The Inevitable Demise of the Motorcycle Cop – Illinois Council Considers Killing Off An American Tradition

It just never made any sense, and less so now in a world full of enormous cages driven by, let’s face it, people on the edge of sanity. And as a result, the Motorcycle Cop is a dying breed and reflective of a time when people had at least a modicum of respect for the authority of The Man.

It was always madness. The idea that a man on a motorcycle could bring to heel a man in a car was entirely dependent on the acceptance of the very idea of the rule of law, and the very idea of the rule of law has always been a tenuous conception at best.

Naperville, Illnois’ four-rider motorcycle division will be scrapped if some council members have their way, and their action likely signals the end of an era.

Napierville City Councilman Grant Wehrli said the motorcycles are no longer neede for a variety of reasons, principal among them the nearly $2,000 it costs to uniform each officer and train them at a motorcycle-policing class taught by Northwestern University. The reasons are pretty obvious. Workers’ compensation claims, the costs of maintaining and equipping a bikes the department uses only six to eight months a year and politico speak which generally sounds like blah, blah, blah…

“It seems that we have five officers trained on the motorcycle and four of them have been hurt while on the motorcycle. They seem to be of limited use seasonably, and they are a cost-negative influence on our budget because of the workman’s comp claims.” the estimable Mr. Wehrli said.

Napierville Mayor George Pradel, a former Naperville police officer, said he never rode a motorcycle as part of his policing duties – but he wanted to – and he added that bikes are not only an effective police tool,  but  attract positive attention to the force.

“I absolutely believe motorcycles have a place on the Naperville Police Department. When I was on the traffic division, I wanted us to have them so bad. Not only can they be useful for catching speeders but they can get into so many places squads cant, like rushing to an accident on a packed Route 59 in the summer,” he said.

Councilman Robert Fieseler said Wehrli is dead wrong, but Wehrli had his retort as well.

“It’s gotcha enforcement,” Wehrli said. “I’m all for enforcing the laws, but when we’re hiding behind trees it gives the perception that we’re a ‘gotcha’ department.”

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