Police roll out new motorcycle patrols

The Kalispell Police Department's new motorcycle squadron officially was introduced to the public Friday afternoon with engines roaring and sirens wailing.

Motorcycle officers gave onlookers a short riding demonstration and answered questions about their bikes at Flathead Valley Community College's west parking lot.

But some unsafe drivers around Kalispell have met them already.

The police department's motorcycle division has been patrolling Kalispell's streets since June 19, focusing attention primarily on traffic enforcement.

"People were definitely surprised the first couple days," Kalispell Police Chief Roger Nasset said. "They don't recognize those are police officers, on motorcycles."

While the bikes are still pretty new and somewhat of a spectacle (drivers on U.S. 93 slowed and stopped to watch Friday's demonstration), they will provide a valuable public safety function, police said.

"It'll give us the opportunity to patrol areas we weren't able to before," Nasset said. "We're really excited about it."

Intensive and efficient traffic control is becoming more important as the volume of cars driving Kalispell streets increases, Nasset said.

Speeders, people running red lights, violators of basic traffic laws, and people driving under the influence of alcohol will be the motorcycle division's main targets, Nasset said.

Last year, Flathead County had 2,000 accidents, among them 30 fatalities, Montana Department of Transportation Director Jim Lynch said.

"These motorcycles can communicate proper driving behavior," Lynch said. "They keep the streets safer."

Lynch also expressed his hope to add more motorcycles to the police department's fleet in the future.

The Department of Transportation wants to provide the infrastructure for police motorcycles if police departments are willing to provide the manpower, he said.

The Kalispell Police Department received a grant from the state to purchase and equip two police motorcycles in October 2006.

The two police-package Harley-Davidson Road Kings were delivered in April, and in May the department sent them and two officers to an intensive four week training course in Missoula.

The training course began with motorcycle officers Brett Corbett and Scott McConnell learning police maneuvers for two weeks on a closed course and concluded with two weeks of street patrol. One of the officers told him the motorcycle training school was harder than SWAT school, said Nasset.

At Friday's demonstration, Corbett and McConnell rode in different formations and maneuvered in tandem. They also consistently pulled off U-turns no wider than 8 feet, which is no small task considering each bike weighs about 900 pounds with all its equipment.

"Traffic enforcement is an important part of what we do," Corbett said. "Motorcycles increase our maneuverability and visibility. They give us some advantages over a car."

Also on hand was a representative from Harley-Davidson, which outfitted the officers with much of their gear and their motorcycles with police-issue engines not found on any other model.

"It was great working with the Kalispell Police Department," said Greg Lake, the operations manager of Montana Harley-Davidson in Kalispell.

Harley-Davidson was instrumental in getting the police motorcycles out on the street, Nasset said.

"We really appreciate their assistance," he said. "They helped us out as much as they possibly could."

Reporter Nicholas Ledden can be reached at 758-4441 or by e-mail at nledden@dailyinterlake.com