LA MARQUE — If you see a motorcyclist on the freeway leaning back like the master of all he surveys, that rider is likely not a trained motorcycle officer.
Sitting straight up for greater control is one of the lessons officers learn at training courses such as the one last week at Gulf Greyhound Park in La Marque.
Officers at that course learned a whole new way to ride.
The course aimed to qualify more officers in the area to do police work on motorcycles, vehicles that bring unique capabilities and challenges.
Trainers barked instructions as officers weaved through cones, practicing sharp turns and other maneuvers that cars could never pull off.
Texas City police officer Jimmy Fullen said that while motorcycles offer more on-the-road agility for officers, the lack of protection meant motorcycle officers had to remain acutely aware of their surroundings.
“You’ve constantly got to be watching for cars, slick spots on the road that can be real dangers and anything else that could become a hazard,” said Fullen, who has years of experience with motorcycle patrol and who helped organize the training. “These officers have to be watching nine different things at one time.”
The cones were arrayed to represent intersections, disabled vehicles in roadways and other road hazards that motorcycle officers face regularly.
Two officers from Baton Rouge served as trainers, and both said the course was demanding. Several officers were dropped from the program before its conclusion.
In addition to straight posture, officers started their training without the use of their rear brakes, which the instructors said was a means of increasing rider control.
Even longtime riders said they learned new ways to approach motorcycle police work.
“If anyone was coming here with the notion of just riding, well, they found out there’s a lot more to it,” said Live Oak officer Kent Iglesias, who said he had been riding recreationally for 20 years.
Pearland officer Marc Davis, another trainee, said motorcycle patrol appealed to him because of its advantages. Officers on two wheels can reach accidents more quickly, weaving through traffic, where patrol cars would be stuck.
“I have children, and so I think a lot about the ramifications of traffic enforcement,” Davis said. “Keeping people safe in places like school zones is very important to me, and motorcycles can be another tool to do that effectively.”
