What do your 2-wheel LEOs wear?

[otrfjr]

shouldn't their two-wheeled counterparts do the ATGATT thing?

Coming back from a short ride yesterday, I saw a Harley-mounted city LEO in short sleeves. The moto LEOs in my town are relatively friendly & wave at bikers. (I always wave because you never know when accumulated goodwill will come in handy.) Anyhoo, I was geared up & shocked to see him in boots, polyester pants, polyester short sleeve shirt, no gloves, open face helmet, and no sign of riding armor anywhere. Sure, temps were pushing 80 & working a city street traffic beat on a large-displacement air-cooled twin would be brutal in full gear, but shouldn't they be a model of motoring safety? I mean, they put on the moto rodeos showing how proficient & expert motorcycle handling should be done, but even they fall off now & again (unless they have some supersecret flubber-like anti-gravity material).

Got me wondering what other folks have seen in terms of LEO riding gear & if someone (not it) shouldn't try to make them aware that ATGATT saves lives & helps minimize injuries.

 

[JimLor]

Good points. Guys here in Arlington VA also ride HDs in open face helmets, MC boots, gloves, but nothing else (saftey gear that is). Guess they have to weigh the MC safety issue with the tactical issue of having to hop off a bike and straight into various unknown situation w/o opportunity to remove restrictive gear. Were I a motorcycle officer, I'd opt for the "rapid tranisition into who knows what" vice the "ATGATT" mode. Just my opinion.

 

[Waaane]

Interesting question. There must be tradeoffs to be considered but I bet workmans comp insurance for a MC LEO is insanely high. Any of you officers care to enlighten us?

 

[MotorSWATCop]

OK...I will.

First and foremost it is appearances. Most police administrators are much more concerned with an officers appearance than with the protective side of M/C clothing. I think that most of that is because of ignorance. That's not a shot at my bosses. None of them are motor officers and do not truly understand the considerations that riders must think of.

Clothing (protective) for motor officers is non-existent. It is too small of a nitch for any of the law enforcement clothing manufacturers to dedicate any resources to. Most motor pants are actually mounted officer (i.e. horseback) pants as are the boots. They are purely for looks and offer very minimal protection. One piece of protection that motor officers do have available is their ballistic vest. It offers exceptional abrasion resistance in the event of a get off. They are very hot in the summer and add to the general discomfort of our clothing. Many motor officers elect to not wear their body armor but I always did.

Helmets? Full coverage obviously conceals the face of the officer so most admins won't have it. Tactically, we are trained to remove our helmets whenever we dismount. It presents a larger target and impairs hearing because of the headset. Additionally, the full coverage helmets limit visibility for patrol type operations.

It would be nice if one of the M/C clothing companies would introduce a functional line of clothing that could be used on duty. I really doubt that admins are going to like big "Joe Rocket" logos and the like. Some Aerostich items might be applicable but you start to get into cost considerations. Obviously, the admins are going to want to have the officers look sharp. Continuous riding dirties Aerostich and the like considerably. It would cost a small fortune to equip each officer w/ several sets of high end M/C clothing so that they could stay clean. Add to that the change in seasons and you can see where it would go.

Hope this helps...

 

[mdisher]

That's very interesting... Everything you said makes sense.

I don't think a one-piece stitch would be worth a damn anyway, but their 2 piece stuff (darien pants and what not) Would work just fine.

If'n you asked me I'd think there'd be a huge marketing incentive for anyone of these companies to the be 'official' supplier of clothing to {Insert your large city moto-mounted leo brigade here}

 

[otrfjr]

Wow & thanks! Do you think it's more a matter of availability of protective clothing through regular police suppliers or can depts put pressure on MC clothing manufacturers to introduce police lines? How could we, the motorcycling community help? Contact city councils & local depts & urge them to look into it? Get AMA involved? It seems criminal that there isn't even an option (can have a policy that says moto officer doesn't have to wear protective clothing but it's encouraged) for these guys to protect themselves. As for the money thing, my guess is that it's a heckuva lot more expensive to sow a guy or gal back together & have him/her draw paid sick leave than it is to provide basic protection. Why the heck can't depts have policies that allow moto LEOs to purchase their own (officially approved) gear, get reimbursed, & then the care of that equipment is up to the officer?

OK...I will.
First and foremost it is appearances. Most police administrators are much more concerned with an officers appearance than with the protective side of M/C clothing. I think that most of that is because of ignorance. That's not a shot at my bosses. None of them are motor officers and do not truly understand the considerations that riders must think of.

Clothing (protective) for motor officers is non-existent. It is too small of a nitch for any of the law enforcement clothing manufacturers to dedicate any resources to. Most motor pants are actually mounted officer (i.e. horseback) pants as are the boots. They are purely for looks and offer very minimal protection. One piece of protection that motor officers do have available is their ballistic vest. It offers exceptional abrasion resistance in the event of a get off. They are very hot in the summer and add to the general discomfort of our clothing. Many motor officers elect to not wear their body armor but I always did.

Helmets? Full coverage obviously conceals the face of the officer so most admins won't have it. Tactically, we are trained to remove our helmets whenever we dismount. It presents a larger target and impairs hearing because of the headset. Additionally, the full coverage helmets limit visibility for patrol type operations.

It would be nice if one of the M/C clothing companies would introduce a functional line of clothing that could be used on duty. I really doubt that admins are going to like big "Joe Rocket" logos and the like. Some Aerostich items might be applicable but you start to get into cost considerations. Obviously, the admins are going to want to have the officers look sharp. Continuous riding dirties Aerostich and the like considerably. It would cost a small fortune to equip each officer w/ several sets of high end M/C clothing so that they could stay clean. Add to that the change in seasons and you can see where it would go.

Hope this helps...

