Motorcycle officers balance pros and cons of duty/CA

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Navigating a dangerous job
Motorcycle officers balance pros and cons of duty
By Melissa Pinion-Whitt, Staff Writer  

 
 
The countless times drivers nearly crashed into Reggie Autrey didn't scare him off his sheriff's motorcycle.
He continued to ride even after the death of his partner, San Bernardino County sheriff's Deputy Ron Ives, who died in an on-duty motorcycle accident in 2004.



But on Oct. 12, after a restless night brought on by the death of sheriff's motorcycle Deputy Daniel Lobo the day before, Autrey decided to park his motorcycle for good.

"After Danny died, I said, `I'm done. Who's going to be next? Is it going to be me? Is it going to be one of my friends?' "

It's a trade-off many motorcycle officers face.

The freedom of riding and the camaraderie among the two-wheeled camp has an allure that keeps officers on their bikes despite the higher risk involved.

But some officers who experience the downside of riding -- losing partners to fatal crashes or getting in too many accidents themselves -- reach a point where the risks outweigh the benefits.

Rancho Cucamonga's traffic division, in response to the deaths of Lobo and Ives, plans to review its policies on how deputies respond to emergencies, said Sgt. Chris Allen. Mayor Bill Alexander said he also wants to sit in on the meetings to offer suggestions.

"Anytime you see something that might make a very dangerous job a little less dangerous, then you look into it," Alexander said.

Lately, there have been frequent reminders of the downside of riding in law enforcement.

Burbank police motorcycle Officer Tim Dyrness received neck and back injuries when a driver pulled out of a parking lot and into his path Oct. 21. Dyrness remains off-duty recovering, but he is expected to return to work in a few weeks.

A driver rear-ended Redlands police motorcycle Officer Rodney Walters on Oct. 19. The impact threw the officer off his motorcycle, and he struck his head on the ground. He survived with minor injuries.

In Industry, a suspected drunken driver slammed into the back of CHP Officer Dave Romero on Sept. 23, killing the 23-year veteran.

In August, a San Dimas teen pulled out in front of Pomona police Cpl. Michael Olivieri in La Verne. Olivieri flew off his bike and hit the teen's truck, receiving cuts, bruises and hurting his back.

Olivieri says the deaths and injuries of other motorcycle officers always catch the attention of his traffic bureau.

"Every time we hear of a motor officer killed in the line of duty, we can relate because of the close calls we encounter on a regular basis," he said.

While recent headlines make it seem like law enforcement motorcycle accidents are on the rise, they actually appear to be steady within some agencies.

The CHP, for example, has had an average of about 40 motorcycle accidents a year statewide since 2000. There were 41 accidents in both 2003 and 2004 and 24 so far this year, said Tom Marshall, CHP spokesman.

But motor officers are less likely than those in cars to walk away from a crash uninjured.



LIVE TO RIDE

Some officers and deputies go back into squad cars in the aftermath of serious motorcycle accidents. Others can't recover from their injuries and are forced into early retirement.

It can even affect motor officers who have never been seriously injured.

Autrey left the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department on Dec. 31, in part because he was traumatized by Ives' death.

"Coming to work after Ronnie died and seeing his name on the locker -- seeing the empty spot where he used to park his bike -- it took a lot out of me," Autrey said. "I had to go."

He returned as an officer for the Beaumont Police Department, where he started his law enforcement career in 1995.

His brother, an undercover officer for the Los Angeles Police Department, his sister, a dispatcher for the LAPD, and his wife asked him to consider abandoning motorcycle duty.

But after three months, Autrey returned to a police motorcycle and was looking forward to trying for a promotion to sergeant.

But in October, the wounds reopened.

Autrey was in Rancho Cucamonga testifying in a court case and met Lobo, his former colleague, for lunch.

The two reminisced, chatted about work and then parted ways.

The last thing Autrey told Lobo was to go out and write tickets and that he hoped to see him soon.

Hours later, Autrey checked his cell phone and discovered he had over a half dozen messages -- All of them were from people who said Lobo had died.

Autrey has since returned to a squad car.

"Right now, I don't know what I'm going to do," he said.

Olivieri, who's handled traffic enforcement on a motorcycle for eight years, says he's also having second thoughts.

Having been knocked off his motorcycle twice by drivers, he's starting to believe his luck may eventually run out.

