do pop up on auction sites and elsewhere, but generally they come in the form of custom builds that kind of ruin the initial purpose of the trike. Not the same can be said about the example we have here.

This 1949 Servi-Car was, like many others of its kind, used by a police department. In this case we’re talking about the one in Oakland, California. Despite having underwent a rebuild, needed because of its age, it remains fitted with pretty much all the hardware it had back when it was in the force.

Aside for the mandatory red lights and a siren, it also features a 750 cc side-valve engine with large cooling fins to avoid overheating when on patrol, a left-hand throttle that allowed police officers to draw their weapons with the right hand, and a lockable box at the rear to store items needed for police work.

Just as it was back during its glory days, the trike has the rear wheels spaced apart just enough to be able to ride in the tracks made in the snow by a car.

Given the way it was rebuilt, and the fact that it is an original police Servi-Car, this particular one managed to fetch an impressive amount at a recent RM Sotheby’s auction: $54,000.

Feb 11
Love0

Weapons and drugs seized in raids targeting outlaw motorcycle gangs

By General Posts

by Rachel Riga from https://www.abc.net.au/

Queensland police say they have targeted several outlaw motorcycle gangs linked to “substantial trafficking of drugs” and organised crime during a series of raids across the Gold Coast.

Officers executed 15 search warrants at properties from Coolangatta to Yatala for offences involving drugs, weapons, fraud and money laundering.

The operation involved more than 110 police from the State Crime Command-Organised Crime Gangs Group, the Gold Coast District, Australian Federal Police and other external agencies as part of Operation Romeo Ionic.

Detective Superintendent Roger Lowe said eight people had been charged with 22 offences.

“Our investigations are centred on this criminal syndicate which operates across South East Queensland into northern New South Wales and their alleged involvement in trafficking dangerous drugs, rebirthing of vehicles, substantial fraud and other serious crimes,” he said.

Weapons, including a handgun and a rifle, various quantities of drugs, and phones were seized during the searches.

“They’re really governed by greed and their involvement in normally illicit drugs and weapons, unlawful trafficking, so it’s not uncommon to see these gangs cross over and do business with each other and particularly even on an international scope.”

A 33-year-old Southport man, alleged to be a member of the Lone Wolf motorcycle gang, is among those in custody.

He is due to appear in the Southport Magistrates Court on Wednesday on weapons and drug trafficking charges, and a 28-year-old man from Redland Bay, allegedly a member of the Mongols, is due to appear in the Beenleigh Magistrates Court.

The police operation was launched last year and investigations are still underway.

Feb 11
Love1

European motorcycle police begin mission trip to South America

By General Posts

Santiago, Chile, Feb 10, 2020 / 06:33 pm (CNA).- A group of European motorcycle police is currently taking part in a mission trip to South America, offering support to Catholic missionaries in poor communities.

Moto for Peace is a non-profit organization founded in 2000 by Italian police officers to travel the world on motorcycles to carry out humanitarian, social and evangelistic work. The group promotes values of solidarity, friendship and cultural exchange while contributing to educational, healthcare and sanitation projects.

The organization has expanded to include active police officers from Spain, Germany, and other European countries. Their previous efforts include donating motorcycles to doctors in rural Nepal, raising money for a water purifier in Ethiopia, providing medical aid in various parts of Africa, and completing construction on an orphanage in Bolivia.

The current team is comprised of 16 Italian, German and Spanish police. They departed for Chile Jan. 29 and plan to visit Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Bolivia, and Peru over the course of two months.

The mission’s purpose is to support the commitment of Catholic missionaries in South America along an 8,700 mile route, visiting the communities where the missionaries work under conditions of poverty, lack of resources and social instability.

Since their arrival in Chile, the police officers have visited homes for the elderly and orphans in three cities. They also visited the offices of the Archdiocese of Santiago and met with Archbishop Celestino Aós. In a video posted on the archdiocesan website, Aós expressed his joy at “meeting people who stand up and work for peace.”

Celestino Suárez, the vice president of Moto for Peace, told ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish language news partner, that the current mission is being carried out with the collaboration of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development. The agency learned about the group’s work in 2018 and encouraged it to visit South America again, their second trip since 2007.

Jan 29
Love0

Billy Joel’s motorcycle collection vandalised

By General Posts

by Bang Showbiz from http://www.contactmusic.net/

Billy Joel’s beloved 12 motorcycles were trashed when a thief broke into his home over the weekend.

Bill Joel’s motorcycles were trashed when a thief broke into his home over the weekend.

The ‘Piano Man’ hitmaker called police on Monday (27.01.20) morning when he discovered someone had obtained access to his house in Long Island and damaged his property.

Nassau County police told TMZ 12 motorcycles and a home office on the property had been vandalised and it seems that the burglars smashed through a glass door leading into the garage.

It is unclear whether anything was stolen or whether Billy was at home at the time of the break-in, which took place at some point between Saturday (25.01.20) and Monday.

The 70-year-old singer – who is a known bike enthusiast and even owns a nearby motorcycle story – gave a statement to police and they are currently investigating.

Billy previously insisted he’ll never retire because he has the ”greatest job in the world”.

Asked if he’s considered retirement, he said: ”I have the greatest job in the world. You get up there, you make a lot of noise, girls scream, and you get s**tloads of money. Are you f***ing kidding me?”

But if he does decide to quit performing, the ‘Just the Way You Are’ singer already knows what he wants to happen in his final shows.

He continued: ”Now, I do have an idea for a farewell tour.

”The stage is a living-room set: couch, TV, coffee table, food. And there’s bulletproof glass between me and the audience.

”Then I come out and lay down on the couch. I grab the remote and start watching TV.

”The crowd after a couple minutes goes, ‘F**k this’, and starts throwing s**t at the glass.

”I’ll have created a bond between me and the audience where I know they will never pay another nickel to see me again.”