Charleston Police Officers Travis Hill (left) and Ray Coleman (right) observe six police officers learning to ride the state's newly purchased Can-Am Spyder roadsters. The state bought 10 of the bikes to be used in DUI control.
Dozens of orange traffic cones were flattened Tuesday as six police officers learned how to operate newly purchased, three-wheeled motorcycles.
The new motorcycles are intended to be highly visible within the community to draw attention to the state's crackdown on DUIs, Coleman said.
Hill said the officers were getting the hang of the Spyder, which was slightly different to operate than the standard Harley Davidson.
Beckley State Police Cpl. R.E. Redden said the bike isn't difficult to drive, but it takes some getting used to.
"The slower you go, the harder it is to turn because you've got to turn every bit of the weight yourself," Redden said.
Driving the bike is more like riding on a four-wheeler rather than having to keep balance on a two-wheeled motorcycle, said Beckley State Police Sgt. J.C. Gillispie.
State Police trooper M. Moore said she felt confident driving the bike and was thankful that Coleman and Hill are patient instructors.
Wednesday, the officers will review safety procedures such as how to approach someone who is pulled over and how to use the bike for cover during a shootout. They will also be timed while they complete a course of traffic maneuvers and if they hit any traffic cones, time will be deducted from their scores.
Reach Travis Crum at travis.c...@wvgazette.com or 304-348-5100.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Dozens of orange traffic cones were flattened Tuesday as six police officers learned how to operate newly purchased, three-wheeled motorcycles.
The officers in training, each from different police and sheriff's departments, completed about 16 hours of closed-course training to drive the Can-Am Spyder roadster, a motorcycle with two front wheels and one rear wheel.
The state purchased 10 of the cycles this spring for use in DUI control, said Bob Tipton, director of the Governor's Highway Safety Program. Normally, motorcycles are used by the departments for speed and traffic control, he said.
"We were looking for a new hook on catching drunk driving with motorcycle control," Tipton said.
The bikes cost $23,700 each plus another $40,000 each to outfit them with a radio, cameras, LED lights, sirens and stationary and moving radar detectors. The bikes will be sent to the departments at the beginning of August, he said.
The Barboursville Police Department and sheriff's departments in Monongalia and Jefferson counties will each get one bike. The State Police, the Beckley Police and the Wheeling Police will each receive two bikes. An additional bike is being negotiated, but has been offered to the Kanawha County Sheriff, Tipton said.
Tipton said the Highway Safety Program would be collecting data for a year to see if the bikes help curb DUI arrests and citations.
Charleston officers Ray Coleman and Travis Hill led the instruction Monday and Tuesday by letting the officers in training get familiar with the bike's controls and how it maneuvers. The officers were instructed through traffic cone simulations such as pulling out into traffic, stopping, reversing and making 360-degree turns.
The new motorcycles are intended to be highly visible within the community to draw attention to the state's crackdown on DUIs, Coleman said.
Hill said the officers were getting the hang of the Spyder, which was slightly different to operate than the standard Harley Davidson.
Beckley State Police Cpl. R.E. Redden said the bike isn't difficult to drive, but it takes some getting used to.
"The slower you go, the harder it is to turn because you've got to turn every bit of the weight yourself," Redden said.
Driving the bike is more like riding on a four-wheeler rather than having to keep balance on a two-wheeled motorcycle, said Beckley State Police Sgt. J.C. Gillispie.
State Police trooper M. Moore said she felt confident driving the bike and was thankful that Coleman and Hill are patient instructors.
Wednesday, the officers will review safety procedures such as how to approach someone who is pulled over and how to use the bike for cover during a shootout. They will also be timed while they complete a course of traffic maneuvers and if they hit any traffic cones, time will be deducted from their scores.
Reach Travis Crum at travis.c...@wvgazette.com or 304-348-5100.
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