A crash in 2003 left him with an injured ankle and six weeks of sick leave. The August crash left him with back injuries and more time off work.

The girl who struck him was arrested and has since been charged with driving while under the influence of marijuana and injuring Olivieri.

Considering the extensive damage to his bike and the teen's car, he said his injuries could have been worse.

"You start to ask yourself, `Is something else going to happen where I'm not going to be as fortunate?' " Olivieri said.

But even in the face of severe injury, some motorcycle officers are determined to keep riding.

CHP Officer Kevin Holsome didn't even realize the extent of his injuries when a motorist struck him in May 2004.

The California Highway Patrol motorcycle officer tried to stand up, but immediately fell forward.

When he looked down, he saw a pool of blood and realized something was missing -- one of his legs. The officer, based out of the CHP's Riverside office, had been hit while trying to escort a stranded driver off the southbound 15 Freeway in Corona.

It's a tragedy that would have forced many officers into early retirement. But for the 43-year-old officer, that wasn't an option.

"I don't want to retire. I don't want to sit behind a desk. I just want to ride," Holsome said.

After receiving a state-issued prosthetic leg and 16 months of rehabilitation, the CHP approved him to return to duty as a patrol officer.

The computerized prosthesis allows Holsome to walk, jump, climb stairs and even chase after a suspect.

While he's in a squad car now, he says he eventually wants to return to a bike. Off duty, he rides his personal motorcycle, a white-and-blue Indian.

Holsome is the first officer in the history of the CHP to return to duty with a prosthetic limb, officials said.

Allen, who started Rancho Cucamonga's motorcycle division in 1987, said there's always the risk of being injured. But there's risks in all areas of law enforcement, and Allen chooses not to live in fear.

"When I go, I go. And I'm going to go doing what I like to do, which is riding," he said.



PREPARING FOR THE WORST


Holsome said he is glad to be back on the job, but he's also cautious. There's an ever-increasing amount of cars on the road, and they're filled with distracted drivers talking on cell phones and fiddling with CD and DVD players.

He second-guesses everyone. And some drivers don't respond correctly to the sound of police sirens, he said.

"You have an expectation they're going to pull to the right like they're supposed to do," Olivieri said. "Some people do the exact opposite. They do all kinds of crazy things."

Some drivers simply don't see motorcycle riders of any kind on the road.

Holsome doesn't think the recent motorcycle-related deaths and injuries indicate more training is needed for officers.

The training is already rigorous and stressful, with a CHP academy wash-out rate of about 60 percent, he said.

Marshall said the CHP always reviews its policies following an officer's death, but he was not aware of any current sweeping changes in motorcycle officer policies.

Deputies in Rancho Cucamonga plan to examine their policies regarding motorcycle officers at a station level. Traffic supervisors may recommend making the rules more restrictive in terms of how deputies respond to traffic collisions and emergency scenes, to better protect them on duty.

"I'm sure after having two guys killed in a little over a year, there's going to be some thought about doing that," Allen said.

There are no plans to dismantle the sheriff's motorcycle program.

The motorcycle officers are often able to write more tickets than an officer in a car. Ideally, the citations will decrease accidents.

Autrey said that during an average shift, he can write at least 15 to 25 tickets, whereas an officer in a squad car may write between 5 and 10.

The difference is in mobility.

It's easier to make a U-turn on a motorcycle, and it's easier to get around stopped traffic to get to an accident.

Other agencies already have strict rules in place to protect motor officers from high-risk situations.

Pomona motorcycle officers are only allowed to respond Code 3 -- lights and sirens activated -- to traffic accidents if it's absolutely necessary, Olivieri said.

Motor officers involved in police chases are supposed to back out of the chase once an officer in a police car can take over. "It's just too dangerous," he said.

Officers in many agencies park their bikes and slip into squad cars when it's raining.

In Ontario, police aren't looking at policies. But for the past several months, police have been testing out protective uniforms for their officers to wear while riding.

The clothing, including pants, boots, shirt and jacket, is reinforced with a substance similar to Kevlar -- a material already used in bullet-proof vests.

They're also trying out a full-face helmet, rather than helmets that only cover half the face, said Ontario police Detective David McBride.

The department plans to phase in the equipment over time, starting with the helmet.

"If a motor officer does go down, it increases the level of safety and survivability if it came down to it," McBride said