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How come LEO's don't wear gear?

Gnarly Cranium said:
The boots are awesome. I kinda want some myself. :cool

How's the ankle support/protection in those anyhow??
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Not really very good actually. Just like shoes... on my boots the top, stovepipe, settled down right at the ankle so no real support.
 
MCSFTGUY said:
Not really very good actually. Just like shoes... on my boots the top, stovepipe, settled down right at the ankle so no real support.
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Damn! :cry Okay they need to design an update, something with new reinforced ankles, but the same sexy styling.

...I guess they'll probably just end up switching to some other type of motorcycle boot, but, dammit, that will make me sad. :x



I just remembered, at Astrid's court hearing there were two motor cops who kept wandering in at the back of the room, and one of them did have on a heavy leather jacket that looked armored. Not sure where specifically he was from, but at any rate there's at least that one out there in a proper jacket. Needs better pants though.
 
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AOW said:
No disrespect intended, but.....
I and several hundred others, were able to breach & clear quite a few off shore locations while in full protective gear including kevlar, body armor, lid, coms, weapons, and goggles.
I've never been a LEO, but from the few I know and the few I've encountered, I'm 99.99% sure that full motorcycle gear for LEO or anyone else weighs less than the gear we were burdened with while performing our duties.
Making it a personal choice is cool, but prohibiting those few that would feel and be safer in full gear just doesn't feel quite right.
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None taken. I'm a SWAT guy too, so I know the deal with helmets, shields, armor, pads, ammo, etc. The difference is you are on your feet the whole time and don't have to mount/dismount a bike 12 hours a day, everyday, all year. Try it and you will see what I mean.
 
hookah said:
I see your point, But moto cops in europe where full gear and seem to function fine, Also as a peace officer, wouldnt be better to set a good example, Its a proven fact that proper gear cuts down on fatalities. I asked a moto cop why they dont where full gear, and he said its too hot, I think in this day and age there is gear for all applications. BTW, not hatin on cops, think you guys do a great job, But should be offered proper gear by your departments.
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In Europe, the motorcycle police are primarily traffic police. I spoke to a European motor and he was suprised that we do more than traffic enforcement. All they do is write tickets. Some departments allow modular helmets, textile jackets, and motorcycle boots. I think we should have a choice, but I wouldn't change what I'm wearing now. I have seen this topic raised over and over again. I don't know why everyone makes such a big deal over this. It's your bike and your ride, if you like wearing your gear, then wear it. I'm fine with what I've got :)
 
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They don't wear gear because most of them are cyborgs.

"I'm a cybernetic organism. Living tissue over a metal endoskeleton."

11683888_gal.jpg
 
Well the answers have been given accurately. Tradition is probably the easiest answer. In talking to many administrators there is also the fear that the motor officers will appear too intimidating to the public If they are all geared up.

I convinced my command to allow us to wear full faced modular helmets. I ordered one and loved it. After a year of wearing it a decision was made high above me nixing our ability to wear the fullface. The reason for that decision was tradition and intimidation.

I sit on a statewide motorcycle safety committee. I've asked that one of the recommendations of the committee is that law enforcement agencies be asked/encouraged/required to outfit their motor officers in better gear to both better protect our officers and to set a better example for our motorcycle riding community members.
 
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silversvs said:
Well the answers have been given accurately. Tradition is probably the easiest answer. In talking to many administrators there is also the fear that the motor officers will appear too intimidating to the public If they are all geared up.

I convinced my command to allow us to wear full faced modular helmets. I ordered one and loved it. After a year of wearing it a decision was made high above me nixing our ability to wear the fullface. The reason for that decision was tradition and intimidation.

I sit on a statewide motorcycle safety committee. I've asked that one of the recommendations of the committee is that law enforcement agencies be asked/encouraged/required to outfit their motor officers in better gear to both better protect our officers and to set a better example for our motorcycle riding community members.
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Very nice! And I wish you the best of luck with this. I know that 2 years ago at the OTS Motorcycle Safety Summit the LAPD guys were talkng with Harry Hurt and Terry Smith about the use of full face helmet while on duty. I think there was some kind of study going on at that time. LAPD may have some info on the use of full face and duty time... If you know somebody down there... and if you get the info and can pass it along.... I will also see what I can do one of my old motor partners still hasn't retired yet.
 
I agree it's tradition, but especially for a city cop who doesn't get on the freeway, i feel adequately protected... Yes, two layers of wool is enough. My two layers of wool are thicker than my denim pants. The boots aren't that thick, but almost as thick as my track boots, but not as supportive. I have a buddy that ran over his ankle in a competition... The boots actually held up better than I expected. He had bruised toes, but his ankle was fine.

