Police Motorcycle Patrol Focuses On Traffic Enforcement

By Andrew Gorosko

For certain types of traffic enforcement, using a motorcycle is more effective than driving a large sedan, explains police patrol Officer Steve Ketchum, who serves as the police department’s motorcycle patrolman.

Officer Ketchum, 40, who joined the police department more than 19 years ago, can now often be seen plying local roads on a black-and-chrome 2007 Harley-Davidson FLHTP Electra Glide.

Town police have been using the motorcycle for about a year, employing the vehicle for traffic enforcement and special duty details.

When the police department’s traffic enforcement unit forms later this year, the motorcycle patrol will become a key element of that effort.

The motorcycle has a 103-cubic-inch engine, reflecting an approximately 1687-cc displacement, providing adequate power for traffic enforcement work.

While on a motorcycle, police are less visible than when using a large sedan, providing them with an advantage while waiting to spot traffic violations, Officer Ketchum explained.

Also, the motorcycle’s high maneuverability allows him to spot violations that are occurring in oncoming traffic and then quickly reverse his direction of travel to stop the offender, he said.

The motorcycle’s narrow width provides him with access to tighter spaces than is possible with a sedan, he said. “It’s certainly well-suited for traffic enforcement,” he said.

During some good weather last January, Officer Ketchum was able to put the motorcycle on the road for patrol work. But depending upon conditions, the patrol season for a police motorcycle in this region could extend from mid-March to late November, he said.

The motorcycle may be used for daytime and nighttime traffic patrol work, he said. It is not practical to patrol on a motorcycle while it is raining, he added.

Before each day of patrol riding, Officer Ketchum makes an inspection of the motorcycle, checking its oil level, lights, tires, and controls to ensure they are in proper working order. The vehicle is equipped with radar for speed detection, plus radio communications equipment. It has arrays of red, white and blue emergency lights, plus a siren.

“I think it’s more challenging…You’re out in all of the elements,” Officer Ketchum said of the complexity of driving a motorcycle on duty compared to driving a large sedan.

Driving a motorcycle requires physical coordination and awareness of what is occurring nearby, he said.

“It’s enjoyable, in that I enjoy motorcycling,” he said.

A motorcyclist since his youth, while not on patrol duty, Officer Ketchum drives his personal 1999 BMW 1100RT motorcycle.

Before becoming the police motorcyclist, Officer Ketchum received about one month’s training in police motorcycle work, learning how to drive on various terrain, how to surmount obstacles, and the principles of crowd control.

During his years at the police department, Officer Ketchum has had several specialized roles.

He is a certified bicycle patrol officer, a field training officer, a firearms instructor, and a taser instructor. He also is the police department’s fire investigator. He served as the school resource officer at Newtown High School for three years, ending that assignment in 2006.

Of his work as a motorcycle patrolman, Officer Ketchum said, “It’s certainly, by far, the most interesting and most challenging…I’m happy doing what I’m doing.”