Harley-Davidson on the Police Frontline


The police motorcycle training course … from a student motor offi cer’s perspective


SUBMITTED BY


CHIEF RODNEY B. FREEMAN M.O.M., P.E.S.M., B.A.A., C.M.M. III


ment. Deeley Harley-Davidson® Canada supplies new Police Road King®


ning of each riding season. These motorcycles take a real physical beating by the offi cers participat- ing in the training sessions. This alone represents a significant fi nancial commitment by Deeley Harley-Davidson®


Canada, and Chief Rodney Freeman


opportunity for motivated offi cers seeking a new experience. Motor patrol has recently enjoyed a renewed interest by police services that are looking for innovative ways to better serve their communities. Traffi c safety has repeatedly been identi- fi ed by citizens as a high priority issue for police across the Province of Ontario. For over 100 years, Harley-Davidson Motor Company has had a rich tradition of successfully fulfi lling law enforcement’s deployment needs. In 2006, the Ontario Police College and Deeley Harley- Canada entered into a dynamic partnership. This


S Davidson®


partnership is designed to promote the effi cient, effective, and safe deployment of police motorcycles through the development of highly skilled Motor Offi cers in police services across Canada and the United States. The last Police Motorcycle Offi cers Course was held at the


Ontario Police College between September 19 and 30 under the professional instruction of Stan Hazen, a former 27-year auxiliary sergeant with the O.P.P., and a retired motorcycle Retail Store owner in Ingersoll, Ontario. The program is generously supported by Deeley Harley-Davidson® and Harley-Davidson®


Canada Police Fleet Manager, Pat Kealey, himself a retired 25-year member of Canadian law enforce- 26 THE MOTOR OFFICER™ | SPRING 2012


Chief Freeman and an Instructor


symbolizes their genuine com- mitment to improving police motorcycle safety. Having introduced a police


motorcycle to the Woodstock Police Service (WPS) fleet in 2010, any offi cer who wants to


ince 1908, the Harley-Davidson® Police


motorcycle has been complementing front- line police deployment in cities across North America. The advantages to deploying a motorcycle are many, including versatility in street patrol and enforcement opportunities, increased police visibility, a positive public perception, and a fresh, exciting patrol


be deployed on a police motorcycle needs to fi rst qualify for that opportunity through the successful completion of this course. On occasion, I also ride a Harley-Davidson®


motor-


cycle, therefore I feel an obligation to properly qualify, just as I would expect any of our frontline offi cers to do. Personally, I have been a recreational motorcycle rider for over 40 years, and I currently own two Harley-Davidson® own — a classic 1988 Electra Glide® Anniversary Edition 2003 Road King®


motorcycles of my


Sport motorcycle, and an motorcycle. I naively


believed my long history of safe recreational riding would give me an advantage in completing the Police Motorcycle Offi cers Training Course. Let’s just say that the fi rst day of the course was a truly humbling experience! The difference between a recreational motorcycle rider and a skilled police motorcycle operator is immense! Interestingly, there is virtually no classroom work involved


in this course, with 99.9% of the training literally “in the saddle”; rain or shine, the members of our session experienced it all. PMT-1107 consisted of eight offi cers representing the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Durham Regional Police, Sault Ste. Marie Police, Hamilton Police, Chatham-Kent Police, and Woodstock Police Service. On the fi rst morning, the fi rst exercise involved the proper


and effective manner in which to pick up a fallen motorcycle – more on this specifi c topic later. The tarmac instruction included practical exercises designed to simulate safely avoid- ing debris scattered on the roadway while approaching a scene at high speeds, traffi c stops, offi cer safety tactical techniques, defensive driving techniques, high-speed emergency braking, and executing extremely tight u-turns. Also, skillfully maneu-


motorcycles at the begin-


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