Oh, and yes, I love the boots!!! Most comfortable work boots I have ever had!!! Yeah, I know comfort doesn't equal safe, but they are better than high tops.......

It's funny that Silver brought up the intimidation factor... About two years ago we wanted to go to black and white cars from all white with a blue stripe. We had a council member quoted in a paper saying, "the reason they want black and white cars is the same reason they shave their heads and wear dark glasses, to be intimidating.". We would prolly never get away with wearing a full face.

I must point out that I think it's funny that this is a debate... Safety gear is a personal choice, I promise, the guys that are getting paid to ride, a have safety on their mind... They want to go home at the end of their shift, that is why they train constantly!

I do like the dialogue because it does make you think about evaluating "the uniform". people just need to stop taking it personally.

Sorry to the mods if we are rehashing a debate that was beaten to death.
 
One other observation: if the worry is intimidation factor, require Hi-Viz yellow uniform if using a full face helmet: Hi-Viz instantly cancels out intimidation factor. :teeth
 
SonicBill said:
I agree it's tradition, but especially for a city cop who doesn't get on the freeway, i feel adequately protected... Yes, two layers of wool is enough. My two layers of wool are thicker than my denim pants.
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'Thicker than denim' is a bit like saying 'thicker than tissue paper', though on city streets it's somewhat more reasonable. At least they're not having you wear polyester, I guess. *shudder*

SonicBill said:
It's funny that Silver brought up the intimidation factor... About two years ago we wanted to go to black and white cars from all white with a blue stripe. We had a council member quoted in a paper saying, "the reason they want black and white cars is the same reason they shave their heads and wear dark glasses, to be intimidating.". We would prolly never get away with wearing a full face.
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:wtf Wow, that's... that's absolutely depressing. A modular helmet just flips open with a flick of the wrist, and bam hey look there's your face just like on a 3/4 helmet, and you can talk normally and everything. I'm not sure what's so scary about that. Is it just having a full-face helmet closed while riding and not directly interacting with anyone? It's not massively easy to see a person's face while they're driving a car either.

SonicBill said:
I must point out that I think it's funny that this is a debate... Safety gear is a personal choice
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Seat belts aren't. A rider is far more likely to need their gear than a car driver is to need their seat belt. The seat belt's primary purpose is to keep the person from being ejected from the vehicle-- on a bike, ejection is almost ideal. There's just something a bit odd about that double standard. And certainly motorcops don't have much choice in what they get to wear. Granted, they can ride circles around just about any of the rest of us, which probably does a lot towards keeping them alive, but they also have to multitask like crazy and chase bad guys and... yeah, I'd feel better if they at least had the option to wear better gear.

I wonder if the bulletproof vest helps in a crash? I mean the asphalt isn't exactly shooting at you, but still...
 
silversvs said:
Well the answers have been given accurately. Tradition is probably the easiest answer. In talking to many administrators there is also the fear that the motor officers will appear too intimidating to the public If they are all geared up.
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Do these administrators/higher-ups work the city on a regular basis, or are they pretty much tasked with the administrative stuff? I ask because if they are not primarily out on the streets, where are they getting their data from that says "tradition" is an important factor, as well as where are they getting the "intimidation" factor? Cop stops you for any reason, it's going to be intimidating for those folks that get intimidated by police. The ones that aren't intimidated aren't suddenly going to change just because of a full-face helmet.
 
Gnarly Cranium said:
I wonder if the bulletproof vest helps in a crash? I mean the asphalt isn't exactly shooting at you, but still...
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Oh heck yea!!!!:thumbup:thumbup:thumbup

ERRRRRR not that I would ever know... not me, I never went down... those scars on my arms.... accident with an iron.... I mean boiling water... yea thats it, boiling water.....:facepalm

I have to agree with the wool pants being ok for city work... I never really worried about going down in the motor-britches.... However, during the summer being in the Inland Empire in So. Cal... I would have killed for some lighter pants.

Full face helmet... it would be nice but when I am riding around town now I always flip the modular up... This could very well be because I was/am use to riding around town with an open face. Thinking about it... the modular would be better for around town because this is where traffic mishaps are most likely to get to the chin, face, etc.
 
silversvs said:
I convinced my command to allow us to wear full faced modular helmets. I ordered one and loved it. After a year of wearing it a decision was made high above me nixing our ability to wear the fullface. The reason for that decision was tradition and intimidation..
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I would hope that the decision to switch back was well documented.:mad

There is ample enough evidence to show that a modular is far safer than an open face helmet.
 
Intimidation? Really? Isn't that part of the job description, and why cops will pull their guns on civilians at the drop of the hat?
 
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