Motor Officer Down/Fatal In Dallas

[LeeWonnacott]

http://cbs11tv.com/local/clinton.motorcade.crash.2.660392.html

While escorting Hillary Clinton - anybody know what happened?

[st1300r]

No other info here.
What a shame :(

Note from CNN, there have been 2 fatal MC accidents in the last 18months escorting the president.

[George]

bike looks like an old Kawasaki police model. Article sez the relatively new to the moto force.

Single vehicle accident? No other vehicle obvious.

ATGATT, cops don't do it.

Sorry to see this.

[stoc445]

bike looks like an old Kawasaki police model. Article sez the relatively new to the moto force.

Single vehicle accident? No other vehicle obvious.

ATGATT, cops don't do it.

Sorry to see this.

George,
The last statement said he was with the MC division less than a month.

[STraycatt]

A little more information here:

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/022308dnpolmotorcadecrash.196e2bd6.html

"One of our motorcycle jockeys rounded the curb, hit the curb, and went down," said Lt. Vernon Hale, spokesman for the Dallas Police Department.

-Adam

[uptoblackwood]

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/02/22/clinton.motorcade/

He hit a concrete barrier or curb....new to motorcycle force.....appears to be his own fault. No other vehicle involved. Sad....

How does a rooky motorcycle officer pull this kind of critical duty?

Forest

[ShinySideUpAZ]

From the layout and damage to the bike, my guess would be a high side. New motor officer came too fast around the turn rear wheel started to slide, throttle was chopped, rear wheel catches and launches the rider.

I saw a video a few years ago showing a Kawi high side. Gets real violent, real fast.

[uptoblackwood]

From the layout and damage to the bike, my guess would be a high side. New motor officer came too fast around the turn rear wheel started to slide, throttle was chopped, rear wheel catches and launches the rider.

I saw a video a few years ago showing a Kawi high side. Gets real violent, real fast.
This sounds very plausable. The roads were wet yesterday. Light mist all day.

Forest

[helicopper]

Man, I hate these. 49 years old, getting close to retirement. I've hear that the average age of death for a LEO that retires after 30 years of LE is 59. Kinda sucks when you don't even get that.

[Brad Felmey]

The run-flat tires on the KZ-P bikes are just horrid. They don't stick, and have all the profile of a truck tire. Great bike (I have one) as long as you change the tires.

[ShinySideUpAZ]

This sounds very plausable. The roads were wet yesterday. Light mist all day.

Forest

Tough for the family, and the department. Hard thing for a new rider, when the rear wheel starts to slide instinct says chop the throttle. Best thing though is keep the throttle constant or even add a little. If the wheel hooks up slow you made it, if the wheel never hooks back up you lowside. Still better then getting ejected in a high side.

What's really sad is from the way it reads this good guy had just gotten his dream. From what I understand it can be really hard to get a seat in the motor patrol.

[st1300r]

If the road was wet would you hook up that violently and high side?

[George]

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/02/22/clinton.motorcade/

He hit a concrete barrier or curb....new to motorcycle force.....appears to be his own fault. No other vehicle involved. Sad....

How does a rooky motorcycle officer pull this kind of critical duty?

Forest

New to motos but 20 years on the force.

[uptoblackwood]

New to motos but 20 years on the force.
I guess that's it George. Lots of seniority....works to get placement in the motorcycle division....and probably pushed past his limitations. Perhaps his years on the force allowed him to particpate in the motorcade. He probably thought it was going to be a cool duty to pull...someday saying, "I rode security motorcade for a Presidential hopeful."
Many years ago now....the Republican national convention was held in Dallas at Renunion Arena. I was called by the Dallas Symphony and hired to play in the orchestra for a "big deal" Pavarotti concert..(sold out fundraiser for the Republicants...16,000 in the crowd). I thought it was going to be a very "cool" job...until I tried to park downtown. No special parking for orchestra/staff. Once at the hall...the show started an hour late. It took over an hour to get my clarinets through security. Sometimes cool...isn't cool when you're in the middle of it.
It was a damp, wet, cold, dreary day in Dallas yesterday. Mist/drizzle fell off and on with roadways wet most of the day. It wasn't the best riding conditions for certain.

Sad...from the news articles, it appears he has four kids.

Forest

[DAS]

My brother has done some motorcade patrol. Not the ride along with the motorcade part but the stop side street traffic and then speed ahead past the motorcade to the next side street. Very demanding. Sad to see this story.

[hojo in sc]

My brother has done some motorcade patrol. Not the ride along with the motorcade part but the stop side street traffic and then speed ahead past the motorcade to the next side street. Very demanding. Sad to see this story.

Yes indeed. I'm sure many folks have absolutely no idea how much work and stress is involved. I have had the pleasure of working with many fine motorcycle (and caged) LEO's over the years. Motorcade work is not easy, it is an extremely fast paced job.

I remember many years ago when I was in Washington, DC when I was 'violently' pulled over by the motorcycle LEO's that were escorting the President. I had no idea they were coming, I didn't have the radio on so the sirens weren't being drowned out by the radio. They came upon me SO quickly, and the moto LEO, for lack of better explanation, slammed his motorcycle in front of me, yelling at me to stop and hold my position. WOW, what the heck just happened I wondered, then the rest of the motorcade BLEW by me.

My hat is off to the fallen Officer, and added to my prayer list.

[Winged_STer]

Very sad. My prayers for the family.

[travlr_45]

so sad to hear this. time to renew that safety pledge so many of us took last yr here on this site?

[John Anthony]

It's always terrible to hear about a tragedy like this. Prayers to his family.

John

[ShinySideUpAZ]

If the road was wet would you hook up that violently and high side?

It is actually worse in damp wet. The bike can get even more sideways to the direction of travel very fast. Once you are 25+ degrees off axis is doesn't take much to flip the bike side over side.

[gegundez]

I just don't get it.. who signed a 30-day motor rookie for this special detail.. It just doesn't make sense.

[Ray]

I hate to hear this. Beaumont PD just had a motor officer go down last week (not his fault). It can definately happened to any of us out there. The Beaumont officer is a very experienced motor officer and has placed in the top 5 at some of the national comps. Be careful out there.

[uptoblackwood]

Yes indeed. I'm sure many folks have absolutely no idea how much work and stress is involved. I have had the pleasure of working with many fine motorcycle (and caged) LEO's over the years. Motorcade work is not easy, it is an extremely fast paced job.

I remember many years ago when I was in Washington, DC when I was 'violently' pulled over by the motorcycle LEO's that were escorting the President. I had no idea they were coming, I didn't have the radio on so the sirens weren't being drowned out by the radio. They came upon me SO quickly, and the moto LEO, for lack of better explanation, slammed his motorcycle in front of me, yelling at me to stop and hold my position. WOW, what the heck just happened I wondered, then the rest of the motorcade BLEW by me.

My hat is off to the fallen Officer, and added to my prayer list.
I was riding on an Interstate hwy, through the city last week and I observed the same kind of agressive action by a motorcycle officer. I came on the hwy in the middle of an escorted convoy of trucks with very wide loads. The entry ramp was not blocked and I didn't see that it was a problem until I was already on the hwy. I slowed down and stayed right....at which time the lead officer slowed down directly in front of me and agressively waved me off the roadway. I moved to the shoulder and stopped while the convoy passed. There were several other cars in the same position as I found myself...not by choice. After the convoy passed...I resumed travel behind them. I noticed that after I and the several other cars were caught up in the middle of the convoy that the two lead officers started working very hard....taking turns blocking entrance ramps.
These guys were working very hard.....right up to the city limit....and then bailed completely. No other escort was working this convoy. It just continued out of town on the interstate. I'm not sure the escort was really necessary. I don't know if the company moving the wide items paid for it or if the city knew in advance this convoy was coming through town and decided to provide escort.

Forest

[Goody]

May he rest in peace !!!!!!!!

[Mo Throttle]

Motorcades are needlessly too fast. What IS the hurry? Bless his soul.

[uptoblackwood]

The Dallas Morning News had pictures today and a drawing of what happened....
He rounded a corner very hot and lost control. He crossed the mid lane and ran up on a sidewalk trying to get it together. He ran out of room and hit a concrete barrier. In the diagram......he hit it so hard that he flew off the bike and landed 100 FT from the impact point.

This was just crazy. We give grief to squids that make mistakes...because they are mostly young and dumb. I don't understand why a highly trained (not so experienced) motorcycle officer went so far past the point of reason? All for a motocade....

The media has been on this big time in Dallas. It's sad.

Forest

[gregj]

Motorcades are needlessly too fast. What IS the hurry? Bless his soul.

Security of the VIP, a fast moving target is much safer than a slow one.

All blessings to the officer and his family.

[alphafang]

Very sad to hear this news
My thoughts are with his family and Dept staff.
As to why was he there, Is it a possible that they just needed the numbers, what's staffing like, I don't know just thinking.
RIP Brother.
Paul

[uptoblackwood]

Video of Dallas Police Chief discussing the accident...with some nice video of motor officers doing their thing.....at: www.dallasnews.com
I used the word motorcycle for the search and came up with the link. I couldn't find the line drawings and other info that were in the printed edition of the newspaper.

Forest

[STeve Kelly]

I never understood the "half helmets" that motor officers wear.

The report that I heard on TV said that the officers helmet came off and there was a lot of blood.

VERY SAD!

[spd2918]

I never understood the "half helmets" that motor officers wear.

The report that I heard on TV said that the officers helmet came off and there was a lot of blood.

VERY SAD!

We wear half (or 3/4 like me) helmets partly out of tradition and partly to make ourselves approachable by the public. It's silly, I know. I wear good gloves (Elkskin ropers from Aerostich), mounted officer boots, sunglasses, but otherwise no protective gear.

You have to remember most of our work is off the bike and it's usually low speed when on the bike.

Motorcade work is VERY demanding, dangerous, and (I hate to say) a lot of fun. Teamwork is very important as is awareness of your environment. Due to the speed it feels like you are riding a bike for the first time when everything was exciting and scary. Sometimes a fast speed is set to limit the exposure of the dignitary. But even a slow motorcade will have the motor officer stopping, flying to catch up, and repeating many times.

The action of putting your bike between the motorcade and other traffic is supposed to be a little aggressive. The bike's placement and movement is designed to help us to be seen by traffic and to clearly define what the motorist is expected to do. I can understand if the motorist thinks the motorcop is rude or abrupt. We don't really want to talk to anyone at that time because we are a little busy and focused.