and mass chaos. Vehicles were sitting on the freeway system for eight hours and moved less than a mile. People and ani- mals died during the ordeal, and urine and feces covered the freeways. Thousands were without fuel, water or food. The Solo Officers moved throughout the city and responded to incidents on the freeways, scouted ahead hundreds of miles to facilitate the movement of traffic, escorted gas trucks that were in danger of being highjacked, and attempted to maintain order. Three years later in 2008, Hurricane Ike arrived. At
the time, Hurricane Ike was the third-costliest hurri- cane ever to make landfall in the United States, and the costliest hurricane in Texas history. On September 10, President George W. Bush made an emergency declara- tion for Texas in advance of Hurricane Ike, making more federal help available for preparations and evacuations. On September 11, at 8:19 pm, the National Weather Service in Houston/Galves- ton issued a strongly worded bulletin regarding storm surge along the shoreline of Galveston Bay. The bul- letin advised that residents living in single-fami ly homes in some parts of coastal Texas faced “cer- tain death” if they did not heed orders to evacuate. The city of Houston took a big hit from Ike; windows also broke in downtown buildings such as the 75-story JP Morgan Chase Tower, and Reliant Stadium was damaged. Also as a result of the high wind and eye wall that passed directly through the city, power outages were a major problem, as some residents were without elec- tricity for over a month after land- fall. Some parts of Houston were not expected to have power until Novem- ber 1. Once again the Solo Detail was called to action. The Detail’s days off were cancelled and the officers went to 12-hour shifts. The evacuation of the city went smoother than before. This time a lot of the citizens decided to ride the storm out. The Solo Detail facilitated the evacuation and then pulled the motor- cycles into the Police Union Hall in Downtown Houston prior to landfall. After the storm wind subsided the Solo officers hit the street. The city of Houston looked as if a bomb had gone off. The city streets were blocked with tree debris, downed power lines and flooding. Needless to say, it was a little tricky to traverse the streets on motorcycles. Ike left 2.15 million people without electricity and destroyed over 1,000 power poles and transformers. Solo Officers escorted vehicles with the necessary poles and transformers throughout a 10-county
14 FALL 2013 | THE MOTOR OFFICER™ 14 THE MOTOR OFFICER™ | FALL 2013
area traveling 300 to 800 miles per day and working 12-18 hours shifts to expedite returning power to Houston citizens. As the Solo Officers rode into the neighborhoods of Houston with these poles the citizens would walk out to the streets cheering and giving them a big thumbs up. With the help of the Solo Detail, CenterPoint Energy was able to expedite the restoration of power to the citizens of Houston. In addition to hurricane readiness and response and all
of the daily duties of a law enforcement officer, the officers of the Solo Detail have escorted kings and queens, presidents from around the world, heads of state, fallen soldiers and professional athletes.
ENTERING THE SOLO DETAIL When an opening occurs on the Detail, interested officers must submit an application and meet certain conditions, including a val id Texas Class M license, an excellent work and attendance history with a minimum of two years’ experience as an officer, and a willingness to work flexible hours and shifts in inclement weather and any major or catastrophic event. An applicant must also pass a riding evaluation to demonstrate the ability to operate a motorcycle over a course designed to evaluate basic motorcycle riding skills. According to Assistant Chief
Dan Perales of the Houston Police Department, training is a primary goal of the detail due to the hazard- ous nature of the assignment. The officers must meet the standards set forth by the Northwestern University Center for Public Safety’s Interna- tional Police Motorcycle Academy, focusing on handling the motorcycle at slow speeds, evasive maneuvers and braking techniques.
Assistant Chief Perales stated, “the Houston Police
Department extended the unit’s Basic Motorcycle class from 40 hours of training to an 80-hour course for any officer who desires to become a motor officer. An officer assigned to the detail is required to complete a 3-month Field Training Program. Once assigned, the training continues and officers are required to participate in a 16-hour annual recertification in addition to 4-hour monthly training.” Working as a motorcycle officer in the fourth-largest city
in the United States demands professionalism, readiness and initiative. The Solo Detail officer excels in all these areas, and the Houston Police Department is proud to have these officers in service to the citizens of Houston.
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