I have been following with interest the debate going on in the Peachtree City Council about whether or not to procure another motorcycle for the police department. I finally cannot be quiet any longer and would just like to add another perspective to the issue.
First, however, I must give a little of my background so that everything is on the table up front.
After retiring from my civilian sector job in 2004, I attended the city’s Citizen Police Academy, a very educational 10-week course where local citizens can learn more about the operation of the police department.
Following that, I applied for and was accepted to become a member of the department’s Auxiliary Police force, a small group of citizen volunteers that assist with a variety of tasks. I finished up my time with the auxiliary in January of this year.
As part of that job, I conducted patrol activities in a car, on the ATV, and on the bicycle, so I am very familiar with the city’s streets and cart paths. I also worked very closely with the regular officers, including the motorcycle officer.
Based on that experience, I can say unequivocally that the motorcycle is an extremely effective vehicle for the department to have, and it would not even be a bad idea to have at least two motorcycles.
I have worked numerous traffic accidents where the accident causes gridlock on the roads leading to the scene and it is very difficult to get a patrol car there. The motorcycle is much more flexible navigating the maze of backed-up vehicles and can get to the scene faster in the worst case scenarios.
Responding to a problem in The Avenue during the Christmas season can also be quicker using the motorcycle, which can slip by the maze of cars much easier than a patrol car. It’s also a very effective traffic enforcement tool as was mentioned in the various newspaper articles.
The one area that needs some clarification is how it is used on the cart paths. It does not do routine cart path patrols, which are left up to the bikes and ATVs.
However, if there is a problem on the paths like a crime or golf cart accident, the motorcycle can respond quickly from anywhere in the city.
If an ATV happened to be on the south side of the city and the problem was up around the Kedron Village area, it could take up to 40 minutes of navigating the paths for an ATV to arrive on the scene.
Even if the ATV were closer, depending on the particular path routing that might be necessary and the number of golf carts and pedestrians on the path, the response time could still be lengthy. Responding at night adds even more time since the paths can be quite perilous in some areas.
So the bottom line is that having watched the department’s operations from the time before they even had the motorcycle until today, I can say without any hesitation that the motorcycle enhances the safety of citizens in Peachtree City to a degree well in excess of its cost.
I would suggest that the mayor and each of the council members do a couple of ride-alongs with regular officers so they can become more familiar with how officers conduct their operations and respond to various situations.
That was the highlight for me of the Citizen’s Police Academy and led to my desire to become a volunteer with the department.
Peachtree City has a fine group of officers from the veterans all the way down to the rookies and we should be doing everything we can to help them keep our city safe.
James V. Kelso III
Lt. Col. USAF (Ret)
Peachtree City, Ga.