 

[radman]

If I was a cop working Florida, I'd be called on the carpet daily by the Sarge for wearing a speedo on the job. You ATGATT guys are a little too heavy handed IMHO. Like religion, let those who believe believe, and let the others decide for themselves, or something like that.

 

[v65]

If I was a cop working Florida, I'd be called on the carpet daily by the Sarge for wearing a speedo on the job.

And he has the avatar to prove it!

 

[radman]

If I was a cop working Florida, I'd be called on the carpet daily by the Sarge for wearing a speedo on the job.

And he has the avatar to prove it!

Fuckin A!

 

[otrfjr]

If I was a cop working Florida, I'd be called on the carpet daily by the Sarge for wearing a speedo on the job. You ATGATT guys are a little too heavy handed IMHO. Like religion, let those who believe believe, and let the others decide for themselves, or something like that.

I didn't say all 2-wheel LEOs must convert to the one true ATGATT religion, but they should at least have (a constitutionally guaranteed) freedom to choose to do so if they desire. As for getting LEO depts to change their policies, why not include your speedo faith as well? Of course I'm guessing a lot of depts don't want their officers looking as if they belong in a Pride parade (not that there's anything wrong with that).

 

[twowheelnut]

If I was a cop working Florida, I'd be called on the carpet daily by the Sarge for wearing a speedo on the job. You ATGATT guys are a little too heavy handed IMHO. Like religion, let those who believe believe, and let the others decide for themselves, or something like that.

So then, that really is you in your avatar and the guy we met at WFO was your smarter twin brother, 'lessradman'?

 

[OrangevaleFJR]

If I was a cop working Florida, I'd be called on the carpet daily by the Sarge for wearing a speedo on the job. You ATGATT guys are a little too heavy handed IMHO. Like religion, let those who believe believe, and let the others decide for themselves, or something like that.

you talked about religion.

Come to think of it, this whole topic is addressing an issue relevant to the running of government entities. We better quit talking about it. :lol:

But I believe is is hard to catch someone that is running from you if you are wearing bike gear and armor. h34r:

 

[dean]

OK...I will.

It would be nice if one of the M/C clothing companies would introduce a functional line of clothing that could be used on duty. I really doubt that admins are going to like big "Joe Rocket" logos and the like. Some Aerostich items might be applicable but you start to get into cost considerations.

you mean something like this?

https://tank.aerostich.com/pdf/PoliceSuit.pdf

( :

 

[GunMD]

you mean something like this?
https://tank.aerostich.com/pdf/PoliceSuit.pdf

( :

That gun-belt compatible jacket might solve some of the problems w/ carrying a firearm that are being discussed in other threads.

 

[MotorSWATCop]

I mentioned Aerostich. $950.00. I can tell you that it would not go over well here. The jackets w/ belt loops are not secure enough for when you have to get tactical. They shift around too much and make too much noise when moving. All of the reflective tape becomes a tactical disadvantage if you are having to clear a building or some similar activity that requires covertness.

I would like to see a set of protective pants with a good belt system that you can secure a duty belt to. I have a set of Harley FSGR(?) pants, that I bought personally, for cold weather and rain. They offer good protective qualities in addition to insulation and dryness. In the summer, they are too hot to wear during the day time. Motor Officers in the south have to make sure to protect from heat stroke. I would be happy to see some type of mesh system created for LE. It may not be the most optimal protection but it is better than polyester or wool.

Still, all of this goes against tradition and that is a hard thing to change.

 

[exskibum]

Glad you guys raised this, since I was wondering the same thing after seeing a local motor officer last week with the weather turning warm. I was thinking that maybe something like the Bohn armored undersuit

https://www.bohnarmor.com/catalog/proddetail.php?prod=BGLA

or at least kevlar reinforcement of butt and knees in pants (like in Draggin Jeans) or some combination might be a starting point.

It seems to me that enough money is invested in LEO training (not to mention the human and health care costs) to more than justify departments providing better gear to their motor cops. Why couldn't departments collectively present an incentive to gear manufacturers to produce something to fill this niche? It seems that something could be designed that is compatible with tactical operations requirements, even if it does sacrifice some protection for that function.

Such a product might even be the basis for an attractive middle of the road protection package for civilian riders on a hot day. It'd be hard to find a cheaper or more effective marketing program than to have LEOs wearing your sharp looking, relatively cool, multi-functional gear out in public everywhere you drive.

 

[MotorSWATCop]

It probably boils down to the fact that the market is too small to justify the development costs.

 

[FJR_pig]

you mean something like this?
https://tank.aerostich.com/pdf/PoliceSuit.pdf

I gotta take a quick plug for the Oregon State Police and give you a bit of trivia at the same time. The Aerostich police two-piece suit was first worn in North America by our unit (also one of the first two agenices in the states to go with the BMW R1100 - some agency in California always said they were the first, be we know the truth ). My old Lieutenant went to Aerostich in 1996 and helped design this suit. Until then, we just wore the traditional leather jacket you still see once in awhile. We got a helleva detail for a few years after the suit started catching on. It's all you see here in the Northwest now during wet and cold weather. Not sure about other parts of the country.

Our guys also have two helmets. It's their choice whether they wear the 3/4 shell or the Shoei Syncro.

For warm weather, if you don't go with the stich, you may as well be wearing a speedo. Our uniforms, like MotorSWATcop says, are not designed for a get-off. Short of our ballistic vest, we'd be hamburger. Yet, the almost 4 years I was on the unit, I can't tell you how many times I'd rip around at 100+ w/o protection. Hey, I was young...

 

[jdeez1]

My wife rides for the State Police and she has to be in uniform, which is all the stuff she would never wear on her personal bike, i.e. 3/4 helmet and short sleeves. I know she for one would love an aerostich, but thats a tradeoff to work on a bike all day.