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I can't seem to find any info on NYPD motorcycle police

16K views 22 replies 11 participants last post by  V8Thrasher 
#1 ·
This is unrelated to my "impersonating a police officer thread". I'm in college for Criminal Justice and just became a candidate for NYPD Cadet Corps, my dream is to be a motorcycle cop. Now obviously the NYPD has a big motorcycle division but I can't seem to find any sort of website for it, I don't even see it mentioned anywhere on the NYPD site. My google skills must be lacking, does anyone know of an official website for this?
 
#6 ·
#7 ·
Schneiderman, Congratulations on becoming a candidate! I hope you can make your dream reality. It was interesting to read the links that Crash provided. It was nice to see they are still riding Harley's. It may be the nostalgic person in me, but proper police bike should be a black and white Harley.

My nephew's Significant Other is in Portland's program, and she is loving every minute of it. Though being a long time equestrian, her dream is to be a part of the Mounted Patrol Unit.
 
#8 ·
i know this is like 2 months old... but if your still looking for info go to NYPDrecruit.com there are videos on the front page... there is one on highway patrol and they talk a little about what you would do and how you have to pass the motorcycle test to join.
 
#10 ·
NYPD Highway Patrol

I hope that I can answer any questions that you have. Congrats on the cadet corps - it's a great program and is made to establish future leaders of the department.
I am a retired NYPD Highway Patrol MOS. We used to have a background of the district on the city website - it may still be there, but I can't seem to find it any longer.
With that being said - fire away with any of your questions.
 
#11 ·
Crash - actually we do an awful lot of motor patrol - probably the biggest motor patrol in the world. We tend not to do the patrol on wheels during the winter during icy conditions, and it is against the department policy to do evening motor patrol. We do however do thousands of escorts yearly - mostly for the POTUS and the VPOTUS. When the UN has their get-togethers that’s another multi-day numerous OT dollar event as well. New Years Eve is another, as too the NY Marathon. In order to do Motor Carrier Safety you must be qualified, which I was honored to do. Another significant job is IDTU - Intoxicated Driver Testing Unit and Accident Investigation for those who were Seriously Injured and Likely to Die, and DOA accidents. We are one man units (something the NYPD doesn’t do any longer), except for the midnight shift when there are two Hwy personnel assigned to each RMP (Radio Motor Patrol, which other departments call cruisers). When we work alone we have the option to carry a shotgun, or not.
Each week we spend a couple of hours at traffic court either prior to, at the end of, or during our shift - mostly due to speed enforcement summonses. Well, I can go on and on - again, feel free to ask away.
 
#12 ·
hwy505idtu, how hard is it to get into nypd hwy? if you are in as a cop, can you stay in it when you get promoted? if you can't stay when you get promoted, how hard is it to get back into it? How hard is the training? I heard that you are required to practice slidding the bike at 20 mph...is that true?
Thanks
 
#13 · (Edited)
Hey Gehrig,

I'll do my best to answer this without being totally cynical.

Okay, when you enter the department you start earning career points, from each medal you get to each year you have on the job to even integrity review points. These points vary in number, an EPD medal is worth about .01 of a point, yes, in order to get one point with EPD's you need to have 10. EPD's are usually easy to get, I had around 25 or so EPD's. After a certain amount of time you can use these points for a transfer. Usually this is used for precinct to precinct. But these points can be used to get an "Interview" for the "detail" that you would like.

For a significant amount of reality - if you have a "hook" in the department, a rabbi of such that can help you, it is almost a surety you'll get the interview, and transfer. Your summons activity MUST be good! This is not an easy feat. Never do you want to write more than guys usually do in your precinct, otherwise you'll find your locker in the trash - yes boys and girls cops really don't like writing you - these are called productivity goals - some people call them quotas - but alas quotas are illegal :eek:)

You'll have to be a good boy, disciplinary problems which incur CD's (Command Disciplines) is not a good way to get into highway - we're a regimented unit - well, in my opinion.

The way it used to be, and still may be - when you get transferred to highway you'll get a temporary transfer from your precinct for 90-days and you'll be sent to "Wheel School" at Floyd Bennett Field. If you flunk out of wheel school, you're done - back to your precinct and back to patrol. If you pass, then you are officially transferred and you may now make the $2000 investment into your new uniform - yes we pay for our uniforms - all the leather.

If you get promoted, and you should strive for that - you will then be transferred to a precinct to work as a boss for at least six-months. Can you get back? Well if you were there as a cop and made good connections, especially with guys at the district (at Hwy 3), then you should have no trouble - but there has to be a slot open for a sergeant. But if your hook is "dead", then it may take some time. It helps though that you were a cop in the unit, because now the job doesn’t have to train you in all the aspects, especially AIS - freshen up your algebra!

Yes the sliding drill is reall - the instrutors wet down the grassy area along the flightline, you hit the throttle at around 20-25 mph and then all rear brake - the wayou you slide, or control braking is ll up to the skill you have. This is usually towards the end of wheel school. Wheel school is a NO BS school - screw up once and you're gone. Even when I got there and knew how to ride, I was asked if I ever rode, I said no because they hate getting bad habits from old salts - but I had a wheel license, I told them I was scooter qualified which back then got you a wheel license from DMV.

Your first day in wheel school you place the front wheel against a barrier laid across the ground, and you do clutch exercises, popping the front wheel onto teh wood without stalling or going over the wood. If you know how to ride it's an easy task - but it is fun to watch the guys not only learning how to ride a bike, but learning how to use a clutch for the first time.

This could go on and on, but if I haven’t been more specific, just ask and I'll elaborate as much as possible.
 
#14 ·
hwy505idtu,
Thank you very much for the info! Very informative and gives me something to strive for. You must have worked hard to get into Highway, and I'm sure served with pride and honor. It does sound like it it is one of the more elite units of the NYPD.
So is wheel school all about motorcycle training our does it include advanced vehicle tactics? I have my license, but I know it doesn't make me qualified to ride like a professional. How long is the wheel school? When you say that if you screw up once and you are out does that mean if you drop a bike you are done or if you fail a test you are done...? Did you learn your motor carrier stuff in wheel school or do you have to apply for that later on while in highway?
Wheel school sounds challenging. Is it like boot camp? Is it classroom training and then drills or is it all spent on the motorcycle? Is there anything one could do to prepare for it? I am always sceptical when they say they don't want prior motorcycle experience and then give this make any mistake and you are out stance. How in depth is the wheel school...is it just the first part of training, with subsequent more rigorous and in depth training to follow?
I was actually thinking of not going through with the nypd because I didn't think that geting into highway would ever be a possibility without a hook. I liketo work hard, and will do whatever is given to me.
I know these are alot of questions, and I appreciate your time in responding. It really is fascinating and one of the best kept secrets in the nypd.
 
#15 ·
Wheel school is about your wheel. Motor Carrier, AIS, RADAR Operation, Advanced Pursuit, etc., etc. are all separate schooling that follows wheel school. Your first year or so is all about training. My training went about two years - after that I was qualified in about every aspect including motor carrier which was a wonderful 2-weeks at Hwy 1.
There's no boot camp about it - once you're out of the academy that's all behind you. You are a white shield being trained by other white shields - but ones who have been in highway for some time. They expect you to drop the wheel, that's why all the wheels at FBF are beat down. What they also expect is after your first two weeks (wheel school is 5-weeks), you shouldn’t drop the wheel on a constant basis, if you show that you’re too inept, you're out. Just like mounted, the department would rather have inexperienced people so they can be molded in the fashion that the NYPD wants. The instructors quickly know who knows how to rife and who doesn’t. The top wheelman in our group never rode a wheel before training, so their theory s pretty much correct - I finished third in a class that started with 23 and graduated around 15 - eight washouts. Your final exam is a series of obstacles, mostly to prepare you for the NY's Eve detail, tight circles, figure eights, Iron Cross, etc. If I remember correctly there were ten obstacles and you could only fail two at the most. Those passing are in and those who didn’t have a MC license now have one - some instructors are licensed by NYS as DMV inspectors. I never saw a pencil whip - the instructors are true and blue, that's why wheel school is VERY much on the level.
Nowadays motor carrier is given out more and more due to the revenue it makes. When I was in there were only two classes a year and I happened to be walking by the office when the boss yelled out my name and asked if I wanted to go to the school which I of course said yes. Any school that is offered - TAKE IT! 20-years go by quick, and every class is a resume builder. Accident re-constructionists make a fortune on the outside.
Lots of cops call us buffs in highway - that's okay because I always answer "of course we're buffs, who would spend so much on their uniforms if they weren't?" We're the pretty boys, and there is a lot of pride in our job and especially our appearance, uniforms, RMP's, wheels, even our MCSU station wagons.
But it is a dangerous job also - we work alone on AM's and Swings - I myself was busted up by a drunk driver while on patrol - it ended my career. I fought a lot of bad guys alone with back up not very close, and passer-by’s just look without helping. It's not just about the summons activity - it's about the safety on the road for civilized motorists from the uncivilized operators. It's also about doing investigations that even the most hardened homicide squad member doesn’t like to do because it usually deals with bodies torn apart, and a significant amount of times they are children. But that's the darker side - you tend to get anesthetized for a time, but it always comes back to you later on. Just smile and joke, it's our defense mechanism.
 
#16 ·
Wow, 5 weeks! That must be pretty intensive training. That must make pretty good operators out of beginners. 5 weeks is a lot of training. I am impressed. That makes me feel better since my skills are adequate to travel from point A to B on the best of conditions. I remember traveling through Boston once during the winter and seeing the motorcycle police rididing in light snow. I was very impressed.
So when you get into highway, how is it determined when you patrol on motorcycle or in a car? Is it mainly a seasonal thing or canyou pick how you want to go out?
Thanks again for this information. It really is a great help.
 
#17 ·
You can take a wheel out mostly anytime - not on night patrol or during inclement weather. Why anyone would want to take it out in the winter is beyond me. The worst jackets in the world are the ones we wear. The leather - I have frozen my rear off even layered wearing that thing.
Also, if you are assigned as accident investigator for the day, you can't. The AI box has to be with you in case you're called out somewhere in the borough. I have had guys carry it for me when I have had AI and was out on a wheel. But, if you're on a regular patrol day, going to court, or you are going to a detail that requires a wheel, it's yours. Each wheel is assigned to three or four guys. The most senior has rights to it first, and then you get next available.
Spring time is when most of the wheels are usually out - it's kind of a spread your wings thing. Nothing like white lining on the GCP or Belt Parkway in rush hour!
And it's true - you'll be a chick or guy magnet - whatever you're into. There are a few women there that I worked with, and some gay guys - but we never cared - as long as you could do the job I didn't care if you were from Mars (Good show too bad it's being cancelled).
Start prepping for the academy - you can’t come over to a detail until you're off probation (2-years), keep your summons activity up, arrest activity down, and you'll be fine. Another truth - the city HATES arrests - it costs them money, whereas summonses are a revenue deal.

You'll have great and horrific memories - but all the same memories. I and two-buddies haven't seen each other in eight and ten years - we met the other day and it was like yesterday we were last together. The stories went on for hours. That's what I miss most - the guys. No braver or smarter men are those of the NYPD - this is truly a job where you learn to love the people you work next to. In the long run you look back and come to the realization that these men and women were the ones you entrusted your life with everyday. There are jerks, but mostly wonderful people all trying to accomplish the same mission. But being bias, when you sit with another wheelman and talk about either "the good old days", or meeting the person for the first time in IDTU School - you'll say to yourself "I'm Home" - I did. If you don't understand that now - I hope that one day that you become a wheelman you'll think back on this forum and say to yourself "That guy was right."

Any other questions, always feel free to ask away!
 
#18 ·
hwy505idtu,
Thanks again for the information, it is invaluable.
I have searched all over the web, and even watched the video on the NYPD website about Highway about a dozen times but it just scratched the surface and always left me wanting more info. Guys like you are hard to find. Seriously, I come from a family with a FDNY background, and they have friends on the job but most do patrol, and seem just as in the dark as I am about the ins and outs of highway. So thank you very much.
The way you speak of your time with the men and women of highway speaks volumes of the cadre you were associated with. I guess its the additional training, the additional uniform costs and the higher standards that you hold yourselves to that keeps that bond strong. It is not something you find in many places. I hope I have your luck.
I am fascinated by the training aspect. I know ESU spends alot of time training. I didn't realize that highway did too.
So wheel school is 5 weeks. I guess from what you described would it be safe to say that the first two weeks is learning the rudimentary elements of riding?...with the last three weeks focused on advanced drills and police tactics?.
 
#19 ·
Yes - you would be right - on the training aspect when entering wheel school. By your third week the instructors have you drive down a gauntlet at 10 miles per hour as they grab your light bar and try to knock you off the wheel - it simulates riding through riot conditions and NY's Eve. When I did the Million Youth March that's what we expected - but alas the community wanted us there and as we traveled through Harlem at 10 MPH two abreast and 50 wheels deep we were treated as home coming heroes - then again the ground shook for the first 1/2 mile so you knew we were coming. I was near the front so my family got to see me on every news channel. That day was very cool!
 
#20 ·
Sorry to bump up such an old thread -- I was just wondering since you mentioned motor carrying hwy505idtu if you knew or worked with any motor carrier investigators from state DOT? I was curious about what they do or what there job is like, right now I'm applying for a position as one in long island city, heh.
 
#21 ·
Never worked with state. Your job is to enforce state, city, and federal CFR's. Using scales, doing inspections on commercial loads etc. You can get called down by local agencies to do these inspections, which can amount to massive fines for the carrier companies. The size of your directives is that of two dictionaries.
 
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