With May being Motorcycle Awareness Month, drivers are encouraged to share the road with fellow motorcyclists. Lubbock Police Department says that while it’s important to do your part, it’s just as important that they keep your roads safe too.
In order to do that however, LPD makes certain their 12-man motorcycle unit is in tip-top shape.
The unit must pass a 56 hour training process in which there’s an almost guaranteed 50 to 60 percent failure rate.
“You just gotta be dedicated to get through the training. Training is so difficult you got to really want to be there to get through it,” said Sgt. Clay Winters. “If you’re not dedicated to it, you’re not going to survive the trainings.”
His crew members seem to agree.
“Yeah, if they aren’t getting it by day four, generally they’re not going to become a motorcycle officer,” said Officer Brooks Jennings.
Part of the training includes being able to weave through narrow obstacle courses made to simulate different traffic situations at varying speeds. They must also be able to lift the 900+ pound motorcycles from the ground.
“If you can do it on a runway with cones, you can do it on the streets,” said Jennings. “We ride these bikes to their extremes so that you’re completely comfortable with the motorcycle and able to make it do what it is able to do.”
They realize it’s a dangerous job, but crew members seem to agree, they all love doing it.
“It’s great it’s a great job we enjoy it it’s dangers, but we enjoy the challenges of it,” said Sgt. Winters.
