[evander]

So one of my coworkers husbands is a retired motorcycle cop. He does security work for the movies now. He rides the same bikes as active police. He wears the same uniform and carries a gun. The only difference is his badge says “retired” and he doesn’t carry a radio. He was heading home about a week ago when a dump truck pulled out in front of him. In the accident he cut his jugular and lost 17 pints of blood. He was in real bad shape. He’s still legally alive while hooked up to machines.

I’ve seen pictures of motorcycle cops in Europe wearing black leather and a full face helmet. Why don’t the cops in America? They wear a bulletproof vest why not gear?









BTW my coworker, the wife of the retired officer, took her own life this last weekend. She ate a bullet.

 

[wingswheels]

Thats horrible, as much as i am not a fan of police in general, I never understood it, they are far more likely to dump the bike then get shot.

 

[VTL1180NY]

[ QUOTE ]
wingswheels said:
Thats horrible, as much as i am not a fan of police in general, I never understood it, they are far more likely to dump the bike then get shot.

[/ QUOTE ]

Why are you not a fan of police in general? It'd suck if you called 911 and no one has showed up....

Since I was a motorcycle cop I can tell you it's all entirely based in tradition.... When the PD's started using motorcycles the guys who were on them for the most part came from the Mounted units... Hence the reason who most departments still wear a uniform close to that of the US clavary back in the turn of the century (1900's)... Over the years as technology has changed the uniform was modified slightly, basically the addition of a helmet.... My hat differed from that of regular patrol cops due to the fact that when cops used to ride, before helmets, they'd squish the hat on their head... The only time I wore a leather jacket was when it was cold... It's unerving for someone who always wore gear to go out in short sleves and a half helmet....

As for more cops getting into an accident then getting shot at, that's entirely false... There are very few cops on motorcycles... The failure rate when I went through the course was over 50%... NYPD is know for having the toughest motorcycle school in the country.... Out of a 40,000 member PD, the largest in the world, only 220 of us were permitted to ride a motorcycle when I left....

I've see many guys get severely injured on a motorcycle, but many, many more get hurt or killed by gunfire... The numbers are too few for the brass to take notice, nor care since they do not understand what we do... Plus there is too much pride and tradition to change the way things are done....

Boots and Breeches will be the atire of motorcycle cops for years to come....

I'm sorry to hear about your friend and her husband.... Full ger may or may not have saved him from hitting his juglar....

I don't understand why he would be retired but yet still wearing a uniform, Retired on his shield or not... I still carry my shield with my # on it, my ID card say's retired... I have the option of getting a retired shield, but I have to pay for it and I'm too cheap....

 

[wingswheels]

well, i dont know statistics, but id figur they were more likely to dump it then get shot.

Im not a fan of cops in general because I see them as mainly a source of income for the state, thats the entire purpose of tickets, to make money. The entire system is set up to make money.

In my 21 years, Ive had a cop help me all of once. And Ive been hassled many more times then once. I see them pull people over for doing 75 instead of 70, yet ignore all the people that run red lights. Crack down on someone that wants to smoke a joint, yet never show up when I call and report gunshots. I trust myself to protect myself more then I ever will trust a cop to protect me, and doing that will put me in jail, yet a cop unloads on a little woman holding a potatoe peeler and gets a slap on the wrist.

I realize there are good cops out there, they may even vastly outnumber the bad apples. But I make it a point not to trust or engage in contact with any of them, unless it is absolutly necessary.

 

[evander]

[ QUOTE ]
VTL1180NY said:
I don't understand why he would be retired but yet still wearing a uniform, Retired on his shield or not... I still carry my shield with my # on it, my ID card say's retired... I have the option of getting a retired shield, but I have to pay for it and I'm too cheap....

[/ QUOTE ]

It's an agreement the EIDC (film permit office) and the LAPD. When we're working out in public, people tend to respond more to a uniformed cop, retired or not, than an average joe security guy.

