4CHP
03-13-2006, 08:40 AM
Posted on Mon, Mar. 13, 2006
COMMUTE DANGEROUS FOR CHP OFFICERS
Injuries more severe than during working hours
By JOHN HILL
The Sacramento Bee
SACRAMENTO - It's no surprise that police officers suffer injuries chasing suspects, pulling over drunk drivers and putting themselves in the line of fire.
But commuting?
Motorcycle officers in the California Highway Patrol and nationwide who take their rides home are routinely hurt just getting to and from work, two recent studies have found.
Thirty-seven percent of motorcycle accidents in the CHP division covering Los Angeles from 2002 to 2005 happened during commutes, a CHP study found. And these accidents resulted in more severe injuries than those during regular patrols, perhaps because the officers were going faster on the open freeway on long rides home.
Nationwide, almost a quarter of police motorcycle accidents occurred during travel to or from work, according to motorcops.com, a Web site which this year surveyed 350 law enforcement agencies, including 20 in California.
Motorcycle officers face danger not just from riding, but also from getting involved in traffic stops or other incidents while commuting.
Two weeks ago, Officer John Bailey died during a traffic stop he made as he was riding home on Interstate 15 in San Bernardino County. Bailey's death -- and five others in five months from a variety of causes -- triggered a 48-hour review of safety procedures by the department's 7,000-plus officers.
Police agencies tout the benefits of allowing officers to take home their bikes, from the added visibility on the highways to officers taking better care of motorcycles they ride all the time. Officers, in turn, get a free ride to work.
''The majority of departments... see it as a great extra to the department,'' said Mark Kopang, who started Motorcops.com and conducted the survey in consultation with law enforcement officials. ''They're essentially on duty from the time they get on their bikes in the morning to the time they get home in the evening.''
But the CHP, for one, is taking another look at its motorcycle program, in part because of the study that found the high number of commuting accidents, Commissioner Mike Brown said. The department wants to review issues such as training and how the motorcycles are deployed, he said.
CHP motorcycle officers have been taking their bikes home since at least the 1930s, said former commissioner Dwight O. ''Spike'' Helmick. In the early days of the CHP, in fact, motorcycles outnumbered patrol cars by almost three to one.
Many of the early on-duty deaths were motorcycle accidents, before the advent of helmets and training.
But another change since those early days seems to have had the opposite effect: the distance of the commute. As housing costs soared, especially in the last several years, many police officers have been forced to live further from their beats.
''You're exposed longer so there's a greater risk,'' said Doug Wolfe, chief of police motorcycle instruction at Michigan State University.
The 2005 CHP study found that more than half of the 2.8 million road miles driven in one year in the Los Angeles-area division were logged commuting to and from work. The average round trip was 58 miles, compared to just 47 miles driven during the work day.
Overall, commuting accounted for half of the $1.4 million the division spent to run a motorcycle operation, leading the study's authors to recommend a department-wide analysis of the costs compared to the benefits.
Commuting accidents were more severe, with a quarter resulting in major injuries, compared to only 14 percent during regular patrols. And they cost more -- $7,564 per collision, the study found, compared to $4,142.
Among the accidents documented in the study: an officer killed when a pickup truck turned in front of him while he was in his way home. Another suffered a fractured pelvis and nose when a Land Rover changing lanes and hit him. Still another was paralyzed on his way home when he was struck by a pickup backing out of a driveway.
The motorcops.com survey found that 60 percent of agencies with motorcycle units allow officers to take bikes home. At least 23 percent of accidents occurred during travel to or from the department.
One occurred when an officer running late for work was forced into a cement wall when a car changed lanes in front of him and his rear brake locked.
Part of the problem may be officers making long commutes after stressful shifts.
''That's the most dangerous time, because they're tired and they've got their mind on going home,'' said George Nuttall, a motorcycle officer and trainer for six years, most of them at the CHP, where he retired in 1983.
While many officers do take good care of their bikes, Nuttall said, ''I can think of some, the damn motor would fall apart before they'd do anything about it.''
Motorcycle officers, known simply as ''motors,'' can make traffic stops even when they're not officially on duty, unlike their counterparts in unmarked personal cars.
One Oakland officer on his way home saw a taxi driving erratically, said Jon Hamm, chief executive officer of the California Association of Highway Patrolmen, a labor association that represents officers.
It turned out that a cab occupant had shot the driver. When the shooter tried to flee on foot, Hamm said, the motorcycle officer was able to nab him.
The CHP has been struggling to maintain its visibility on the highways, Hamm said, and allowing officers to commute helps. Without the incentive of the free commute, he said, far fewer officers would choose the motorcycle unit.
But motorcycles have their downside. They don't offer the same kind of barrier against oncoming traffic that patrol cars do. Bailey was killed when an errant driver hit his motorcycle, which rammed the vehicle he had pulled over into him.
''A motor doesn't provide any protection against someone who plows into them,'' Nuttall said.
The CHP's 500 or so motorcycles are concentrated in Los Angeles, San Diego and the Bay Area, although they can be found in all eight divisions.
The department puts an upward limit on commuting. The officer must live within 50 miles of work.
Any change to the take-home motorcycle policy would be subject to bargaining with the patrolmen's association, Hamm said.
Other California police agencies also allow officers to commute by bike, including the Sacramento Police Department, which has 26 motorcycles.
Officers have to live within 30 miles of work to use the bikes for commuting, said Traffic Lt. Bill Beermann. He said he couldn't recall officers having accidents on their way to or from work, but they have often come across accidents and helped out.
