Welcome to 2013!

Welcome to the Agencies just added in 2013, Lafayette, CO Police Department, Escambia County, FL Sheriff's Office, Pensacola, FL Police Department, El Paso County, TX Sheriff's Office, Albuquerque, NM Police Department, Huntington Beach, CA Police Department, Reynoldsburg, OH Police Department, Cincinnati, OH Police Department, Indian River County, FL Sheriff's Office, Anthony, TX Police Department, and Lake Clarke Shores, FL Police Department,

The Emerald Coast Motorcycle Challenge

I wanted to Thank Everyone at the Emerald Coast Motorcycle Challenge for the great hospitality.  A Special Thank You to The Escambia County Sheriff's Office, Pensacola Police Department and Ray, Priscilla, and Scott from Pro Guards and all the other riders there.  I had an awesome time.

Steve

J. D. Buck Savage has some training for us!!  I would like to send a special Thank you to Dave "JD "Buck" Savage" Smith for the "Motor School" Video.  Click on the link below, go to the videos.  The Motor School is the first one.  Please view all the videos.  Many of you may remember him from your academy days.  If not your in for something special, the humor with the lesson is great stuff.  Thanks again JD "Buck" Savage.

 We are Searching for Number One!

Imagine a time when there were no cars and most people that wanted to travel any distance rode the train.  Country roads were simply paths cleared and maintained by years of being trampled by horses with wagons.  The city streets were not as primitive but weather more than construction dictated their condition.  As the 1890’s came to a close, the combustible engine was developed, and soon inventers were putting wheels on engines.

As the century turned, the automobile and motorcycle gained in popularity with the primitive road system unable to handle the increased traffic.  No stop signs, speed limits or even simple rules of the road, like which side of the road to drive on were established.  Accidents were commonplace and most roads were still impassable by automobile.  The motorcycle, which at the time was no more than an engine fitted to a bicycle, could negotiate these old wagon trails by traversing over and around the hazards.  City police departments found that these inexpensive machines could also be used to cut the response time to crimes, control the traffic and move squads of mounted officers quickly to volatile situations. Lawmakers attached fines for offenders and found this to be an excellent revenue source outside of taxes.  Early police motorcycle officers and motor vehicle inspectors were heralded when they were the top revenue takers for ticket writing.  As the revenue grew, so did the size of the motorcycle squad.   Most State Police Departments were formed from the motor vehicle inspectors created to control the early motorized traffic.  The very rural residents were now able to get emergency help as there was virtually no place the motorcycle could not go.

Not all speeding automobiles were joy riders, as criminals found the new invention convenient for fleeing crimes and also to take without the owner’s permission.    Mounted officers, as they were called, pursued these offenders without knowing the reason.  No radio to communicate and usually alone without back-up, the early police chase usually ended with gunfire or vehicle breakdown.  The officers were trained to start shooting at the offenders as soon as they started to flee. Through the roaring twenties and the depression years of the early thirties, the motorcycle was the primary method of transportation for police departments.

The men that rode them were rugged pioneers whose history we herald within the American Police Motorcycle  Museum. They rode these early machines year round in all kinds of weather and for the most part, never knew what they were dealing with until after the fact.  Many lost their lives riding these machines at high speeds, chasing autos or responding to calls for help.  It was reported in the mid-thirties that one in fourteen motorcycle officers with the City of Los Angeles Police lost their lives while operating motorcycles.  In many instances, search parties were formed to locate the missing mounted officer who had not returned to the station.

At the American Police Motorcycle Museum in Meredith New Hampshire, we pay tribute to all of the early motor officers who served with courage, honor and distinction.  With over  fifty vintage police motors, over seven thousand square feet of exhibits  and countless tributes to motor heroes;  I thought that we were well on our way to telling a story. This past summer, a visitor to the museum remarked on how much he enjoyed the journey through time but wondered if we were going to create an exhibit that featured female motor officers.  He knew of a retired NYPD motor officer  who could ride circles around  other  members of their cycle club down south.  He mentioned that he had never seen anyone make a bike do what she could.

This gentleman had me thinking why had we not created an exhibit that featured women on motors and the simple answer  was that we had no verifiable early information. The literature that we have does not even mention women until the onset of World War II when women were pressed into limited motorcycle duty as the men marched off to war. When the men returned at war's end, the women were re-assigned back to their previous duties.  There is no mention of women on motors in the fifties and sixties in all the literature that we have here at the museum.

On September 16th, we were honored to be a part of the 100 year celebration of the Boston Police Motorcycle squad which had a thirty-mile ride through Boston.  Those of us on the ride never touched our brakes as the Boston Squad  covered each intersection with precision and speed. If you have ever been to Boston, you would think this impossible but this was a real testament to a squad of professionals.  On duty that day in the contingent were two female motor officers whose skills were clearly obvious. After watching them that day, I decided that it was time to chronicle the history and to pay tribute to the female motor officer.

When we re-open in May of 2013, our feature exhibit at the museum will be the" Celebration of the Female Motor Officer".  Over the next few months we will be conducting a national search for the first female assigned to a motor squad and all that followed after her. The exhibit will feature four or five women that are currently assigned to motors around the country  along with all the women who wish to contribute their stories, pictures and videos.   We are honored and proud to be the first to bring this pioneer history out for the public to see.

If  you are on the job or retired with motor experience please share your history as this exhibit is about you.  If you have departmental history that would help us locate the first female motor officer, please contact us through our website at americanpolicemotorcyclemuseum.com.