BTW not all sections of LA allow the use of retired police. In Burbank we have to hire an off duty officer. There are others as well.

I don't care about statics. More injuries due to motorcycle accident or gunshots. In the last two weeks there have been 2 active duty officers and my friends husband (retired officer) that have gone down while riding. I’d think anything that has the possibility to save a life would be used. Beside how cool could a motorcycle cop look all “Mad Maxed” out.

As for the jugular a full faced helmet may or may not have prevented the laceration. Even if it had a one in a million chance of preventing it I’d think it would be worth it. But we’ll never know.

 

[VTL1180NY]

Honestly... My leather was good for one thing... restricting my movement.... Unless it was bitter cold I wore a few pairs of long johns and a comando sweater.... You aren't out there to look pretty....

Now... Do you think the cop consciously goes out there saying to himself "I have to make money for my politicians.."???? NO... Contrary... Fixable tickets are a wonderful thing... The motorist changes the bulb, get's it signed off and it goes away... need to fix the light anyway.... I know guy's who write nothing but fixit tickets... Costs the city $7 in administrative fee's for every one written....

If you feel something needs a change... Take the test, go to school and set yourself to change it... Good luck....

Personally... I took a steady gig that landed me weekends off, whatever hours I wanted, my own personal car, no 911 calls and all I had to do was write moving violations.... Granted I took it further and went into accident investigation and an intox tech.... But it suited me fine... Better than going to domestic calls or doa's any day....

Although I'm retired my heart goes out to the men and women who put their butts on the line every day.... I've walked in their shoes....

 

[RoadpizzaRyan]

I don't know, but in the ATL they can barely afford to give the Cops and Firefighters a raise...let alone better gear :crazy:

 

[xspeedxracerx]

I am actually trying to be a cop. Took a few deputy tests and i'm on the list to go to the academy but I would like to just go and have that done with. I think the state police do that. Sorry about your coworker though. That situation is in my prayers man.

 

[evander]

[ QUOTE ]
xspeedxracerx said:
That situation is in my prayers man.

[/ QUOTE ]

Thanks Speed. She was a coworker and a friend.

VTL, I've never said anything about cops as revenue generators. That was wings. Sure I hate getting popped for speeding but I hate anarchy worse.

 

[Gruneun]

[ QUOTE ]
wingswheels said:
In my 21 years, Ive had a cop help me all of once.

[/ QUOTE ]
There are plenty of days that my house wasn't broken into, I wasn't stabbed, and a drunk didn't plow into my car. I chalk it up to the cops having taken care of those problems before they got to me.

 

[the_journeyman]

[ QUOTE ]
Gruneun said:
[ QUOTE ]
wingswheels said:
In my 21 years, Ive had a cop help me all of once.

[/ QUOTE ]
There are plenty of days that my house wasn't broken into, I wasn't stabbed, and a drunk didn't plow into my car. I chalk it up to the cops having taken care of those problems before they got to me.

[/ QUOTE ]

Good Point. It would be nice if a cop had the option for better gear. I know it restricts movement, but who knows.

JM

 

[VTL1180NY]

Most places leave to the officers to BUY their own gear.... Everything I had on me, I own... I've got a closet full of uniforms I need to try to sell....

Honestly, you really need to do the job to have a complete understanding....

The guys on the motorcycles are so few that nothing will change....

 

[wingswheels]

the one and only time I ever called 911, noone showed up.

ive been pulled over and hassledfor no reason,

Ive been pulled over under false pretenses, resulting in the loss of my license, in court, the cop lied right out of his ass, but hes a cop and is "more credible"

yes, there are plenty of days that I haven't been assualted, or anything, but if i were, I always have a weapon on me that says when i call 911, its goign to be fora body bag

don't get me wrong, I don't wish them dead, and im sorry to hear about what has happened.

