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Treasure Valley officers sharpen motorcycle skills

Posted at 5:13 PM, Jul 18, 2017
and last updated 2017-07-18 19:13:43-04

Motorcycle officers from around the Treasure Valley took part in a monthly skills training on Tuesday. 

Officers from the Idaho State Police and the Boise, Meridian and Caldwell Police Departments are getting the specialized training.

Each month, a different local agency will plan drills for the day.

"That's what we're working on right now is reacting to the driver in the vehicle and being able to have the presence of mind to put our side stand down and get off as quickly as possible," ISP Cpl. Andrew Nakashima said.

Along with the typical police training each officer goes through, the special motorcycle-focused courses emphasize what to do if the officers are in the field without the added protection of a patrol car. 

"You're a lot more exposed, of course, so you have to be alert to surrounding traffic and what's going on in the car in front of you," Nakashima said.

Nakashima said the drills aid them with their everyday and not-so-everyday traffic stops. 

"We do not train as if everyone is a threat," he said. "But we would be setting ourselves up for failure if we didn't train for the worst case scenario."

Though there is an added element of exposure and possible danger to the job, some officers say saddling up to the position can have its perks.

"Our acceleration and our breaking is a lot more responsive compared with a patrol car, so it is a lot more fun, yeah," Nakashima said.