0 0 8 custom alchemy for 2011 riding the beat in ... - Harley-News

THE STREETS OF MILWAUKEE Thanks to the efforts of the “bike men” and the Neighborhood Task Force, crime is down in this residential Milwaukee neighborhood.
officers, Rueda explains, are not out there to issue traffic
tickets; their mission is a larger one: To help law-abiding citizens
feel safer and let gang members know they’re being watched.
So the officers are given a great deal of leeway to decide when
to show mercy and when to put the hammer down.
With 18 years on the force and 14 as a motor officer –
combined with four years in the U.S. Navy – Rueda has become
an expert at reading the situation and acting accordingly. The
vast majority of stops are routine, but you never know when
things may turn ugly, so each one is approached with caution.
“For the most part – and I won’t say ‘always’ – as soon as I
interact with the driver I can tell what kind of stop it’s going to
be, whether it’s going to be a problem,” Rueda says. “But we
still back each other up. We’ll ride by during a stop and make
sure everything’s okay.”
There’s a unique sense of brotherhood among the motor
officers – and it shows in how they interact during a brief photo
session. There’s a lot of ribbing going on, but the affection
is obvious. This is generally true among all members of the
law-enforcement community, but it’s especially evident among
motorcycle cops, who are often considered a little “different”
from other officers.
“Some of the squad [car] officers will tell you that a
motorcycle cop is a little strange,” Rueda says with a laugh.
“They joke that we don’t get along with others! But we work
alone, and we like to work alone. It’s not for everybody.”
And it’s not easy to get assigned to the motorcycle unit.
An officer has to be on the force for at least four years before
he or she (there are currently two female officers) can apply.
Then they have to pass an interview to decide if they’re cut out
for this particular detail. Then comes the rider training.
“You may think you know how to ride a motorcycle – until
you go through our course,” Rueda explains. “The things you
learn on our course are not things you normally would need to
do while riding your regular motorcycle on the street.”
The course is sponsored by the Department and includes
lots of low-speed maneuvering. It’s taught by two certified MSF
instructors – Sergeants Michael Edwards and Richard Yerkes.
You have to be a licensed motorcycle rider to be eligible, but
you don’t have to have any real experience. In fact, new riders
sometimes do better because they don’t have existing bad
habits to unlearn.
“We’ve had experienced riders come through the course and
not pass it,” Rueda says. “It’s definitely a different type of riding.”
Each officer receives a new bike every three years, on a
rotating basis. They’re Harley-Davidson Electra Glide ® Police
Model motorcycles, and they arrive from a local dealership with
“stock” police accessories. Milwaukee-specific markings and
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