 

[simme001]

[ QUOTE ]
evander said:
So one of my coworkers husbands is a retired motorcycle cop. He was heading home about a week ago when a dump truck pulled out in front of him. In the accident he cut his jugular and lost 17 pints of blood. He was in real bad shape. He’s still legally alive while hooked up to machines.

I’ve seen pictures of motorcycle cops in Europe wearing black leather and a full face helmet. Why don’t the cops in America? They wear a bulletproof vest why not gear?




BTW my coworker, the wife of the retired officer, took her own life this last weekend. She ate a bullet.

[/ QUOTE ]





Sorry to hear about the accident, but just to clarify, the human body only holds about 10 pints of blood, so if he lost 17 pints, then seven of them were being carried in the saddlebag of his police bike.

 

[evander]

[ QUOTE ]
simme001 said:

Sorry to hear about the accident, but just to clarify, the human body only holds about 10 pints of blood, so if he lost 17 pints, then seven of them were being carried in the saddlebag of his police bike.

[/ QUOTE ]


Nope he had a completely flushed system at the hospital. They kept pumping it in and it kept coming out. He's a retire police officer. He served his community. The doctors did everything they could to save him. He’s “legally” alive but if there is a power outage and the machines stop he won’t be.


BTW VTL there may be few motorcycle officers in NY but out here in LA they are all over the place. CHP, LAPD, Sheriff all have cycle units.

As far as you know there is no regulation against a motorcycle officer wearing protective riding gear?

 

[the_journeyman]

[ QUOTE ]
As far as you know there is no regulation against a motorcycle officer wearing protective riding gear?

[/ QUOTE ]

Unless it violated some type of 'proper attire' i.e. uniform not clearly visible etc, there shouldn't be a problem, but depends on area. I know that NCSHP wears chaps & leather coats as part of their cycle gear. However, the wear the 3/4 helmets instead of a full-face helmet ~

JM

 

[VTL1180NY]

[ QUOTE ]
evander said:
[ QUOTE ]
simme001 said:



BTW VTL there may be few motorcycle officers in NY but out here in LA they are all over the place. CHP, LAPD, Sheriff all have cycle units.

As far as you know there is no regulation against a motorcycle officer wearing protective riding gear?

[/ QUOTE ]

Nope... No regulations other than that of the vehicle and traffic law... My dept wanted us wearing leather gloves.... I guess if it was nicer here and more open riding area's we'd have more cops on bikes... As standard patrol vehicles, their use is limited... I had the choice to take a car or bike out and I really never took the bike out as much as I'd have liked to... Have to face the facts, it's hard to do reports, close roadways or even do patrol on a bike... It's great when you're just out there to write tickets or look pretty.... My last day on the street was on a bike and it's pretty much though that is why everything went out of whack in my body again.... I miss riding, but I miss my health even more....

 

[PorradaVFR]

VTL - Did you go down on the police bike or am I missing something?

 

[TravellinJones]

The motor cops here hang sidecars on their bikes and ride year-round.

While I'm proud of them for how they handled Dimebag Darrell's killer, I'm also highly disappointed by their lack of interest in investigating property crimes. When my car was broken into last month in an attempt to steal it, they didn't even come out to take a report and check for fingerprints. They wanted me to use the keypad on my phone to submit a report. I couldn't see wasting my time and hung up. :rolling:

When my house was burgled three years ago, they refused to check for prints then even though I showed them objects that had been handled. I had an idea who the perp was, and two weeks later he and his stepfather shot and killed a motel clerk for $32 in a robbery. The next day, the cops killed the stepfather in a gun battle to rescue a hostage, but I can't help but feel that if they'd taken a little more trouble at my house, it never would have come to that.

Porrada, I recall VTL saying he was creamed in his patrol car by a snow plow, which caused his back injury.

 

[UCSBf4]

[ QUOTE ]
lost 17 pints of blood

[/ QUOTE ]

...but a human male only has about 10 pints of blood? :tongue: