Visualize this "what if": A blue sky full of sunshine, your motorcycle is spotless with a fresh coat of wax and your boots with a new shine. You are traveling in track 3 of the center lane on one of the busiest 3 lane roadways within your jurisdiction and another officer has requested an emergency back-up a short distance from your location. You advise communications that you are en route and activate your emergency equipment. As you increase your speed a vehicle in the right lane abruptly changes into your lane, your instinctive response allows you to check your mirror and move over to the left lane to continue. As you approach a controlled intersection with a solid green light, you slow, scan, change your siren mode and continue. From your right a vehicle makes a right turn on red and travels across all three lanes into your pathway, again you must avoid this threat by applying effective braking using the front brake first, followed by the rear brake and then safely switch lanes.

While this is occurring you are listening to the radio transmissions regarding the officer requesting assistance to learn more information prior to your arrival.

You now turn onto a residential street and continue at an increased, yet safe speed; communications calls for your location and while you are answering the radio call a vehicle backs out of a drive-way into your path and due to on-coming traffic you only have one choice. Emergency braking!
You now arrive on scene and there are shots being fired..what now?

How many different items occurred in this one scenario that you must be trained and prepared for?

1. Scanning the roadway for violators and potential hazards
2. Listening to communications
3. Responding to communications
4. Evasive maneuver due to a lane change
5. Listening to communications
6. Braking technique and lane change
7. Responding to communications
8. Emergency braking
9. Cover, movement and tactics

Some Psychologists define it as behavior that is pre-programmed through genetic coding, which is triggered when something occurs and it is matched by a response from the genetic code.

If this is true then it fully endorses the need for practical realistic training which involves repetition. Webster's defines repetition as: An act, process, or instance of repeating or condition of being repeated.

When we are involved in any type of stress, like the previous scenario it may have an impact on our Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS) which targets our mental and physical performance. If our performance is affected by stress, then our fine motor skills, breathing, vision and response time are also impaired which could make a huge difference in stopping in time or striking the motor vehicle.

The most important path of travel with the goal to slow or remove the impact from SNS is to practice in a true atmosphere of conditioning. The theatre is your motorcycle, learning to safely stop, safely negotiate a curve or using the motorcycle for appropriate cover with an accurate shot to stop the threat.

Webster's dictionary defines Multi as: Many, Much, and multiple and a Task as: A piece of work, a difficult undertaking. Being on a motorcycle and performing all of the required duties and responsibilities of a law enforcement officer presents a unique set of issues each and every day.

You must prepare to ensure that you are ready for any incident that you may face and the multiple tasks that will be presented.

So where do we begin, of course with training and believe it or not, all police motorcycle training is not equal.

In order to safety and effectively perform as a PMO your basic and in-service training must be practical and relevant. The basic school should be a minimum of two weeks which will provide sufficient time to complete all of the necessary objectives.

1. Learning the proper nomenclature of the motorcycle
2. Learning how to effectively and safely operate the motorcycle at slow speeds in confined spaces with absolute control
3. Learn the proper and safe way to conduct accident avoidance exercises that will be used to avoid any potential vehicle crash
   1. braking
   2. countersteering
   3. curve negotiation
   4. braking in a curve
4. Learn street safety and strategies
5. If time allows in the basic school learn appropriate vehicle stop procedures and tactics; if not in the basic school it must be instructed during the field training program.

In-service motorcycle training varies across this great country; and in many agencies it does not exist at all, some agencies provide an annual qualification, while others perform every quarter and then the more fortunate PMO's are the ones who are allowed to train on a monthly basis.

The most important issue with in-service training is quality. If you train every month yet only set up cone patterns but truly do not provide any quality training with change, then you maybe setting your officers up for failure.

Complacency exists at every position and rank therefore if you are in a position of authority then make sure you do not fall into this law enforcement trap. You must train your officers so that they are ready for any "what if" type situation. Simply riding cones is not acceptable. You must provide other types of training:

1. Vehicle and pedestrian stops on motorcycle
2. Escort training either with a table top exercise or an actual movement of a package
3. Firearms training
4. I have even provided handcuffing training during motorcycle training just to provide something different

One realistic problem with training is appropriate staffing and funding so the current economic status of our country can have a tremendous impact training. Another item that law enforcement nationwide shares in common is when the funds slowly disappear one of the first items that takes a hit is training! Again we must be creative!

A quick example is if your agency currently trains 8 hours per training day you may have cut it back to 4 hours per training day which is better then losing training all together. Depending on the size of your motor unit you very well could complete your objectives in half the time if you plan appropriately and remove the abundance of side stand training.

If for some reason your agency does not provide motor training or due to budgets remove it from the calendar then the responsibility belongs to you! You must practice, prepare and train for that one day to ensure that you go home to your family. Grab a buddy and go into an unoccupied parking lot and use the painted lines for your boundaries while you practice slow controlled maneuvers. Then mark out a safe distance and practice straight line braking and countersteering.

PMO's are required to multi-task everyday on many occasions therefore if you must practice without an agency scheduled training day then you must take responsibility and get it done!

Ride Well and Be Safe

BIO: Jim Polan is a 30 year veteran of law enforcement and a retired Captain with the Fort Lauderdale Police Department. Jim is now a current Captain with the Seminole Police Department.