Are Motorcycles Still Applicable for Law Enforcement Use?

We visited the Calvert County (Maryland) Special Operations Division (SOD) Command Unit. Motorcycles were once brought into law enforcement as a lower-cost transportation and patrol option. Today, they have evolved into a true specialty unit and continue to grow in their common missions. Most common among those traditional missions include targeted enforcement along with escort services. The simple strength of higher mobility, as compared to that of the usual sedan or SUV, makes them the preferred choice for escorts, increases their strength for patrol and, in some situations, the only option for accessing an accident scene or other emergency events. The Calvert County (Maryland) SOD houses their motorcycle corps, which is currently evolving from a part-time special duty assignment into a full-time unit.

The trade-off

With higher mobility and easy off location access comes the trade-off of the limited ability to carry equipment. Much more can be carried in a sedan or SUV than can be carried on a motorcycle—no matter how big the motorcycle. There has to be a balance between size and mobility. The Harley Davidson Electra Glide has long been the recognized standard for many agencies although there are certainly plenty of other “motors” options from BMW to Honda, Yamaha and the plethora of manufacturers for scooters, etc. While the smaller two-wheeled vehicles most commonly used for parking enforcement or small area patrol aren’t really motorcycles, the commonalities in design often end up with them placed under the Motorcycle Corps Commander’s prevue.

If you accept the Harley Davidson Electra Glide as the standard then you’re looking at a motorcycle that weighs just under 800 pounds before any law enforcement equipment is added on—we were quite surprised at what could be. We asked, “What don’t you have in or on your motorcycle that you would normally have in a patrol vehicle?” The short answer: long guns. While the reality is that long guns CAN be carried on a motorcycle, the SOD command we visited doesn’t.

Time of day can be another concern. While motorcycles can be fully equipped with 360-degree lighting, they are still generally less visible during hours of darkness. Additionally, the light produced from a single headlight doesn’t project as far as dual lights on regular patrol vehicles resulting in reduced visibility for the operator. With such a reduced light projection, officers wouldn’t be able to see as far ahead and therefore has less time to react to obstacles or threats. Add to that the fatigue that inevitably accompanies operating any vehicle during the overnight hours and the risk of operating motorcycles for enforcement purposes increases to an often inadvisable level.

The benefits

With such limitations or concerns recognized, the strengths of a motorcycle corps are still obvious. They accelerate faster than normal patrol vehicles, can be more easily hidden for targeted traffic enforcement assignments, and can get into places a sedan or SUV can’t. As the example, the local jurisdiction we visited sometimes has to deal with traffic accidents on a relatively narrow bridge. The bridge is one lane in either direction and has virtually no shoulder. It’s the primary artery between two counties, one of which houses a large employment district and the other that provides most of the housing communities for that employment area. The bridge is a mile long and often very busy so if a traffic accident occurs anywhere along it, getting a sedan or SUV to the accident site is difficult at best, impossible at times. But a motorcycle can split the lanes and get to the accident scene to begin scene management and emergency care while access is gradually developed and other emergency vehicles can respond.