COMMUTE DANGEROUS FOR CHP OFFICERS
Injuries more severe than during working hours
By JOHN HILL
The Sacramento Bee
SACRAMENTO - It's no surprise that police officers suffer injuries chasing suspects, pulling over drunk drivers and putting themselves in the line of fire.
But commuting?
Motorcycle officers in the California Highway Patrol and nationwide who take their rides home are routinely hurt just getting to and from work, two recent studies have found.
Thirty-seven percent of motorcycle accidents in the CHP division covering Los Angeles from 2002 to 2005 happened during commutes, a CHP study found. And these accidents resulted in more severe injuries than those during regular patrols, perhaps because the officers were going faster on the open freeway on long rides home.
Nationwide, almost a quarter of police motorcycle accidents occurred during travel to or from work, according to motorcops.com, a Web site which this year surveyed 350 law enforcement agencies, including 20 in California.
Motorcycle officers face danger not just from riding, but also from getting involved in traffic stops or other incidents while commuting.
Two weeks ago, Officer John Bailey died during a traffic stop he made as he was riding home on Interstate 15 in San Bernardino County. Bailey's death -- and five others in five months from a variety of causes -- triggered a 48-hour review of safety procedures by the department's 7,000-plus officers.
Police agencies tout the benefits of allowing officers to take home their bikes, from the added visibility on the highways to officers taking better care of motorcycles they ride all the time. Officers, in turn, get a free ride to work.
''The majority of departments... see it as a great extra to the department,'' said Mark Kopang, who started Motorcops.com and conducted the survey in consultation with law enforcement officials. ''They're essentially on duty from the time they get on their bikes in the morning to the time they get home in the evening.''
But the CHP, for one, is taking another look at its motorcycle program, in part because of the study that found the high number of commuting accidents, Commissioner Mike Brown said. The department wants to review issues such as training and how the motorcycles are deployed, he said.
CHP motorcycle officers have been taking their bikes home since at least the 1930s, said former commissioner Dwight O. ''Spike'' Helmick. In the early days of the CHP, in fact, motorcycles outnumbered patrol cars by almost three to one.
Many of the early on-duty deaths were motorcycle accidents, before the advent of helmets and training.
But another change since those early days seems to have had the opposite effect: the distance of the commute. As housing costs soared, especially in the last several years, many police officers have been forced to live further from their beats.
''You're exposed longer so there's a greater risk,'' said Doug Wolfe, chief of police motorcycle instruction at Michigan State University.
The 2005 CHP study found that more than half of the 2.8 million road miles driven in one year in the Los Angeles-area division were logged commuting to and from work. The average round trip was 58 miles, compared to just 47 miles driven during the work day.
Overall, commuting accounted for half of the $1.4 million the division spent to run a motorcycle operation, leading the study's authors to recommend a department-wide analysis of the costs compared to the benefits.
Commuting accidents were more severe, with a quarter resulting in major injuries, compared to only 14 percent during regular patrols. And they cost more -- $7,564 per collision, the study found, compared to $4,142.
Among the accidents documented in the study: an officer killed when a pickup truck turned in front of him while he was in his way home. Another suffered a fractured pelvis and nose when a Land Rover changing lanes and hit him. Still another was paralyzed on his way home when he was struck by a pickup backing out of a driveway.
The motorcops.com survey found that 60 percent of agencies with motorcycle units allow officers to take bikes home. At least 23 percent of accidents occurred during travel to or from the department.
One occurred when an officer running late for work was forced into a cement wall when a car changed lanes in front of him and his rear brake locked.
Part of the problem may be officers making long commutes after stressful shifts.
''That's the most dangerous time, because they're tired and they've got their mind on going home,'' said George Nuttall, a motorcycle officer and trainer for six years, most of them at the CHP, where he retired in 1983.
While many officers do take good care of their bikes, Nuttall said, ''I can think of some, the damn motor would fall apart before they'd do anything about it.''
Motorcycle officers, known simply as ''motors,'' can make traffic stops even when they're not officially on duty, unlike their counterparts in unmarked personal cars.
One Oakland officer on his way home saw a taxi driving erratically, said Jon Hamm, chief executive officer of the California Association of Highway Patrolmen, a labor association that represents officers.
It turned out that a cab occupant had shot the driver. When the shooter tried to flee on foot, Hamm said, the motorcycle officer was able to nab him.
The CHP has been struggling to maintain its visibility on the highways, Hamm said, and allowing officers to commute helps. Without the incentive of the free commute, he said, far fewer officers would choose the motorcycle unit.
But motorcycles have their downside. They don't offer the same kind of barrier against oncoming traffic that patrol cars do. Bailey was killed when an errant driver hit his motorcycle, which rammed the vehicle he had pulled over into him.
''A motor doesn't provide any protection against someone who plows into them,'' Nuttall said.
The CHP's 500 or so motorcycles are concentrated in Los Angeles, San Diego and the Bay Area, although they can be found in all eight divisions.
The department puts an upward limit on commuting. The officer must live within 50 miles of work.
Any change to the take-home motorcycle policy would be subject to bargaining with the patrolmen's association, Hamm said.
Other California police agencies also allow officers to commute by bike, including the Sacramento Police Department, which has 26 motorcycles.
Officers have to live within 30 miles of work to use the bikes for commuting, said Traffic Lt. Bill Beermann. He said he couldn't recall officers having accidents on their way to or from work, but they have often come across accidents and helped out.