Motor Cops Lose another

I'm posting this as a tribute to the Motor Patrolmen especially Steven
Phillips and in respect to several officers who contribute occationally
to rec.motorcycles and needed some time to heal and who are themselfs
part of the "family" of Traffic Patrol Officers in the Motors Division
of the LAPD..those who will always remain anonymous for obvious
reasons.
================

Risk Is Constant Companion of Motorcycle Officers


Los Angeles Times

The vehicles maneuver well in heavy urban traffic but leave riders
vulnerable. Some say the bikes are not needed inless-dense suburbs.

By William Wan
Times Staff Writer

March 17, 2005

Those who rode with him called him flawless, and they had good reason.
Officer Steven Phillips had trained every motorcycle cop in the
Westminster Police Department. With 13 years' motors experience, he
could ride circles around everyone else.

But even that couldn't save Phillips,who was killed two weeks ago,
when,police say, the driver of a Nissan sedan pulled in front of him.
Now, insteadof having a partner for his night shifts, Officer Don Webb
has a sticker hewears on his helmet - "11M" - Phillips' call sign
over theradio.

Phillips was the fourth Orange County motorcycle officer in four years
to be killedin a traffic accident, the highest number in any California
county. Statewide, nine officershave died in the same period, including
two in LosAngeles County, twoin San Diego Countyand one in
RiversideCounty.

The number of OrangeCounty deaths underscoresthe risks motor officers
face in the suburbs, say advocates of getting policeoff motorcycles.
"You just don't need motorcycles in some of theseoutlying areas," said
George Nuttall, a retired captain and motorcycleinstructor with 29
years' experience in the California Highway Patrol."The sad thing about
these accidents is that, if they were in a patrolcar, they'd be OK."

In Orange County, the Sheriff's Department wentfrom six motorcycle
officers in 1991 to 33 in 2003. The CHP has added 125cycles in the last
four years as towns have grown quickly up and down thestate. Local
police departments say the maneuverability that motorcycles offeris
crucial in their fight against traffic problems.

"Sometimes a motorcycle can weave through traffic while all a patrol
carcan do is sit and wait," said Paul Sorrell, the police chief of
FountainValley, a bedroom community of 54,978 in Orange County with
little crime butlots of traffic. Traffic enforcement prevents
accidents, he said, and becausemotorcycles do that, "we need them out
there." But no one in lawenforcement denies the danger of motorcycles.
The bikes are the most hazardousform of motor vehicle transportation,
according to the National Highway TrafficSafety Administration. In
2002, 20.9 cars out of 100,000 ended up in fatalcrashes. Motorcycles,
on the other hand, had more than three times that ratewith 66.7 out of
100,000 involved in fatal crashes. The vehicles are so dangerousthat
most police departments offer their motor officers hazard pay -
thesame benefit given to members of bomb squads and SWAT teams.

"They say there are two types of motor officers," said Los
AngelesPolice Lt. Geoff Taylor. "Those who go down, and those who are
going to godown." Stuck on his couch with a fractured leg, Officer
Connor MacIvorfalls into that first category. A 13-year LAPD veteran in
the San FernandoValley, he crashed three weeks ago when a driver turned
in front of him, hesaid.

"I thought, 'Should I lay the bike down?' Then I thought, 'Is my
wifestill going to love me if I crash?' Then I thought about my kids.
And rightbefore impact, I decided to jump," he said. MacIvor limped
away from theaccident with an injured leg. He was less fortunate in a
1995 crash, in whichhe suffered severe head trauma. He has no memory of
that accident.

Motor officers face the fear and reality of such crashes every day,
said Webb,the Westminsterofficer who spent last week preparing for
Phillips' funeral. Sand, oil anddebris can all send officers crashing,
he said, but the biggest risk is driverswho turn in front of oncoming
motorcycles.

Phillips, Webb's co-worker, died at Huntington Beach Memorial Hospital
of internal injuries, and thedriver who had pulled in front of him died
at the scene. The officer issurvived by his wife, a records clerk for
the Corona Police Department."It happens on a daily basis," Webb said.
"It doesn't stop youfrom riding, but it sure does make you think about
your family and allthat."

Motorcycle patrols can also be costly.

Five years ago, Placentiacommissioned a cost analysis after three of
the city's four motorcycle officerswere involved in accidents in a
single week. One crash left an officer in acoma for three days.
According to the 1999 analysis, the bill from the threemotorcycle
crashes was greater than for the 42 patrol car accidents that
hadhappened in the previous 10 years.

Nuttall, who believes that motorcycles should be used only in urban
areas, saidthere are disadvantages beyond cost and risk of injury. The
motorcyclesgenerally aren't used in the rain. They can't transport
suspects. The officersdo not carry shotguns and lack the cover of a
patrol car, which can leave themvulnerable if shootouts occur. Those
who support motor patrols acknowledge thedangers, but say the benefits
are worth it.

"Clearly, there is some trade-off here," said Jon Fleischman,spokesman
for the Orange County Sheriff's Department. "When you'retackling a
problem, you bring as many tools to the table as you can. This isone of
the most effective tools for traffic enforcement." In mostdepartments,
the motorcycle patrol is an elite unit. At the CHP, trainees mustpass a
two-week motor school, which includes the dreaded "40-miledecel" test.
In certain versions, officers must accelerate to 40 mph andthen stop on
a dime without locking their brakes.

In return for their training, they get perks like getting to take the
bikehome, more freedom in their daily assignments and better pay. "But
to behonest, that's not why we do it," MacIvor said. "I mean, it's
notworth it - all the worrying about whether or not I'll be crippled
forlife."

Lying on his couch, tending to his fractured bones, he counted all the
funeralshe had attended.
"It's like the movie 'Return of the Jedi.' Every time one of us
crashes,you feel an emptiness in the force. We all suck up the same
exhaust. We allknow what the road rash feels like when we crash," he
said.

Just the same, once he heals, MacIvor plans to get back on his
Kawasaki. "I thinkthe pros outweigh the cons," he said. "Our mission is
to save lives,so I'm going to keep doing that."
Meanwhile, in Laguna Hills,retired CHP Capt. Nuttall says he will keep
scanning the headlines, looking formore evidence for his fight to get
suburban police back in cars.

"You can train them. They can be the best riders in the world," hesaid.
"But all it takes is one person to pull out in front of them,
andthey're dead."

 

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That's a great way to honor cops. Steal.

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gburnore@databasix dot com
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"Gary L. Burnore

Oh STFU Gary...your sig is STILL broken BTW.

 

Right. Two weeks ago.


Give or take a year.

 

Sorry for the loss. But it's pure BS that they focus on the loss of 4
cops when the body count of average riders rises without any action
against those taking out riders left-and-right while staying protected
in their projectile weapon cages.

Saw the same thing happen in the Army. Every year 2 or 3 soldiers were
killed up in the Korean DMZ. But no action was taken until 2 officers
got killed in the same year. All the focus was on the officers and none
of the long list of enlisted men. Sent the whole country on alert with
tanks and choppers headed to the DMZ, and max alert on all bases; all
because 2 officers got popped. Where was all the outrage for the other
lives taken?