Harley patrol to start rolling in PI County

by Peter Jakey– Managing Editor

First it was tasers, now it?s the Harley patrol – – coming to a state highway or county road near you. Members of the Presque Isle County Board of Commissioners Tuesday approved the purchase of a 2004 Harley Davidson motorcycle at a cost of $13,000. The money would come from the capital projects fund. The sheriff?s department had been leasing the bike through a special deal to law enforcement for $350 a year. With the lease expiring and the county deciding to approve the purchase, officers will start utilizing it more for traffic patrol, and to take some of the burden off the aging fleet of patrol cars.

OTHER THAN the new Chevy Impala, the other vehicles average between 170,000 to 180,000 miles each. The commissioners just approved the billing of a transmission replacement on one of the vehic

les at a cost of $930. The department has three officers with motorcycle endorsements and one of them, deputy Joe Brewbaker, has received the required certification for a police bike. ?Doing this will benefit the cost of gas and maintenance as both are significantly less than a patrol car,? Brewbaker told the county board.

THE COUNTY already has an investment of $3,500 in the bike, which included Brewbaker?s schooling. Plus, there were expenses incurred purchasing law enforcement accessories. That includes a $1,000 helmet radio. A radar gun, specially designed for motorcycles, also will need to be purchased.

?I think it is a good idea for traffic patrol,? said deputy Joe Mulka, another sheriff?s deputy with a motorcycle endorsement. ?Responding to complaints may pose some complications, but for traffic patrol, when we?re staffed well in the summer, it could work well.? A third officer, deputy Dave Schmoldt, also has a motorcycle endorsement. Cheboygan County already is running a motorcycle patrol. With mild weather still around, the bike was expected to go into service right away.

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