NYPD Lets Cops Take Motorcycle Courses On Department Time

RAYMOND W. KELLY: Serious mishaps spur concern.

Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly Sept. 2 announced that police officers would be allowed to take NYPD motorcycle safety courses on department time at the discretion of commanding officers after six off-duty cops have died while operating motorcycles in the last four years.

"In recent years, an increasing number of off-duty members of service have been involved in serious and sometimes fatal motorcycle accidents," Mr. Kelly said. "We want to save lives and encourage safety by having members of service avail themselves of the best training available. We already have it at hand through the NYPD Highway District and its superb instructors."

One Killed, 2 Hurt Recently

On Sept. 1, an off-duty member of the service was involved in a serious motorcycle accident where he narrowly avoided having his leg amputated. Another off-duty cop was seriously injured in a motorcycle accident in July. He remains hospitalized with a fractured pelvis and other serious injuries. In April, a cop was killed when he was ejected from his personal motorcycle after colliding with an automobile.

"While the staffing requirements in any given command will still take priority, commanding officers now have the authority to designate anyone under their command who operates a motorcycle as his or her personal vehicle to attend the department's one-day course," Mr. Kelly said.

The NYPD's Motorcycle Safety and Familiarization Exercise course consists of three hours of classroom instruction followed by five hours of practical riding offered on the last Monday and last Friday of every month. All sessions will be conducted by experienced instructors assigned to the Highway District Driver Training School.