bigred Posted September 19, 2007 Share Posted September 19, 2007 we were being taken to our game the other day and i was watching the motorcycle cops that were escorting us and every one of them had a half helmet and boots, that was it. you would think the amout of time they spend in traffic with bad drivers they would wear some kind of gear. is there any reason behind this other than comfort? also, what does ATGATT stand for? dumb question i know but i was curious. thanks guys Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 19, 2007 Share Posted September 19, 2007 I know! I know! All the gear all the time. I wonder about bike cops, too. I think it has to be a :mellow: thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enzed_viffer Posted September 19, 2007 Share Posted September 19, 2007 The cops here do wear gear, AND ride proper bikes (mostly BMWs or ST1300s). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 19, 2007 Share Posted September 19, 2007 The cops here do wear gear, AND ride proper bikes (mostly BMWs or ST1300s). Yeah, my sense from other civilized parts of the world is they wear flip-up helmets and proper jackets. Our boys are riding better bikes, though. Lots of BMWs and STs. Still some Kawi police models. I don't know if any large departments still ride Harleys, even though word is Harley gives them the bikes for free. Speaking of civilized parts of the world down your way, I managed to get a job teaching on board a training ship that ended up in Rarotonga, Cook Islands a few years ago. Had fun on rented little scooters, though about half the cadets got drunk and crashed. It looked like a hospital ship when we sailed. Local constables there were riding Beemers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enzed_viffer Posted September 19, 2007 Share Posted September 19, 2007 Yeah, my sense from other civilized parts of the world is they wear flip-up helmets and proper jackets. They actually have really nice helmets (yes, flip-fronts), with built-in bluetooth headsets. I think they have to buy some of their own gear and get reimbursed for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 19, 2007 Share Posted September 19, 2007 Yeah, my sense from other civilized parts of the world is they wear flip-up helmets and proper jackets. They actually have really nice helmets (yes, flip-fronts), with built-in bluetooth headsets. I think they have to buy some of their own gear and get reimbursed for it. Are those the Nolan helmets? I have the same version without bluetooth, or any teeth as far as I can tell. Still, my favorite helmet ever, and it's in the mid-price range. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigred Posted September 19, 2007 Author Share Posted September 19, 2007 when we were in arizona last year the cops there had flip up helmets and rode bmw's but the last two weeks in dallas and houston they were LOUD harley's and half helmets. thats interesting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 19, 2007 Share Posted September 19, 2007 Being an avid motorcyclist and aspiring law enforcement officer one would immediately assume that I would want to be a motorcycle cop. Not in this state. I wouldn't run down to the corner store in the gear that they wear. Not really excited about riding a Harley around all day either. Come to think of it I can't think of a more suitable police bike than a VFR, comfortable to be on all day but it can get up and go when it's needed, plus it's very dependable and doesn't need tons of maintenance. I know the Japanese have used VFR's for police bikes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 19, 2007 Share Posted September 19, 2007 when we were in arizona last year the cops there had flip up helmets and rode bmw's but the last two weeks in dallas and houston they were LOUD harley's and half helmets. thats interesting. That is interesting. They ride Harleys in my small town, but with stock mufflers. I couldn't figure out what the hell it was at first. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neboor Posted September 19, 2007 Share Posted September 19, 2007 I always wondered the same thing. In southern California I've seen mostly BMW's (some ST1300) with cops wearing no gear other than a helmet, gloves, and boots. From my understanding the Harley cops ride Harleys because they want to and I'm thinking maintain them themselves? My girlfriend actually saw a bunch of them in San Fransisco for some kind of Harley cop gathering. On TV the other day they had a thing about motorcycle cops and the training they do in Sacramento. Supposedly they also get some track (their own private track) time to test their high speed maneuvers and if I remember correctly the fastest they go on the BMWs is 113 mph. I'm all ears to hear if anyone gets any direct answers as to why they don't wear gear...if not I'll ask the next time I get pulled over by one or meet one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer sirimiri Posted September 19, 2007 Member Contributer Share Posted September 19, 2007 Well, I just so happened to chat up a CHP'er yesterday at the service department. His personal bike is an '02 VFR but he says he doesn't ride it very much (after riding around all day, who can blame the guy?) Yes, he agreed it's odd to wear a suit on the VFR and little more than a shirt and pants on the BMW police bike, but there you go. It's just part of the culture, he says, though they have the option of wearing long sleeve jackets, he commented that they are too sweaty to wear in most of Southern California. He also added that the CHP is usually looking at new gear, and evaluating stuff but doesn't seem to get farther than the eval. stage.... Straight from the horses mouth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 19, 2007 Share Posted September 19, 2007 I had also been told that some jurisdictions don't allow motorcycle cops to wear full gear because it could be interpreted as intimidating... I think that's rediculous personally, although I can understand the image issue, it's not worth risking a guy's life over. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 19, 2007 Share Posted September 19, 2007 They should lead by example on the road. Full gear and a open face is fine for me. If you cover a cops face with a full face he would be far too intimidating. All the bike cops here are troopers and they are all intimitating anyway without gear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 19, 2007 Share Posted September 19, 2007 we were being taken to our game the other day and i was watching the motorcycle cops that were escorting us and every one of them had a half helmet and boots, that was it. you would think the amout of time they spend in traffic with bad drivers they would wear some kind of gear. is there any reason behind this other than comfort?also, what does ATGATT stand for? dumb question i know but i was curious. thanks guys I have wondered the same. Tradition? ATGATT: All The Gear All The Time....as in never ride without it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer vfrqqq Posted September 19, 2007 Member Contributer Share Posted September 19, 2007 I think whatever excuse LEO make just reinforces the idea that not wearing ATGATT is a vestige of a bygone era. How hypocritical could you get. Clearly there are no laws saying you have to wear ATGATT, but to any motorcycle officer that ends up on the scene of an motorcycle accident standing over the rashed body of another motorcyclist with a judgmental stance whilst he/she is donning his/her "its-not-gonna-happen-to-me" outfit, I say 1) Open mouth 2) Insert foot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 19, 2007 Share Posted September 19, 2007 Most of the Depts here in Florida ride Harleys and wear only boots and open face helmets. I've seen a few wearing gloves as well. I work for the Lake County SO and the thought has crossed my mind a time or two about trying to get on with the motor unit but I ride so much during my time off and I always wear full gear I decided not to. Plus all the guys on our motor unit all own Harleys and ride without gear anyway. Most without helmets. I know either West Palm Beach or Palm Bay in South Florida uses BMW R1200RTs but still no gear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer keelyrm Posted September 19, 2007 Member Contributer Share Posted September 19, 2007 If they wore full gear and armor and a full face how could we tell how cute they are? :mellow: I have not had the pleasure of being pulled over by one of the motorcops, and it seems that we have very few in my community, or at least that i see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer skuuter Posted September 19, 2007 Member Contributer Share Posted September 19, 2007 After reading this post early this morning, I called Sgt. Fraley (one of two THP we have here of the motorcycle patrol) and posed the question to him. This is "HIS" response: We are more identifiable in std. uniform...easier and faster to mount, dismount when necessary...easier to talk to people in the smaller open-face helmets...easier to subdue persons if it becomes necessary, not to mention "scuffling" with them...cooler in summer when sitting in traffic or running stationary radar posts. When going through their training and high speed maneuvers, they are issued full safety gear. After passing the courses and hitting the street, it's std. uniform except for the helmet, gloves, boots, and they have the option of Kevlar undershirt and pants (says he wears these in Winter and sometimes when he does Interstate 24 duty. Whether it makes sense or not, it's from a THP Sargent...... :thumbsup: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 19, 2007 Share Posted September 19, 2007 After reading this post early this morning, I called Sgt. Fraley (one of two THP we have here of the motorcycle patrol) and posed the question to him. This is "HIS" response: We are more identifiable in std. uniform...easier and faster to mount, dismount when necessary...easier to talk to people in the smaller open-face helmets...easier to subdue persons if it becomes necessary, not to mention "scuffling" with them...cooler in summer when sitting in traffic or running stationary radar posts. When going through their training and high speed maneuvers, they are issued full safety gear. After passing the courses and hitting the street, it's std. uniform except for the helmet, gloves, boots, and they have the option of Kevlar undershirt and pants (says he wears these in Winter and sometimes when he does Interstate 24 duty. Whether it makes sense or not, it's from a THP Sargent...... :thumbsup: Well, it still all comes down to a culture thing. Since when do cops not want to look intimidating? And we all known that there is gear for all riding conditions, from very hot to very cold. I like most cops, btw, which is one reason I'd like to see them get smarter about gear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer FotoMoto Posted September 19, 2007 Member Contributer Share Posted September 19, 2007 In an emergency, try to draw, release the safety, and shoot a pistol with good gloves on. :unsure: I think a jacket would have to be specially designed to accommodate all the require gear they have to carry. Using a flip up helmet seems to be a no-brainer decision (pun intended). What about bullet proof vests? Good or bad in a crash? Would they help spread the impact or are they bone (rib) crushers? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Growler67 Posted September 19, 2007 Member Contributer Share Posted September 19, 2007 What about bullet proof vests? Good or bad in a crash? Would they help spread the impact or are they bone (rib) crushers? They generally don't work in the manner you might be thinking. They wouldn't be terribly effective at spreading that kind of impact energy. They are primarily designed to prevent penetration of blunt object. They would offer that layer of protection against road rash over the area protected, however. I'm not going to discuss what can and cannot defeat body armor, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer vfrqqq Posted September 19, 2007 Member Contributer Share Posted September 19, 2007 Here's an arguement: If other well-to-do motorcyclist get angry about SQUIDs being responsible for jacking up insurance rates for everyone, what about when you're tax dollars go directly to supporting a motorcycle LEO with a motorcycle injury that could've been prevented if more gear was worn? First, let me say that I'm not in any way calling motorcycle LEOs SQUIDs. I'm just making a comparison between the two situations. Perhaps the incidents of this type are minimal and essentially negligible, but it still seems to me like a valid principle. Perhaps they would argue that their training makes them "much" safer than the average motorcyclist, but still sh*t happens Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 19, 2007 Share Posted September 19, 2007 This has become an interesting topic! I did some personal research, I went and strapped up my Glock (what most all LEO's carry and the only gun I've seen carried recently by any department in TN) then I put my riding gloves on. With the gun unloaded I drew and pulled the trigger. I was able to do this without fumbling around, and without any problems. So I don't see that carrying while riding with gear on would be an issue to the officer. As far as gear making officers appear to be more intimidating I call BS to that one too. Do bullet proof vests not appear to make officers look larger than they really are thus making them appear more intimidating? Case in point...there is a local female cop that I always thought was a pretty stocky woman until one day I saw her out of uniform and realized that she was in fact quite petite, evidently the vest made her look alot bigger. As for gear getting in the way when attempting to subdue a suspect I don't see it as a problem, I can move around in my gear pretty well, if anything I think the armor would protect the officer against blows from the assailant. Last time I was in NC I saw 3 motorcycle cops, 2 BMW's and a Harley, all three riders were wearing gear. I think that the patrolman that Skuuter talked to brought up some legitimate points but I don't believe that these are problems that can't be worked around. It sounds like a lack of educating on the officers part to go out unprotected like that, and the excuses that they use to justify their actions are poor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer skuuter Posted September 19, 2007 Member Contributer Share Posted September 19, 2007 I think that the patrolman that Skuuter talked to brought up some legitimate points but I don't believe that these are problems that can't be worked around. It sounds like a lack of educating on the officers part to go out unprotected like that, and the excuses that they use to justify their actions are poor. I agree wholeheartedly.........I pointed out to him this morning that there is such a variety of "all season" gear out there, that they should be able to come up with "workable alternatives to std. uniforms. He said he'd be happy to wear whatever us taxpayers are willing to provide. He pointed out that "I guarantee if they start giving us my "civilian" $200 Joe Rocket jacket, it'll end up costing $800 to the state of Tn"..............probably has a valid point.............. :unsure: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer oyama Posted September 19, 2007 Member Contributer Share Posted September 19, 2007 Yeah, my sense from other civilized parts of the world is they wear flip-up helmets and proper jackets. Our boys are riding better bikes, though. Lots of BMWs and STs. Still some Kawi police models. I don't know if any large departments still ride Harleys, even though word is Harley gives them the bikes for free. In the Daytona, Fl area I only see Harleys so far, but I expected that. However, I talked with a officer a few years ago and he informed me that they do not get the bike for free but the police department rents them for $1/year each. After a year or two the bikes go back to the dealership. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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